Linux is interesting to me, but I’ve never dipped my toes into it because it seems really intimidating (and a lot of loud people act pretty snobbish about it towards non-Linux users, making it seem even more intimidating to get into; I’d rather not be bullied for my choices in software or my ignorance in others).
It seems so complicated to me, and there’s so many types, and so much lingo that I’m not versed in, so that when I consider getting into it I just feel so overwhelmed I can’t even think.
My understanding of Linux is bare bones to say the least. I understand it’s highly customizable. I understand it’s a lot of manual work, though, at least… it sounds like it? From what I’ve seen people say, it seems like you need to remember a lot of codes and functions to do basic things unless you install interfaces for things? Again, I’m really ignorant about this stuff, so excuse my lack of proper terminolgy and such.
I also am under the impression that Linux isn’t the greatest for most games? Or at least, that’s what I heard a lot years ago, I don’t know if it’s still true (or if it was even true back then). If that’s still a thing, is it because Windows is just what everyone defaults to when designing software? How viable is gaming on Linux?
And how does one even… go about setting up Linux? How do you choose what er… version? Type? Ah, distro? Again this… terminology is foreign to me, I’m not fully sure what I’m saying. Would I have to whipe a laptop of Windows to install Linux on it? How would I do that?
I am fascinated by the concept of Linux but like I said, there’s just so much. I have ADHD and Autism and combined, the whole idea of jumping into this is so goddamn overwhelming to consider figuring it out all by myself.
Sorry if this is out of place, by the way.
ETA: Thanks for all the help so far everyone. I’m gonna start playing with various distros using an older laptop of mine. I bought it real cheap and used a few years ago and it has mainly just been used as my own personal tv that only plays Whose Line Is It Anyways? with Drew Carry every moment of every day, virtually nonstop… and the poor thing can do that on Linux just fine, too.
ETA2: After backing up the Whose Line episodes off the laptop, I tested out Ubuntu using virtual box on my regular laptop but it didn’t entice me much, so I searched for something else and found “Live Window Maker”, a uh, fork(? is that the right term?) of Debian and installed it onto the laptop. So far, successful! I havent explored it much since I finished my backup last night and installed the distro before I left for work, but I’m excited to start playing with it. I really enjoy the classic windows interface styling of this one, so I’m looking forward to playing with it.
Download a widely supported Linux distribution like Ubuntu and put it on a USB stick.
Now boot from that stick. It will load (slowly) but it will not touch your disk.
You can have a look around and kick the tires. Check out the default apps. Install some more apps.
You can reboot and remove the USB pen to get back home to Windows.
Now download something else and repeat.
Do this until you feel that Windows is not your home anymore.
That was my journey, maybe it is yours too.
This is exactly what I did. Download a bunch of iso images and use a USB thumb drive or burn them to disc.
If using thumb drives, make sure you delete all hidden files when burning a different Distro to it so it’s clean.
I would suggest going to https://distrowatch.com/ to read about the types of OS on offer.
Think of it as,
Linux is a car,
Distros (Distributions) are the manufacturer (Toyota, Ford, Kia, Audi) and
the DE (Desktop Environment) is the model line (Prius, F150, Sorento, A6).
You need to choose a Distro and a DE.
Distros to check out, Mint, Ubuntu, Kubuntu, Pop!_OS, Fedora, OpenSUSE. This will give you a variety to test a “live disc”, no need to install right now.
DE’s to test, KDE, Gnome, Mate, Unity, Cinnamon.
Most Distros are completely re-installed 2x a year with April and September being the release months.
You can find LTS (Long Term Support) versions of many Distros. These are installed once and updated regularly for 3-5 years.
And lastly there are Rolling Distros that are installed and updated in perpetuity.
I personally settled on Kubuntu LTS. It’s a KDE (Plasma desktop). It’s very easy to customize when you get a little experience, but not necessary to customize at all. I’ve been using this for over 12+ years.
Play around with some Distros, take some notes on what you like. You can dual install with Windows if you want/need to.
And remember, Live discs (USB) are just a testing ground, changing settings will not save if you test the same Distro again.
Always choose the “Try” or “Live” option in the boot menu and it won’t mess up your computer.
And backup your current data before doing any of this. Better safe than sorry.
Also, if your thumb drive is big enough, which it probably is, you can use Ventoy to load it with multiple bootable isos
Everything you’ve said about Linux is pretty accurate. Great job!
There’s a lot of complicated Linux distros, but obviously they’re not for 99% of people starting out. To start out on Linux, back up all your files (or don’t), and install it! Easy as… well it’s not that easy, but people pretend it is.
There’s lots of distros, but one that will probably have the most agreement on from the community will be Ubuntu: https://ubuntu.com/tutorials/install-ubuntu-desktop#1-overview
You can follow that link, and if you get stuck, just make a post saying “Windows sucks but I can’t do X”, and 1,000 angry Lemmies will try their hardest to help you
“Windows sucks but I can’t please my wife. Please help” :D
Edit: poor taste joke, leaving it so I can be judged fairly.
