Lunduke
News • Science & Tech
Make Computers Fun Again - Linux, UNIX, Alternative Operating Systems, Computer History, and Retro Computing. Also dad jokes.
Interested? Want to learn more about the community?
December 18, 2024

Asurion Warranty and Cloud Backup The Good and Bad

TLDR = Asurion warranty returned my $415 purchase price, and all my data was saved on Msft OneDrive.

My beloved Beelink $415 computer died a month and a half ago. Wouldn't power on. I had purchased the Asurion warranty via Amazon. I'm a sucker for warranties. In this case, it worked with caveats.

I loved this small form factor, Intel NUC style computer. I had upgraded the ram and the nvme. Great price/performance. Alas, a year and a half later, it died - wouldn't power on.

I created an Asurion claim but didn't want to wait for the repair as I had work to do. So I bought a second "identical" Beelink delivered the next day. I took the upgraded ram and nmve, put the originals back in and shipped off the original for repair under warranty.

I put the old nvme into the new computer and -- booted right back up! I was back in business with thoughts that I'd get the original repaired in time for me to send back the second one. I never worried about my data as I have all my data on OneDrive. My "My Documents" and other directories are linked to OneDrive so I don't worry about my data. I also have periodic local backups but would have been screwed if that had been my only data recourse this time.

Asurion held onto my machine for 2 weeks with occasional information free status updates. "We are working on your computer". They have NOBODY to call and talk to. The AI chatbot was no help. And it wouldn't respond to "I want to talk to a human".

I resorted to x/twitter where I got a response and DM's that escalated the effort until, two more days later, they refunded my original purchase.

My second version of Beelink that was the same as the first had dropped $80 in price, so I made money on this deal.

Ultimately the Asurion paid for my computer after 1.5 years of use. So I'm glad I bought it. But I am not thrilled with their lack of human support.

I'm glad that OneDrive among its other uses, automatically backs my data up to the cloud.

I still think the Beelink's are decent computers for the money. I'll withhold final judgment with this second one.

post photo preview
Interested? Want to learn more about the community?
What else you may like…
Videos
Podcasts
Posts
Articles
Ubuntu Sponsors Rust Clone Foundation

Canonical is the 1st Gold Sponsor (40,000 EUR) of the "Trifecta Tech Foundation", with the goal of replacing existing software with Rust based clones.

Emacs, Vim, & Desqview/X Lunduke Journal Lifetime Walls:
https://x.com/LundukeJournal/status/2072035827996098916

Get on The Wall with a Massively Discounted Lifetime Sub:
https://lunduke.substack.com/p/50-off-yearly-and-massively-discounted

More from The Lunduke Journal:
https://lunduke.com/

00:16:49
Sony Says No More Physical PlayStation Games

"In response to shifting trends in consumer preference, new games will be released on PlayStation Store and at retailers in digital formats only."

Emacs, Vim, & Desqview/X Lunduke Journal Lifetime Walls:
https://x.com/LundukeJournal/status/2072035827996098916

Get on The Wall with a Massively Discounted Lifetime Sub:
https://lunduke.substack.com/p/50-off-yearly-and-massively-discounted

More from The Lunduke Journal:
https://lunduke.com/

00:18:27
Git Without Rust From Dev of XLibre

Two days after Git 2.55 released, with a big step towards requiring Rust, he "Libre-WD40" project released "Git 2.55 without Rust".

Emacs, Vim, & Desqview/X Lunduke Journal Lifetime Walls:
https://x.com/LundukeJournal/status/2072035827996098916

Get on The Wall with a Massively Discounted Lifetime Sub:
https://lunduke.substack.com/p/50-off-yearly-and-massively-discounted

More from The Lunduke Journal:
https://lunduke.com/

00:15:49
November 22, 2023
The futility of Ad-Blockers

Ads are filling the entirety of the Web -- websites, podcasts, YouTube videos, etc. -- at an increasing rate. Prices for those ad placements are plummeting. Consumers are desperate to use ad-blockers to make the web palatable. Google (and others) are desperate to break and block ad-blockers. All of which results in... more ads and lower pay for creators.

