(Asking this whilst we temporarily have some sufficient executive function, time, energy, spoons, and motivation 😅)

Any of y'all tried using SteamOS as a primary OS? :SteamIconLogo:

Where Windows 11 is rapidly and increasingly enshittifying, we're curious whether it is currently -- or might become next year -- a viable replacement :Windows_11_Logo:

For context, we:

• Are not a coder or dev, and haven't ever worked in an IT-based job or field.
• Consider ourselves an intermediate user.
  • i.e., we can troubleshoot issues, research problems for solutions, follow guides, etc.
• Don't have any experience of any Linux-based distros on a primary desktop.
• Can use a terminal or command line, but only ever if no decent GUI is available.
• Are a neurospicy mess 😅

We'll probably want to test it in a virtual machine environment... once we've found one that's free, ideally open source, and not at all aligned with evil corporations (especially Oracle).

Genuinely asking, but no reply guys please 🫶🩷

#AskFedi #Windows11 #SteamOS #Linux #GenuinelyAsking

Edit: Thank you for all replies and thoughts so far! Spoons are fading, so can't reply to all, but very much appreciate all thoughts, including the suggestions of Linux Mint or Arch Linux as Linux alternatives. We'll check out ElementaryOS too when we've got more spoons.

Edit 2: Making a note here for ourselves (and any other interested parties) of the other suggestions. In addition to Mint, Arch, and Elementary, folks have suggested Bazzite and Aurora.

Hey lovelies :FediverseSymbol:

We'd like to ask you all for your thoughts, suggestions, and ideas to help us resolve an ongoing issue.

The issue

At a high-level, we are a neurodivergent (AuDHD) spoonie with a mixture of health issues that are preventing us from being able to get or do a "typical" job and earn an income.

By "typical" job, we mean one where the company and role just aren't well-suited to many folks who are disabled (including being neurodivergent), have support needs, and/or have other health issues.

Most "typical" jobs broadly:

• Have fixed hours (start/finish times and total working hours required).
• Require a minimum fixed amount of time in a physical office.
• Require a lot of interaction with other people (including colleagues).

... and so on, so you can probably understand how difficult it is for us to find any suitable paid employment that we can do 😅

This is made harder by the fact that:

• We only know how to search for "typical" jobs.
• There is zero support within the UK for finding suitable employment outside of "typical" jobs.
• The welfare system within the UK is fundamentally (and intentionally) broken

The request

We have zero idea where to even start, so we are genuinely asking for your input and recommendations here.

We have decent reading comprehension, writing ability, and neurospicy pattern recognition, but we also have an inconsistent level of executive function and energy (physical and mental), so we can't do a job where we have to clock in and out at set times, even on a part-time basis.

Even whilst writing this post, we're already out of spoons and on to knives today, meaning that we're pushing through to ask for help.

Any suggestions will be appreciated, and we'll add additional details to the post based on any questions or thoughts from others 🥺🫶

Thank you in advance for your thoughts, as well as your empathy, understanding, and kindness :MentalHealthFlagHeart:

#AskFedi #GenuinelyAsking #GetFediHired #neurodivergent #neurospicy #AuDHD #ActuallyAutistic #ADHD #spoonie #disability #disabled #LateStageCapitalismSucks

Edit 2025-11-27:

Thank you for replies so far. There has been some confusion, which may be due to poor explanation on our part, so we wish to add some further details to clarify some points.

The issue is a health, disabilities, and support needs one, rather than not being able to find a job that meets our skillset.

We're not asking directly for a specific "typical" job, as we cannot work those kinds of jobs.

We're basically asking for advice on where to start in light of all the various issues we have that are preventing us being able to do any form of "typical" job.

There is a slim chance we could recover enough to do some form of "typical" job, but that could take another 6+ months, a year, or longer. And even if we did recover, any "typical" job would burn us out again within a year, possibly worse than now.

We've not listed specific skills, as we're trying to get help on the first steps, rather than which jobs to look for. That said, we're going to clarify outright that we cannot program at all, we've never been able to learn any computer languages, and we lack the underlying talent. Again though, the issue isn't our skills (or lack thereof): it's a fundamental query about how to go about trying to earn income when you're unable to do any kind of "typical" job.

We've been thinking more about voice training.

