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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Thinking about making the big switch – recommend me a distro! (lemmy.ca)

submitted 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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Hey all, I've been thinking about making the jump from Windows to Linux as my daily-driver and I've been struggling on what distro to use.

On my laptop I've been using Fedora's KDE Spin for a bit but I can't say I really like KDE all that much. I took that Distrochooser test and 9/10 of the suggestions were all Ubuntu-based or Arch-based for some reason lol.

I would prefer a distro that "just works" but I'm not scared of having to troubleshoot or fix things. I guess I'm just looking to see what everyone else uses and what you all recommend. Thanks!

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago (1 children)

So I could recommend a distro, as you asked (which would be Ubuntu) but instead I believe what's better is making the switch... small!

In practice that means safety net and familiarity all around :

backup your data
backup your data... and not, that's not a mistake, truly do it, now. Before you try something new, and scary. In fact... don't touch your computer, get another one, a cheap one like a RPi4 or a relatively old laptop that a colleague hasn't used for years.
copy, don't move, your data to whatever distribution you picked
ideally have a dedicated hard drive in there for JUST the data, NOT the OS
play... have fun, truly. Try to use YOUR data, I mean the copy you have now that you don't even care if you lose, and try to use them with the stock software that comes with your distribution, e.g OpenOffice or Blender or Kdenlive, or whatever you are into
delete it all! Don't be afraid, you can do it, you have copies anyway
do it, again, again, keep a logbook or wiki or .doc file where you write down what you learn
rinse and repeat

this way you should find YOUR distribution in no time and you won't be afraid of messing up!

Honestly it's a fun adventure. I've been learning Linux and CLI tools decades ago and I'm still learning to this day so do not assume there is one solution you can find today and move, it's a process, a long one, but a really empowering one IMHO.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

That's the spirit 🫶.

That's really what I'm doing on my debian server where I host my docker containers.

I don't care if I brick my system while playing arround because every day at 00:00 a crontab job dumps all my database and saves all my docker volumes and docker-compose to an external HD and saves most important dotfiles and wireguard configuration.

Back Up and running in 30 min !

2 years in, still going strong and learning everyday something new, keeping everything I learn in a markdown file.

Personal CA with self-signed certificate by an intermediate CA chain
Wireguard tunnel routing all my devices traffic to protonVPN
Alot of docker stuff
Alot of networking stuff (DNS, cryptography...)
LVM, bash...
...

Wild ride, sometimes alot of frustration, but what an empowering experience !