Recent Posts

1

DC Gamer Club / Re: Latest Game Giveaway

« Last post by Deozaan on November 05, 2025, 05:21 PM »

Super Panda Adventures is free on Fanatical (redeems on Steam) for the next couple of days:

https://www.fanatica...per-panda-adventures


Here's a link to the Steam page for more details on the game itself:
https://store.steamp...er_Panda_Adventures/

2

General Software Discussion / Re: Very particular arrangement of Explorer icons....

« Last post by Deozaan on November 02, 2025, 03:37 AM »

Just curious if anyone else finds that sometimes one has a very particular arrangement of icons

-nkormanik (November 02, 2025, 12:35 AM)

On the desktop? Sure.
In the tray? Sure.
In Windows Explorer? Nope. Totally different mindset/workflow. I prefer list view, sorted alphanumerically for everything with few exceptions. Such as the Downloads folder sorted by date, or folders containing only (or primarily) images/videos in "large icons" view but still sorted alphanumerically.

3

General Software Discussion / Re: Windows 10 End of Life: October 14, 2025

« Last post by Deozaan on October 26, 2025, 02:38 AM »

Let me know how it goes. I haven't gotten around to trying it out yet and may not as soon as I thought I would. 

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General Software Discussion / Re: Windows 10 End of Life: October 14, 2025

« Last post by Deozaan on October 24, 2025, 01:11 PM »

Thanks for the advice. I use my printer infrequently enough that it might be 6 months before I need to print something and realize I can't get it to work on the distro I've been using. 😅

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General Software Discussion / Re: Windows 10 End of Life: October 14, 2025

« Last post by Deozaan on October 16, 2025, 03:25 PM »

I could never figure out how to get ESU to work on my primary machine. For some reason the Windows Update screen says "some of these settings are managed by your organization" but I don't have an organization. I must have tweaked something in the registry or group policy years ago to keep it from rebooting on me when it updated itself. 🤷‍♂️

But I did get it to work on another computer that's almost never on these days.

Anyway, I just learned about Zorin OS, and I think I'm going to check it out soon. It's Ubuntu-based, but has included features to make it easy to transition from Windows, such as handling Windows .exe or .msi files/installers (probably with Wine).

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General Software Discussion / Re: Chat app recommendations

« Last post by Deozaan on October 15, 2025, 07:39 PM »

This isn't necessarily a recommendation because I haven't really used it, but it appears as though the FOSS software called Tox (like "talks") might fit your requirements:

https://tox.chat/

I think it is P2P, so it's kind of locally hosted, but definitely decentralized/distributed. And it's end-to-end encrypted, so that should alleviate any concerns about proprietary work stuff.



There's also an open-source Discord alternative called Stoat (previously called Revolt) that you can try, but again I haven't really used it other than installing it and tinkering with it for a few minutes (a few years ago):

https://stoat.chat/

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DC Website Help and Extras / Re: Cloudflare protection?

« Last post by Deozaan on October 08, 2025, 01:12 AM »

I don't have an opinion on the file downloads, but what about switching to Anubis for the website in general? Cloudflare seems heavy handed and very inconvenient for legitimate users.

Cloudflare always makes me wait a few seconds and then makes me click the little checkbox, wait a few more seconds, then finally loads the page. And it seems like 10 minutes later it challenges me again. And it doesn't seem to help much with the spammers.

In contrast, Anubis makes your computer perform "proof of work" which takes a couple seconds and then it automatically loads the page when it's finished. No user interaction is required.

More details at the above linked GitHub page, or the main site:
https://anubis.techaro.lol/

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General Software Discussion / Re: Windows 10 End of Life: October 14, 2025

« Last post by Deozaan on September 15, 2025, 12:47 AM »

not sure when I backed up the settings, but I guess I will take advantage of the extra year.

-rgdot (September 14, 2025, 12:02 PM)

It's in the "Accounts -> Windows Backup" section of Settings. It may be safe to assume that it's on by default if you use a Microsoft account for your Windows login.

I have my settings synced but I'm not yet seeing what you are seeing. That may be because I typically update my Windows install and then repeatedly click "pause updates for 7 days" to set it for as long as it lets me before it forces me to update, at which point I repeat the process. So I haven't installed any updates for about the past 30 days.

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General Software Discussion / Re: Windows 10 End of Life: October 14, 2025

« Last post by Deozaan on September 10, 2025, 07:34 PM »

I believe the reason why it has been making headlines lately is because v2.0 with massive improvements to basically everything was recently released. So if it has been a while since you checked it out you may find it is very different now.

I was under the impression it was OSS if not FOSS but with optionally paid supporter packs that include extra brushes or something like that.

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General Software Discussion / Re: Windows 10 End of Life: October 14, 2025

« Last post by Deozaan on September 10, 2025, 07:20 PM »

What's the Linux alternative to Adobe and Affinity tools?

