Tips you would give Linux newbies
-
PossiblyAxolotl
- Site Admin
- Posts: 21
- https://pl.pinterest.com/kuchnie_na_wymiar_warszawa/
- Joined: Mon Nov 04, 2024 3:28 am
- Contact:
Tips you would give Linux newbies
Hey everyone hi! I'm working on a little tutorial for switching to Linux since that seems topical and I want to try to do it in a format that's super quick and easy to watch, while not being too overwhelming. I was wondering, what are some comments, thoughts, or tips you would give to someone considering, in the process of, or post installing Linux? Trying to think of some things that may be important to bring up, especially small things that may not have crossed my mind since I've been using Linux for a little bit. Thanks!
-Axolotl, of the possible variety
that doesn't make sense. Who wrote that?
They/them
that doesn't make sense. Who wrote that?
They/them
Re: Tips you would give Linux newbies
I've been using Linux as a daily driver for 11 years now, so I am quite out of touch with what a newbie would be running into, since things have improved dramatically on the desktop scene in that time. I think probably the biggest concept shift for people switching from Windows that's still relevant is the package manager. Windows users are used to searching the web for download links, and that's just not really how it works on Linux. You really should download software from the package manager because it has been vetted by your distro maintainers to work on your system, patched if necessary, and is cryptographically secured so you can make sure you are downloading it from a trusted source.
-
CitricScion
- Posts: 72
- Joined: Wed Oct 16, 2024 5:37 pm
Re: Tips you would give Linux newbies
I agree with @zonk that emphasizing the package manager is helpful. You could say that instead of downloading apps from the developer's website, you get it from your computer's "app store."
Something else you could mention is that nowadays you can do almost everything you need without the command prompt if you pick the right distro. Most people just need a browser to do what they need to do, and many apps in Flathub or in a distro's repo will take care of their needs.
Along those lines, new users may have to look for alternatives for the apps they used if they're not available on Linux. Sometimes it takes a real alternative, like needing GIMP to cover for Photoshop or DaVinci Resolve instead of Final Cut Pro. However, sometimes there are web apps that can still work well! For example, if you're used to Microsoft 365, the web apps have actually gotten very close to the native experience. As someone who works with Excel regularly I can speak from experience.
You may want to give some recommended distros for people to get started with. Linux Mint and Ubuntu are common recommendations. I would also recommend Fedora, though they may need to do some tinkering under the hood if they run into a driver they need or something like that. You may want to talk about the main distros that are out there (Debian, Arch, and Fedora) and then speak to how most distros are slight tweaks to these. That way they don't feel as though all of these distros they will come across are extremely different from each other. It's like, if you want to explore a bunch of distros, have fun with it, but if it's overwhelming just remember that there are all basically the same thing.
Another thing to consider is desktop environments. Just like with distros, you could talk about some of the options out there, but maybe bring it back to just GNOME and KDE as the main options to consider. Yes they're the most popular, but they're also the best supported from a community and technical standpoint, especially when it comes to things like Wayland. I think sticking to these two will give a new person the best chance of success (with the exception of Linux Mint's use of Cinnamon.)
I guess the last thing I'll recommend is distros to choose from. I mentioned a few already, but I'll pitch the Universal Blue family of custom images - Bazzite, Bluefin, and Aurora. These are images that are designed for people who don't want to bother with the ugly side of Linux and they work to solve lots of problems on the front end. Bazzite in particular is making the rounds among tech youtubers - some who have used Linux before and some who haven't - with success. These are new projects compared to Linux Mint and Ubuntu, so that's why I want to highlight them as good options even though Linux veterans may not think to mention them. Links below if you want to look into them more!
https://bazzite.gg
https://projectbluefin.io
https://getaurora.dev/en
https://universal-blue.org
Something else you could mention is that nowadays you can do almost everything you need without the command prompt if you pick the right distro. Most people just need a browser to do what they need to do, and many apps in Flathub or in a distro's repo will take care of their needs.
Along those lines, new users may have to look for alternatives for the apps they used if they're not available on Linux. Sometimes it takes a real alternative, like needing GIMP to cover for Photoshop or DaVinci Resolve instead of Final Cut Pro. However, sometimes there are web apps that can still work well! For example, if you're used to Microsoft 365, the web apps have actually gotten very close to the native experience. As someone who works with Excel regularly I can speak from experience.
You may want to give some recommended distros for people to get started with. Linux Mint and Ubuntu are common recommendations. I would also recommend Fedora, though they may need to do some tinkering under the hood if they run into a driver they need or something like that. You may want to talk about the main distros that are out there (Debian, Arch, and Fedora) and then speak to how most distros are slight tweaks to these. That way they don't feel as though all of these distros they will come across are extremely different from each other. It's like, if you want to explore a bunch of distros, have fun with it, but if it's overwhelming just remember that there are all basically the same thing.
Another thing to consider is desktop environments. Just like with distros, you could talk about some of the options out there, but maybe bring it back to just GNOME and KDE as the main options to consider. Yes they're the most popular, but they're also the best supported from a community and technical standpoint, especially when it comes to things like Wayland. I think sticking to these two will give a new person the best chance of success (with the exception of Linux Mint's use of Cinnamon.)
I guess the last thing I'll recommend is distros to choose from. I mentioned a few already, but I'll pitch the Universal Blue family of custom images - Bazzite, Bluefin, and Aurora. These are images that are designed for people who don't want to bother with the ugly side of Linux and they work to solve lots of problems on the front end. Bazzite in particular is making the rounds among tech youtubers - some who have used Linux before and some who haven't - with success. These are new projects compared to Linux Mint and Ubuntu, so that's why I want to highlight them as good options even though Linux veterans may not think to mention them. Links below if you want to look into them more!
https://bazzite.gg
https://projectbluefin.io
https://getaurora.dev/en
https://universal-blue.org