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!

SmallAlmond,

Linux mint is in my opinion the best distro for a new user, but you may personally not be fond of the UI.

I don’t know how to write a guide for you, but if you have more specific questions feel free to ask them, best of luck!

Audacity9961, (edited )

I like Mint a lot, and have it running on one of my computers, even though it’s not my daily driver.

However, I recently tried Zorin just to see what the fuss is about and honestly I can’t see many reasons to recommend Mint above Zorin to new users. Both are based on Ubuntu LTS and have a bunch of tools to allow purely graphical management and Zorin has several windows-like layouts (both 10 and 7) that are more polished in my view, but Zorin also has the benefit of a more modern compositor and DE base with Wayland support, being based on gnome and mutter.

I’d be interested in your perspective, as from my end the only reason now to recommend mint (until muffin gets sufficiently modernised) would be if you knew a user would prefer cinnamon’s slightly more traditional feel (almost XP), or if in the future LMDE became more of an important feature.

Interstellar_1,
@Interstellar_1@pawb.social avatar

Zorin only updates every two years, which makes it fairly outdated on many fronts.

Audacity9961,

Is that not the same as Mint? Both are based on Ubuntu LTS.

Interstellar_1,
@Interstellar_1@pawb.social avatar

No, Mint updates twice a year.

Audacity9961,

Thanks, that’s interesting. Do they only update the cinnamon parts, or is there something else more substantial that is updated?

Rustmilian,
@Rustmilian@lemmy.world avatar

LMDE is great.

WR5,

Why do you suggest it for a new user? Is it just more user friendly?

moobythegoldensock,

Distros based on Ubuntu, such as Ubuntu itself, Mint, Pop!_OS, Zorin, etc. are targeted toward new and casual users. They automate a lot of things that other distros assume their users want to do on their own.

Mint is a popular choice because it’s non-corporate and has a very Windows-like default UI. But you’d be fine on any of the ones I listed.

WR5,

Yes non-corporate is pretty important to me as the reason to move away from Windows in the first place! Thanks for the suggestions!

moobythegoldensock,

It should be noted that linux corporate is a bit different than other corporate. Ubuntu is still open source and doesn’t track you, and Canonical (their owner) knows if they piss off users too much, they’ll just switch distros.

But they do sometimes make top-level decisions that annoy the community (a lot of people hate their proprietary snap packages,) and have a different feel from community-based distros.

WR5,

Thank you for the suggestion!

bikesarethefuture,

I did the same and moved to kubuntu. You can play Xbox game on the cloud really good on Linux. And you have heroic games launcher for the main non steam launchers. I game and work in Linux and couldn’t be happier honestly, ask me anything you want

WR5,

Okay that’s good to know. What made you choose kubuntu specifically?

bikesarethefuture,

Kubuntu is like an enhanced windows. You can make it with exactly in the same way, and even add loads of customisation. I have scripts that set up my work environment, or game environment in terms of screens. Ubuntu is really nice too, but I found kde Ubuntu was easier to tweak

Decker108,

Not OP, but I’ve been running Kubuntu since 2017 since it’s desktop environment looks and works very similar to Windows 7 (desktop with icons, taskbar, launcher, search, options, etc) which is what I was used to after running Windows for two decades before. It’s also stable and sees a lot of mainstream apps being ported to it.

WR5,

Do most distributions not have those things? I imagined a taskbar/search/options to be pretty standardized and having the option for desktop with icons at least.

norapink,

GNOME is pretty much alone in offering no option for icons on the desktop. Distros like Ubuntu and PopOS use an extension to hring this functionality back and you can on any GNOME desktop yourself if you need to. Other DEs offer it by default.

LinuxSBC,

It’s complicated. Linux is extremely diverse, so there’s basically every desktop layout you can think of and many that you can’t. Some are similar to Windows by default (KDE, Cinnamon, sometimes XFCE or LXDE), others are similar to MacOS (Pantheon), and many are totally different from anything you’ve used before (GNOME, MATE, tiling window managers like Sway, Hyprland, or i3). However, almost all of them can be customized to work however you want. For example, GNOME is very unique by default (look at Fedora), but it can be changed to be a bit more traditional (Ubuntu) or heavily Windows-inspired (Zorin OS) by adding a few extensions. This is all while being known as one of the least customizable desktop environments, far surpassed by something like KDE.

Euphoma,

You should dual boot windows and linux if you want to keep using the Oculus Rift because there is no chance to getting it working on linux.

In my opinion its better to first test out some distros in virtual box and use them for the tasks that you would usually use your computer for. I’d recommend trying out Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Fedora, Debian, and Pop OS. These are solid distros that work.

