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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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Any advice for a long-time Linux user, first-time Linux desktop user? (feddit.uk)

submitted 6 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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I'm a regular user of Linux systems but apart from a couple of test Ubuntu installs many years ago they've always been containers or VMs with no DE which I can throw away when I break them. The Steam Deck showcasing how far Wine/Proton has come combined with Windows being Windows has given me the push; I've made a Mint live USB and it's running beautifully on my desktop. I come to you, the masters, with questions before I hit install:

What do you recommend I do about disk partitions? I'm keeping a Windows install for the few things that demand it, does Windows still occasionally destroy Linux partitions? Do I need separate partitions for data and OS? Is it straightforward to add additional distros as new partitions or is that asking for trouble?
Is disk encryption straightforward? And is that likely to upset the Windows partition?
Is cloud storage sync straightforward? It's my off-site backup solution on Android and Windows (using Cryptomator with Dropbox, Google Drive, etc) but I don't think that many providers have Linux clients. Is something like rclone recommended?
Should I just use apt to install software? I know there's some kind of graphical package manager (synaptic?), does that use apt under the covers or is it separate? Is it recommended to install something like Flathub too?
Any other pearls of wisdom? How do I keep everything tidy? Any warnings about what not to do? Should I use a particular terminal emulator or Firefox fork?

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[–] [email protected] 7 points 6 months ago (1 children)

What do you recommend I do about disk partitions?

I recommend separate EFI partitions while dual booting, I haven't seem issues with my separate EFI partition setup yet.

If Mint provides Btrfs filesystem I personally recommend looking into timeshift (snapshot software that can be setup to automatically snapshot your computer).

Is disk encryption straightforward?

According to Linux Mint forum, you need to choose an option in "Advanced features" while going through installer, that seems straight forward

Is cloud storage sync straightforward?

Don't have experience with this but I can tell you: While rclone supports bi-directional sync, you need some setup for make it run periodically.

Should I just use apt to install software?

In the end you have to give trust to someone, I think it's fair to say if you already choose Mint you probably trust whatever options comes with Mint more than 3rd party options (but is it theoretically possible that backdoored program exists in Mint repository? of course yes).

[–] [email protected] 7 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Important things about dual booting:

Configure your Windows to use UTC time https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/System_time#UTC_in_Microsoft_Windows
Disable "Fast startup" in Windows (can possibly cause hardware issues if not disabled and it really doesn't improve things in computers with SSD)

[–] vikingtons 2 points 6 months ago

Very key points! Some distros will also accommodate window's default timekeeping if a win install is detected, and also need to be changed retroactively to prevent wonky behaviour with DST