It's a fascinatingly annoying cycle. And there's only one viable way out of it.

Looking for the Podcast RSS feed or other links? Check here:
https://lunduke.locals.com/post/4619051/lunduke-journal-link-central-tm

Give the gift of The Lunduke Journal:
https://lunduke.locals.com/post/4898317/give-the-gift-of-the-lunduke-journal

The futility of Ad-Blockers
November 21, 2023
openSUSE says "No Lunduke allowed!"

Those in power with openSUSE make it clear they will not allow me anywhere near anything related to the openSUSE project. Ever. For any reason.

Well, that settles that, then! Guess I won't be contributing to openSUSE! 🤣

Looking for the Podcast RSS feed or other links?
https://lunduke.locals.com/post/4619051/lunduke-journal-link-central-tm

Give the gift of The Lunduke Journal:
https://lunduke.locals.com/post/4898317/give-the-gift-of-the-lunduke-journal

openSUSE says "No Lunduke allowed!"
September 13, 2023
"Andreas Kling creator of Serenity OS & Ladybird Web Browser" - Lunduke’s Big Tech Show - September 13th, 2023 - Ep 044

This episode is free for all to enjoy and share.

Be sure to subscribe here at Lunduke.Locals.com to get all shows & articles (including interviews with other amazing nerds).

"Andreas Kling creator of Serenity OS & Ladybird Web Browser" - Lunduke’s Big Tech Show - September 13th, 2023 - Ep 044
5 hours ago

Ed Zitron on CNBC: Generative AI Doesn't Work, And Big Tech Is Out Of Hypergrowth Ideas - YouTube

He's talking about the financials.

I've been quietly building "TipOff" - a self-hosted security monitoring tool for small businesses & home labs. Domain health, LAN discovery, uptime monitors, WordPress scanning & breach detection. One Docker container, your data never leaves your server 🔒 https://tipoff.cc - Oh and it's fully open source! 😊

I would love to know if anyone finds this useful. It's been saving my bacon for a few weeks now silently monitoring my stuffs and letting me know when it finds something I need to action.

@Lunduke I had an idea for a new wall, I'm sure you'll be able to do it, but you should make a wall on a Doom 1 map, heck you could do multiple Doom walls, and run past a bunch to show them off.

If you do this, can you move me from the wall I'm currently on and relocate me on the Doom wall please and thanks! <3

post photo preview
Emacs & Vim Walls almost full!

Quick update on The Lunduke Journal Lifetime Subscriber Walls:

These bad boys are filling up fast. If you don’t have a Lifetime Subscription yet, you can snag one at a mega-ultra-discount right now and get your name on one of these sweet, sweet Walls… show the world your support for The Lunduke Journal!

  1. The Emacs” and “Vim” Lifetime Subscriber Walls are almost full! Which one will be completed first? I expect to announce the victor some time this weekend! If you want to be sure your name gets onto either “Emacs” or “Vim”, let me know very quickly. Like… today.

 
  1. The “Desqview/X” Wall (aka “Wall 17”) launched a few days ago and is off to an awesome start. The first request to add a name to “Desqview/X” arrived literally 2 minutes after I posted it. I can’t blame him. This Wall makes me smile! But there’s still over half of the space left, so you’ve got at least a few days to get your name on this one.

 
  1. The “BeOS R5” Wall has just one spot left. ONE. First come, first served.

Thank you to everyone for the massive outpouring of support for The Lunduke Journal.

If you don’t have your Lifetime Sub yet, get one while they’re discounted!

You make all of this possible!

-Lunduke

Read full Article
Ubuntu 4.10 Wall Full, New Desqview/X Wall, Emacs & Vim update

Hey, all you amazing nerds!

Some quick updates on the Lunduke Journal Lifetime Subscriber Walls (which are just ridiculously fun):

  1. The Emacs” and “Vim” Lifetime Subscriber Walls are filling up fast! If you want get your name on one of these (and push one towards victory over the other), I recommend letting me know pretty gosh darned quickly.

