This year we made good progress. You know, Linux gaming becoming better, Reddit fucking up, Metaverse failing etc. But on the other hand Big Tech has or are planning to make some moves. Such as, Google’s Web Enviroment Integrity API (EDIT: they backed off), UK’s encryption bill, etc.
So what do you think of the future? I’m currently optimistic. I think the best recent event was Reddit fucking up. Obviously one of the biggest information sources going down that path isn’t something to celebrate. But it was bound to happen. I believe decentralized social networks becoming more popular is what Aaron Swartz would have wanted if he saw how Reddit was being managed.
I’d just like to say that if something says Ubuntu support it will very likely work on all Debian based distros unless its something really low level and your running one that swapped out systemd or something. They normally just mean that they ship their software as a .deb file and even that can be installed on non Debian distros if your willing to do some special stuff. Also as for drivers/firmware I’ve never had any issues except when trying to use a distros that doesnt include non-free firmware.
Yup, agreed on all counts.
I just feel that if it’s your first distro, it’s probably better to stick to vanilla Ubuntu until you better understand the subtle differences between the various Debians.
Still and all though, it’s easier to install a Linux than it’s ever been. My first Linux was actually an OpenSUSE, soon replaced by Debian Etch. I bought the latter online and they mailed me the installation CDs! It took me days to get the installs working.
Now, you just pop in a USB and follow the friendly install wizard. It’s friggin awesome.
I didn’t want to deal with certain Canonical shenanigans so my first distro was actually Debian Cinnamon. I was an absolute zero and it was still easy to use.
If you managed to make a Debian boot stick using just Debian’s website and your Windows-user expertise, then you are not a zero. Take that as a compliment.
Yeah, with the small caveat that you first have to somehow make that USB stick. For non-techies that is still anything but easy-peasy, and most distros seem to weirdly assume that you already have the thing in your hand, as you just seemed to do. The reality is that it’s now easily the biggest single hurdle to installing Linux, the rest is easy as you say.
Fair point!
Making a Bootable USB stick: I like using balena etcher to make bootable USBs. It handles downloading, burning and making a bootable image for you. It’s great!
Just point it at an empty USB stick (or one you’re ok with Balena erasing everything on) and select the Linux distro (or downloaded ISO) you want to use. Come back later and you’re all set to reboot into Linux from the USB stick!
Booting From USB: You may need to manually select the USB stick as your boot device when you restart! If so, usually you just need to hold F8 during the reboot process to get the menu.
If that doesn’t do it, you’ll need to get into your computer’s BIOS to enable booting from the USB. That usually requires holding down either F1, F12, or Delete, depending on your particular BIOS. I usually just hold them all down.
In the BIOS you’re looking for something like “Boot” or “Boot Order”, “Disk Devices” etc. It may be hidden inside an “Advanced Options” or “Security” section.
Once you’ve found it, make sure your USB drive is A) enabled for booting from B) in the boot list before your other drives
After that, Save and Exit your BIOS (methods vary, but it’s usually written on the screen someplace).