• We don't find it fun: it's a painful chore.
• We can't do it if being perceived in person.
• We find the exercises too much like singing lessons (which are triggering) and very cringe.
• We cannot stick to a regular training regimen, particularly where we cannot guarantee sufficient uninterrupted time and space alone.

We do, however, like poorly attempting other accents (mostly English regional accents) and find it actively fun. (Not by ourselves though.)

Anyone managed to voice train not via daily, boring, abstract exercises, but rather fun voice activities that don't feel embarrassing to do around others and which actually spark joy?

#VoiceTraining #VoiceFeminisation #VoiceTherapy #SpeechAndLanguageTherapy #trans #transgender #NonBinary #queer #LGBTQ+ #LGBTQIA+ #AskFedi #GenuinelyAsking

Edit:

• Fixed some typos and missing thoughts / sentences.
• Thank you for all answers so far. Sadly none are helpful for us, but they may be helpful to others.
• We struggle with many things that make voice training much more difficult for us, including the inability to make verbal noise(s) solo within earshot of anyone else where we're not directly communicating with them.
  • Even when we used to stream, it was very difficult for us to do if wife was downstairs in living room, on the same floor as our office, even with the door shut.

Anyone found a good ELI5 and/or tl;dr article that explains what bollocks (e.g., AI bullshit; unwanted features) comes with Windows 11 25H2 and how to disable it? :Windows_11_Logo:

Already checked that StartAllBack added support for it last month, and has since had a further update this month for small bug fixes, but wanted to double-check ahead of time before doing an update before finding out it's breaking stuff 😅

Ideally trying to avoid spending a lot of time and energy fixing stuff (e.g., networking, particularly network drives) like with a previous update.

(Just to pre-empt some comments, honestly presently don't have the energy, time, patience, or executive function to migrate to a Linux distro, and likely won't for the foreseeable future, so please kindly don't suggest it. Thanks 🩷🫶)

#AskFedi #GenuinelyAsking #Windows11 #Windows #25H2

I want to post a risky post actually, but I'm still considering the good platform for that post. Would it be good to post it here?

#sofiaflorina #ソフィアフロリナ #mastodon #asking #ask #genuinequestion #genuinelyasking #isitokay #isitgood #thinking #imthinking #iamthinking #stillthinking #question #questions #risky #riskypost #post #posts #waiting

Kenapa yah kepitingnya kack Nastiti selalu nunduk terus kalau nyanyi?! 🤔 #genuinelyasking

#NASTHURSDAY #REKOMENASTI #NASthusiast #PulomasPrecious #NASTARIConnection 💙💎✨️👗🦀

Query targeted at Mozilla Firefox users who are more techy and/or knowledgeable than us (which isn't a high bar!) :Firefox_Logo_2019: :Firefox_Nightly_Logo_2019:

We use a mixture of extensions and uBlock Origin to modify (and deshittify) Google search engine results in the Windows app (main branch) and Android app (Nightly).

e.g.,

• &udm=14 extension
• uBlock Origin filters to:
  • Add &num=100
  • Block promo stuff
  • Block the new AI Mode stuff

These work perfectly fine if we:

• open a brand new tab;
• go to Google;
• enter the search term within the search bar on the page and click on Google Search (or press enter).

However, if we select some text and use the context menu search function, or search using the Firefox address bar, the results seemingly ignore the above.

Anyone come across this issue before themselves, or know how to resolve it?

Thanks in advance 🫶

#AskFedi #GenuinelyAsking #MozillaFirefox

Edit: Added in that the search issue also occurs when using the Firefox address bar to search.

Random question for anyone more techy than us 🩷

(It's not that we're not techy, but a lot of y'all are a level of magnitude beyond us!)

Can anyone tell us:

• Why no streams load for this show on U (formerly UKTV Play)?
• Whether that show is available to stream for free elsewhere?

Wife wants to watch, but can't work out why it's not working 😞

Working theory is that the media has been removed from the u.co.uk website, but no-one's removed the pages.

Edit: It's now randomly working for unknown reasons?!

#AskFedi #GenuinelyAsking

Hey lovelies 🩷

Question for any of y'all who have more knowledge than we do in relation to fixing networking issues within Windows 11 :Windows_11_Logo:

One PC on our network had been having intermittent networking issues on Windows 10, so we did an in-place upgrade to Windows 11 24H2.

