5 ms·

I've never used linux. After a hundred frustrations with my new laptop that runs Win11, I'm now looking to install ubuntu. Windows pushed me there.

donkeybeer 3y ago
Beware of snaps. Ubuntu would have been my recommendation too until recently. Also avoid gnome, I'd advise xfce personally.
- donkeybeer 3y ago
  I'd really not like spamming this again but I should strongly emphasize, stay away from snap and gnome, you would be completely put off computing if you are escaping modern Windows and come to Ubuntu and then experience this nonsense the first thing. They are the same tarpit of user hostile software requiring you fighting your computer 24x7. Some people might disagree about gnome perhaps, but they have a long and well documented history of nastiness, removing features, rewriting everything, deliberately not solving certain bug/feature requests for several years. And since they are de facto in control of gtk now, its also bleeding there too. There are talks of killing theming in gtk 4/5 for example. And snaps are basically an all in one packaging solution, the main evil relevant to you are forced updates and officially speaking there is no way around it last I checked, at best you can set a grace period. Also they put files in weird locations so good luck trying to edit their settings, etc.
eimrine 3y ago
Debian-based distribs are very beginner-friendly and Ubuntu's forum is full of helpful users.
- hef19898 3y ago
  Ubuntu was my pick, main reasom being that it is the distro Lenovo is offering and thus guaranteed to work with my Lenovo laptop. Agree on the usefull forums and information. No idea how it compares to other distros, I never tried any. It is a breath of fresh air compared to Windows 10 so!
  - petepete 3y ago
    If you have a ThinkPad, RHEL is supported on nearly every machine Ubuntu is. https://www.lenovo.com/linux https://www.lenovo.com/linux Fedora works flawlessly in my experience.
johnsea 3y ago
Have a look at Pop!_OS too.
troad 3y ago
I was at this point a few years back, and I am so happy having made the switch. Kubuntu is my strong recommendation for any switcher's first distro, but there's a lot of great options out there.
snvzz 3y ago
Arch Linux. Great community and excellent documentation wiki that'll hold your hand every step of the way.
- artogahr 3y ago
  hold your hand... if you have a hand to begin with. Most beginner users won't be able to follow most things in the Arch wiki.
  - snvzz 3y ago
    I installed Gentoo when it was new with far less handholding. I was a child. If you're literate enough to be able to read the wiki, you can manage to install, use every day, and get good at, Arch Linux.
    - johnisgood 3y ago
      Yup, I installed Gentoo more than a decade ago, I was about 13, and my native language is not English. "Most" beginners just lack the patience and energy or motivation and cannot or do not want to follow instructions or read documentation at all. If you do not have enough dedication, just go with a beginner-friendly distribution or whatever.
- theodric 3y ago
  Install Arch, get everything working, and DO NOT install updates. I've never had another distro that would randomly render itself unbootable or break core functionality with such frequency with the simple weekly application of updates. Really distressing.
  - snvzz 3y ago
    Wow. I have used Arch as my main system for 6 years now (was Gentoo before) and never had anything of the sort. How does this even happen?
    - 3y ago
rolph 3y ago
there are a number of linux flavours to choose from. its also pretty easy to convert from one to another. e.g. [https://www.tuxedocomputers.com/en/Infos/News/Which-Linux-operating-system-is-right-for-me-.tuxedo https://www.tuxedocomputers.com/en/Infos/News/Which-Linux-op...]
Rimintil 3y ago
You'll be trading one set of known frustrations with another set of unknown frustrations. A few years ago, I ran Fedora w/ KDE Plasma. What _seemed_ to be random is the GTK fonts throughout the UI changed to a mono-spaced font regardless of what the control panel showed. It "resolved itself" within a few weeks. I don't know if it was an update that caused and subsequently resolved the issue, or something else I did. This was just one of many hair-pulling examples I ran into across KDE Plasma and Gnome on Fedora. I have different frustrations with both Windows and macOS.
- Dah00n 3y ago
  I'm not disagreeing with your point, but I don't think those frustrations are comparable with advertising in the Start menu and file browser. I also find it funny that you mention problems with fonts as this is an area where I believe both Linux and macOS are ahead of Windows.
  - Rimintil 3y ago
    > fonts as this is an area where I believe both Linux and macOS are ahead of Windows. Windows caught up quite some time ago to macOS. I don't see Linux as superior with font handling. Certainly lacks on the rendering side of things (DPI etc). > comparable with advertising in the Start menu and file browser Wouldn't know. I use Win 11 Pro so those updates don't seem to have come down to it (yet?) and use Win 10 Ent at work where those will never arrive.
    - dlivingston 3y ago
      > Windows caught up quite some time ago to macOS How so? I use Windows 10/11 at work and macOS at home, and Mac's font rendering is light-years ahead of Windows IMO. The font rendering subsystem is why macOS is the go-to choice for graphic designers IIRC.
      - Rimintil 3y ago
        > The font rendering subsystem is why macOS is the go-to choice for graphic designers IIRC. Nah, it was for the color accuracy of _classic_ Mac OS. Windows caught up in the Vista timeframe.
robswc 3y ago
I get so frustrated when I have to do _anything_ with my Microsoft account that never needed it before. Installing and running docker on windows was a nightmare lol

donkeybeer 3y ago

Beware of snaps. Ubuntu would have been my recommendation too until recently. Also avoid gnome, I'd advise xfce personally.

