Been a long time Windows user but with each Windows version, I hate it more. So bloated and locked in. I saw that mint is a good beginner distribution but its not supported by framework. Is Ubuntu really different from Windows with a higher learning curve?
Talk me out of wasting hours to get linux working when Windows works out-of-the-box
read my username 👍
Do you use Arch btw?
Debian and Ubuntu🗿🗿🗿
What’s your thoughts on PopOS! I quite like it, its simple and easy to get going?
I think its a great choice. You get all the benifits of ubuntu plus a better customized desktop environment.
Spoiler alert. Linux works out of the box. Even more so than Windows.
I have had more issues with Linux, but I use it for everything I can. Honestly Windows is just ridiculous sometimes.
Yes, it’s very different. It’s the difference between having a kitchen full of tools to make whatever you want (but you need to learn to cook), versus going to a restaurant where things are made for you, but you can only order what the chef decided to put on the menu (and they secretly spy on everything you do, sell information about you, “reset” your table on their whim, etc.).
A lot of people have put a lot of work into making Linux much more accessible than it used to be, but that’s just a thin veneer over a much more complex machine.
Do you like taking things apart and seeing how they work? Switch to Linux.
Have you ever tried programming? Did you hate it? Stick with windows.
Do you want to spend hours twiddling with your computer, eventually getting it to do exactly what you want, the way you want it? Switch.
Do you want to just learn which button you’re supposed to press to make things run and never have to think about it again? Stick.
I’ve been using Linux for about 25 years. Love it. Highly recommended. But it’s not for everyone.
Install Windows so that you have it and then run WSL2 with Ubuntu to “test the water”.
Most beginner friendly distributions work ootb
Don’t switch to Linux if there are a lot of windows based programs that you depend on. Don’t switch to Linux if you like things modern and clean. A lot of programs for Linux feel very old school and clunky. I have a Linux computer but I’m never going to switch from Windows to it because it just can’t do everything I need.
It didn’t really take me hours to install Ubuntu.
I don’t have a framework, but my experience with Linux is that for the majority of computing tasks the average user does, it’s more or less the same but it looks a little different.
My use: Web browsing, Email, Gaming (steam), Note-taking (OneNote), Photo editing (darktable), Managing files across multiple computer (synching)
For these tasks, I generally found there was an equivalent flatpack or snap that met my needs. For editing, I’ll admit Adobe Lightroom is a much more visually polished product than darktable, but I can accomplish all the same tasks. Likewise, P3X for oneNote (or a browser window) is a bit of a cludge and less elegant, but it works. I’ve also found Linux gaming to be mostly fine, but I’m basing that on my steam deck more than ubuntu.
If i were you, I would try out a distro that seems good and dual boot windows if you have to for programs that don’t work natively or don’t have a substitute in GNU-land. Don’t be afraid to hop to a new distro if you find something you don’t like about the first one.
Does OneNote and related Microsoft Office apps behave on Linux? Also, how do you find dual boot? Would a Windows VM work better than dual boot or is it better to have dual boot?
If you do a lot of heavy lifting in Excel, VBA, PowerPoint, Visio, or anything Adobe then you’ll need a Windows partition or VM.
If you can get by on Google Workspace, Office365, or LibreOffice then you won’t need Windows.
Os choice is driven by your needs rather than any ideological mantra.
If your programs run under linux then go for it. I made good experiences with ubuntu. It simply works on my desktop. Gaming works. Most devtools work even better. Browser works too. Streaming is meh. So you can save a buck with the lower bitrate.
Whats holding people back is windows specific software that runs poorly under proton and wine. Like autodesk stuff.
If you figure out your usecases then you can evaluate it its worth switching.
If you’re the type of person who likes simple tech and you live in constant fear of your computer breaking, keep Windows. If you don’t mind tinkering with your OS to see what tricks it can do, give Linux a try.
Mint will work on your framework laptop just fine.
I use Linux every day inside a VM on windows 11 on a framework. I’d be comfortably happy with linux as main and only operating system but I find this setup works well for a sort of “best of both worlds” type scenario. If you run via hyper-v there is basically no performance loss.
I think windows 11 can be very nice too if you run a debloater (I used windows 10 debloater powershell scripts) and an app like ‘0&0 shut up’ — and yes it would be better if we didn’t have to do that - but we do, and after you do, windows 11 is pretty nice and I have my VM & WSL2 for even nicer work environments
Yes and no. Depends. What‘s you use cases? Can Linux fulfill them? Did you check that?
I’d recommend Fedora or Ubuntu instead, Gnome is amazing these days.
Get enough storage so you can dual boot. If you’re like most people there will be a piece of software that you can’t get on one os or the other and either don’t want to find an alternative or can’t.
What would you say as a minimum storage for a good dual boot? SSDs are currently on sale, trying to decide on between 1tb or 2tb is enough or would need more
I TB is definitely sufficient, you can get a lot of linuxing done on just 100GB, but the more the merrier.
For dual boot install Windows first, its easier that way. Windows install requires around 100GB (based on future needs). On Ubuntu 20GB is fine.
My recommendation:
1.) Get a 2TB Nvme. Divide the drive into 3 partitions. 100GB for Windows, 50GB for Ubuntu, rest for your personal files.
2.) Install windows first on 100GB partition
3.) Install Ubuntu using the advanced installation. Install Ubuntu to use 50GB partition (represented by / symbol), format rest of the space and make it your home partition under Ubuntu (represented by /home)
This way even if you somehow screw your Ubuntu installation your user files are safe on different partition.
If this is too complicated after installing windows just go for install Ubuntu side by side option in the installer.
If you wish I can share a solid article which you can use as a guide.
It depends what software you want to run. Windows, MacOS, and Linux are just operating systems. What you need to run is a big driver. I got my framework to practice CAD. There are some CAD packages that will run on Linux, but not many and not the most available ones in use by industry.