How-To Geek

Linux Mint is famous for offering a familiar Windows-like desktop experience, but did you know it’s also one of the most customizable distros—with built-in tools to tweak its look and feel? To give you an idea of what's possible, here's how I made Linux Mint Cinnamon Edition look like macOS.

It may sound a little strange, but I've used a phone as my primary PC for nearly two years. My journey started with the Moto Edge+, but I've since migrated to a Samsung Galaxy Z Fold smartphone. Here's everything I've learned along the way.

As someone who absolutely loves his Apple Watch, you’d have to pry my wearable from my cold, dead wrists. That’s an eventuality that I’ve been trying to delay as much as possible, since health and fitness are my primary motivations for wearing it.

Even if you tend to avoid the Linux terminal, chances are, at some point, you will have to edit a text file within the terminal. By default, pretty much every Linux distribution uses the 'nano' text editor. It's entirely keyboard-driven and uses some old-school shortcuts from the 1990s. Those shortcuts are counter-intuitive for me and I just don't want to bother learning them anyway. I have two choices here: learn something like Vim, which would take even longer, or use a more modern alternative of 'nano.' I went with the second option and tested a lot of console text editors. These are my favorites.

Smart ecosystems such as Alexa and Google Home are popular because they're so convenient. It's relatively simple to set them up and add smart home devices, and they're often good enough for many people's needs. There is a more powerful option, however: Home Assistant. While it may be a little daunting at first, there has never been a better time to give Home Assistant a try.

The safest way to secure your data on Windows is by keeping it in encrypted vaults. You can create hidden, password-protected virtual drives. Put your data in there, access it when you need to, and then hide the virtual drives again. This is everything you need to know to create and use super secure storage vaults on Windows.

Are you new to Linux and resisting the terminal? Or perhaps you're a longtime passionate user like me? Regardless, learning the Linux terminal opens up an entirely different world on Linux, and I will explain why.

Finding a reliable car under $15,000 is already a challenge, but finding an electric one that can outlast traditional gas-powered rivals seems almost impossible. That’s exactly why this budget-friendly EV stands out. Despite its low entry price, it delivers a level of reliability that many internal combustion competitors struggle to match, making it a surprisingly smart choice for cost-conscious buyers.

Over the last year, you may have noticed we're geeking out about even more things now. From the classics like Windows and Android, to new topics such as electric cars and weekly binge sessions, there's a huge and diverse collection of articles being published every day. But which stories brought in the most eyeballs in 2025?

Used and refurbished mini PCs are everywhere online, and Dell's Optiplex family of tiny office drone desktops might be the most numerous simply thanks to the sheer number of these computers out in the wild that have been cycled down through business customers and reached the end of the line with refurbishers.

The first 3D printer I ever encountered had to be assembled from parts that arrived in a box. This was more than a decade ago, and things have certainly changed. The last two 3D printers I acquired worked right out of the box after plugging them in and removing the packing material—there's never been a more beginner-friendly time to get into the hobby.

If you’ve ever complained about running out of storage around a group of geeks, you’ve probably been told you need a NAS. With promises of 24/7 access and fancy backup solutions, it sounds more appealing than it actually is. I’m going to go against the grain today: most people don’t actually need a NAS—they just think they need one.

Registry cleaners have been available for decades, and once upon a time, there might have been an argument for using them. However, these days, they present almost no benefit and could mess up your PC.

S you just got a Kindle and are mulling over whether to slap a screen protector on it. Let’s find out if you really need one.

Luxury sedans have traditionally forced buyers to choose between comfort, performance, and fuel efficiency. Most deliver refinement and power, but efficiency usually takes a back seat—especially in gas-powered models. That’s why this particular luxury sedan stands out. It achieves fuel economy figures that rival some entry-level hybrids, all while maintaining the smooth ride, premium materials, and quiet cabin buyers expect from the segment. For drivers who want luxury without frequent fuel stops, it’s in a class of its own.

No one ever teaches you how to hold a phone, yet we’ve all adopted the same awkward grip. There are little tricks that can make it easier to reach things on the screen, but that doesn’t address the comfort of holding the phone. A very simple accessory can fix that.

One of the first commands new Linux users learn is echo. Need to print some text or debug a script? Add an echo statement. However, from my usage, I've found printf to be far more powerful. Once you understand its basics, it becomes a safer default for printing output in scripts.

As more applications have been released, it feels like the fight for screen space is filled with unnecessary clutter. We often have status bars, background processes, or media players running, but really don't need to look at them. What's cool is that a lot of software we rely on daily can run completely without a GUI.

Are you working in the Xfce desktop environment, or thinking of switching to an Xfce-powered Linux distribution like Linux Mint? I've spent the past several weeks using Xfce on my main desktop, and I ended up making a few changes you might want to consider too.

2025 has been an incredible year for the horror genre, offering surprising blockbuster juggernauts and beloved franchises making their long-awaited return. One such release was 28 Years Later, the long-awaited sequel to Danny Boyle and Alex Garland's genre-redefining 2002 zombie feature, which returned audiences to a ravaged UK after a virus turns most of its population into bloodthirsty cannibalistic killers.