Linux

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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).

Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.

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Looking to make the switch (lemmy.ca)

submitted 7 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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Hi everyone, looking to make the switch from windows. I'm reasonably technically apt but not a programmer by any means. I've been doing some homework on which distro I would like to use and pop_os kinda feels like the right direction. I'm running an Nvidia 3060TI on a Ryzen 5600 chip set on an Asus tuf motherboard. Any other distros I should be looking at, and does somebody have a link for a comprehensive guide to installing? I'm looking to continue running windows on the side until such a time as I am comfortable enough with linux that I don't need it.

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 7 months ago

There are distros that make it easy for non-techies to install and manage Linux, and if you have any computer aptitude at all, it should be pretty easy. The devil is in the details; if all your hardware is well supported, there's no reason why you should ever have to open a shell. Trouble usually happens with peripherals like printers and some extremely protective vendor chips like Broadcom. In those cases, it's usually still possible to make things work, but it can require researching, finding, reading how-tos, downloading, compiling and installing software.

I think 99% of trouble I've ever had in the past 20 years has been with printers+scanners or Broadcom chips - they're very common. I read about people having issues with graphics cards, but that seems to be mainly Nvidia; I've only ever had Intel or Radeon, and haven't had trouble with graphics cards in the past decade or so, myself.

Anyway, my advice is to do some distro hopping before you settle on one. Boot from a USB stick for a while; it'll be a bit slower, but it'll make playing with different desktop environments and distributions easier, before you commit.