October 14, 2025, sees the End of support for Windows 10.
This leaves users with Several choices
Upgrade to Windows 11 on current hardware. This may or may not work and will only work if your current hardware meets with Windows 11 requirements.
Option 1, Replace Windows with something Like Linux Mint, you can keep working, use Firefox, LibreOffice, cloud services e.g. Nextcloud (even Windows drive) etc.
Option 2. Keep using Windows 10 without support, updates etc
Option 3. buy new hardware just so you can run Windows 11.
Linux Mint is Free (as in freedom) software, but does have some closed source components to make things work, this is fine, at least from my view point as most users, just want things to work out of the box.
There is an active support community on the Open Communications platform Matrix [3].
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Docker Containers
I don't have any experience with Docker or similar tech, but as this is popular, I am going to try and link to some tutorials for popular services, If these are useful great. I will give this a go at some point, but it will be more for learning rather than production.
AI statement : Consent is NOT granted to use the content of this blog for the purposes of AI training or similar activity. Consent CANNOT be assumed, it has to be granted.
Nextcloud Talk
As big tech is getting more of our data, using our data for making money or training AI or other things. There is a fightback, services such as Nextcloud can be self-hosted or hosted by trusted parties and can offer a whole range of services that can meet your needs.
Why use Big tech, who we can thank for the current chaos in the USA, with attacks on science, the LGBTQ and much more is it not time people really switched to services run by people who respect others.?
Stop giving your money to big tech billionaires. Nextcloud talk is an open source replacement for big tech video conferencing services.
AI statement : Consent is NOT granted to use the content of this blog for the purposes of AI training or similar activity. Consent CANNOT be assumed, it has to be granted.
Fediverse Getting Started – May 2023
I decided to re-write and republish this, so the post can focus on the wider picture of what the Fediverse is.
This has been undertaken following comments / conversations on #Mastodon about people not actually referring to the #Fediverse directly, of which #Mastodon is one of many services. A different video is presented below, along with an infographic and #Hastags to the services listed This list has also been added to the #index page.
Video
Getting started is easy, if you need help please get in touch. I can be contacted on the fediverse via @zleap@qoto.org
AI statement : Consent is NOT granted to use the content of this blog for the purposes of AI training or similar activity. Consent CANNOT be assumed, it has to be granted.
AI statement : Consent is NOT granted to use the content of this blog for the purposes of AI training or similar activity. Consent CANNOT be assumed, it has to be granted.
Share Graphics on Next Cloud
So Further to the video / post yesterday
In a similar way to how you can share a video on BBB you can share graphics in markdown, by doing something similar. This works on WriteAs / WriteFreely
AI statement : Consent is NOT granted to use the content of this blog for the purposes of AI training or similar activity. Consent CANNOT be assumed, it has to be granted.
Sharing video from Nextcloud to Big Blue Button
Big Blue Button is designed to be a teaching platform, allowing the sharing of video for use in presentations. The following is a run through on how to share a video stored on NextCloud with your room on Big Blue Button.
Login to Next Cloud and Big Blue Button
Locate your video on Next cloud
You may have to convert to mp4 (next cloud has an option for this)
You then need to share the link to the file but add /download?.mp4 to the end.
In this example I am sharing PeertubeLogin.mp4. To make things easier I have added a file with the links in
So in this case I have share url (which is copied) as illustrated
Share the above on Big Blue Button as illustrated in the video (hopefully)
It may seem complex but once you have done this a few times, you get used to it, If you then have a text file (so links are not clickable) you will find it easier to copy / paste the url to the video.
AI statement : Consent is NOT granted to use the content of this blog for the purposes of AI training or similar activity. Consent CANNOT be assumed, it has to be granted.