Better joke hopefully: “Windows sucks, but my tomato plants keep getting eaten by caterpillars. Please help” :D
I got my first Linux system two years ago when I was 57. I took one of the COVID checks and bought a Linux laptop from System76. I had the choice of PopOS or Ubuntu so I just took straight Ubuntu. It was set up and running when I unboxed it and everything I need to know how to do I can just do a web search for. And that’s really not much. Best of all the thing starts up in seconds, when Windows was always taking its damn sweet time and shutting itself down for two and three hour updates when I needed to use it. As for gaming, that’s what my PS5 is for.
Buying a pre-built, pre-installed Linux system was perfect for me. It might be what would work for you too. It takes a lot of the guesswork out of where to start.
It’s not as bad as all that. Start simple and small. Install Ubuntu Linux on an old computer and just play around. I think you’ll find it pretty similar to what you’re used to.
Once you feel like you can get around, then you can start toying with more advanced stuff like the command line. There’s no reason that you have to start there- you can ease in slow. Learn 1 command a day. Try to accomplish as task in linux that’s new for you. After you do a few things it’ll start to feel natural. Baby steps!
I understand it’s highly customizable.
That is true, it’s one of the main benefits to using Linux!
I understand it’s a lot of manual work, though, at least… it sounds like it? From what I’ve seen people say, it seems like you need to remember a lot of codes and functions to do basic things unless you install interfaces for things?
That depends. Most Linux distros come with all the necessary interfaces for those basic things by default, but a few will require you to set them up with the command-line interface (CLI). It’s just a good idea to learn CLI commands because they’re more reliable, more consistent across distros, and often required for advanced things or for troubleshooting.
IMHO, the main challenges of Linux are:
- Having to make configuration choices that Windows and OS X make for you (distros can go a long way in this regard, but you still have to choose a distro)
- Having to install Linux, configure it, and solve problems yourself. (Basically, you use it at your own risk. If you run into issues, I recommend asking a friend, or failing that, asking on one of the many available Linux support forums (like this one) and chatrooms.)
On the other hand, Linux is easier to use in some ways:
- Distros typically provide software repositories (basically app stores) which are better curated than those of Windows or OS X. They can negate the need to search online for downloads, and make it easy to update the system at your convenience.
- Viruses and malware for Linux are extremely rare.
- There are fewer restrictions on what you can do with your computer, which makes customization much easier. There are no ads, nags, “premium editions”, or other commercial BS in Linux.
I also am under the impression that Linux isn’t the greatest for most games? Or at least, that’s what I heard a lot years ago, I don’t know if it’s still true (or if it was even true back then). If that’s still a thing, is it because Windows is just what everyone defaults to when designing software? How viable is gaming on Linux?
IMO, quite viable, thanks in large part to Valve’s efforts with SteamOS and the Steam Deck. A lot of games have official support for Linux now, and those that don’t run pretty much seamlessly through one or both of the Windows compatibility layers, Wine and Proton. Linux used to be pretty bad for gaming, but I think it’s close to on par with Windows now. It’s arguably even better for emulators.
And how does one even… go about setting up Linux? How do you choose what er… version? Type? Ah, distro? Again this… terminology is foreign to me, I’m not fully sure what I’m saying. Would I have to whipe a laptop of Windows to install Linux on it? How would I do that?
A “distro” is basically a version of Linux. More precisely, the operating system we call “Linux” or sometimes “GNU/Linux” is really just a bunch of disparate pieces of software that together could make an operating system, and a “Linux distro” is an operating system pieced together from those parts.
As for the choice of distro, I wouldn’t overthink it. There’s a small chance your hardware won’t be supported by a given distro, or the install process will be more “hands-on” and difficult, but that applies to only a minority of distros. I personally am fond of Debian, though it’s a more “power user” oriented distro and can be hard to install; you might find one of its derivatives, like Q4OS or Linux Mint easier to set up.
There is a way to “dual-boot” Linux alongside Windows, but it can be unreliable, and you will need to partition your hard drive to give them both dedicated space. There are tutorials for this that you can look up easily, but unless you really need Windows, “wiping your hard drive” will be the smoother option. Back up anything important first, and then (on most distros) the installer will make it easy; you’ll likely just have to select your hard disk and an option to erase it. If you just want to try Linux without making it your main OS, I recommend installing it a virtual machine, such as Oracle VirtualBox or VMWare Player.
I have ADHD and Autism and combined, the whole idea of jumping into this is so goddamn overwhelming to consider figuring it out all by myself.
Speaking as a fellow autistic, I think the ability to hyperfixate helped me a lot with Linux, haha. But it is a lot, so I don’t blame you for being overwhelmed. As I said, once the setup is finished it’s quite easy to use, and the more advanced stuff, you can learn as you go along. So don’t worry too much.
I hope this wasn’t too long/hard to understand for you. Feel free to message me if you need help getting set up with Linux, or need clarification on what I’ve said. I love helping people with stuff like this.