donkeybeer 3y ago
I'd really not like spamming this again but I should strongly emphasize, stay away from snap and gnome, you would be completely put off computing if you are escaping modern Windows and come to Ubuntu and then experience this nonsense the first thing. They are the same tarpit of user hostile software requiring you fighting your computer 24x7. Some people might disagree about gnome perhaps, but they have a long and well documented history of nastiness, removing features, rewriting everything, deliberately not solving certain bug/feature requests for several years. And since they are de facto in control of gtk now, its also bleeding there too. There are talks of killing theming in gtk 4/5 for example. And snaps are basically an all in one packaging solution, the main evil relevant to you are forced updates and officially speaking there is no way around it last I checked, at best you can set a grace period. Also they put files in weird locations so good luck trying to edit their settings, etc.

eimrine 3y ago

Debian-based distribs are very beginner-friendly and Ubuntu's forum is full of helpful users.

hef19898 3y ago
Ubuntu was my pick, main reasom being that it is the distro Lenovo is offering and thus guaranteed to work with my Lenovo laptop. Agree on the usefull forums and information. No idea how it compares to other distros, I never tried any. It is a breath of fresh air compared to Windows 10 so!
- petepete 3y ago
  If you have a ThinkPad, RHEL is supported on nearly every machine Ubuntu is. https://www.lenovo.com/linux https://www.lenovo.com/linux Fedora works flawlessly in my experience.

johnsea 3y ago

Have a look at Pop!_OS too.

troad 3y ago

I was at this point a few years back, and I am so happy having made the switch. Kubuntu is my strong recommendation for any switcher's first distro, but there's a lot of great options out there.

snvzz 3y ago

Arch Linux. Great community and excellent documentation wiki that'll hold your hand every step of the way.

artogahr 3y ago
hold your hand... if you have a hand to begin with. Most beginner users won't be able to follow most things in the Arch wiki.
- snvzz 3y ago
  I installed Gentoo when it was new with far less handholding. I was a child. If you're literate enough to be able to read the wiki, you can manage to install, use every day, and get good at, Arch Linux.
  - johnisgood 3y ago
    Yup, I installed Gentoo more than a decade ago, I was about 13, and my native language is not English. "Most" beginners just lack the patience and energy or motivation and cannot or do not want to follow instructions or read documentation at all. If you do not have enough dedication, just go with a beginner-friendly distribution or whatever.
theodric 3y ago
Install Arch, get everything working, and DO NOT install updates. I've never had another distro that would randomly render itself unbootable or break core functionality with such frequency with the simple weekly application of updates. Really distressing.
- snvzz 3y ago
  Wow. I have used Arch as my main system for 6 years now (was Gentoo before) and never had anything of the sort. How does this even happen?
  - 3y ago

rolph 3y ago

there are a number of linux flavours to choose from. its also pretty easy to convert from one to another. e.g. [https://www.tuxedocomputers.com/en/Infos/News/Which-Linux-operating-system-is-right-for-me-.tuxedo https://www.tuxedocomputers.com/en/Infos/News/Which-Linux-op...]

Rimintil 3y ago

You'll be trading one set of known frustrations with another set of unknown frustrations. A few years ago, I ran Fedora w/ KDE Plasma. What _seemed_ to be random is the GTK fonts throughout the UI changed to a mono-spaced font regardless of what the control panel showed. It "resolved itself" within a few weeks. I don't know if it was an update that caused and subsequently resolved the issue, or something else I did. This was just one of many hair-pulling examples I ran into across KDE Plasma and Gnome on Fedora. I have different frustrations with both Windows and macOS.

Dah00n 3y ago
I'm not disagreeing with your point, but I don't think those frustrations are comparable with advertising in the Start menu and file browser. I also find it funny that you mention problems with fonts as this is an area where I believe both Linux and macOS are ahead of Windows.
- Rimintil 3y ago
  > fonts as this is an area where I believe both Linux and macOS are ahead of Windows. Windows caught up quite some time ago to macOS. I don't see Linux as superior with font handling. Certainly lacks on the rendering side of things (DPI etc). > comparable with advertising in the Start menu and file browser Wouldn't know. I use Win 11 Pro so those updates don't seem to have come down to it (yet?) and use Win 10 Ent at work where those will never arrive.
  - dlivingston 3y ago
    > Windows caught up quite some time ago to macOS How so? I use Windows 10/11 at work and macOS at home, and Mac's font rendering is light-years ahead of Windows IMO. The font rendering subsystem is why macOS is the go-to choice for graphic designers IIRC.
    - Rimintil 3y ago
      > The font rendering subsystem is why macOS is the go-to choice for graphic designers IIRC. Nah, it was for the color accuracy of _classic_ Mac OS. Windows caught up in the Vista timeframe.

robswc 3y ago

I get so frustrated when I have to do _anything_ with my Microsoft account that never needed it before. Installing and running docker on windows was a nightmare lol