SteamOS is spreading beyond Valve's hardware. That could threaten Microsoft's hold on PC gaming...or even Windows' hold on the PC market.
  • Ulrich@feddit.orgEnglish
    1·
    4 months ago

    You can avoid this risk by backing up your personal data to an external drive, which frankly everyone should be doing anyway because hard drives are consumables.

    This is super inconvenient. Better method is to set up a server w/ Syncthing and use that to just sync your Home directory remotely.

    • NaibofTabr@infosec.pubEnglish
      8·
      4 months ago

      Better method is to set up a server w/ Syncthing and use that to just sync your Home directory remotely.

      Sure, just set up a server, very convenient. Dude, this advice is for people who have never installed an operating system before.

      Like, yeah, if you’re talking about keeping a living backup that is up to date within 30 seconds because you’re doing accounting as a home business and you can’t afford to lose the last 5 minutes of work, then yeah self-hosted file syncing is great. It’s absolutely a better long-term solution for personal data management. But for most people this level of backup fidelity is unnecessary, and a USB drive is a thing you can just buy and start using with no setup effort.

      • Ulrich@feddit.orgEnglish
        1·
        4 months ago

        Syncthing can be installed on anything, very easily. All you have to do to make it a “server” is to make sure its connected 24/7.

        and a USB drive is a thing you can just buy and start using with no setup effort.

        USB drive will be super slow and will be hanging out of whatever it’s attached to. There are many other better options.

        • FrederikNJS@lemm.eeEnglish
          4·
          4 months ago

          This would imply that you have at least two machines. In that case they could just install Linux in the other machine to try it out.

          Foa people dabbling in Linux for the first time, with the anxiety of losing their data, it certainly sound like they don’t have 2 machines to run syncthing. Otherwise, why wouldn’t they just copy all their important data to the other machine to avoid the data loss risk?

          And sure if that is the case Syncthing is a good solution, but it doesn’t sound applicable in this situation.

          • Ulrich@feddit.orgEnglish
            1·
            4 months ago

            In that case they could just install Linux in the other machine to try it out.

            I mean if you’re “just trying it out”, you could just use a live USB. You’re probably not saving anything valuable to it anyway.

            it certainly sound like they don’t have 2 machines to run syncthing

            Can’t understand any reason you would think that.

            why wouldn’t they just copy all their important data to the other machine to avoid the data loss risk?

            That’s…what I’m suggesting? Syncthing just automates the process.