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Linux newbies: ask your questions
Whether you're new to distro installs or aiming to delve deeper, feel free to ask any questions here - remember, no question is stupid!
I'll do my best to answer, and if I can't, someone here likely can, or at least guide you in the right direction.
Background: I've been a Linux user since 2007, starting with Ubuntu Feisty Fawn after losing my Windows XP product key. I've performed countless installs, worked in web hosting NOCs, and use multiple distros daily, including Proxmox.
If you prefer, don't hesitate to PM me directly!
I've used Windows all my life, mostly for games. I'm not a developer, coder, programmer or anything like that. But I don't get the fuss around Linux. We did a module on it in uni, and it was mildly nostalgic in that the process of installing anything felt like getting old MS-DOD games to run as a newbie - you had to know specific console commands and use an antiquated-looking window to search for what you wanted to download. It seemed like a largely less convenient version of Windows, and left me baffled as to what the big deal was. So, what is the big deal? Why would your average user want to bother installing and learning to use Linux?
Edit: And why are there so many different variants, or distros?
Edit #2: These are good answers, thank you all v. much! I think I can see why somebody would Linux now, and I hope gaming steadily becomes more compatible, because the news about Win 11 is increasingly disquieting.
So, first off, these days you pretty much don't need to use the console unless you want to. At least with modern distros. Although if you do want to, it can be a much faster and more flexible way to use your computer. A console might look antiquated but it's extremely powerful in the right hands (and very confusing in inexperienced ones!)
The overwhelming reason I use Linux is because it's considerably faster and more stable than Windows running on the same hardware. It doesn't constantly annoy me with updates that require multiple reboots, spinning my fan all the time or draining my battery. It feels snappy and responsive, not laggy and annoying. Linux doesn't slow down with time, where Windows definitely does. That I can change anything and everything about my system to suit my preferences is nice although I largely don't these days. Increased consistency between apps is nice, and that did NOT used to be a thing but in recent years every other app in windows has a different and uglier UI, and almost all my Linux applications are much more consistent. The security thing is nice too, I'm at much lower risk of viruses or malware, to the point I don't even have a virus scanner.
The philosophical importance of my software being Free is a very pleasant bonus.
The distros thing is because Linux isn't one thing. Linux is the kernel, the very core of the OS which manages everything talking to everything else. You can't run a kernel on it's own, and GNU is (one part of) the software ecosystem surrounding the kernel and turning it into an Operating System. GNU vs Linux. There are loads of other projects too, but GNU is the OG. So the distros bundle together various bits of software around the Linux kernel, choices guided by the distro maintainers personal preferences or as a community, and release the whole lot as a project with it's own identity. Which means you can get plain desktop distros, optimised gaming ones, music ones, science ones, server ones and more. You can prioritise having the latest software or the most stable software or whatever you need for your requirements. There's a lot of choice, which isn't always a good thing for newbies! It can be very confusing. But because anyone can do this, lots of people have - so there's loads of distros out there. Some of the big projects have been going for decades now. Some are just one person doing it in their spare time, some have full-time employees making good money. Many are volunteers though.
You don't need to be a "computer person" to benefit from running Linux. One of my best friends always asks me to help her install it when she gets a new computer (not that I do anything other than hand her a USB stick) because she prefers the speed, stability and privacy. Games are.... not so great though. But it can be done. Personally I run both Windows and Debian Linux, booting into Windows on the rare times I want to game or for various music apps which Linux just doesn't have.
Just to add to your comment about not needing the console, you might feel bad instructions to run a specific console command in support threads or if you are doing something more advanced. Don’t be too afraid of these; they give you these instructions because it’s easier for everyone; it’s easier for you because you can just copy and paste it and it’s easier for them because it’s less verbose than guiding you through a GUI and is less likely to change over time or have distro-specific alterations.
That being said, because the console is powerful it is wise to figure out what the commands do before you run them.
Depending on when you did the module, things have probably come a long way from what you remember. There are plenty of GUI tools these days where a novice user would rarely need to interact with the terminal.
Just off the top of my head, some points that keep me using Linux are:
Customization - I can set up pretty much any conceivable environment I want. As much or as little eye candy. Theming, workflows, you name it. Don’t want to use this package? Get rid of it. Windows has plenty of things I can’t remove.
Privacy - some distros are incredibly privacy centric i.e. tails, qubes. But even ones that do not have a focus on privacy don’t include any kind of telemetry or “phoning home” and if they do 9/10 times it’s optional and can be easily disabled.
Troubleshooting friendly - when there’s a problem, there’s almost always a log. And not like Windows Event Log where you get a cryptic 0x0000000007626 (obviously made up) error code. It’s typically a descriptive error message you can google the solution to. And many errors can be fixed yourself, as opposed to waiting a few years hoping Microsoft will patch the problem.
