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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] 0 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Is it recommended to install something like Flathub too?

Flathub is awesome

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

Not recommended for security. Use your distros package manager

[–] [email protected] 0 points 6 months ago (3 children)

Flathub programs has some basic permissions management, which is a major upgrade.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 months ago

I think they meant the outdated dependencies that flatpaks use, which can cause issues.

Also, the flatpak sandbox is a essentially a lie, because pretty much every app you install will be granted full home directory access during the installation process (because the dev decided the app needed it) and that permission stays on unless you override it with Flatseal or via the command line.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 months ago

Qubes is a major upgrade that makes this feature not worth the cons of lacking cryptographic authenticity checks.

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

You can use firejail or other sandoxes with any application packaged in any distribution.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 6 months ago

you can, but flatpak is easier