Unknown1234_5

I want to know what kind of apps/programs y'all recommend to people or just use personally. This is just in general, could be anything from a game to a media codec. I personally use Linux but stuff for other operating systems is welcome too.

I'm trying to watch some DVDs on my laptop (tuxedo os w/ external optical drive) but VLC won't play the video, only the audio. It played the menu once but I couldn't replicate it. Pretty sure i've downloaded all of the necessary codecs. Y'all have any idea how to fix it?

Edit: just switched to the flatpak (system had the Ubuntu package by default) and it works but the options to use VLC directly from the devices menu in the system tray are now gone.

I've been interested in trying mobile Linux for a while now, but the spare devices I have (Samsung s9 and Nexus 7 2012) aren't supported by any I could find. I know it's possible to make it supported myself, but that is well beyond my skills. What would y'all recommend as the best project(s) to try out, especially with the plasma mobile DE (should it be called Mobile Environment instead?) and with support for those devices?

I'm fairly new to the fediverse, but my understanding is that different platforms are supposed to be able to share content between them. I have always hated most social media and reddit was the only one whose layout I could stand, so my favorite fediverse platform is Lemmy. I do have a mastodon account but if I can get the same content here I'd rather just delete it and use a platform I like. Is that how it works? If so how do I do that/know when I'm doing it?

TL;DR: see title

Linux has many issues, but in comparison with other operating systems the only one that actually makes it a worse option is certain apps and games not working. Sure some distros suck, but you can just use the good ones. Sure drivers can be a pain, but plenty of distros do them for you. Yeah you'll have some issues with Bluetooth or wifi or something like that sometimes, but no more often than on windows (mac too probably but I've never used Mac so idk).

Maybe you hate how windows is set up, maybe you hate how some de is set up, just use one that you like. Dont like gnome? Well despite many distros using it, it is not the only option. Try kde, try cinnamon (I hate it but it would be unfair to ignore it), try cosmic when it comes out or popshell in the meantime. Don't want to lose your current os and be stuck here? Use a VM or dual boot.

All that works fine, it just takes a second to set things up how you want them to be and then you can just use your computer. With a "beginner" distro (I'd recommend pop os, tuxedo os, or mint) cli should be optional in everything you'd actually be doing. The only thing that is a genuine problem with Linux as a whole is that a lot of apps and games just aren't compatible, be they a less popular app who's users rely on it or a really popular game that refuses to enable Linux compatibility in EAC.

I know that projects like wine (and proton) are around and are making a lot of progress here, but this problem still remains the only one that an average user with a distro intended for normal use will be expected to deal with. What do y'all think?

Edit: fixed(?) spacing, hopefully it's easier to read now

Edit 2: wanted to add that as far as I've seen, most of the time people have like one app that doesn't work or doesn't work properly while everything else works fine, and they are either unable or unwilling to switch.

One of my friends just attempted suicide like 30 minutes ago. Thankfully he's alive (I know bc he texted in the gc, and he didn't say it like a joke) but I'm not really sure what to do. I told him I'm free to talk if he needs to (I am not able to go see him in person) and another friend who lives near him said about the same. We also had another mutual friend commit suicide not that long ago. What do I do?