My personal ranking of the 3 popular Operating Systems.

I'm an Operating System guy. I love installing different types of Operating Systems, just to see what they look and feel like! Heck, I've even Visualized old AT&T System V Unix, just to see what the command shell was like. But I recently found myself wondering, out of three biggest Operating Systems out there, grouping all the Linuxes together, how would I rank them? Well, after a little thought, I think I've come up with the order.
And a quick side-note, I'm writing this from a developer standpoint, so there will be a lot of programming talk.

Number 3: Apple macOS/OSX:

The more I use this Operating System, astoundingly, the more tolerable I find it. The nice thing about macOS is that at it's core, it's Unix. It's been awfully manipulated in my eyes, but it's still definitely there. The problem with it is that to make it more user-friendly Apple has thrown a bunch of stuff on top that weights down a otherwise amazing OS. Reducing it to what is essentially a Windows-like experience for developers. But it does have the BASH shell. And you can easily install the Apple compilers. It's a very close race between Windows and macOS for me, but at the end of day, I disapprove of Apple's business policies more then Microsoft's, and that's a spot I just can't get over.
 Also, why does it have to have a MACH-Kernel? If it didn't, we could run actual BSD apps on here! And I could replace the awful Finder file explorer!

Number 2: Microsoft Windows (7/10):

I used to LOVE Windows. I thought it was the cream of the crop. I was stupid then. Windows is an amazing OS. The taskbar, although arguably not as pretty as the macOS dock, is much better for fast efficient work. Almost every program for PCs has a Windows version, and the File explorer is really amazing. The problem is, Windows is entirely Microsoft original. This results in all of the more advanced *nix tools not running. Windows has an amazing, powerful set of tools, made almost entirely just for use on Windows. But they're not the same as the open source tools, used on almost every other platform. Resulting in more advanced programs, such as GNU gparted, not being ported to Windows, and probably wouldn't even work if fully ported over in it's current state.

Number 1: Linux (All Distros.):

As a quick heads up, this is based mostly off my experience with Ubuntu, but will hopefully be general enough to apply to all Distributions of Linux.
Linux is the true cream of the crop. Linux is the most durable, mod-able OS you can install. You can change just about anything. If you don't like the way your desktop looks, install a new one! Want to run Windows programs? You can do that too! On top of all this, it supports all of the standard programming tools. The major downside to Linux is, you lose a lot of native application support.
The majority of the major applications, such as Microsoft Office, or iTunes, don't support Linux. As  no one other then programmers really use this OS. And they often have a dual boot of either Windows or macOS. But it does have a large library of "Free Software", which are, just that. You can basically anything with free software. (Although, they often require that the base source code, if you change it and publish it, is still free and open through your program.)

Google and Their Despicable Warranty Pratices.

I own a Google Pixel 2. It's a really good phone. I wish I this was a review for the Pixel 2, but instead I feel the need to write this piece. I feel like I need to spread the word about something awful Google is doing with their phones you receive after making a warranty claim.

Just as a note before jumping into the story, I will be calling Pixel 2s bought from the Google Store "Google Pixel 2s" and the ones from Verizon "Verizon Pixel 2s".

Before we get into the story here, it's important that you have a very general idea of what the Bootloader is, and how you unlock it.

The Google Pixel 2 ships with an "Unlocked Bootloader." This is an advanced feature that mostly only advanced users use. It allows users to overwrite the preinstalled software on the phone. Google themselves actually instructs users how to unlock the bootloader on this page.

In December of 2017, I bought a Google Pixel 2 for two reasons. I am working on becoming a Android developer, so I wanted to have the latest versions of Android to test the app I am currently developing. The second reason is the unlockable Bootloader. I enjoy running my own custom firmware on phones, one that I can tweak and modify ever tiny thing if I wanted to, and the unlockable bootloader would allow me to do so.

When I got my Pixel 2, everything was perfect. I had Android Oreo (the newest version at the time), I could run my own firmware, it was the Android device of my dreams. But I was stupid, and didn't put a screen protector on it. By February the screen, although still usable, had some minor issues. So I decided to use my warranty plan and have the phone replaced.

Returning the phone was easy. They sent me a replacement device and I sent back my original Pixel 2. At first everything seemed fine. I didn't try to unlock my bootloader on my replacement device until about two weeks after I got it.

