this post was submitted on 10 Dec 2023
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Linux

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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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Now i've been considering moving to linux. I don't have much of a history using a computer and find it tougher to use than my phone. But I also really appreciate the foss movement. I've currently got an old laptop running windows 11 I think and it would prolly speed up with linux too. But I'm afraid I'd fuck smth up trying to download linux, understand it or while using it. Is it worth switching and how different is it to a windows experience.

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (3 children)

Ok i'm reading up on this sub and not arch seems to be the consensus for a newbie. I want to download smth and just have it there without thinking bout it the way it is with windows. Not a hobby that i spend hours on.

Apparently theres many versions of linux you can get?

[–] [email protected] 8 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Yeah, don't use Arch if you're new to Linux and not tech-literate. You seem pretty interested in Linux Mint from other comments here, I'd say give that a go.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 11 months ago

Considering the nature of this converstaion, i love your instance name lol

[–] [email protected] 5 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Linux Mint is very easy with GUI's for everything you need and the UI is pretty similar out of the box. Try it out on a live usb before making the switch.

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

Thanks. Just opened the linuxmint website and it looks promising

[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago

i gotta join in with the other Linux Mint voices here. It's very user friendly. You just need to know:

  • the desktop environment is called Cinnamon. this will help you google stuff.
  • the system package manager is called APT, and if you just use the update manager you won't have to interact with it directly, but it's good to know.
  • in the software center many apps have the options sytem package or flatpak. system package means it goes through APT, flatpak is a sandbox system that is good for isolating your apps from your system. imo always choose flatpak, except for steam.