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The stuff I use

I’ve been using MX Linux the last couple of years; before that AntiX; before that Puppy Linux and a variety of other distributions.

I find MX to be quite stable and nice. I’m 63 years old, not a computer whizz, not a programmer and don’t spend a lot of money on computers. MX Linux isn’t too heavy for my aging computers: I currently use a 2012 Dell Vostro laptop and a slightly newer no-brand Pentium desktop.

Right now, I’m using the following on a regular basis:
Desktop environment: Xfce
Internet: Waterfox, Tor, Telegram Desktop, Torrent, NextCloud, Transmission, Filezilla
Office programs: Libre Office Writer and Calc, Scribus, gscan2pdf
Editors and note-takers: Featherpad, ReText, Bluefish, Cherrytree Notes
Email: webmail and Claws
Graphics: GIMP, XNView
Sound and Multimedia: Audacity, Clementine, Kodi, VLC,
Accessories: Galculator, Thunar, Catfish file search, Dictionary, Keepass XC password manager
Software management: Synaptic, MX updater
Book manager: Calibr
Stuff that runs in the background like CUPS, Alsa, seahorse, Clipit clipboard manager, and whatever performs the USB connection to my Samsung Android phone.
Games: only Mahjongg
Video editing: I don’t do this often – I think I’ve had most success with KDENLIVE

I also run a number of online programs: the office uses the Google Apps suite. I don’t have a Google Drive synchronizer that I like, so I mainly use Nextcloud to sync between my computers, and occasionally upload files and directories manually to Google Drive. Previously I used Insync.

I still read allegations that GNU Linux is hard, that Apple is easier and “just works”, etc.
I’ve never used an Apple computer – besides the ideological considerations, the hardware and the software would be too expensive for me. GNU-Linux is entirely adequate for my needs. When I tinker with my system and experiment with new things, it’s mainly because I sometimes like to do that – not because there is anything unstable or unreliable about what I’m using.