Sorry if my points are not the most cohesive. My children are currently crawling all over me repeating “dad dad dad” and it’s hard to focus. :)
One excellent reason to use Linux is that the noncommercial aspect frees you from the user-hostile design choices built into Windows, such as ads and tracking. Windows 11 is especially egregious unless you use a tool like O&O ShutUp10++ or a firewall to turn off most of this. Do you really want your OS changing underneath you without having a clue what's going on, and being unable to do anything about it?
Linux distros are typically free of this by default. (Ubuntu's default Amazon search injections come to mind on Ubuntu, however. External searches were removed after the backlash.)
Linux becomes more interesting the more technical skills you have. Shell commands give you ways to automate tasks that are laborious and time-consuming on Windows, with lots of community support and examples. With the advent of ChatGPT, you don't necessarily need to learn that much about shell commands in order to be productive with them: just tell the chatbot what you want! I do this for awk, sed, etc. because even though I have been a Linux user for many years, I still don't grok them.
It is, unfortunately, easier to inadvertently delete files or render your system unbootable. However, taking the time to understand what you are doing goes a long way to preventing this. Backup software is also more advanced on Linux, such as borgbackup.
For gaming, I have heard very good things about Steam+Proton, though I am still on Windows because the only game I play at the moment is Rocket League and I don't have it on Steam.
To further add onto the bit about the number of distros:
It doesn't really matter if I'm being quite honest. There are a large number, but the vast majority of them will have more in common than they have different. The biggest difference with most of them is package management, but between graphical app installers and the new Flatpak method of installing apps, it's honestly not something to worry about.
Personally, I'd take a look at Mint, Fedora, and PopOS if your curious and see if any of them speak to you.
This linux business is so much simpler than you all make it out to be.
Do you miss the peak Windows experience?
Then install this. Everything is stupid easy and exactly where you expect it to be, except there's more of it and it all works better than Windows did. Googling solutions to problems is at least as easy as it is for Windows. If you want to be trendy there are hundreds of distros you can play with, however if you just want your operating system to get the fuck out of your face so you can actually use the computer, this is the one for you.
If you want to know how to make any given game work perfectly on linux, start with that game's protondb entry. All of your native windows executable PC games will run just fine, and you've got more emulators than you can count at your fingertips. Plus, you know, the entire open source universe of software waiting as a one click install.
If you actually are still on Windows, you can get a piece of that with ninite.
Stupid question asked after only 1 minute of homework of my own: how do I run steam on kubuntu?
https://snapcraft.io/install/steam/kubuntu
Snaps, huh. Is that like....the Appstore?
Snaps are basically like an app for your phone. The whole thing comes on down as a package and the distro does not matter that much. Commercial software loves this because it lets them download binaries onto your otherwise pristine open-source machine. The reason users like a flatpack is because that shit is sandboxed and not trusted by the OS, so it keeps a nice collar on the software just like android does. This is something that only open-source purists tend to care about.
I use the flatpack for steam and have never had any issues. I also trust steam enough to install it directly, I'm simply lazy and past the age where I like to fuck around with a computer for fun. I do install the native Spotify, though, so I can hack it up with SpotX and Spicetify. I'd say use a flatpack unless you have a reason not to use it, and usually, you won't.
The Discover application that's in your start menu is a lot like an app store, but less active and organized. Just use that to search by topic, or software name. It can install snaps, or native apps (which is most of it), and you can also add other software repositories above and beyond what Ubuntu has put in by default to get more apps and programs. You probably won't need to do that unless you're after something arcane or unusual. Ubuntu has already packed in a galaxy of software.
To all intents and purposes, yes.
Follow the instructions on that page to enable snaps, click the "install" button and you should be done.
Don't use snaps, they use a sandbox that makes them end up pretty bloated. Get steam through Flatpak or Ubuntu's native APT or even download the installer from their site.
This way you'll have less issues debugging games as well down the line, if you decide to use custom Proton versions and such. Let me know if you run into any problems, I'll be happy to help.
I'm not sure immediately throwing a new Linux user into the Flatpak / Snap turf war is a good idea. The differences between the two technologies are more often ideological than practical, and on an Ubuntu based distro, it might be easier to get support for Snaps anyway.
(I'm not saying this because I'm an avid supporter of snaps or anything, I'm firmly on the side of Flatpak and native packaging on my own install, I just think that this line of debate is counterproductive for anyone new to Linux.)
That's fair and I initially thought of emphasizing that "just use whatever is easiest" when dipping your toes into Linux. Was in a bit of a hurry when I wrote it though.