This did fix some issues, but we're still having 2 major issues:

1. The PC can see, but refuses to connect to, our Synology NAS (DS220J). It keeps asking for a username and password, like it's failing authentication.
2. Other Windows-based PC can connect to it, and it can see them, but Kodi on a Fire TV stick (4K Max, 2024 model) refuses to connect to it over SMB (Samba), giving a "no route to host" error message.

We've reviewed guides such as:

• Accessing a third-party NAS with SMB in Windows 11 24H2 may fail
• Control SMB signing behavior
• Detect, enable, and disable SMBv1, SMBv2, and SMBv3 in Windows

... and made some settings tweaks. We've also gone through common troubleshooting tips such as:

• Making sure the connection is private;
• Making sure that filesharing is enabled;
• Tweaking SMB connection settings in Synology NAS;
• Deleting and manually re-entering the login details for the Synology NAS under the credentials manager;
• Changing the minimum (no minimum, 1, 2) and and maximum (3) SMB level on Kodi;
• Updating Windows and drivers;
• Using DISM and SFC;
• Group policy updates;

... but sadly to no avail.

We're trying to avoid a clean install, as there's a lot of stuff we'd need to reinstall, and we don't have the time, executive function, or (most importantly) and patience and emotional regulation to do that right now 🥺

Any thoughts?

Update, 2025-07-11:

With the help of suggestions from lovely folks, it looks tenuously like both issues have been resolved on the PC 🤞🩷

We didn't make it clear above, but both versions of Windows are the Pro versions. (Used a Home version of WIndows - XP Home - only once. Never again!!!)

In case it helps anyone else, here are the additional steps we took, based on comments, to resolve the issues described above:

• Checked router (RX-AX88U) to check no DHCP issues.
  • Realised that the MAC address on the static IP address section for the PC was for the onboard NIC, rather than the PCI-E one we'd previously installed. This hadn't caused issues previously, but we did take the time to update this.
• Reset the IP stack.
• Uninstalled SMBv1 by removing from Windows Features.
• Disabled SMB1 and verified that SMBv2/v3 enabled (per guide here).
• Disabled SMB client signing requirement and enabled guest fallback protection (per guide here).
• Deleted saved credentials for the Synology NAS again under Credential Manager
  • We'd done this previously, but it hadn't worked by itself.
  • Interestingly, when we deleted it once, it then reappeared, so we had to delete it twice.
• Rebooted.

On the Fire TV Stick (4K Max, 2024), we'd also checked that the Kodi settings showed a minimum SMB protocol of V2.

Under the Synology NAS (a DS220J), we'd previously also gone into Control Panel > File Services > Advanced Settings > General and set:

• Minimum SMB protocol to SMB2;
• Transport encryption mode to Client defined;
• Server signing status to Forced;

... per recommendations we'd read online.

#AskFedi #GenuinelyAsking #FediTechSupport #Windows11 #SMB #Samba #networking #tech #software

Hey lovelies 🩷

Any techy folks able to help out @grayface_ghost over setting up an RSS feed from certain accounts on fedi and Bluesky, so that she doesn't miss important news whilst taking a social media break? 🫶

Her original post is here, so please reply to her there if possible :TransHeart:

Thanks in advance :FediverseSymbol:

#AskFedi #GenuinelyAsking #RSS #RSSFeed

What's the correct term for furry-adjacent, therian-adjacent, or otherkin-adjacent beings?

e.g., catgirl/boy, puppygirl/boy, etc.

Also, what're some gender neutral alternatives to girl and boy?

Genuinely asking :PrideFurryPaw:

#furry #therian #otherkin #GenuinelyAsking #AskFedi

Hey lovelies 🩷

Read an interesting question earlier today in this post and realised that:

1. we have absolutely no idea ourselves; and
2. it's almost certainly not appropriate for us to chime in, as we're English and white!

So, we're posing the question here (in genuine good faith) for anyone who is part of the global majority or part of an historically-marginalised group within a white-majority society (e.g., white Irish, travellers, etc.):

Is expat (expatriate) a term that we should avoid using?

