Do you type with all ten fingers?
As someone who writes for a living, you might think I'm someone who's learned the most efficient method for typing quickly, but I have to admit, I can't manage typing with every finger on my hands. I remember having some typing lessons back in college where we learned how to type more quickly by using all fingers, and I did try back then, but today, I simply can't do it without feeling like I have way less coordination. Maybe it would be worth adapting to it, but the time it would take to learn would significantly hurt my productivity. I mostly type with just four fingers, those being the index and middle fingers on both hands. I occasionally use other fingers for accents or to press the Shift key, but that's about it. Does that sound crazy to you, or do you also type with just a few of your fingers?
Joao
14
15
What's you favorite Linux desktop environment?
Linux distros are known for their endless customization options, and for good reason. Not only can you modify the widgets, dock, and taskbar, but you can also fine-tune the appearance of the terminal emulator, file manager, and other desktop apps to your liking. Heck, you can even choose from a variety of desktop environments to further enhance the UI to your liking. Personally, I'm a fan of KDE's aesthetics - to the point where I'd call it the prettiest desktop environment in the Linux space. What about you?
Ayush
19
19
What was the first laptop you ever owned?
I may call myself a hardcore desktop user, but there's no denying that a laptop was responsible for my downward spiral into the world of tech. As a kid, I loved tinkering with the Dell Inspiron 8500, which was more of a family laptop than something I had fullsovereignty over. After going through similar non-gaming laptops for almost a decade, I finally made the switch to a desktop, as I wanted the extra oomph that my laptops were unable to provide. And I haven't looked back ever since. What about you? What was the laptop that kickstarted your journey into the computing landscape?
Ayush
21
22
What File Explorer alternative are you using?
We've talked about File Explorer alternatives quite a bit here on XDA, and I've personally already found one of my favorites in OneCommander, which I wrote about in the article I've linked here. But there are surprisingly a ton of options available if you want to change your file manager on Windows 11.From Total Commander to Directory Opus, I've heard of a ton of options mentioned by our readers and while looking around for myself. So, if you've replaced the default File Explorer, what are you using? Or are you one of the people who feel that Microsoft's solution does everything it needs to do just fine? I'd love to hear people's thoughts.
https://www.xda-developers.com/youll-never-want-use-windows-explorer-again-after-using-these-apps/
Joao
25
25
Have you installed Windows 11 version 24H2 yet?
Microsoft released Windows 11 version 24H2 starting yesterday, October 1st, and it's making its way to PCs across the world gradually. Of course, you can install it manually by going to the Windows 11 download page and using the Installation Assistant to force your computer to upgrade.The question is: did you do that? What features, if any, prompted you to upgrade right away? Of course, I upgraded my main PC immediately because I always want to be on the latest thing, but realistically, there isn't a lot about this update that would get me to install it. It's a relatively light one in terms of new features, though things like sudo support are pretty cool to see. But I suspect many people will probably wait until a broader rollout or even until the update is forced. I'd love to hear your thoughts!
Joao
10
10
What do you use to listen to music?
Spotify, YouTube Music, Apple Music, Deezer, Soundcloud, there are a lot of options out there for listening to music. I'm a Spotify user and have been since a year or so after its launch, but I'm considering switching to another platform in the future. YouTube Music has a lot of features that I'd like, and I already have a YouTube Premium subscription as well. I'm just so used to using Spotify that it would be hard to switch!
Adam
10
10
What was the first GPU you ever purchased?
Despite being a huge hardware nerd since childhood, I had to wait until 2014 before I could finally purchase a discrete GPU. After a lot of internal debates, I ended up choosing the GTX 760. Of course, I'd used my fair share of PCs before I got my hands on the GTX 760, but most of them were laptops that lacked a dedicated GPU, and I had to wait for years before I could finally build my own GTX 760-powered desktop.It's not something I'm proud of, because I feel like I missed out on the golden age of multi-GPU setups that began in the early 2000s and ended with the GTX 600 series in 2012. Eventually, I moved on to better GPUs after realizing the limits of my budget-friendly GTX 760, and my trusty RTX 3080 Ti is currently the most powerful graphics card in my arsenal. But what about you? Which graphics card did you start your PC-building journey with?
Ayush
13
13
What's your favorite Linux distro?
