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It's been a while since I'd installed kubuntu and since I bought the Windows 11 notebook, and had forgotten what a pain in the ass any new OS is. But Mint is the least PITA in a long time, far easier than kubuntu was, or even setting everything up on the Windows 11 computer that already had it installed; installation is the easy part, at least after I used the OEM install. Except, have you ever installed Windows? Jesus, but any Linux distro is a breeze in comparison, unless they've changed it since XP.

The first headache was the ultra high definition. I had to bend forward and squint to be able to read the tiny type on the screen. At least the focusing muscles that operate the CrystaLens in my left eye got plenty of exercise. I really need to have one installed in my right eye. But things in this desktop's menu system are extremely easy to find, so I increased the font size to 16 points. Then I installed Audacity.

I wanted to get it so I could record and play from it, but you couldn't read any of the tool items, because most of the text is covered up by the neighboring tool bar and they're unmovable. Oh, well. I'll get back to it, I thought. Lets see if I can open the novel I'm working on.

Libre Office is installed by default, and since there are no images, it will do nicely, although I'll have to see if Open Office is available. I started it (Mint's menu system is more than head and shoulders better then any modern Windows, everything is laid out logically and rationally, while Microsoft appears to want it to be difficult), hit the "file open" button, and had to tell it "other [something]", lots of mouse clicks to get to the network drive, open the drive and it shows the two directories, with the one marked "share" (the drive shipped with those two directories). But when I clicked it, it said it wasn't a directory.

Damn. Will I have to copy the files to the local drive? No, going into Mint's file manager and clicking the file opened it in Libre Office. Rather than its native Gentium Book Basic that I use for the body text of all my books, some huge sans serif font came up, so I'll have to install some fonts. Or just keep writing on the Windows computer, it's a lot easier to open the files there.

Still better than kubuntu. I couldn't access the network at all with it. But if I'm in Mint, at least I won't have to change computers to open a document.

Back to Audacity, I went looking for changing screen resolution, found it, and set it to DVD resolution. Then I had to go back and reduce the font size. Fonts aren't all I'll have to do to it, of course. I got the sound set up so it will play in audacity, and where in its administration to change it from HDMI to Line Out and back, but still need to set up and test its recording. If I don't have it done by Friday it will be on the Kubuntu side this weekend, because KSHE will probably have their monthly "no repeat weekend" where I usually get a lot of new songs.

Lots more to do. A new OS is always a pain in the ass. Remember your first smartphone?