Syrc

First, sorry for the long post and billion questions (and hopefully it’s ok in this community? I saw a couple multiple-question posts without one in the title but I might have misunderstood the rule)

So, my PC is running W10 with ESU, and I’m very paranoid about… most things really, but the relevant one here is malware. I don’t just randomly download stuff from the internet, but I know you can get malware even without consciously doing that, and even though I have an AV (Bitdefender Free) I’m hesitant to just stay on W10 after the free ESU ends. But there’s no way in hell I’m switching to 11.

So, besides staying on regular W10, my main options would be Linux or W10 LTSC. And I have various questions regarding these three choices.

I consider myself relatively tech savvy compared to the average person, but definitely ignorant on the matter compared to the average Lemmy user. So it’s not exactly an ELI5, but definitely an ELI15 or something.

I also have access to a different, W11 PC that I could use as “testing environment”.

Option 1: Switching to Linux

Even regardless of security updates, Microsoft is getting on my nerves and I’ve been telling myself I need to switch to Linux or at least dual-boot for a while, but there’s various things making me question it:

(For most purposes, “Linux” here refers to Mint since that’s usually the one I see recommended for beginners, but if other distros work better for certain aspects I’d appreciate to know)

1a - Is there no file system that works perfectly on both Linux and Windows? I could technically dual-boot using two different drives, but what if I need to access/move files between two drives with different file systems? Which issues would I face if, say, one is NTFS and the other is ext4? I think all of my drives are currently in NTFS, would I have to reformat everything to safely access them from Linux without worrying about data/metadata loss?

1b - I read that to open an .exe on Linux I would have to do it through WINE, and that there’s a database to check compatibility of individual programs with it, but are the worst compatibility issues just “the program doesn’t open”, or can a compatibility issue result in data loss/corruption too?

1c - I’m currently using Firefox on Windows, is it possible to copy all my settings and data (browsing history included) from the Windows version to the Linux one?

1d - Other than specific .exe without WINE compatibility, are there any relatively common file types which can’t be opened with Linux that I should be aware of? (Mostly talking about picture/video/audio/text files, compressed archives or similar).

1e - What can I mess up by testing an USB live version? Are there any things I should be careful about? I’ve heard “changes aren’t saved”, but that’s referring only to OS configuration, right? And, going back to file systems, can I even access the data that’s on my NTFS drive from a live version or would I just be working with the stuff inside the USB?

1f - I read often that “you can’t get viruses on Linux”, but that’s mostly because they’re not developed specifically for it, so you might “get” them but they won’t work, right? If I dual boot, is there the chance that I get a malware while browsing with Linux and then it infects my pc when I boot Windows (even without consciously opening unknown .exe files)?

1g - Which Pc components should I pay attention to because they/their drivers might not work on Linux? Is there a site/tool that can check if my current hardware would have any issues? (For example, I have a Nvidia graphics card and I think I read that might be a problem?)

Option 2: Windows 10 LTSC

Linux would be the ideal, but if I get too paranoid or can’t invest enough time in it to figure how it works before October, my second choice would be W10 LTSC, since from what I understood, that one has much more extended security updates. I do have my share of doubts about it too, though:

2a - I heard there’s various different versions of W10 LTSC (IoT or not, RTM, 2021, I think there’s even an Enterprise version that isn’t LTSC?), but what are the actual differences? Is one version objectively better than the others?

2b - I know LTSC is meant to be used in a “company environment”, but are there any downsides to it compared to the Home version? Does it have some hard limitations on what can I do with it? (For example, can I play every Steam game currently supported by regular W10 on it?)

2c - The main place where I’m finding LTSC information is Massgrave, is the procedure to keep files on their page safe/advised or should I backup and format just in case? And after doing that, can I activate it with a Key bought from a third-party site? (I heard their Activation Script isn’t 100% perfect, and keys are not that expensive anyway)

Option 3: Regular Windows 10

If both Linux and LTSC end up being too overwhelming to trust myself with, the only choice left would be to stay on W10 with Bitdefender, at least for my main PC. Though I’m still pretty anxious about malware:

3 - I initially thought that you could get malware only by consciously downloading files, opening mail attachments, going on uncertified sites or plugging in infected devices, but apparently there’s some types of malware that can infect your PC without you consciously doing anything? (For example, I read the WannaCry attack affected even machines that did none of the above?) Is there nothing you can do to prevent this from happening on an unsupported OS besides “not connecting it to the internet at all”? Is this just not a viable choice if I don’t want to risk losing my files or having my data stolen?

Even getting some of these answered would be great, and of course, if you think I have some misconceptions that need to be corrected I’d love if you did so, thanks in advance!

From Nimi’s 1st Anniversary Concert: A Dream of Spring

There’s also a second Teaser PV

Digital artists and illustrators are abandoning Elon Musk’s blogging platform X (formerly Twitter) over the introduction of a new controversial image-editing feature powered by artificial intelligence (AI). According to reports, the creators claimed that the new tool could be used to modify others’ works without their consent.

One such popular creator championing the boycott is Mu-jik Park, the renowned South Korean artist known by the pen name Boichi. Boichi is the creator of the hit manga series Dr Stone and Sun-Ken Rock.

https://thegameawards.com/nominees/content-creator-of-the-year

In light of the recent criticism that Rockstar Games has been facing for its firing of over 30 employees, one employee from the studio has taken to the GTA Forums to talk about the company’s actions. Under request of anonymity, and having been verified as a real Rockstar Games employee by an admin, the person – using the name Organize – has further criticised the Grand Theft Auto developers, calling the company out for union busting.

Context: Hideo Kojima has been a guest star in this year's Lucca Comics & Games in Italy.

There he met with ZeroCalcare, an appreciated italian comic artist who, among the others wrote a very good visual novel titled Kobane Calling, a depiction of his travel to Rojava to meet the kurdish resistance against ISIS.

They took a picture together, with Kojima showing the japanese edition of Kobane Calling and Kojima put this on his social media.

Then, the turkish nationalists protested against Kojma because they ranked YPG fighters as "terrorists", to the point of asking Kojima to be arrested... As a result, Kojima removed the picture from his social media.

(Sorry for the social media post, but all other sources were either in Italian or from Turkish sites)

Twitch, the global leading live streaming service that empowers communities to create and watch together, is collaborating with hololive production to bring talents hololive fans know and love to the platform. Talents from hololive Indonesia, hololive English, and HOLOSTARS English will take over the front page of Twitch for an all-day the “holoday” celebration.

(Yes, this was released today, I guess it took a bit to come out lol)

Mori Calliope isn’t just a megapopular VTuber with 2 million subscribers and a discography that goes hard—she’s also a diehard Gachiakuta manga fan who’s lowkey been fiending for this kind of opportunity. She’s a part of the crowd who liked it before its anime adaptation made it mainstream. Her upcoming Gachiakuta theme song, “Let’s Just Crash,” aims to be a sonic embodiment of Gachiakuta’s volatile rage and righteous fury, mirroring Rudo’s descent into The Pit and his fight to reclaim justice.

In our chat, Mori Calliope broke down how “Let’s Just Crash” channels Rudo’s ongoing journey as the anime’s hero, how VTubbing let her cross the line from fan to creator, and how she hopes this collab will be the first of many to come as anime and VTubbing jointly become core tenets of pop culture.

Anyone who wants to remember on this sacred day is welcome to join 👀