Bitcoin Gandalf has announced his failed attempts to install the linux distribution Pop!_OS on his PC has resulted in the loss of 3 thumbrives this Sunday.
Weekends are there to solve tech-problems, right? For Bitcoin Gandalf it was an innocent Sunday evening, when he took the challenge to install Linux. And at 8:44 PM he encountered a minor problem.
I’ve just fried 3 USB sticks trying to install Pop!_OS.
2 x 120gb san disks and an 8gb freebie
After I flash the .iso file with balena etcher the drive just dies. Can’t format it, can’t read it etc.
The world doesn’t want me to run Linux.
Bitcoin Gandalf is well known among bitcoiners as he has accumulated not just over 20k followers in a short amount of time but also created a beautiful story and saga around his nickname. He told BitcoinNews that the reason why created the Bitcoin Gandalf profile on Twitter was because he thinks we shouldn’t just talk about politics and boring stuff but keep it fun and entertaining.
Last week Gandalf has shared that he had ordered a Google Pixel.
But why exactly did he choose this brand for a new phone and not a classic like Apple Iphone or a flagship model from Samsung you may wonder?
Privacy geeks are already in the know; Google smartphones are the best devices to install alternative android operating systems such as GrapheneOS, CalyxOS or LineageOS. It’s quiet the irony that the Google phones are best to ‘de-google’ yourself, isn’t it. The reason for this is that GrapheneOS currently only works with Google phones.
However, it’s rumored even the best privacy masters such as Dr. Adam Back use the trick. And Gandalf as also called the crowd for an opinion:
Has Bitcoin Gandalf gone deep down the privacy rabbit hole? Following his latest announcements on deployed technology in the house of Gandalf, he is probably pretty deep down there. Bitcoin Gandalf is definitely pushing technology to the limit with the best privacy software on the market.
With PopOS Gandalf has chosen a linux distribution that is maintained by the American ‘indie’ hardware manufacturer System76 which manufactures open source hardware, software, and firmware at their factory in Denver, Colorado.
Why should we use alternative privacy focused android like Calyx?
According to Bitcoin Gandalf, every bitcoiner is at risk of losing access to important software tools such as bitcoin wallets. When the government figures out that they cannot really ban bitcoin, they might decide to come after independent bitcoin wallet providers and developers. And since most of them depend on the big app stores like Apple’s AppStore and Google’s PlayStore, they could be stopped from distribution.
Bitcoin Gandalf has started his privacy mission already in November 2021 with the inital goal to ungoogle himself. He stated: “I’m in the process of unmicrosofting myself, unandroiding myself, becoming a sovereign bitcoin user, and becoming a private bitcoin user and let me tell you, it takes a fuck load of time”.
Convenience safes us time. But it also puts us at risk as we outsource crucial parts of our IT Infrastructure. When it comes to holding Bitcoin and securing your private keys, it is therefore recommended to really think about IT in a more holistic way may it be for private or business pursposes.
Soon after Gandalf announced he broke his thumbdrives, he updated the thread with a tweet sharing that he was able to recover the thumbrives. He continued the installation and we can look forward to more updates about his experience.
We wish you great success further on and say thank you for sharing your experience with us sovereign Gandalf.