Unlike Windows and macOS, the Linux landscape is teeming with countless distributions that bring their own set of unique features to the table. But with so many options, you're bound to have a distro or two as your favorites. Personally, I find it quite difficult to hone in on one distro. Instead, I have several options that I cycle through depending on my needs. For example, I love NixOS' unique (and downright eccentric) nature in my coding-oriented projects, while Pop_OS! is my go-to choice when I want to use an Nvidia GPU inside Linux.However, I'm also quite fond of Debian's stable nature, and even prefer it over Ubuntu.Then there's Q4OS, which can rejuvenate any old PC when combined with the ultra-light Trinity desktop environment. But that's just me being indecisive after years of distro-hopping. What about you?
Ayush
25
25
I experienced QD-OLED burn-in this week and I'm gutted
After over a year of using a static image on my QD-OLED Alienware gaming monitor, the worst possible thing happened. Yep, burn-in, with the swirly flame-like design from the iconic Windows 11 wallpaper showing up in other apps. I caught it early, so it only shows up on some colors, mostly grays, and it's fading after using the Windows spotlight wallpaper, which changes every few hours, but it's still frustrating. Then again, it took a year, it's still in warranty, and I've had monitors fail more spectacularly. It still won't dissuade me from how good QD-OLED or OLED is for gaming use, although I'll be picking up a newer generation panel next time.
Joe_Rice-Jones
18
19
Do you disable OneDrive backups in Windows 11?
Microsoft has been trying increasingly hard to push Windows users to try its other services, and OneDrive is a big example. After introducing the ability to backup entire folders from your PC, the company started enabling this feature by default on Windows 11 computers, which I personally hated. One of the first things I did when I learned of this was write a guide on how to disable it. Basically, OneDrive backs up your Desktop, Pictures, and Documents folders to the cloud by default, so they're accessible everywhere, but in my opinion, it causes more trouble than anything. You end up with a bunch of duplicate icons on your desktop, most of which don't work. But I also disable it for other folders to save space in OneDrive. What about you? Do you leave these backups on or do you also find them to be a nuisance?
https://www.xda-developers.com/turn-off-onedrive-folder-backup-windows-11/
Joao
12
13
How do you usually capture screenshots of your PC?
As someone who frequently writes how-tos and guide posts, taking screenshots (and editing them) is one of my everyday tasks. Over the years, I gave thePrint Screen method a lot of chances, but I found it to be rather finicky and unreliable, as Windows would often fail to take screenshots even after using the Windows and Fn combos. So, the Snipping Tool was my primary application for taking screenshots until a certain Windows Update in 2022 broke the functionality for me.In desperation, I tested a handful of apps before eventually settling down on Greenshot. And let me tell you, it was the best decision I ever made! Sure, there may be better apps with more features out there. But Greenshot has the holy trifecta of a simple UI, responsive performance, and open-source nature, which makes it my preferred companion when working on long tutorial posts. But enough about me. What's your favorite app or method of capturing screenshots?
Ayush
11
13
Do you partition your drives or use a single one?
A few years ago, when I first joined XDA, I wrote a guide on ten things you should do with a new Windows PC. Among those tips, I suggested deleting whatever partitions were created by your laptop manufacturer and using a single partition. A few people called me out saying that there is a use for multiple partitions, specifically separating the OS files from your data, so in case the OS gets corrupted, you can reinstall Windows without losing everything. I stand by my opinion, though. I think multiple partitions just make things unnecessarily complicated, and in most cases, you can reinstall Windows these days while keeping your personal files. Do you prefer using multiple partitions on your PC? Aside from dual-booting, do you think there's any reason to do it?
Joao
7
7
Did you know you can hack the ReMarkable tablets?
I've been using my ReMarkable 2 since 2022, but I only just found out that because it's Linux-based, you can SSH into it and hack new functionality into the tablet. Now, part of why I've not known this is that I didn't think to look. The stock firmware gives me everything I need, and I want the simplicity of a device that I don't have to think about. The list of tweaks and new functions is awesome, from sketching apps to APIs for syncing files to your own cloud instead of the company's, launchers, browsers, and evenDOOM. Yes, the game that you can play on almost everything works on this E Ink notetaking device. I'm looking forward to tweaking my device, but if any of you have already hacked new features in, please let me know what works, what didn't and what you can't live without.
Joe_Rice-Jones
Have you upgraded to Windows 11 version 24H2?
