Furret : Ah, okay. Good to know. Thanks man

Davideo7 : Thanks! Good to be back! It really has been too long since I was around. I thought to myself the other week "man I miss Vizzed," and it took me a minute to realize that I didn't have to miss it, I can still log in and talk to everyone lmao

Yeah, can't blame you for not wanting to go all in with terminal if you've got a decent interface. I still picture Ubuntu from 09 when I think of Linux, and it looked pretty, but I'm pretty sure you couldn't even drag and drop files from one folder to the next using the GUI. Good times...

That's awesome! If there's a job out there ripe for work from home, it's definitely web development. I'm glad she's liking it so much and doing so well. It's important to find something that you actually like, and that makes studying and doing the work much easier. Helps keep the burn out away too. Sounds like with you on the hardware side and her on the software side, your family is set for any computer problems they run into lol

I actually have no idea how any of this works lol. I'm shocked I got anything. Might have to keep posting and show you guys how it's done, because that's definitely something I know how to do /s

I'm actually shocked that Brave has a Linux version. That used to be my go to as well until it was revealed that they've done some shady stuff. Anyway, I did a bit of poking around and this was the best terminal cheat sheet I could find

Your wife is doing compsci? That's awesome! It's a great field to get into, especially depending on where you live. I have a buddy who's around my age that finished up his degree about a year back and is already making damn good money at his first job in the field. How's she liking it so far? And yeah, Windows is the OS for gaming.

First thing's first
"Today, we see an internet that has less websites like Vizzed or Reddit, and more websites like Facebook and Twitter, which encourage addictive scrolling through vapid content and heavy monetization."
Why is Vizzed and Reddit being used in the same sentence here? How is Reddit not in the latter category when it's one of the most popular websites on the internet and is widely known for shadowbanning and otherwise censoring voices that they don't agree with, regardless of how benign that content may be? Not saying they've never been right, that would be stupid and they've certainly banned some really nasty stuff, but they've hit a lot of completely irrelevant subreddits and users with their massive ban waves too.

Beyond that, I really have to agree with the overwhelming sentiment that the modern internet is a really different place. I think geeogree said it best: it's all homogenized and profit driven. Feels like that's all anything is anymore. I understand the need for profit in the real world, but it definitely feels like innovation is stifled in the name of mass appeal. Instead of having boundless sites with niche purposes and tight knit communities like Vizzed, we have a few juggernauts overseeing the majority of internet activity. The internet, video games, and movies all seem to be stuck in this crappy time where suits think that everything has to be exactly the same or else it'll fail. I've had people tell me I'm just being a boomer when I say this stuff, and sure, nostalgia paints everything through a rose tinted lens, but that doesn't mean that we're wrong for saying things used to be better. It just feels like these wonderful mediums for creativity have been hijacked and made to abide a formula; that creativity is frowned upon because it's "risky"

Nice! I've been toying around with the idea of installing Linux again too. I still remember not properly partitioning my old laptop while installing Ubuntu and erasing Windows... good times.

Anyway, first thing I'd suggest is a good web browser. Personally, I'm fond of Vivaldi. Speedy, its tab stacking feature (and ability to view stacked tabs side by side), and its focus on privacy are all fantastic. It is very memory hungry though.

Beyond that for software, I don't know, but I'd say the most important thing would be getting used to terminal commands. Even though some distros have GUIs so nice that Microsoft and Apple are taking notes, at the end of the day, being able to use the terminal is a must. It's a pain in the ass to learn everything, but you get to feel like hackerman anytime you want to do something and know how to work the command line.

Well, I don't know anything about Shining Resonance Refrain, but I hear good things about Valkryia Chronicles. Darksiders 1 and 2 are solid games too. Definitely mid budget and not perfect, but really good

Crazy how I pop back in here for nostalgia and apparently everyone else had the same idea around the same time as me. Vizzed has always been a comfy little corner of the internet, even if I dropped off in activity in a big way. So many amazing memories here, and some good lessons learned too. Whenever I think fondly of my teen years or the old internet, Vizzed always comes to mind. Shame that the internet has become such a homogenized product, because this site is proof that web 1.0 and even web 2.0 were vastly superior. Endless smaller, more niche websites that hosted interesting content and promoted actual discussions instead of just bandwagons and trying to farm likes for a quick rush of dopamine. The old days may be gone, but at least I can still come here and get a blast from the past and remember a place that had so many amazing people that helped shape me and point me in a better direction in life. I love you guys

That's a tough one, but I think I'm gonna have to go with Mario Sunshine. The controls are tight, mechanics are fun, great level design that encourages you to toy around, explore, and to get better at advanced platforming, and generally a really great atmosphere. A few levels here and there are total bullcrap, but for the most part it's a gem. Replayed a lot of it fairly recently and it holds up amazingly well in almost every front. Only time it shows it's age is the precision aiming with Fludd

Honorable mentions: Smash Bros Melee and Wind Waker

King of IT, eh? Have any certifications yet?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXlt2NaSw0s

I don't usually like post hardcore, but they're amazing. Their entire self titled album is fantastic. Way underrated too

If you think this generation's music is bad, it's because you haven't looked very hard. Beneath the hordes of meaningless bubblegum pop, generic rap, and generic rock, you can find some real gems. I've been into some less than mainstream bands for a while now, but the deeper I go, the more amazing music I find. Just gotta keep your eyes open to find it

Eirinn : all good. I'm guessing he meant that he wants to avoid classic style console gens, but considering just how finnicky consoles are when it comes to compatibility, I'm not sure that's going to be possible unless they stick to the same CPU architecture forever or plan on making emulators to run last gen games like they did with the 360 at launch and eventually the Xbone

I'm not sure how much power you need to make a game, but I know for traditional rendering work that you want at least 8 threads and a pretty beefy GPU. On a budget, I wouldn't go for less than an i5 and a GTX 1050Ti. If you're okay with a desktop, this becomes a lot more reasonable on a budget