MadModder

I've tried to learn other 3D CADs and I find them really difficult/clumsy (for me). Maybe it's just the way my mind works.

Do you mean apps like Freecad? If so, yes, it's free, but it has rather steep learning curve - and the fact that it keeps crashing often doesn't exactly help the learning process. That's why I've used it only for converting meshes to another format. 

In the same vein, another issue with possible solution. I've used Notepad++ on Windows in the past, and now on Linux, I use Notepadqq, which is basically a clone of Notepad++.   

But after installing Notepadqq, It seems to be very prone to crash with default settings. It has done that with all the Linux distros I've tested so far.

I may have read about it on the net, but one option to fix that is to go to Settings--> Preferences--> General--> Backup open document every..seconds or minutes or whatever, and uncheck that option.

In other words, disable autosaving feature. After doing that - I've not experienced such crashes.

No major climate excursions

True... but 3 months of nearly continuous rain & windy days is just as tortuous. Mind you, rain = time spent in sheds = why we invented so much stuff!

Most of the nuts and bolts that I'll need have arrived and I got the bed bolted to the bed/bearing mounts last night. I centered the bed between the rails. The frame diagonals are as equal as I can measure with a metric tape measure, and the edge of the bed is flush with end of the frame, so the bed slots SHOULD be perpendicular to the X axis. If they aren't - well that's future Don's problem. A kind soul on another forum suggested flush zerk fittings. I found some M5 fittings that should fit and ordered them, they arrived today, I should have about 2mm of clearance between the fitting and the base - it worked like a champ.

I'm almost done with the Z axis slider redesign to fit the 300W spindle, something that would have had to happen anyway - might as well get it over with now. I've also been working on the design for the X axis lead-nut block. If I've counted on my fingers and toes correctly, I should have about a 3mm gap between the lead-nut block and the bottom of the bed. I plan on measuring that gap with a stack of feeler gages, and printing a shim to fit. That should be close enough for gubmint work.

What you describe is one of several causes for my abandoning Ubuntu after finding Puppy linux. I had so many problems during upgrades and updates that I got discouraged by Linux in general. I wanted something that was more stable and wasn't pushing to constantly upgrade. Puppy Linux provided that for me, with an average usage period for any particular version of 3-4 years in my usage.

I think one thing to realize is that the only real need for updating and upgrading an OS generally (once you have a stable system with a full range of usable applications to your preferences) is the browser's and web facing app security requirements -- which are constantly changing with new threats, and language and data form changes.

I don't do a lot of application program updating, since most programs I use, even complex ones like CAD, CAM, and video editors, suit me fine as-is. and sometimes upgrades produce a version I like less than the older one they replace.

A possible alternative scenario for dealing with the continual changes needed by web facing apps is to isolate or even containerize them within the operating system. This is an approach taken by EasyOS. If you are then satisfied with the performance of your other apps and the version you have of the OS, continual OS and application updates are not necessary -- unless you are interested in the relatively experimental side of the operating system. But it is possible to, and many have in both Puppy and EasyOS, work continually with a single operating system version for years, without upgrades.

I loved my 3 months living in UK back during winter 1969, and can confirm it is a good place to live!