I am fired-up with music writing atm, thinking about how to play live, etc. I have set-up an old refurbished laptop using Linux Mint as the main operating system. I was tempted to go with a Windows duel boot (how the hell will I run Ableton Live otherwise... Wine, actually) but this is a good chance to try some new tools. I've been looking at Bitwig, being the closest DAW to Ableton to run on Linux . After years of Ableton combined with Max For Live/Reaktor, etc, Bitwig seems designed for endless experimentation. Like Ableton, with all the unique M4L plugins running as part of the main DAW. I'm excited to see what I can do with it.

Linux as a main desktop has been a lot of fun to use. It's endlessly customisable and if you're tired of telemetry from Microsoft/Google/Apple like myself, you'll love it. I must admit, I still run a Windows 10 desktop as my main production machine, but use O&O Shutup10 to prevent the machine from sending every last detail of my existence to Microsoft.

https://www.oo-software.com/en/shutup10

I picked up a laptop from https://www.gcentre.co.uk/ - very cheap for a customised machine from second-hand parts. It's a total surprise as to which case the parts come in, so be ready for a shock 😂. Mine is "thief proof" to say the least, but I love it.

Money aside, I feel pretty strongly about fixing stuff before buying new.

Fix your stuff before you buy new! Stop the cobalt mining/child labour horror show! Less landfill!

Fix your stuff first!