this post was submitted on 23 Sep 2024
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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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So i really wanted to ditch windows once and for all so i’ve tried Linux for a week trying different distros (debian, manjaro, ubuntu, opensuse, mint) and first of all why? Why are there so many distros out there? What’s the difference between debian + kde and manjaro + kde? They look the same, they work the same. I don’t get it. Also why do things have to be complicated? I’ve installed debian, installed calibre to manage my ebooks, created a library from an existing library on my hard drive (not the one with debian installed), ERROR! All the files are read-only. What???? I’ve followed multiple guides on how to change permissions and finally solved the problem. Now let’s restart my pc. files on the hard drive are read only WHAT???? Fuck debian, let’s go on manjaro. No problems at all on calibre. Managed to create the library as easy as i did on windows. My question is: where’s the fun in this? It’s just problems, after problems, after problems and i didn’t even start gaming. I mean i tried installing retroarch and importing my saves but of course nothing works. Read this guide, read that guide. Nope. Nothing works. Ok, fuck retroarch let’s customize the appearance of my desktop: move some icons on the panel, center this, adjust height, move this on the left, spent 30 minutes tweaking, very nice… kde crashes, all back to default. Let’s download some apps. I want as many apps that i already know as possible. Let’s see if jdownloader is available for linux. Yep there’s one. Nope, not for manjaro (officially). There’s a AUR package available. Nice. What do i need to do to install a AUR package? A wall of text on the wiki, 20 minutes videos, yay. Ok let’s call it a day. Do i need to live another life to make linux work?

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[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Do i need to live another life to make linux work?

No, but do bear in mind that switching to Linux will have a learning curve, and it sounds a bit like you're expecting to be able to do everything you did on windows on linux without having to change your behaviour.

My advice is to start off with all the defaults of whatever distro you are using, and only installing packaged software for it, and just getting to a point where it is comfortable.

Most problems on linux (that I've found) either come from hardware being faulty ir unsupported, or that the user doesn't understand how it works, but is trying to force it to work how they want it to. Both can be fixed with becoming more familiar with how Linux works.

This would also help you to understand why there are so many different distros (I do recommend distrowatch.com to quickly look up details about distros), as most differ in ways that require a bit of Linux knowledge to understand.

so tldr just stick with it and try and learn how it works meow :3