Coming Soon

This is Martin Webster, Esq., a brand-new site by Martin Webster that's just getting started. Things will be up and running here shortly, but meanwhile you can subscribe if you'd like to stay up to date and receive emails when new content is published!

What to expect

For a decade, I've used Apple MacBooks running macOS Mountain Lion through to Monterey. My last Mac, a top-of-the-range MacBook Pro (15 inch, 2016), is a problem-ridden design disaster. I've had sticky keys, overheating, backlight bleed, stress fractures, and a thrip between Retina panel and display glass.

Apple, a $3 trillion company, was disinterested, and refused to resolve any of the known defects. Likewise, Amazon, where I purchased the MacBook, were equally unhelpful. So, Apple no longer has my patronage. When my iPhone and iPad need replacing, I'll be looking elsewhere, too.

Consequently, I decided to make the switch to Linux. After trying various distributions (flavours), including Fedora, Elementary OS, OpenSUSE, and Zorin OS, I settled on Ubuntu 22.04.

This blog is an account of my journey with a Linux laptop. I'll cover the challenges of choosing alternative software to replace macOS staples, buying a new Linux laptop, and replacing big-brand products and services with open-source and ethical alternatives.

You may also find other ramblings. I love music, hiking, and open water swimming. I'm a polymath, and will turn my mind to anything, so, I guess, anything goes!

Why Martin Webster, Esq?

I'm proud to be British and love my country. Esq. is a typically British formality lost in time. But for me, it is a reminder of British values: honesty, integrity, charity, tolerance… things that are often replaced with patriotic jingoism, flag waving, dishonesty, and cakeism nowadays.