It's now been just over a month since Microsoft made the initial release of Windows 11 version 24H2 available to the public. It's rolling out gradually to compatible PCs, and the company has put a compatibility hold on some devices, so I'm sure a lot of people don't have it yet.For myself, I installed the update early on all the PCs I've used, and I've been liking it so far. I haven't noticed a ton of differences in terms of overall performance, but I also haven't noticed any major issues, so I'm pretty happy with it so far. One of my PCs seems to have lost the ability to manage device encryption, though, which is odd.What about you? Have you upgraded? What's your experience like so far?
Joao
9
9
Using Discord for almost a decade has made me miss VoIP and forums
Discord was excellent when it first launched. It was a breath of fresh air in the gaming communications segment. But over the years, I've started to appreciate technologies of old for curating written content and chatting with friends. Mumble, Teamspeak, and Ventrillo were all excellent offerings for gamers to unite under clan banners, but forums (like our own excellent XDA community) played a vital role in long-term content. Though Discord has become a Jack-of-all-trades, are we losing our sense of online community?
Richard
I created my own smart home hub, and I kind of love it
Oftentimes, writing tutorials for XDA involves me doing things I would never normally do, or things I simply have to undo after I've done all the testing. But last week, I was asked to write about how to turn an old PC into a smart home hub, and to my surprise, the process of setting up Home Assistant was very rewarding. After setting up my own server, all my Google speakers and Chromecast were already on the list so I could manage playback on those devices. But with some work later on, I even added full-blown TV remotes for both of my smart TVs, which really turned this from a fun little side project into an actual useful tool. It even supports Wake-on-LAN magic packets, so I can also turn the TVs on after a bit of extra setup. I don't yet have a ton of smart devices in my home, but I love how I can have all these things in one place, and what's more, running locally so I don't need an internet connection for everything. Do you use Home Assistant? What kind of devices have you set up
https://www.xda-developers.com/how-turn-old-pc-into-smart-home-hub/
Joao
6
7
Aside from gaming, I still don't like using HDR on a PC
For someone who works in tech, I've often been surprisingly slow at caring about new technologies, even when it's apparent to everyone else that it's so much better. In most cases, it's just because I ahven't truly experienced what those technologies can do — like how I resisted buying monitors over 1080p for a long time.But with HDR, despite testing multiple devices that support it, it took me forever to see a meaningful difference that I appreciated, and even when I did, it was only for gaming. Every now and then I'll turn on HDR on my desktop and it just looks so much worse for day-to-day use. The brightness seems way off and I need to crank it up much higher for content to be visible, and I just don't like it. This seems to be worse on Windows compared to macOS, but I still can't think of a reason to use HDR outside of playing games or watching movies. I would much rather just have HDR kick in when playing content that uses it rather than have it on the entire time.
Joao
Despite the alternatives, I still prefer Cat6 for my home lab
Ethernet cables are governed by Cat specifications, with each new generation featuring faster transfer speeds and/or coverage area than its predecessor. While a typical Cat5e setup may suffice if your devices are capped at 1GbE speeds, I recommend going for Cat6 cables - or even Cat6a if you need 10GbE support for over 55 meters.That's because home labs pair well with fast Ethernet standards, with a hardcore home server and NAS combo benefiting the most from a 10 Gigabit connection. Sure, Cat6 (especially Cat6a) cables can be pricier than hardwiring your devices with Cat5e wires, but the extra capabilities of the former are perfect for future-proofing your home lab.
Ayush
I've started to finally appreciate some PC games
Reviewing PC gaming handhelds has often been one of the most painful things for me to do at work, but I'm in the process of reviewing one right now, and for once, I'm having a decently good time. I have access to my friends' Steam library now and I've been able to pick out a few more games that I actually enjoy.For this review, I've been playingHellblade: Senua's Sacrifice, Elden Ring, Control,andVampire Survivors, and for all these games, I've found an appreciation I wasn't really expecting to. All of these are fun games in their own right, and while I don't think I'll finish them on PC, I do have a more open mind for playing them on the Switch or Switch 2 at some point.
Joao
What's your favorite self-hosted service?
I self-host a lot of services on my NAS, and I've recently been playing around with Vaultwarden to migrate my password management to a local solution. It's been an interesting endeavor and one that largely proved to be surprisingly easy to do. Now it's all about securely locking things down and ensuring that everything is kept safe. My favorite is still Jellyfin though, especially when paired with WireGuard so that I can access my media streaming library from anywhere in the world.
Adam
9
9