And this is where the problem is. When I tried to unlock the Bootloader on my replacement device, the "Fastboot" tool used for unlocking the Bootloader gave me an error, with the following message: "FAILED (remote: Flashing Unlock is not allowed)" And the "OEM Unlock" option in Developer Settings became grey and had the text "Please connect to the Internet or contact your carrier" under it. 

Confused by this error, I searched the internet for reasons behind this error. At first I found two things, that lead me to assume either this was a early run Pixel 2, which was reported to have the same error when unlocking, or a Verizon Pixel 2. In both cases I thought the answer was clear: contact Assurant, which is the company Google uses for the Pixel 2 warranty, and get sent another Pixel 2. If it was an early Pixel 2, it would be counted as defective or if it was a Verizon Pixel 2, they would have made an error, so they should send me a proper one.

Once again, Assurant was actually pretty easy use, and they sent me a new Pixel 2, no problem.
This time, I tried as soon as the replacement devices arrived, to unlock it. Again, I got the same error. "Flashing Unlock is not allowed"

And this is where I sit now. I am now on my 5th replacement device, all of them getting the exact same error when I try unlocking. I have tried contacting both Google and Assurant, both have sent me replacement devices and neither have sent me a correct device.

Now I'd like to share the info I've gathered. In my long journey I've found three useful things:
1) I am not the only person suffering from this problem. There are multiple reports of this issue on the XDA developer fourms, a website for phone hacking.
2) I do not in fact have a Verizon device, I do indeed have a Google Pixel 2. And I would assume they've weeded out all the defective early Pixel 2s.
3) It appears that this has something to do with the fact that they are sending refurbished devices. Although, I don't know if you BOUGHT a refurbished from Google if it would has this problem, as I don't have the money to spend on finding out.

 I'd like to be direct here. In my eyes, Google is doing something very wrong here. If you return a Pixel 2 device via their warranty services, they send you an incomplete device. Even if you won't ever use the unlocked Bootloader, they are sending you a device without a feature that your phone should have.

I have tried to talk with Google tech support about this issue and they won't tell me any fixes or any explanations for why my device is not the same as the one I bought in December. The most I've gotten out of them is: "It is unlockable, we just can't tell you how to do it" even though their website gives that information freely, at least for normal Google Pixel 2s.

If you read Google's terms regarding the warranty policy, they claim they cannot be held accountable for "lost data", so they may claim that this feature is just "lost data" but they should, at the very least explain why they take this feature away from refurbished devices, and include a warning that you'll lose this feature.

Here, at the end, I'd like to request that you share this post as far as you can. This is not right that Google is modifying replacement devices, let alone not warning people before hand, so as many people as can should be warned about this. And maybe if this explodes enough, maybe people like me stuck in this situation can get a explanation from Google.

Even if you don't share this post, I want to say thank you for reading this blog post, and taking the time out of your day to read why I'm upset with Google. Thanks for reading, and have a good day.

UPDATE! (11/9/18):
So. This warranty thing never worked out. Google never replaced the phone with a working bootloader. But they did agree to give me a refund. They made it clear to me that this is a special thing for them, and they don't normally do this. But I felt it was a good idea to update this blog post. I now have an iPhone XS because Google doesn't deserve my money right now.

UPDATE... (11/17/18):
Well. I can't stand iOS. I can't program it on enough of my computers. So I returned the iPhone and got a Pixel 3 XL. It has the same issue as the Pixel 2 does above. Although I have not fought it Google support yet. This may need a bigger update later.

You can follow me on twitter at @Snorp08

HP Envy X360 (Intel i7, 2017) Review

The HP Envy X360 is a mid-high end 2-in-1 laptop, it come’s in several models, but the one I have here is one with and Intel i7 quad core, and 16 gigabyte RAM.

THE GOODS:

The Form Factor:

The HP Envy x360 is about 3/4 of an inch at thickest the thickest part, the screen is 15 inches, and the entire unit weighs around two pounds.

The Processor:

This laptop comes with a Intel i7-8550u, which runs at a clock of 1.80ghz. But despite that number, I have seen this processor run at much faster clock speeds, without even really warming up the laptop that much. As of writing this, is running at 2.87ghz and it’s just slightly warm, no where near burning, or even what I’d call hot.

The Display:

The 15 inch display runs at a full 1080p resolution and is a touch screen, with Windows ink technology so you can use a surface stylus, allowing for easy drawing or handwriting.

The Price:

Although being close to the 1000$ mark, it’s lower then most of the laptop’s I’ve found with these specs.

