Myself, I'm "stuck" on a keyboard released over 10 years ago, soley because the keyboard layout provided no longer exists (L-enter and big backspace, ergo split).

Simple solution for me:
Find and stock from ebay. Yes, I have 3 identical keyboards, still in plastic, sitting in my closet. Right next to the one or two with blank keys due to wear.

I can pipe in on this.

I had the highest paying job to date and 40+ in age. And then: brain tumor

Fired two days after returning home from operation, with no warning at all. In fact, was sure I would continue with company due to the lack of skilled teammates and many undocumented systems that needed cleaning up. Termination was a blow to more than my pride, literally couldn't speak for an hour.

Finding a job post this has been a world of hurt and no idea why. Age? Likely. Unwilling to move? Yes, for good reason.
Screwed? So far.

Need a linux guru, let me know. :|

Staying at a company that is loyal to you in the first place is a great choice.

Fiber along interstate 80? Uh, that happens to be the ICN, installed by the state:
http://www.icn.iowa.gov/

Somehow I (Iowa taxpayer) am not happy about that.

Wait, I can recall ancient memories with today's version of Slackware?

Excellent!!

Very touchy topic, which distro to run.

I think Ubuntu is an okay start for you, mostly because it will mostly work and there's plenty of help (including various levels of help) for you to use.

Problem one for you:
1. You caused the boot issue. How?

2. Fix it.

This will start the learning process, a large part of Linux for me is it leads to learning. It's all there for one to figure out, eventually.

How about _Treason_? I read it many years ago, to have heard Card's opinion now AGAINST gay marriage is surprising.

This from a man who's main character was technically both man and woman at one point.

I know linux-based machines are sold, I also know some people are clueless about them. Hence, "try to find", success: use google.

Now, the idea a Windows PC is cheaper, it's a GOOD thing and GIVES OEM's better pricing strategies....uh, wow. How is that good for the buyer again? Or really, for the OEM: eventually taking payments for putting crapware on machines will cost in sales. Certainly one of my reasons for not buying them.

Never mind, I'll be building my own, avoiding Microsoft licenses and encouraging others to do so.

Good Job! Now compare that price to a similar machine with a Windows License.

Having purchased a system76 myself, I already know and yet paid the extra anyway.

Instead of having most of us regurgitate Microsoft's evil record, how about you do some work and go find the antitrust charges they were found guility of in Europe? A start at least.

Next, try to find a PC without a Windows License forced on you. Building it yourself from pieces doesn't count (thank goodness as that's how I do all mine).

Have fun.

Yes, I'm sure one day talking about Hitler will be "old fogie".

No, Microsoft is not as bad as that genocide piece of crap.

BUT, M$ certainly killed many a company and not with legal business practices.

You want to deal with their crap, have fun. But don't paint it pink and put bows on it.

You forget a certain antitrust charge against Microsoft? You forget another one that actually was tried and punished?

Either you are ignorant or on the M$ team.

Failure: there is always why the contribution was made to consider.

Microsoft has way too much past history to redeem. The fact that many younger people aren't aware of said nasty history is sad.

.......I have a very bad feeling about this.

Mint seems fine at first, but have fun at the first "upgrade". Or as it is preferred to be called: wipe-install-from-scratch.

I expected a simple dist-upgrade to work but 12 -> 13 was junk and at 14 the system still thinks it's Mint 12. What?

Yes, release notes prefer to call full wipe/install an "upgrade".

NEXT!

Ah, no. Security is an engineering objective, not a history from legacy systems.

Yes, Linux is UNIX-based, but old UNIX systems were NOT security poster boys. It takes time, effort and review to accomplish good security. Linux safety is based on current, active effort.

  Microsoft (yeah, they are responsible for Windows) has not had security as a priority for a long time and given last couple of releases, still putting it behind marketing features (more important to have bling than safe).