Once you find a distro that you like, you should start dual booting it. I got a second drive for that, before eventually copying all the files I needed over to the second drive and wiping the first drive to be my main after a year. (you can still access your windows files this way without losing any storage to linux) (steam games do not work when on windows partitions so you’ll still have to redownload games)

WR5,

Oh, why would the Rift not work? Just no compatibility? I’ve used it with some Steam games which I thought I understood to work fine in Linux.

Euphoma,

Yeah its not compatible, but also even with compatible headsets VR barely works. I have never gotten VR to work on linux myself.

WR5,

Oh that’s a shame.

RassilonianLegate,

@WR5
There's stuff like ALVR to do VR in Linux, but last I checked (admittedly around a year ago) it wasn't that great, it "worked" but I wouldn't consider it playable

I have heard they've made progress sense then though
@Euphoma

WR5,

I don’t play it a ton, but didn’t want to completely lose the possibility of playing especially when friends or young family members come to visit.

RamSwamson,

So far my main struggle with any flavor of Linux has been battery drain and ram usage. I haven’t been able to get laptops to suspend properly, they only turn the screen off.

WR5,

I’m hoping to keep it on desktop (not allowed to edit my work laptop), so hopefully that won’t be an issue but will keep it in mind for power usage. Thank you!

Dave,
@Dave@lemmy.nz avatar

That’s an interesting problem. I’m no expert so can’t help you, but I’m just replying to say it does work for me.

It may be laptop specific. I have a Framework laptop, and they provide official guides for Linux including setting up for minimal battery drain, so I’m very lucky that way.

simple,

The recommendations here aren’t bad but I would highly recommend ZorinOS. It’s familiar to Windows and does a lot to be beginner friendly.

WR5,

Okay great I’ll add it to the list to research! Thank you.

GustavoM,
@GustavoM@lemmy.world avatar

Here’s a tl;dr of my Linux learning curve – from 0 (Windows pleb) to hero:

Start with a “user-friendly” distro (Linux Mint, ZorinOS) and get used to its package manager (i.e How to install, uninstall and remove stuff. Also, your best friend.).

Then go for a more “serious” distro like Debian. And from Debian… Arch. Keep at it until you’ve got the most interesting commands (and “whom is whom” regarding video graphics, audio, etc… the “basic” stuff) written on your forehead.

After that, “duckduckgo” about “Minimal linux installation” or “Baremetal linux installation”. Follow the instructions closely and at heart. PS: You are gonna suffer a bit… but that is perfectly fine. Once again, you are gonna have to get used to it and to witness “your own distro” booting up for the first time. Yes, the nerdgasm feels quite great.

At this point, there is nothing “much” to learn other than to add more “depth” to the stuff you learned by “duckduckgo” about “Linux how do I improve my network”, “Linux how to improve performance”, etc until you are used to all that.

Now, you’ve reached the “average user” status and there is nothing “strictly necessary” to learn – so start your own github, send your .dotfiles/scripts in, and go take a break. Congrats, you are now a penguin.

ZeroHora,
@ZeroHora@lemmy.ml avatar

“duckduckgo” is a horrible verb holy moly. We have to give that credit to google, “google it” sounds way way better than “duckduckgo it” “bing it”, “yandex it” etc

GustavoM,
@GustavoM@lemmy.world avatar

Now that you mention it…yep. That was horrible.

idk, how about “duck it”? Or “dduck it”.

ZeroHora,
@ZeroHora@lemmy.ml avatar

Or just “dd it”

GustavoM,
@GustavoM@lemmy.world avatar

Yep, dd is way better.

WR5,

I’m not wanting to dive into programming specifically (only dipped my toes in the past for school/work as needed but certainly not experienced) so I’m not interested in maintaining scripts and a GitHub if that is necessary for Arch or what you mentioned as “serious” distros. That’s good information though, thank you!

Retiring,
@Retiring@lemmy.ml avatar

I think the above comment was a but of a joke but it’s not wrong. You will eventually develop the urge to customize your experience heavily and some scripts and dotfiles (these are just files that hold your configurations for various programs) will be necessary for that. But don’t worry about that right now. Just start small with the suggestion here like Mint or Ubuntu and enjoy. You will get frustrated, you will learn a bunch and you will have a fun time (eventually)

WR5,

Okay thank you for clarifying!

CapillaryUpgrade,
@CapillaryUpgrade@lemmy.sdf.org avatar

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.

