1y ago

Beginner's Guides for Switching to Linux?

Hello!

I'm interested in moving my personal computer to running Linux but I'm not sure where to even begin. As background, I am a casual user and have a desktop with hardware from around 2014 running Windows. I am hoping to setup a NAS drive as a media server in the next year or so, offloading all of the files currently on the Windows desktop and have been interested in open source software such as Jellyfin. I also mostly game on an Xbox and Nintendo Switch, but have used the desktop in the past for gaming such as with an Oculus Rift Headset and some Steam games so not huge on getting games working on the computer. But, I do sometimes torrent using the computer so don't want to lose that capability (especially with upkeep for the media server).

With all of that said, I didn't know how to get started with choosing what Linux OS to use, setting it up, backing up my files to make sure I can use them with the new OS, etc. Making the switch seems to have great options for customization and "choosing a distro that works for you", but I don't know what would work for me or what will be user friendly for a beginner.

Any tips or pointing me in the right direction would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!

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191 comments

There are a lot of "linux for beginners" blogs/videos/whatever. They're a good way to get an overview and learn the first steps. Don't get into a rabbit hole, though. Watch a couple and start trying it out.
You can try out Linux distros in a virtual machine (VM). You'll have to use your web-searching-skills to find a program that can run a VM as i can't recommend one that runs on Windows.
That program runs the operating system on top of the one you have now, so you don't need to reinstall over and over again while you find a distribution that works for you.
A distribution is what we call "a linux". "Linux" is just a part of the OS, and a distribution combines it with other software to make something your computer can boot. If this is a bit confusing, don't worry, it's not important, you just have to remember the word "distribution" (or distro)
I use a distro called Fedora, but between that and Ubuntu and Linux Mint you should find one that works for you. Don't overthink it. They all do the same job in slightly different ways, so just pick one and start using it for the stuff you usually use your computer for. Ubuntu is the easiest to search for help for, and Linux Mint is based on Ubuntu, so 99.9% of solutions will be the same for Mint. Distros not based on Ubuntu works with the same instructions 90% of the time, but that might be too annoying when you are justvgetting your feet wet.
Note that a lot of distros have multiple "editions", "spins" or whatever they decided to call it. They mostly differ in the way your "desktop" is presented. Just look at some Youtube videos and some screenshot and try them out.
Now go use your computer with Linux. A lot of the initial friction is from having to learn stuff over again. Search the web for solutions and if you don't find them ask for help.
Your distrobution's forums are usually a good place to start, so is places like this. Try to give information you think might be relevant when asking for help and and help people help you by following their instructions and providing the information they ask for. Finding solutions to problems is like a seperate skill you need to train, so if it's confusing or you feel dumb for not understanding something, don't get discouraged, you're just getting better.
Welcome to the Linix community, we hope you like it.
- Thank you! I'll look into them. Why did you decide to choose Fedora over the others you mentioned?
  
  I'm not them, but I'll give my reasons. Compared to Ubuntu or Linux Mint, Fedora is more up-to-date, I like the default desktop more, and it uses a method of installing applications called "Flatpak," which I like more than Ubuntu's "Snap." (Snap can be removed on Ubuntu, but Fedora's default setup is closer to what I want.) Compared to other distros, it is more polished and consistent, largely due to it being backed by a large company. Fedora is really good for both power users and beginners, but being up-to-date can sometimes lead to bugs or incompatibilities, and the default desktop (GNOME) can be hard to adjust to. As a result, I would recommend Linux Mint as a good option for you.
  
  Thank you for the response!
  
  By circumstance.
  It was hard for me initially to switch over because i kept either creating or running into problems i couldn't figure out how to solve.
  This overlapped with the Snowden leaks and i got really interested in privacy and security which lead to me running Qubes OS[1] for a short while. It was a slow and almost painful experience since i didn't actually have anything worth that effort to protect - but it got me over the edge and i wiped Qubes and reinstalled Fedora 23.
  At the time i just liked the package manager better, for reasons that are no longer relevant.
  Today i like it because it forces me into good habits of: figuring out what exactly is misbehaving > finding the official documentation or issue tracker for it > finding a solution or reporting the it to the developers.
  Don't tire yourself out with that in the beginning. Just do stuff you need or stuff that seems fun.
  Protip: Learn how to use Toolbx or Distrobox to create a "sandbox", (that's both the technical term and a very descriptive one) that will make it easier to get back to a working state if you mess something up. Learn about and understand what it can't get back to a working state. This will help keep you sane if you like to tinker.
  1 A Linux-like operating system that only runs VMs and everything you do happens inside one of these. This way you can isolate you virtual "work computer" from your virtual "personal computer", making it harder for malicious programs to access the rest if your data.

191 comments