THE BADS:

The Fan:

In my experience, HP fans have had a tendency to start making a buzzing sound, and isn’t an exception. So if you decided to get this laptop, make sure you can deal with some light buzzing from the fan.

The Trackpad:

This laptop doesn’t have the worst trackpad I’ve ever used by far. But it’s still not good, I have found that the cursor will jump around sometimes when you touch the trackpad.

The Verdict:

The HP Envy x360 is a very solid laptop, that I whole heartily recommend. This is my main laptop currently, and I have no problem with it, it’s fast and snapping even when I’m doing heavy computer using. And the 1080p, Windows Ink touchscreen is great for doing just random doodles.

Rating: 8/10

Well built and powerful laptop with a decent price tag.

3 days in: The Lenovo Miix 320

So first off let me real quick say this isn't a review. A review of this tablet will be coming out at a later date. 3 days is not long enough for me to fully judge a computer. This is more of a first impressions review.

The Lenovo Miix 320 is a detachable computer. That means you can remove the keyboard and use it as a tablet. (Although I prefer to kind of it more as a tablet that you can attach to a keyboard.) It has 2gb of Ram and an Intel Atom x5 at 1.44ghz. It runs a full version of windows.

I bought this tablet because I wanted a more portable computer then my laptop was giving me. I wanted something I could say, take into a restaurant and not look like I brought in my laptop. But I also wanted a full version of windows. And I can say, at least in the last 3 days, it has done that. And pretty well actually. It's a bit slower then I'm used too, but it's not crippling slow. You can get minor stuff done such as browser the web and watch videos. I've also been using it to do some minor music edits and that's going fine as well.

My one kind, of compliant so fair is the keyboard. And that's mostly the layout. It's a little different. Instead of having the F1 keys they are all there as FN keys. And the backspace in in a weird location, making it harder to type then what I'm used too.

(Notice: I wrote this at 3 days in, but I forgot to post it. It's now been 5 days.)

Unpopular Opinion: Pokemon isn't fun.

Ah Pokemon. Nintendo ultra popular JRPG. For .the three of you who don't know. Pokemon is a JRPG game about catching and fighting monsters. Your goal is to go to challenge the 8 pokemon Gym leaders to earn their Gym's badge. There's a little more, but that's the bulk of the game.

I actually really like the idea of Pokemon games. I love the idea of building your team by catching randomly appearing Pokemon. It's a fun unique idea and really helps make you want to continue and see what other Pokemon you'll encounter. I've never really cared about the evolution of Pokemon. I tend to personally prefer tier one Pokemon appearance the most.

The big problem I have with Pokemon is the repetitiveness of the battles. Because of the way Pokemon battles work battles can take a while. Instead of the normal RPG style of all the enemies being on screen at once, you have to battle one at a time. The same goes for how many pokemon you have attacking. Unless you have a double battle.

In double battles you have two Pokemon to fight and you also have two Pokemon to attack with. This would be better, but this type of battle isn't super common. The main fight style is still one at a time. PLUS, sometimes you have to fight two trainers at the same time. So you still have lots of Pokemon to fight.

The games also just aren't different enough. I've played Pokemon Diamond. I've also played a fair amount of Pokemon Omega Ruby. (I think that's the one.) And they played exactly the same. The main draw to new Pokemon games is the new Pokemon. But I don't care about the appearance of my Pokemon. I know. "If you don't like it don't buy." And I don't buy. But that also doesn't excuse laziness.
And I do know there's a slight different in the story. New "team" and new Special Pokemon there trying to steal or whatever. Still not enough. I can get the same experience in Pokemon Diamond. (If I didn't lose my copy.)

For the record, this all just my opinion and I think it's great if you get enjoyment from these games. I just don't. And I thought I might write out my reasons.

Unpopular opinions: Fallout: New Vegas is awful.

I've never put much time into Fallout: New Vegas, because the game never grabbed me. A big piece of that is the world design.
When I play a Fallout game, I want to go explore a post-apocalyptic city. Not go walk in a bland desert. There's nothing to really break up desert. There's a few building, but nothing major. For the most part you are just following a road. Going to Los Vegas. And there's no real drive to keep you going. The story is "Someone tried to kill you from Los Vegas. Go find them." A lot of Fallout games have stories like that, but the world keeps me going. But this one lacks it. Although I hear the story gets better once you're in Los Vegas, that means nothing if the story isn't good enough to get you TO Los Vegas.