-Tuxman (September 10, 2025, 07:08 PM)

I am not deep into graphics/image editing software, but I've recently seen PixiEditor make some headlines, with some people claiming it's a decent Affinity alternative. It has different editing modes, like Affinity's personas, for pixel, raster, vector editing, and more.

I haven't had occasion to use it yet. So I don't have an opinion one way or the other, other than to say it may be worth looking into.

11

Living Room / Re: Maths problem

« Last post by Deozaan on September 09, 2025, 05:05 AM »

The tricky part is running 3/4 pace should make the horse go slower over the distance of 1100m

I see you have done a  68.75 divided by 4 multiplied by 3  to get 51.5 secs.

-nogojoe (September 06, 2025, 05:56 PM)

Sorry! I got so caught up in making the quarter horse joke--where I was expecting the number to be lower/faster--that I didn't notice that I accidentally multiplied 68.75 seconds by 0.75 instead of dividing by it. 🤦‍♂️

68.75 / 0.75 gives about 91.6, which is the same answer ConstanceJill came to using other methods, which admittedly are easier to follow.

The correction in full (showing my work this time):

The horse takes 75 seconds to run 1200 meters. That is 0.0625 seconds per meter. (75 / 1200 = 0.0625)
At that pace, it will take 68.75 seconds to run 1100 meters. (0.0625 * 1100 = 68.75)
Running the 1100 meters at 0.75 pace would take about 91.6 seconds. (68.75 / 0.75 = ~91.66667)

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General Software Discussion / Re: Windows 10 End of Life: October 14, 2025

« Last post by Deozaan on September 07, 2025, 07:05 PM »

Microsoft is offering Extended Security Updates (ESU) for an additional year, until October 2026, in some regions.

You can pay $30 for it, or in some cases or might be free.

https://www.microsof...-of-support?r=1#FAQ3

Windows 10 ESU is valued at $30 USD per device and can be purchased directly through the Microsoft Store using the built-in tool available in Settings on eligible Windows 10 devices. To help customers stay protected or move to a new device, ESU includes multiple enrollment paths—some at no additional cost:

• Sync your PC’s settings and apps to help you move more easily to a new Windows 11 device.
• Redeem 1,000 Microsoft Rewards points.
• Pay $30 USD.

-https://www.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/end-of-support?r=1#FAQ3

So I guess maybe there's not quite so much of a rush after all.

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Living Room / Re: Maths problem

« Last post by Deozaan on September 06, 2025, 04:47 PM »

The horse takes 75 seconds to run 1200 meters. That is 0.0625 seconds per meter.
At that pace, it will take 68.75 seconds to run 1100 meters.

Now is the tricky part.

Running the 1100 meters at 0.75 pace would take about 51.5 seconds. (EDIT: The correct answer is about 91.6 seconds.)
But if it's a quarter horse running at three quarter horse pace then it will only take about 23 seconds.

14

General Software Discussion / Re: Windows 10 End of Life: October 14, 2025

« Last post by Deozaan on September 06, 2025, 06:07 AM »

I'm still currently using Windows 10. My PC was built about 14 years ago so it "isn't capable" of running Windows 11 due to lack of TPM 2 or whatever. But I don't want Windows 11 anyway. Microsoft have injected ads and spyware too much already into Windows 10. It's not too bad if you disable various settings, but they basically bait and switched me by slowly introducing the ads and spyware piecemeal over the years after I initially installed Windows 10. This time I know what to expect from them so I don't plan to sign up for more of that by using Windows 11.

Apple is also out of the question for me. Unless perhaps someone donated some older hand-me-down hardware to me or something. I'd at least check it out if that happened.

So for me it's either finally make the leap over to Linux or kick the can down the road by figuring out a way to "safely" keep using Windows 10 for a while. I've heard rumors that Microsoft will provide security updates and support for Windows 10 for a few more years in certain circumstances. But maybe that's just for big corporations or enterprise customers. More research is needed on that subject.


I've been slowly preparing myself for the eventuality that I'd be switching to Linux by gradually moving away from using tools and software that are only available on Windows over the past several years. At this point in time almost everything I use on a regular basis is cross-platform, if not open-source. But I realize not everyone has that luxury.

And I can't think of any specific Windows-only software that I absolutely can't live without or that won't work on Linux through something like Wine or Proton. So even though I've toyed with the idea in the past I think I am finally prepared to make Linux my daily driver when I am done with Windows 10.

Of course, there may still be things that I take for granted and won't realize I'm missing them until they're not available anymore. Screenshot Captor just came to mind. 😭 I'll miss it but I'm sure I'll find an alternative.

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General Software Discussion / Windows 10 End of Life: October 14, 2025

« Last post by Deozaan on September 05, 2025, 03:13 PM »

Windows "The Last Version of Windows" 10 is quickly approaching end of life. If you have (or had) Windows 10 installed, what are you planning to do (or what have you done) about the upcoming deadline?

Update to Windows 11? Install a different OS? Keep using Windows 10?

16

Living Room / Re: Recommend a USB cable to me!

« Last post by Deozaan on August 26, 2025, 02:49 AM »

Thanks for the responses. I actually made a purchase back in March and forgot to follow up here.

