I actually switched to Ubuntu full-time way back in 2006 when I went back to school (anthro major), specifically to help me focus when using my computer and not get distracted by playing video games. Of course, nowadays with wine and proton on steam, that might not be as effective. But it worked well for me, never experienced any issues with word docs opening in libre office (or rather open office back then) or vice versa. There was once or twice where I had to use a computer in the lab in the library to run some niche program or another for an assignment, but not a big deal.

Wow, that last article was really interesting. I’d always heard legends of the unionization attempts in the 90s, cool to have the context of a zine by and for field techs from that time. I’ll have to spend some time on my next day off going through the archives (ten ten-hour days in a row, but apparently still not enough to be considered a “professional” archaeologist, let alone get health insurance!)

“meager benefits”, I wish. I have a specialized degree and nearly 15 years of experience in CRM, and I have absolutely none. No vacation, no sick leave, no health insurance, no retirement, nada. And essentially no chance of that changing without going back to school to get a master’s, and even then no guarantee. I hear legends from time to time of field techs trying to unionize back in the 90s and getting blacklisted, hopefully this time it takes off instead.