I don't normally feel like there should more guidance/story stuff right out of the gate of a game, but this one REALLY needs it. There's no drive to keep going. There's not enough in the world and there's not enough story to keep me going.

At some point I will play New Vegas all the way though, no matter what, it's NOT the best fallout game. They all have their failings.

Snorp Vs. HP Pavilion x360 Round 2

I like this laptop. I really, truly do. It's small and runs quite fast. (Unless it's freezing but I'll get into that later.) It feels of solid build as well. But no. This laptop is bad. And I mean really, really bad.

HP can not for the life of them, from what I can tell, build a solid one of these. I've had all sorts problems with these stupid laptops. So I'm going detail all my problems with them. Because why the heck not? Maybe this will help someone out.

Laptop 1, The Original.

This one. This one was actually the worst of all three of them. Alright. I'll tell the whole story of this one.
So I had just decided that my MSI laptop, (Another really crudy laptop, but that's a story for another day.) need to be replaced. So I started researching laptops. And I instantly fell in love with the idea of getting HP Pavilion x360. It look perfect for me. It had a touch screen, was small, and was kind of fast, so I could play at least minor games on it. So I decided I was gonna get this model of laptop. So I went to Best Buy, and got it. So we'll skip ahead a few days, because nothing really interesting happened for a few days. And, the Thursday of the week I got it, the fan started making this really awful noise. It sounded like it was breaking.

So... I had to return it. This time I just went to Best Buy and exchanged it for another, of the same type. Because once again I'll say it. I actually really do like this model of computer. It's perfect for me. But they all keep breaking on my one way or another.

Laptop 2, the phantom touch.

This laptop. Oh how much I loved this one. This one was perfect. It had a quiet fan. And it didn't have the problem laptop 3, has. So after exchanging laptop 1, I got this one. This one lasted me into the new year. (Laptop 1 got exchanged in mid-December) Then. On a day in January, (I think about mid-January) the touch screen randomly started touching (Called "Ghost touching.") So first I tried to clean the screen it's self. And then I did research. What happened is that somehow some dirt got under the screen. I should have just sent that one out on warranty, but I wanted instant results. So I exchanged that one as well. And I got...

Laptop 3, Water and Fire 

Ahh... Laptop 3. My current laptop. This one. This one has history. So I'll just skip ahead to the problems on this laptop.

One day, I spilled some stuff on the keyboard. So the keys became sticky when you pressed them. So, I decided to wash them off, with a wet paper towel. Well, sadly I had not made it dry enough. So some water dripped down, and killed the mother board. Meaning this computer has basically NO water resistance. I mean, I don't need a water proof computer, but I my computer to be able to survive a small water spill. (Which would be equivalent I think) so this time I couldn't exchange it. I had to send it back on warranty. So I did it. I'm actually surprised that they didn't just give me the money for a new laptop in credit., apparently Best Buy will replace a broken mother board with Geek Squad Warranty. Good on them. Anyway, on with the story.

So after I it back I started noticing small problems. One problem was that the mouse pad would randomly glitch and move my mouse. And there were a few new "creaking sounds" (Although I'll put that one more on the fact they had to take apart the computer to repair it.) But a big thing, (Something that I think was happening pre-first send in.) was that it was running very, very hot. Like so hot it would actually hurt if you touch the bottom of the computer. And then it started randomly turning off when it got hot. So, just today (the day I'm writing this.) I took it back to Best Buy, to repair the mouse and the heating.

And those are the major problems I've had with my laptop. But there one other thing I'll note here though. The laptop tends to freeze while being moved around a lot. I don't know about the first two, but it was very notice able with the third laptop. That might also, have to do with the over heating, say as to how it was definitely more notice able when hot.

But I'll say it one last time. I actually really like this laptop.  When I go to Best Buy and see the preview version of this laptop, I think to myself "This is a great laptop, but mine have had so many problems. Hopefully this time it will work out better." Because if you actually feel the laptops and see the laptops, they feel and look great! But I actually blame it on the smaller size of the laptop. They had to compress everything thing down. So their isn't as much breathing room. they could have added a water tray are for spills. And everything wouldn't heat up. The second one, was the only one I felt like had a small problem. The other two feel like they have had major problems.

I'd still actually recommend this laptop though. You should make sure to get a warranty, but when they aren't causing problems... the HP Pavilion x360 is actually a really good laptop. Maybe I'm letting it off to easy... but as I said, it's actually a perfect fit for me. Just I wish it was built better.