WR5,

Thank you! I’ll look into them. Why did you decide to choose Fedora over the others you mentioned?

CapillaryUpgrade,
@CapillaryUpgrade@lemmy.sdf.org avatar

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.

LinuxSBC,

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.

WR5,

Thank you for the response!

carlytm,

The biggest advice I can give is to start with something like, as has been mentioned, Linux Mint, but also, don’t buy into the idea that you eventually need to move to a more “advanced” distro. If Mint, or wherever you wind up, works for you, and you have no compelling reason to switch, then don’t. All Linux is Linux, so to speak, the only things that distinguish distros are packages/package managers, default settings/configurations, and pre-installed programs. There’s nothing preventing you from eventually becoming a power-user on a “noob-friendly” distro, if that’s something you desire in the first place.

WR5,

Okay that’s good to know! Stick with one to get more comfortable until it doesn’t do something I need, basically?

carlytm,

Yep, pretty much. If your system works, no need to change it.

moobythegoldensock,

Choosing a distro is sort of like driving a car. If you’re not a car person, you probably don’t particularly care what your vehicle’s 0-60 is, or how much torque your engine gets, or something else. You probably just want something that’s comfortable and looks nice.

As you learn about linux, you may become very interested in it, to the degree that you care about things like init systems and package management. In that case, there will be distros that suit your tastes. But if you don’t care, it’s perfectly ok to just something that feels comfortable and looks nice.

The people who are passionate about linux will have the loudest voices, and will make their favorite distro sound really good, because they are passionate. You don’t have to be that passionate, though. And if at some point you do become that passionate, you will likely be motivated to learn all the fine details on your own so you can make an informed decision that suits your own tastes, so you really won’t have to worry about matching someone else’s.

It’s good that people get excited about linux, but under the hood the distros are more alike than they are different. Don’t feel you need to have some specific distro experience to be part of the discussion: just use what you like, and if at some point you become dissatisfied, then consider changing.

WR5,

That’s a great response! Thank you, that helps a lot.

Shdwdrgn,

I think my biggest tip is to manage your expectations. What you are attempting is not the same as simply moving to a new version of Windows – literally everything will be different. You’ve spent a lifetime learning how to perform all these tasks until they became second-nature, but now you plan to move to a whole new system. Thing will be in different places, the way you tweak settings or access content will be different, and it’s going to be very frustrating because hey, this task should be easy. Don’t expect to cram all those years of experience into re-learning a new system in a few weeks.

The good news is that there’s a huge support community, and just about anything you want to do has already been asked and can be found through a quick search. Stick with it, and you’ll discover that linux actually gives you quite a lot more control over what you can do with your hardware (not to mention nearly all the software is free). It won’t be long before you’re asking how you ever survived without many of these tools.

WR5,

Yeah that’s what has made me apprehensive to be honest. I feel pretty comfortable in windows doing many things, and my wife has a MacBook that I’m also pretty comfortable using so learning a new, third OS does seem obtuse. I like the idea of having more control over the software, but don’t want to lose the “it just works” feeling of an OS or software I am used to using.

Shdwdrgn,

It doesn’t really take long to get the basic stuff figured out though, but there is definitely that initial feeling of being lost. As others have suggested, start out running something in a VM on your Windows desktop, then you can quickly go back and forth to practice doing things in linux as you have time (plus it’s a huge benefit to have a working browser in Windows so you can do a search if something breaks).

Linux has a number of different desktop environments to choose from, and what’s cool is you can load up multiple types and select one at the login screen. If you want to start with something that is reasonably comfortable, try loading the ‘Mate’ desktop. Maybe I’m just used to old-school Windows (Win2K was the last one I used), but I’ve always thought Mate did a good job of putting all everything in logical places. As for the OS itself, there’s also been a lot of suggestions so I’ll throw mine in as well… I’m a die-hard Debian fan, both on my desktop and on my servers. It does NOT push bleeding-edge releases on you, so this means you won’t have the very latest updates but to me it’s more important to have a rock-solid system that I can always rely on. I’ve been using it for about 15 years now and it has never failed me.

WR5,

Do others auto-update or are users prompted as updates become available?

Shdwdrgn,

On the desktop you will likely be notified when updates are available. On my servers I do automatic security updates, but leave the rest for manual updates so I can do one machine at a time and know right away if an update breaks something.

kyub,

That mindset unfortunately leads you to being locked into vendor-specific ecosystems with no control about the software you're using. The big vendors (MS, Apple) know this and have already started extracting more value (in form of data) from their users. Next step will be to put more stuff into their clouds and sell you a subscription. You'll be renting software with included spyware then. With zero control yourself. Linux and FOSS gives you control back. It's also quite easy to use in 2023.

