I install and set up operating systems. It’s something I do to my own computer regularly, but I’ll cheerfully do for someone else because it’s fun.
Linux is my favorite, but I can do Windows, Free/Open/Dragonfly BSD, Haiku, and given time to research others as well. I keep meaning to give NetBSD a shot…
It gives me a focused task with a specific end goal that requires some technical knowledge, but mostly preparation, research, and troubleshooting skills. The activity can sometimes lift me out of a depressive episode for a while.
Well, they all have their own strengths. I guess my favorites would be, in no particular order:
Arch - Elegant and minimalist, Arch is where you go if you want to learn how your system works. But what I love most about Arch is the wiki. About 75% of the time, I can solve any problem I run into on any distro by referencing that wiki.
Debian - easy to use and with rock-solid stability. The website is terrible though.
Fedora is the one I always come back to, though. It’s got a great balance between cutting edge and stability, it’s easy to use, I’m strangely attached to DNF, and it just sorta feels like home. The community is nice too.
I like some others; Nobara is great if you’re a gamer, KDE Neon gives you an awesome and stable KDE environment, and Linux Mint is perfect for.beginners.
Making my choice even harder. May I ask the beginner question of: Is there anywhere you have a desktop and can add files on it? I tried for a bit to play with Fedora and saw it was not possible
Honestly I promise you’re better off using a better organization system than dump it on the desktop… But I can totally solve that problem for you!
It’s a little tough to explain, but what you’re looking for is a different Desktop Environment. Fedora Workstation uses Gnome, which doesn’t do desktop icons by default. I love it, but it’s not for everyone.
Fortunately, this is Linux so you have a choice!
If you want to stick with Fedora, use the KDE or Cinnamon spin. Check the Fedora Spins page:
KDE is super customizable and modern, with lots of fun stuff you can do with the desktop, while Cinnamon is a bit less flexible but more familiar for folks coming from Windows. Either way, you can clutter up your desktop to your heart’s content 😁.
Either way, it’s still Fedora underneath.
If you really want to try something not Fedora, then you could go Linux Mint if you like the way Cinnamon looks; they invented that Desktop Environment, and make what might be the most beginner friendly Linux Distro:
I install and set up operating systems. It’s something I do to my own computer regularly, but I’ll cheerfully do for someone else because it’s fun.
Linux is my favorite, but I can do Windows, Free/Open/Dragonfly BSD, Haiku, and given time to research others as well. I keep meaning to give NetBSD a shot…
It gives me a focused task with a specific end goal that requires some technical knowledge, but mostly preparation, research, and troubleshooting skills. The activity can sometimes lift me out of a depressive episode for a while.
May I ask by curiousity our of all the linux distro the one you appreciate the most?
Well, they all have their own strengths. I guess my favorites would be, in no particular order:
I like some others; Nobara is great if you’re a gamer, KDE Neon gives you an awesome and stable KDE environment, and Linux Mint is perfect for.beginners.
Making my choice even harder. May I ask the beginner question of: Is there anywhere you have a desktop and can add files on it? I tried for a bit to play with Fedora and saw it was not possible
Honestly I promise you’re better off using a better organization system than dump it on the desktop… But I can totally solve that problem for you!
It’s a little tough to explain, but what you’re looking for is a different Desktop Environment. Fedora Workstation uses Gnome, which doesn’t do desktop icons by default. I love it, but it’s not for everyone.
Fortunately, this is Linux so you have a choice!
If you want to stick with Fedora, use the KDE or Cinnamon spin. Check the Fedora Spins page:
https://fedoraproject.org/spins/
KDE is super customizable and modern, with lots of fun stuff you can do with the desktop, while Cinnamon is a bit less flexible but more familiar for folks coming from Windows. Either way, you can clutter up your desktop to your heart’s content 😁.
Either way, it’s still Fedora underneath.
If you really want to try something not Fedora, then you could go Linux Mint if you like the way Cinnamon looks; they invented that Desktop Environment, and make what might be the most beginner friendly Linux Distro:
https://linuxmint.com/
If you’d rather KDE and want something. other than Fedora, then I can suggest KDE Neon. It’s actually handled by the KDE project itself:
https://neon.kde.org/
Hope that helps, and if you have any more questions, I’ll help if I can.
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I have! NixOS is great, I’m a big fan. I suppose if anything could replace Fedora as my favorite, Nix could.
that’s a great high level quick advice guide, thanks.