From what we've read since @psiie posed the question, it looks like the answer is probably yes, due to its association with whiteness, wealth, and status, but we would very, very much appreciate your own thoughts on this 🩷

Boosts (and additional hashtag suggestions) welcome :BoostsOKPrideSymbol:

#AskFedi #GenuinelyAsking

We've been on feminising GAHT (HRT) since Hallowe'en 2021 now.

That was day 1, so today is day 1316.

That's over 3 years 7 months.

Or over 43 months.

That's kinda effing wild.

Should we do an updated transition timeline nowish, at 4 years, or both?

#trans #transgender #TransFem #GenuinelyAsking

This is a question ideally for folks who:

• are AuDHD (with inattentive or combined type ADHD, not solely hyperactive);
• are on some form of stimulant ADHD meds that work at least somewhat well for you;
• struggle with energy levels;
• don't find caffeine to be a sleeping drug.

(It's optional to be any combination of plural, queer, and/or trans+.)

The question is this:
What sugary, juice-type energy drinks available within the UK (ideally from Tesco) do you drink and enjoy, and why?

The reasons for asking are complex and multifaceted.

We're in a position where our ADHD meds (daily lisdexamfetamine, with dexamfetamine booster for late afternoon) are definitely working decently. In fact, probably better than we were expecting.

They don't fix all our issues, but we knew they wouldn't. They do, however, give us the ability to think and focus more than without them, and still function on less sleep than previously.

The main issue for us is that we keep running out of energy, like running low on battery power. The meds allow us to keep pushing through, where previously we'd have needed to nap to not mentally crash, but when we do crash, it happens gradually then all at once.

It's difficult to tell sometimes where it's neurospicy overload or a painless migraine with aura (which certain meds help resolve and certain daily supplements reduce occurrence). Sometimes there's also just physical exhaustion and muscle ache, and we now regularly wear support braces of some kind.

We don't have the option of doing less or resting more. In fact, we need to do more, particularly exercise, so that we have a higher baseline fitness level to do more things requiring physical effort. We will continue to wear and need support braces, particularly around our abdomen, but we don't have any major (known) underlying chronic conditions that should prevent this being possible.

So folks: what are your recommendations on juicy energy drinks?

We're looking currently at certain juicy Monster and Rubicon drinks.

Please note that Red Bull and clones are entirely off the table. Lucozade isn't really our first choice either, as it's only something we ever drink medicinally to recover from an illness.

Please note too that whilst we do own "programmer socks", we don't and can't code 😅

#AskFedi #GenuinelyAsking #EnergyDrinks #ADHD #AuDHD #trans #queer #neurospicy

Question for any tech folks who are stuck with Microsoft Office 365 ("Microsoft 365 MSO") for work and use Excel, specifically Version 2408 build 16.0.17928.20512.

Where has the Paste > Transpose option gone? It seems to be MIA.

What's more confusing is that we've got it in Microsoft Excel LTSC Version 2408 Build 16.0.17932.20360.

Option should look something like this, but appears to be disabled or missing in the 365 version listed.

#AskFedi #MicrosoftOffice #MicrosoftOffice365 #Microsoft365 #GenuinelyAsking

Genuine question here.

Is there a type of all-in-one support brace that supports your chest and shoulder muscles on both sides for when you've overdone them, but still need to get stuff done?

Genuinely asking here, as we've overworked all muscles around those areas, but still need to do some tasks.

In an ideal world we'd take the time to rest them fully, but we don't live in that world and stuff needs doing before we can pause 🥺😔

As it stands, we look like a t-rex right now, but still need to do a number of chores, and there isn't anyone else who can help.

We have at least one shoulder support from when we first borked one shoulder about a decade back (which led to us getting epic office arm supports), but we're looking for some kind of cross-chest support that also helps with both shoulders.

#AskFedi #GenuinelyAsking

Edit: We are currently making do with a combo of a tight-but-comfy sports bra, a Neo G shoulder support brace, and a Neo G abdomen support belt. Only one shoulder is supported, but the combo is supporting us enough to do basic tasks. Just can't lift arms up much still 😅

Hey lovelies :FediverseSymbol:

Which microblogging instances would you recommend to trans people in the UK looking to join the fediverse and why?

We're out of the loop on the best ones to recommend to Redditers looking for an alternative place to post, chat, and befriend people.

Must have strong rules against bigotry and ideally a large UK trans base :TransHeart:

#AskFedi #GenuinelyAsking #trans #TransUK #UK