Every other forum has rules about these posts because there’s such a glut of them, and yes, I could go read a stickied thread elsewhere, but here I am not doing that.

How would someone with no computer skills get acquainted with the OS? What version would you recommend to the hopeless novice? Can I keep windows on my PC and run the new OS or a practice version of it in a partitioned space while I learn? Can someone with minimal skills/time/patience be happy with a unix-like OS?

  • tempestuousknave@sh.itjust.worksOPEnglish
    2·
    1 year ago

    Zorin was actually recommended by a programmer friend who works mostly with linux systems. I don’t think it’s their distro of choice, but it was their top recommendation for my use case. I tried a bunch of recommendations in live environment, Zorin and Mint were the most accessible. Installed both (dual boots on different devices) and Zorin just worked out the box, so I took the path of least resistance. 0

    I like it; I don’t know what I’m missing from other distros, and my demands are as low as my skill. I like the UI better than windows.

    Still dual boot, and probably will be for a while on the gaming pc. I’d probably be okay formatting windows off the laptop, but I’m not in a rush. Ultimately I’d like to eliminate windows from my personal life, the office is another challenge.

    • Shit@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      2·
      1 year ago

      Honestly you are not really missing much unless you need it. If it’s working for you keep using what works!

      Pretty much the only difference is desktop environment and being able to tweek stuff like the graphics drivers, the package manager for installing programs/updates but zorin and mint are pretty much just Ubuntu at the end of the day that someone made more friendly.

      I would recommend you use the Linux alternative as much as you can rather than using wine to run exe files. In my experience steam native runs way better than running steam/games with wine.

      For office stuff it can be like pulling teeth but thankfully most of it has functional web versions.

      If you are scared of the command line start by just running stuff like firefox or chrome in it rather than the start menu. If you forget the command the tab key can usually guide you. Also “man command” will show a full manual for any command. Eventually there comes a point that it’s faster and easier than doing things with the commandline and people will think you have leet hacking skills.

      Thanks for the zorin recommendation I’m going to give it a try in a virtual machine and check it out. It looks like a perfect new person recordation.

      • tempestuousknave@sh.itjust.worksOPEnglish
        2·
        1 year ago

        Yeah, I think I’d also like the greater customization of some of the “purer” distros, but I’m in no rush. Slow progress is progress.

        Haven’t tried wine yet, but the world-buildy type games I’ve tried on linux get about 1/4 the frame-rate for similar graphical settings. The internet doesn’t seem to expect that kind of drop, so I think it’s largely resolvable, just need to get the time and mental energy to tackle it.

        No fear of the command line, maybe I’ll do irreparable damage, but I’m not super concerned about it. As far as I can tell you just type sudo apt install x, then google “linux command line task description” when that fails. Maybe I’ll work out the logic behind hyphens and underscores and whether a program is available through apt install of if I need snap, but it still feels easier than windows. I really hate looking for tiles/ figuring out which hyperlink to click, typing commands is a dream come true.

        Love the man command, but it’s a challenge for me to get and retain pertinent information when there’s so much to know.

        Thanks for the kindness and advice, much appreciated.