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switching from windows to linux, can you give some advice? (sopuli.xyz)

submitted 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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I need some advice regarding which distro to choose. I tried installing fedora workstation on my laptop as test and it seemed quite annoying to get the user interface right.

I dont mind the technical differences, in fact i'm looking forward to them as linux is more secure and better designed.

The problem i'm having is that i want the good things from windows desktop. for example; tray icons, being able to control filesystem easily with gui, shortcuts on desktop.

Every distro i have tried or seen has been really basic regarding this out of the box with very little customization options. I prefer not having to download million extensions for every little feature that might stop working at every major update or if developer doesnt feel like continuing.

I also would like to be able to easily backup customization settings so i dont have to do everything again if i need to reinstall. I like being able to easily customize everything so having a lot of settings is good thing for me.

I read somewhere about kde plasma and screenshots seemed promising and downloaded kde fedora. Haven't installed it yet but am I on the right track for what i'm looking for? Are there other even better choices? I'd like to nail this from the start so I dont have to reinstall later. I really dont want to wade through every possible distro.

Thank you all, you have been big help

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (1 children)

Plasma is just the name of the latest KDE release, I believe. Might I suggest Kubuntu? Ubuntu is the most popular distro in general, and Kubuntu is the KDE/Plasma Version of it.

Because Ubuntu is so popular, it is easy to find support online. I had my husband try Kubuntu, and so far he's loving it. He has a bit less Linux experience than I do.

You can always change your distro again later!

[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 days ago (1 children)

kubuntu seems nice based on descriptions. I'm mostly torn between that and fedora now. I have always been a little anxious about malware and cyberattacks. But to temper my "paranoia" i'm also a bit lazy or rather want to avoid needless work. Is it easier to make kubuntu as secure as fedora than make fedora as easy to use as kubuntu? I even asked the ai about it and it said fedora might require more manual configuration. Then there is also the perspective of threat actors which would likely rather target the most popular choice. I fear that might become more relevant in the future as world is going to shit.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 days ago

if you're worried about security that much, I'd go with fedora. Or maybe go with a distro based on Ubuntu without the snaps, like Linux Mint? I'm far from an expert, but the main thing the enthusiasts around here complain about with Ubuntu is the use of snaps. I think they're less secure?

Linux Mint IS the current top distro on distrowatch. It uses "cinnamon" instead of Gnome. Cinnamon is forked from an older version of Gnome from before gnome started looking all weird and touchscreen-y.

I haven't used cinnamon, so I can't say anything about it really.

But, ultimately, if you're worried about cyber attacks and malware then ANY distro of Linux is very safe. Hackers mostly target Windows. The people who use Linux are harder to dupe! Also, because of the fragmented nature of Linux (all the different distros), it is much harder to design malware that works on all of them.