 
  1. The discount for Lifetime Subscriptions has been extended through the end of July… because filling up these Lifetime Walls is fun! This discount makes it easier (and cheaper) for everyone to take part while supporting The Lunduke Journal. If you haven’t grabbed yours yet, pick a Wall (check the bottom of Lunduke.com) and grab a discounted subscription!

  2. The “Ubuntu 4.10” Wall is now full! Check that bad boy out in all it’s super brown glory!

 
  1. We’ve added Wall number 17! The “Desqview/X” Wall! I love this one. Might need to put my own name on it (I can do that, right?)…

 
  1. The “BeOS R5” Wall has enough space left for just a few more names. Maybe 2 or 3. Will be closing that one down soon!

Thank you to everyone for the massive outpouring of support for The Lunduke Journal. You make all of this possible!

-Lunduke

Read full Article
post photo preview
Lunduke's Week in Tech : June 21 - June 27, 2026

Lunduke’s Thoughts of The Week

This week, like most weeks, was an absolute rollercoaster in the world of Computer News (tm). Organizations banning co-founders. Corporations taking away access to media you’ve purchased. Wild stuff. See all of that below.

But let’s get off the crazy Tech News Rollercoaster for a moment, and talk about something truly inspiring. And, importantly, stupidly fun.

I would like to point you towards FujiNet.

I’ve talked about FujiNet before but, if you haven’t looked at it recently, you owe it to yourself.

It is, in part, a WiFi adapter for a wide array of 8-bit computers. Atari, Tandy Color Computer, Apple II, and DOS. But that really doesn’t do these sweet little devices justice.

Because the FujiNet adapters handle all of the internet protocols on-device, they allow such feats of technical wizardry as… using an Apple II to connect to a modern SSH server running on a Linux host. Wild.

The team behind these amazing little gizmos have been working on two new things lately, both of which brought a tremendous smile to my face.

The first is a series of FujiNet programming manuals, and user manuals, for each supported retro computer platform. What’s more… they took the extra effort of making the PDF manuals use the classic styles of each platform’s own manual.

For example: The Apple II FujiNet “Getting Started” manual is designed to look like the old Apple IIc manual. Same with the Coleco Adam manual.

It’s a little touch… but it really tells you a lot about the love these guys have for these classic machines.

The second thing they’ve been building, is a set of Android emulators, for those retro computing platforms, with built-in emulation of the FujiNet itself. So you can, for example, have a “FujiNet” enabled CoCo… online. Emulated on your Android phone/tablet.

Because the team has taken the time to build online multiplayer games — with versions for each computer — you could use an Android phone to emulate a CoCo and play a multiplayer game with someone on an Atari Lynx.

If you’re interested in this retro computing magic, I recommend following Thomas Cherryhomes on X. He regularly posts goodies related to FujiNet. And, honestly, it’s just too much fun for words.

Biggest Tech Stories - June 14 - June 20, 2026

Here are the major stories from the last week, with direct links to X and Substack.

See Lunduke.com for all other platforms (Rumble, RSS Audio Podcast, etc.).

  • Which Operating Systems Are Refusing to Do Age Verification? (X, Substack)

  • Paid Minimalist Brave Browser? Yes, Please! (X, Substack)

  • Wikipedia Bans Wikipedia Co-Founder For Saying Wikipedia Should be Neutral (X, Substack)

  • XLibre, the “Vanity, Protest Fork” of Xorg, Has Yet Another Major New Release (X, Substack)

  • XFCE’s Wayland “Preview Release” is Horribly, Expectedly Broken (X, Substack)

  • Sony PlayStation Deleting Purchased Movies (X, Substack)

Huge thank you to all of The Lunduke Journal’s subscribers. You make all of this possible.

-Lunduke

 
Read full Article
See More
Available on mobile and TV devices
google store google store app store app store
google store google store app tv store app tv store amazon store amazon store roku store roku store
Powered by Locals