WR5,

That’s why I’m wanting to make the switch now! I’m really disliking how constrained I’ve felt with what applications and especially subscription based services.

WR5,

Okay thank you! Could you give some examples about tasks that “should be easy” but aren’t? I’ve worked with MacOS casually and I thought it was based on Unix (maybe?), so I was at least aware that the way to maneuver through the desktop/settings/file searches are different from Windows of course. I am certainly not a power user, just getting frustrated with companies overstepping more and more and want to cut myself from their whims, if that makes sense.

Shdwdrgn,

In the beginning it seemed like everything was a task – how do I install new software, how do I set up the right display or printer driver, how do I upgrade the whole OS? Then it quickly got down to making things look and act in a way that made more sense to me, or even adding and moving things around on the start menu. Back when I started, setting up dual monitors required manually building an X11 startup file and upgrading the OS usually meant compiling a new display driver, but that was around 2005 so of course things are MUCH better now.

Eventually you’ll get down to the point of simply finding compatible software to reproduce something you did in Windows, which usually isn’t difficult. A lot of this is going to depend on exactly how you use your computer and what you expect from it. I was already using Firefox and Thunderbird when I made the switch so that covered like half the things I needed at the time. Microsoft Office is (thankfully) gone although some parts of Libre Office still feel a bit rough. There’s pretty much no remaining support for Adobe pdf files, so if your employer makes use of advanced features for filling out forms then you may run into trouble (of course standard PDFs are very well supported). You will find things along the way where some business has made a point of locking people in to their product and there’s not much you can do except point out to your employer that they’re buying licenses for something that is free and more widely supported in open source products, but mostly you’ll just find your own solutions to work around these issues.

WR5,

I’ll be stuck with Windows on my work laptop, that’s not something that I will be able to change anyway. I can point out as things come up, but with industry accepted software (like SolidWorks for example) that we use daily I can’t see us switching to any alternative.

Shdwdrgn,

Somebody at my company got a hard-on for Microsoft products several years ago and I’d like to beat them senseless with all the problems it has caused. They started by moving all email to Microsoft “because we’ll save a ton of money not having to pay techs to manage the servers.” Within the month our mailboxes were full of spam and they’ve had to open up multiple new tech teams to deal with the constant fallout from phishing scams. And they just keep doubling down and ignoring things like the recent news of Microsoft ignoring a full remote-access vulnerability for more than a year and then mis-representing it when they did finally decide to patch it.

Marxine,

My main tips are: get the live ISOs of a few of the most used Linux distributions, I’d recommend in particular: Debian (my current one), Mint, Fedora and OpenSUSE.

For Debian and Fedora, get both the KDE and GNOME editions. OpenSUSE is mainly only KDE, and Mint uses Cinnamon. Those are the “desktop types”.

Try each live system on a virtual machine and see which one you like best. Your main choice tbh is the desktop environment you like the best (mine is KDE, also called Plasma), each distribution has it’s own way of doing a few things as well.

Then pick the one you enjoy the most. All of those are long-lived, stable and well-supported and documented.

Source: me, I’ve used Linux since 2003 and introduced all my family it and they have been using it for years with no issue.

Jayb151,

I agree with this 100%. I’ve actually found that one distro can work out the box with my hardware, and another distro is impossible to use. I think it’s important to try out a few and see what appeals to you. Example, elementary os is pretty nice, but it almost seems vacant because it tries to mimic Mac. Zorin os is also really nice, but there’s something about it that just feels off. I recently installed endeavor os on a tablet PC, and everything is working out the box. I can’t believe how easy it was, and I’ve been using Linux on and off since 2004.

vd1n,

What are the main differences between fedora and Debian?

Fedora with gnome is usually my go to distro, but I have been playing around with endeavor and arch.

Marxine, (edited )

Technical differences:

Fedora uses RPM for package format, and is made to work with the latest versions of software, so it’s almost a rolling release, and receives VERY constant updates (but it’s still solid). The only other release model is the SilverBlue/Kinoite which is all about having an immutable base system and managing your applications through Flatpak.

Debian OTOH uses the DEB package format, and comes in 3 update models:

  • unstable (bleeding edge software, breaks may occur) with constant updates
  • testing, or Sid (with actively tested software, more akin to Fedora’s main model. Stuff rarely goes wrong)
  • stable (receives mostly security updates, focus on using battle-tested software versions. Ideal for servers and people who want their system to absolutely not go wrong. It’s my current pick)

Project differences:

Fedora is on paper “community driven” but it’s actually backed and steered on by RedHat. There’s also a current proposal about implementing telemetry (turned on by default).