I did go with a $10 2m (6.6ft) toocki 100W USB-C to USB-C cable with integrated display from Amazon. It's nice to see that choice validated and recommended by someone else here.

It hasn't seen a ton of use, but I've liked it when I've used it and don't have any complaints about it. Most of the time 2m is plenty, but I think it would be nice to have another one that is 3m for the rare occasion that 2m just isn't quite enough.

And here's a pro-tip: If you're using it to charge something you'll be holding in your hand, maybe plug the end with the screen into the charger and not the thing in your hand, or plug it in facing away from you, so the display doesn't blind you the whole time. Especially if you're using it at night or in the dark.

And thanks for pointing out the toocki power meters to me. I hadn't seen those and 2 for ~$13 seems much better to me than the ones I'd looked at earlier.

17

DC Gamer Club / Re: Latest Game Giveaway

« Last post by Deozaan on July 10, 2025, 02:41 PM »

A few turn-based strategy games are free on Steam:
Field of Glory 2: https://store.steamp...f_Glory_II_Medieval/
Battlestar Galactica Deadlock: https://store.steamp..._Galactica_Deadlock/
Fantasy General 2: https://store.steamp.../Fantasy_General_II/

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DC Gamer Club / Re: Latest Game Giveaway

« Last post by Deozaan on June 23, 2025, 04:25 PM »

SteamWorld Dig is free on Steam for the next couple of days:

https://store.steamp...2410/SteamWorld_Dig/

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DC Gamer Club / Re: Latest Game Giveaway

« Last post by Deozaan on June 19, 2025, 06:50 PM »

I tend not to mention the weekly Amazon Prime Gaming giveaways, because like Epic you can count on there being at least one new game each week so it's probably best if you just get in the habit of checking it weekly. But Amazon currently has a few noteworthy (IMO) titles which redeem on GOG, which might be interesting to those who are not in the habit of checking each week:

Tomb Raider I-III Remastered
A few Saints Row games
Fate as well as one of its stand-alone expansions Fate: Undiscovered Realms
Star Wars Rebellion
And more...

https://gaming.amazon.com/home

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DC Gamer Club / Re: Latest Game Giveaway

« Last post by Deozaan on June 19, 2025, 06:53 AM »

Bioprototype:
https://store.steamp...689520/Bioprototype/

This looks like it's in the same genre as Vampire Survivors, which I've heard referred to as a genre as "Bullet Heaven" or just Survivors-like. It seems the game was originally listed on the Steam store through a publisher who ended up violating Steams rules, which got all games associated with them removed, even if the developer(s) of the games didn't do anything wrong. So the developer has re-listed the game and is offering it for free as a way of apology.

More details here:
https://store.steamp...w/499446213320378276



Down the Rabbit Hole Flattened:
https://store.steamp...bbit_Hole_Flattened/

Down the Rabbit Hole Flattened is an award-winning title originally created for VR, set in an immersive diorama. For the first time, the game has been re-imagined as a 2D point and click adventure, perfect for your casual flat screen needs!

Down the Rabbit Hole Flattened will be made available for free for a limited time!

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DC Gamer Club / Re: Latest Game Giveaway

« Last post by Deozaan on May 22, 2025, 02:04 PM »

Warhammer 40,000 Rites of War is free on GOG for... about a week?



https://www.gog.com/...r_40000_rites_of_war


And also Warhammer 40,000: Gladius - Relics of War is free on Steam again.

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DC Gamer Club / Re: Latest Game Giveaway

« Last post by Deozaan on May 18, 2025, 04:43 AM »

I like Fanatical and I buy greatly discounted games from them often. I have even posted about the Fanatical "Mystery Bundles" in the past:

https://www.donation...ex.php?topic=52663.0

My opinion is that they're not worth it. It's better to know what you're buying rather than gamble in the hopes you'll get something that seems at least mildly interesting.

And looking back at those posts ranging from over a year ago in 2024 and even earlier in 2022, I'm realizing now that I've never played any of the games I kept from those mystery bundles.

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Living Room / Re: [Solved] unable to see my dc credits on the forum heading

« Last post by Deozaan on May 17, 2025, 03:13 AM »

Previously I could see it here after login, against my name, see image attached. So never thought of it at any other place.

-anandcoral (May 03, 2025, 05:03 AM)

It looks like you have collapsed the header. Click this arrow by the search button to expand it.

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DC Gamer Club / Re: Latest Game Giveaway

« Last post by Deozaan on May 15, 2025, 03:42 PM »

Nubs! Arena just launched on Steam and is free for the first 24 hours.

https://store.steamp.../2337860/Nubs_Arena/

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DC Gamer Club / Re: Latest Game Giveaway

« Last post by Deozaan on April 14, 2025, 01:40 PM »

Metro 2033 Redux is free on GOG and Steam for two days.

https://www.gog.com/...ame/metro_2033_redux
https://store.steamp...90/Metro_2033_Redux/