/u/chocobean fyi ☝️It's not that big a difference that you should overcomplicate things just yet. Use the Snap install if that's the most straightforward, then familiarize yourself with the stuff I mentioned when you're all settled.
Edit: FWIW it wasn't an ideological comment, but based on my experience getting certain older games to run (e.g. Oblivion + MO2). Using Steam runtime was the least finicky for me, but I threw in Flatpak as well since that tends to be the suggested method.
I would honestly recommend users who are new to Linux to familiarize themselves with their Distro's graphical package manager before looking into Snaps and Flatpaks; not only is managing them easier but it's one of the most trustworthy sources. Distro packages are generally (but not necessarily) going to be more stable than the stuff in Flatpaks and Snaps.
Isn't Ubuntu's graphical package manager the snap store? I haven't used it in years so I might be misremembering
It’s integrated so you will see snaps mixed in with the apt packages. And honestly that is a part of why I’m not recommending Ubuntu to people anymore. There are packages that I think would be better served as native which are only available as snaps now, like Firefox.
When it's something I need to update regularly, I'll try to install it with the package manager.
Like steam.
If it's something self-contained that I want to be easily removable and quick access, I'll use Flatpak or Appimage.
One thing I don't like about linux is the fact that once I install something it kinda disappears into the void and is lost in a very long list of installed packages. I feel like I have to remember everything that's installed just to be able to remove it later.
With windows you can usually just look through the Program Files folders and immediately see what's installed and usually just delete a folder to delete the entire program, but Linux splits these files all into their own folders,
bin,lib,share, etc.I've used linux for a while so I'm not a total noob, but I still have to look up guides every time something breaks.
Any advice?
Generally speaking, it doesn't actually matter.
Most installed programs will do nothing except take up storage space unless you use them. I find that most Linux applications tend to be fairly lightweight anyways.
If you must, then you do have a couple options. Flatpak or AppImage applications should be fairly straightforward based on your usage, but if you put them in weird places you could always run a file search for files with the associated file extention (i.e.
find ~/ -name=*.appimage). The package manager stuff is harder because every package manager is different. You can of course get that big list of installed packages (apt list --installedon debian systems), but sometimes graphical frontends can be a bit more useful to see what's installed. A perhaps more useful thing to look through is the package manager's logs, which typically track which installations separately from upgrades and have the benefit of showing when the packages were installed. There's also the "dumb" solution which is simply looking at the list of programs in your desktop environment's launcher.Thank you for the note!
When you said ". Get steam through Flatpak or Ubuntu's native APT or even download the installer from their site", which site do you mean?
Steam's official website
Use the installer from their site, it's the best way to use Steam IMO. If you use Debian/Ubuntu/Mint/Fedora/OpenSUSE they've got you covered.
Some distros may have it in their official repos too
Not new to Linux but something I noticed this morning after upgrading to NixOS 23.05 yesterday: my kernel was updated to Linux 6 (from 5.something...). What new and exciting things are available in Linux 6?
This is a good list of things that were introduced in 6.1: https://kernelnewbies.org/Linux_6.1
Nothing groundbreaking for my own needs. Though I am happy to see Rust support and BTRFS improvements. I'm in the process of learning Rust(coming from Python/C#) and it looks like some in the Linux community are committed to adding more support for Rust.
I hope that BTRFS continues to improve enough to be more useful in enterprise environments. OpenSUSE already has good integration and it is the default filesystem. The ability to roll back changes quickly and safely is a huge boon to getting your systems back and working. I think that's good for enterprise AND your daily casual user.
IMO BTRFS is already good in some specific use cases for enterprise, particularily backups. The IO hit is rough enough I wouldn't want regular transactions on it, but for long term backups the snapshotting and dedupe functions are fantastic.
All those 'malwareproof backup' solutions can be done with BTRFS and snapshots.
Interestingly, I haven't seen BTRFS used in Production systems at all yet. Every Linux system I've seen in my country - during work - still runs on ext4. Is it different where you are?
It was the default filesystem on openSUSE when I installed that distro recently. Which surprised me because other than that, my experience is similar to yours and every other system I interact with is on ext4 and/or xfs. Outside of SUSE I'd always heard that BTRFS isn't production ready, so I was surprised to see that not only is it supported, but the default option.
From what I remember it looked like BTRFS snapshots were integrated into the package manager to provide atomic system updates, but I haven't looked into that feature much.
On top of @DMBuce's reply (seriously its a killer feature), I'll admit I havn't seen it in live systems.
The main reason is we're on RedHat, and they're going all-in on other options. The other is that the people making purchasing decisions insist on a cloud vendor provider for backups instead of local disk-based.