Debian is entirely community-made and driven, with no big corporation being its owner and/or main sponsor, and it has a stronger focus on FOSS. It’s about as old as RedHat (both have their origins in the early 90s), so you can bet they’ll both be around basically forever.

Edit: both are great distros, mature, stable and easy to use. Fedora was previously my most beloved, but my relationship with it soured over RedHat’s leadership decisions. Don’t let my current salt take away from the review :')

vd1n,

Thanks!

Marxine,

You’re welcome, hope you enjoy your new Linux, whichever you choose ✨

WR5,

Okay great! I’ll give those each a try. Thank you!

WR5,

Okay I’ll try out a few and keep notes on which ones I prefer until I make that “final” decision.

Marxine,

Have fun, I believe one of those will fit your needs just fine ✨

WR5,

I’m sure they will! I appreciate it!

fry, (edited )

deleted_by_author

    •
    WR5,

    Okay that’s good advice. Thank you!

    super_user_do,

    He’s going to have a bad time…

    lungdart,
    @lungdart@lemmy.ca avatar

    Most people just use a browser these days, and they behave the same in every OS.

    Steam has proton to run non native games on Linux, and works well enough for most things.

    Try a few live images before making the switch.

    WR5,

    That’s true, most of what I do would be in a browser as a casual user. My work laptop would still be running Windows and doing what I “need” (Excel, SolidWorks, etc.) Although I want to keep the ability to torrent and manage my media files nicely, I’m open to using different softwares than I’m used to for those.

    jvrava9,

    I personally started on Linux Mint and after 6 months jumped to Artix. Mint is a very good base to learn and I recommend to just jump in and search everything you dont know how to do and eventually you will know enough to be comfortable using Mint.

    WR5,

    Okay great! What made you make that jump?

    jvrava9,

    deleted_by_author

    •
    WR5,

    What made you want to change to KDE? Was it an issue with Mint’s (Cinnamon?) that made you want to change?

    jvrava9,

    No, just that I customized the max out of Cinnamon and I wanted more options.

    dream_weasel,

    Did you also hate systemd or something?

    sugar_in_your_tea,
    1. Install Linux Mint, whatever flavor you like the look of
    2. Figure out how to install whatever you need
    3. Enjoy!

    Don’t worry about customization, just figure out how to get your stuff installed and go from there. Once everything is working as you want, then try customizing.

    WR5,

    Thank you! When people say “customizing” (throughout this thread and others) what are they referencing? For instance, just the desktop layout/formatting, or the way the files are structured, or the kinds of software they are using for tasks?

    sugar_in_your_tea,

    The answer to that varies by person. But when I say it, I mean doing large changes, like switching your desktop environment (e.g. GNOME -> KDE or a tiling window manager) or trying out custom kernels (e.g. using a different scheduler, like linux-ck, linux-clear, etc). So I guess a little of the first and a little of the last.

    MaxMouseOCX,

    Install Linux, get frustrated with it, reinstall windows and live with it - repeat for over a decade until you realise the last time you installed Linux you didn’t get frustrated and have been using it for the past two years.

    lotteriemeister,

    Optionally, dual-boot until you can’t remember when you last booted into Windows.

    WR5,

    Yes dual booting seems to be the way to go for a while so I’ve got my toes in the water but not lost the safety net just yet!

    dream_weasel,

    The only thing I’ll caution about dual boot is it means if you get stuck you abandon Linux all the way for Windows. Sometimes it just gets easier to go back.

    When you get “settled” with your new Linux install I HIGHLY recommend you set up a Windows virtual machine (I used virtualbox but again there are… Options lol). With a VM, if you get frustrated and think “Fuck it why is this so hard?!” instead of abandoning your new Linux install you can just boot windows in a separate window and do what you gotta do. If this gets annoying you’ll figure out the Linux way instead of throwing the whole thing in the trash.

    WR5,

    Okay so maybe ease myself in with dual boot, then Linux + virtual Windows, then Linux only. That seems like a good transition.

    MaxMouseOCX,

    Keep in mind… I first installed Linux at Mandrake 7.1 (bit of digging will tell you how long ago that was) - it really did take me decades to become comfortable with it… What forced my hand was a few things, dealing with we servers remotely, writing code for them (via windows), and then android was what tipped the balance.

    If I’m using a Linux like operating system in my pocket, coding for Linux remotely then what the hell am I dojng still running windows?

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