I've wanted to go over to Linux for a long time but I have no idea how to go about it. I hear about incompatibility problems with hardware and all the different options for different Linux OS's and that's it, I forget about it for a while to avoid the headache.
So where do I start? I don't even know how to choose hardware or what to look for. The number of options with Linux makes things a little confusing.
And although others here have answered the question before, I'm unsure what I have to do to stay 'safe' on Linux. Are there extra steps or is it just the standard, don't open dodgy links and turn off Java script in the PDF viewer kind of thing? Does Linux come with a trustworthy firewall/antivirus/malware detection? Is there a chance of Linux e.g. sending my passwords, etc, to someone or just letting someone into my harddrive? I hear that 'open source' means people can check the code but how do I know if someone has checked the code—I wouldn't know what to look for myself.
I followed the Linux subreddit but the users the can be rather… enthusiastic, which is great, but I need something far more basic to get started lol.
Is there a good step-by-step guide somewhere? Or can anyone give me some pointers/tips/advice?
I mainly browse, type, and read pdfs and other text files. No gaming, although I wouldn't be opposed to it. No need to be mobile; laptops are terrible for my back so I always use an external monitor, anyway, so I won't be using it 'on the go'.
Edit: Thanks for all the advice. I got a machine up and running from a bootable USB.
Any others who read the comments here because they're interested in trying out Linux – if you have Windows installed and want to keep it on your HDD/SSD, partition your drive within Windows. Then boot from the USB. You can partition your drive (and keep Windows) from the bootable USB but it's a bit more complicated and it makes it harder to create a swap partition and a storage partition. I had to go back and forth a few times to figure this out.
Incompatibility problems with hardware? Nvidia isn’t great but it still works. What hardware do you have?
Have you used a virtual machine?
I would recommend Ubuntu because there is the most help for it available online. Googling questions with “Ubuntu” at the end of it will yield better results than other distributions but your mileage may vary. There are plenty of other options but Ubuntu is the most straightforward, and if you don’t like it you can try something else.
If you want to install it on your hardware you should look up “How to make linux live USB”
I don’t want to be rude but I feel like you’re overthinking the whole thing. If you want to play around with it just look up “how to make a linux virtual machine” and that will show you how to make one without losing your files.
If you want to use it as your main operating system you should make a backup of all your files first. Just throwing them on an external hard drive should be sufficient in most use cases.
Let me know if you have more specific questions, I know I didn’t answer everything in your post but feel free to let me know. I’m not a Linux power user or someone who works with it for a living but someone who made the switch 10+ years ago and has gotten by as a regular user pretty well.
I might have a 2010 MacBook Pro somewhere if that turns on. Otherwise, I'd either look at buying a machine or I might be able to get my hands on an all-in-1 computer that will probably 'break' with the next Windows update.
I don't rely have old machines as I mainly use work computers. If I have anything in the proverbial attic, it would be ooold. Circa 2003. I had two machines between then and 2010 but one inexplicably fried itself and the other was stolen.
I've not used a virtual machine. The bootable USB might be more straightforward for me?
You're not being rude. I accept that I'm overthinking it. It's partly because my main strategy for staying safe online has been to distrust everything lol. And partly because I don't want to fork out for a machine that doesn't work. Tbh I'd be willing to buy something cheap-ish to use to play with before I commit to a faster machine as I could give it away to someone who needs it for school once I've done.
But my impression was that Linux only works on certain hardware and with factory-sold setups being what they are nowadays, it's not been clear how I would resolve an issue if one component didn't work. You did say that I was over thinking this!
Thanks for your advice.
Okay a 2010 MacBook does make it more complicated. That’s pre retina though so it might be okay, but on a laptop Linux gets harder.
I never received a notification for this message, I apologize. You should definitely be able to use a USB yourself, https://etcher.balena.io/ is the software to make it when you choose your operating system.
I would look into a virtual machine first to try it out. It will be shockingly boring once it’s up and running and it’ll be slower than if you installed it on your hardware. Try out https://www.virtualbox.org/
You should do what’s within your budget for buying a computer, I wouldn’t recommend anyone buy something they can’t justify. It helps to know what hardware you have instead of using an all in one setup but there are other people who have used those setups and you may be able to find help more easily. It can be a toss up.
I’ll give you a more proper response in the morning, sorry I missed this! Still learning Lemmy
No need to apologise! And this is a helpful response, thank you.