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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).

Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.

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New to Linux, have a few questions (pawb.social)

submitted 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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I currently use Windows 10 and I’d like to try out Linux. My plan is to set up a dual boot with OpenSUSE tumbleweed and KDE Plasma. I’ve read so many different opinions about choosing a distro, compatibility with gaming and Nvidia drivers, and personal issues with the ethos of different companies like Canonical. I value privacy and I’d rather avoid a Linux distro that’s implementing something like ads or telemetry…if that’s even a thing that’s happening?

As a complete beginner, what sort of advice would you all have for me? Should I avoid OpenSUSE or KDE Plasma for some reason? Are there any ‘10 things to do first when installing Linux for the first time’ recommendations?

Despite all the ‘beginner friendly’ guides and tutorials around, I still feel a little lost and like I’m going into this blind.

EDIT: Thanks to everyone who's offered advice, I really appreciate all the help and the patience with my dumb questions! There's a lot to look through and it's been a busy day for me, but I'll get back to reading through everything and replying as soon as I can!

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 11 months ago (1 children)

This is the sensible thing to do. Try a bunch of distros using either USB or as Virtual Machines.

It'll save you a lot of heartache when you eventually kill the bootloader, the display driver or both (and you will, it is part or the learning process).

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I don't understand the issue here. Does that mean I can kill my BIOS bootloader somehow? Or the display driver? And how would screwing up drivers on one SSD with Linux affect my other SSD with Windows? Sorry if these are dumb questions, I'm just trying to get my head around as much of this as I can.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago

Windows likes to pretend it's the only OS in the world so it can overwrite the bootloader and you lose access to the Linux install.

But if you use separate disks for each there's a simple solution if your BIOS has a quick boot selection: install each bootloader on its respective disk and use the BIOS selector at boot.

Alternatively, install the Linux bootloader on the Linux disk; it will autodetect Windows and offer it as a boot option, but Windows won't be aware of Linux. In BIOS you set Linux as permanent boot disk in this case.