this post was submitted on 23 Aug 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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Hello, I’m going to be getting a new computer soon and have thought about linux. Questions inside (lemmy.world)
submitted 2 years ago by qooqie@lemmy.world to c/linux@lemmy.ml
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With the new computer and the newer Microsoft Windows updates they have really jam packed their OS with bloat and spyware. That being said I have no idea what I’m doing with Linux, need help with where to start.? What are some general tips? I understand there’s a lot of prebuilt Linux distributions or something what are some first timer friendly ones? Really any help is appreciated because the biggest barrier to entry is the perceived difficulty of actually doing it.

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[–] rtxn@lemmy.world 21 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (15 children)

As others have said, Linux Mint is probably the best distro for absolute beginners. You'll have several desktop environments to choose from (the software suite that gives you things like window frames, the taskbar, the application launcher...). I like KDE Plasma and Cinnamon - Plasma is a lot more customizable, but Cinnamon is more robust and (IMO) better suited for beginners.

You'll have to unlearn a lot of Windows habits.

  • :q! is very important, remember it.
  • You won't download application installers from the internet, you'll have to either use the system's own package manager in the terminal (APT for Mint), a GUI front-end, or Flatpak.
  • You won't be able to choose where software are installed.
  • There are no lettered drives. There is a single root filesystem (equivalent to C:\ on Windows), and every other partition has to be mounted somewhere within that filesystem. Most graphical file manager applications take care of that automatically.
  • Updates are very important. Fortunately they are much less of a pain in the ass. Graphical package manager apps usually offer automatic reminders, or you can use the terminal to update manually.
  • The terminal is much more important compared to Windows, and you should learn basic things like navigating the filesystem, handling files and directories, how to use sudo (eq. run as admin), how to manage running processes (top, kill/pkill/killall), and how to use the package manager.
  • Use manuals and the man command. The Arch Wiki is an invaluable tool for every distribution.
  • Ask your questions. There will be dickheads, but most people will be happy to help.
[–] Ozzy@lemmy.ml 4 points 2 years ago (13 children)

I swear to God this is my biggest gripe with Linux, not being able to choose where stuff gets installed. Like yeah cool I want to have the OS on a SSD but that doesn't mean I also want my packages to go to it too, the HDD is for that

[–] VoltaicGRiD@mastodon.social 2 points 2 years ago (1 children)

@Ozzy @rtxn I just thought of this, could one, create symbolic links that point to /lib (for ex.) to "repoint" the directory a package gets installed to?

Not sure if this would work, but was curious if someone's attempted it before.

[–] Ozzy@lemmy.ml 1 points 2 years ago (2 children)

Yeah I was thinking the same thing too, technically if we would recreate the file structure on the second drive, move everything there and set up soft links to those folders instead it might work? I need to try it out in a vm

[–] rtxn@lemmy.world 2 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Take a look at this, might be interesting: https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Overlay_filesystem

[–] Ozzy@lemmy.ml 1 points 2 years ago

I had no idea this exists and it looks like it might just work, thank you

[–] VoltaicGRiD@mastodon.social 2 points 2 years ago

@Ozzy Exactly what I was thinking. Kind of a PiTA if everyone needed to do that, but maybe an excuse to throw up an open-source script on github for it.

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