staircase

I frequently reinstall Linux. Is there a tool to say what to install and configure that I can just run once after OS install? Things like

• Install neovim, signal, steam
• Configure firefox, desktop environment

I'm using this for just me, on my personal machine.

I don't anticipate it's possible between different distros, so assume I'm reinstalling the same distro.

EDIT: thanks for replies. I'm mostly seeing Ansible and NixOS. I'll start looking at those.

Which distros are energy efficient? I have a capable desktop, and I mean to push it, but I don't want to be using energy if it's not necessary. I'm not looking to rescue an old laptop, for example.

I hear CachyOS is fast. Does that translate to energy efficient?

(Does the OS even matter that much for efficiency?)

tl;dr what are all the ways I can block a website on linux? Debian if it's relevant.

I want to stop myself using certain sites. Since I'm reasonably techy and can work round all blocks I've come up with, I've found an effective approach is to apply as many hurdles as possible, so that visiting the website takes effort.

So far I've added the site to ublock's block list, and redirected sites via /etc/hosts. What other options are there?

While I have admin access to the router, I'm not allowed to block sites there.

I have a number of hints that my internet connection doesn't work right. I see things like can't connect to addresses from docker, pages will be slow in my browser. Before I used ethernet to my router, I would sometimes disconnect from the internet. Aside from disconnecting, none of it was a clear sign something is unusually broken. Is there some linux (Ubuntu) tool I can use to assess the long-term health of my connection?

A nice to have: the tool would tell me whether a fault is in my drivers, settings, adapter, router, connection to the house, or my provider.

My friend livestreams and records video, usually recorded on a phone. They're currently doing this on Facebook, but I'm helping them find alternative platforms that are accessible and not too technically demanding. Do you have any recommendations?

My code depends on a library that makes liberal use of patching (replacing text in source code) for its own dependencies. I feel this is bad form, because, for example, that dependency may now conflict irreconcilably with another dependency of mine.

Am I right in thinking patching code is bad form?

... while they feign child protection to avoid costs

Samsung, SK Hynix, and TSMC depend on oil, gas, helium, sulphur, and bromine coming from the region, or through the Strait of Hormuz.

Marko Papic, chief strategist at BCA Research ... predicts a severe hit to chip production if the strait isn’t back in operation within a month.

Could mean higher PC component prices, or even a halt in production. Could mean global recession.

Dr Iain McGilchrist paints a stark moral and existential picture of where AI is heading, and how this is preceded by and furthers a dangerous shift in our brains to a focus on power.

I'm curious about trying Arch Linux, but I want to know what's difficult or impossible with it first, as that's usually what stops me sticking with a distro.

I'm particularly interested in software/driver support. For example, NVIDIA doesn't mention Arch in its CUDA download page.

UPDATE: OK it sounds like Arch is for bleeding edge. That sounds fun, but I like things simple and reliable, so I'll still with Ubuntu. I might run Arch on my secondary drive, or toy with it in Docker.