Macintosh quagmire

Later this year, Windows 10 will cease to be supported. So that means no more security updates. Although my desktop PC could, in theory run the new Windows 11, there is a need for a secuity chip on the motherboard to install it. My PC is a bit too old to have one.

So I've decided to try running Linux Mint on a Mac Mini I have, to basically avoid having to buy a new PC. For now, with some fidding around I've managed to find alternative software equivalents to carry on doing what I was doing under Windows. TBH some of the packages I was using are Windows versions of those that are intended to run on Linux.

So the Mac Mini dates from late 2012 and currently has 4GB of RAM and a 1Tb HD. Looking up the serial number, it can actually be upgrated to 16Gb so I might give that a try.

The main snags I've had are mainly concerning the lack of USB ports and playing H.264 MP4 video files. Those from my phone will play fine, but footage from my DJI Osmo gopro and the DJI Neo drone have proved problematic as these are to the H.264 codec with the drone using HEVC format.
I couldn't get a player to run these videos, even VLC wouldn't work. After looking online and reading about changing the demuxer. Nothing worked.
So by chance I thought I'd give Xnview a try - which I had installed wholly to administrate my images. 
The video from the DJI Osmo played fine, but not that from the drone. So back to the drawing board. 
In the end I tried converting a drone shot video file using another Linux package called Handbrake. This basically changes the MP4 file to a non HEVC format. It worked, although there is like a band of distortion at the bottom of the image.
I think this is the way forwards - as in relation to other video, I don't take much footage from the drone. So it won't be too much of an issue if the files need to be converted, before I can use them in a video editor.

There is a lack of USB ports, but I think the way around it has happened by accident. The Mac Mini itself can get a bit warm, especially at the moment while we experience 30C temperatures outside. So I've bought a flat ventilator for the box to sit on. On this there are an additional 2 USB ports - which by chance will be next to my two external drives.

So moving to this set up has been a bit of a mess, but I think things are finally coming together. So what will happen to my Win10 desktop PC? Well I'm going to keep it for use as a gaming PC/TV watching box down in our basement. My steering wheel and pedals will go down there as well. We have a massive TV screen down there - so I think that will add to the experience. My games run on Steam, a games portal. Although Stream will run on Linux, I'm not sure that the Mac Mini will cut it.

Once the lessons are out of the way, I'll be converting my laptop to Linux Mint too. But on that, I'll leave Windows 10 on a small partition and create a GRUB dual boot. Just in case. Again most of the software I use for my lessons is Linux derived, but the Windows version.

Gonna be fun...