If I was at the freedom to design a new backup system, the main server would have the backup disk pool as BTRFS. Each target system would have a BTRFS subvolume, exposed to the target via either SSHFS or NFS. Target systems kick off backup, writes backup. Signals completion, backup system takes a snapshot. Snapshot then gets replicated wherever needed for additional backups using
btrfs send.If a backup needs to be restored, the subvolume snapshot is mounted as readonly (again, instant as long as local) and exposed to target as another share (so their normal backup-to share is left alone).
the big difference between 5.x and 6.x is that Linus has run out of toes.
Is there anyway to improve 1440p support on 14 inch laptops? I could use fractional scaling but it makes things blurry.
If you have the option of switching to Wayland you might get improved fractional scaling on 1440p. Most laptops have integrated graphics which mostly support Wayland. Both Gnome and KDE support Wayland, give it a try!
If @SweetesRug's advice doesn't work for you, and you happen to be using GNOME, you can try changing only the font scaling factor in GNOME Tweaks. This unfortunately is a global setting, so if you use multiple displays with wildly different DPI, there's no one-size-fits-all solution.
Tried Ubuntu, Arch (via
ArchegosAntergos), the German? one with the iguana as its mascot, and some others I'm forgetting.I've always stopped using quickly after that.
I think I've been held back chiefly by gaming (driver availability, etc.), and second, by the number of distros.
Also, I never wanted to dive in the deep end where I had to compile stuff myself, but I loved using the terminal for some stuff.
In the end I settled for Windows with Chocolatey.
For someone like me, what distro would you recommend if I wanted to try again? I see a few games indicating Linux compatibility on Steam for example. Is that with a handful of distros only?
Warning: I am far from a Linux power user.
You can't really go wrong with any of the major distros. If you want UI closest to Windows, Linux Mint or any distro with KDE like Kubuntu or Manjaro would work for you in my opinion. Regarding game compatibility, if I'm not mistaken, not all distros will run all games the same. The games on Steam with a Linux native port should run best on Ubuntu or Ubuntu-based distros and you can probably get them running well with minimal effort on other popular distros as well.
I actually recently switched to PopOS (which is based on Ubuntu) from Windows 11 earlier this year on my gaming PC and it's been pretty painless. Linux native games are great and Valve's Proton system honestly felt magical when I first tried it out. You just enable it in Steam settings and all of a sudden your Windows only games can be downloaded and run on Linux. I tried it out with GTA V (not a difficult game to run by any stretch) and it ran at the same level of performance as on Windows. Other games too like BeamNG, Formula 1, No Mans Sky, etc. have all run great on my PC under Linux.
I assume you mean OpenSUSE with it's chameleon logo for the German distribution.
Fedora is such a well-polished distro. I like to suggest Linux Mint in the same vein as well, but Cinnamon can cause some issues with some games that aren't run through Steam (e.g. EA games)
It's more that I ran into fundamental obstacles that prompted me to try another distro.
E.g., Ubuntu got rid of sudo (or something like that) and I disagreed with the underlying philosophy there—if I recall, it was security-related. So I tried openSUSE, which I'd read had awesome security. But then I couldn't find drivers for my video card on their repos (or something like that), so I tried Arch because it was "bleeding edge." Etc.
I felt like I kept having to surf between different distros and that in itself got exhausting (but still very fun).
Fedora eh? That's the non-commercial side of Red Hat right? Interesting idea. It would bring it full circle too, because my interest in Linux was sparked while watching my Dad test Red Hat many, many years ago.
I've been thinking of turning a very old PC I have laying around as a server of sorts, maybe for file managing, Plex, seedbox... Basically a backup/media server. Anyways, I wanted some recommendations for distros that'd run well on an ancient Core 2 Duo for that purpose, if that's even possible that is.
Very possible!
Maybe Lubuntu?
FWIW, I have an older version of FreeBSD (7.4) running on a Pentium I right now (just the console, no graphics) and I could probably push it up to a newer version. Currently searching for the right distro to install on a 386 because why not?
I completely forgot Lubuntu was a thing, I might give it a try later on. Thanks for the rec.
Puppy Linux may also be something you like. I remember it's always suggested for "ancient" systems but I haven't personally tried it.
Linux will run plenty fast on that hardware. If you want it to really scream, make sure the drive where you install the OS is an SSD and you've got 4GB of memory in there. That will make it very responsive, and your only issues might be trying to run a fancy graphical desktop like KDE Plasma on an ancient GPU that can't handle it. I'd pick a no-frills distro with a simpler desktop environment, or maybe even one with a primary web interface so you can ditch the monitor.
Do you know of any good ones that aren't too arcane and esoteric?
You have a Core 2 Duo so luckily it's just barely compatible with 64bit operating systems. Lubuntu is your most well supported choice that will give you the least potential hassles.