I gave up on all that, drank the kool aid and just went to a dedicated doze box
in the hamshack (as well as a file server but that's a separate saga). Life is
a lot easier now.

If the issue was simple logging, basic digital modes, satellite tracking, etc.,
Ubuntu can fit the bill pretty easily. But throw in some radio programming,
equipment control, SDR, WinDRM or FDMDV, et al, and Linux is a non-starter.

And maybe I don't want something "like" N1MM, or HRD, or PCSat. Maybe I want to
run those apps because they do something unique, more easily or I just like
them. I shouldn't have to settle for the lowest common denominator.

Adding unnecessary layers of complexity doesn't add any value and I couldn't see
the point in jumping through hoops and wasting my time trying to configure Linux
into something it's not. At *best* you'll equal what a doze box can do but with
a time, effort and likely a performance hit. My Ubuntu machine does Linux
things, my doze machine does doze things, and ne'er the twain shall meet. For
the cost of a cheap dedicated PC it's just not worth the trouble.

It's all about the applications, and the best tool for the job. It won't always
be Linux. I would rather run doze and enjoy my time on the air than poking
around in Linux trying to get doze software to work right.