Any distro I should use?

  • KISSmyOS@lemmy.world
    62·
    11 months ago

    Use Linux Mint until you know enough to decide for yourself which other distro fits your use case better.

    • Penta@lemmy.world
      17·
      11 months ago

      Mint is my favourite beginner distro, can’t really go wrong with it. What’s your main use for your PC (gaming, office, development etc.)? There are some distros that are more well suited for certain tasks.

      • PlexSheep@feddit.de
        8·
        11 months ago

        I’m currently daily driving LMDE after some time. For OP it probably won’t matter so choosing main line mint might be better.

        Linux Mint all the way.

    • average lemmy user@lemm.eeOP
      5·
      11 months ago

      fun fact: my first experience of Linux was actually in Ubuntu (in a emulator ofc), and yes Im thinking of using mint

      • Possibly linux@lemmy.zipEnglish
        2·
        11 months ago

        Almost all of those support forms are from way back when Ubuntu was user friendly and community driven. However they are no longer serving the community and shouldn’t be considered user friendly like it was previously.

        Anyway almost all of the Ubuntu specific stuff will work on Linux mint as its Ubuntu based.

  • qaz@lemmy.world
    18·
    11 months ago

    I recommend first switching Windows-only software to crossplatform software so you won’t have to get used to another operating system and different software at the same time.

  • SavvyWolf@pawb.socialEnglish
    17·
    11 months ago

    Mint is my recommendation, having using it myself for many years now.

    If you have a Nvidia GPU, a case could be made for POP! due to the built in drivers, but installing Nvidia drivers is rather painless in Mint.

  • GustavoM@lemmy.worldEnglish
    161·
    11 months ago

    Then do it? It’s a free operating system – just download whatever distro pleases you, give it a spin, see what happens.

      • trevor@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
        14·
        11 months ago

        From personal experience: if you’re trying to dual-boot with Windows, I recommend using completely separate drives (rather than separate partitions). Windows is very shitty about overwriting your Linux boot partitions when it updates. Having a separate drive isn’t fool-proof, but it helps.

        I haven’t needed Windows in >10 years though, so maybe it’s not as shitty about that, but I recommend caution.

        • jul@feddit.de
          1·
          11 months ago

          I’m on a single ssd dual boot setup with encryption (LUKS for Linux / Bitlocker for Windows) for over 2 years. Never had any problems.

          I used this guide back then. Hope it’ll help you op.

          • Zetta@mander.xyz
            4·
            11 months ago

            Maybe invest in an external drive you can copy important files to. Dual booting is usually issue free but it’s always possible to have data loss in general. Data loss, especially data that is personally important to you is a tragedy.

              • Froyn@kbin.social
                2·
                11 months ago

                Back in the late 1900s, you could open a laptop and remove a hard drive with only a #2 phillips screw driver. So I think they mean that. Physically remove your Windows drive, install a fresh drive, install/play/learn Linux. With your Windows drive disconnected, you can do ANYTHING in Linux without fear of losing any data on that other drive.

                Frustrated and just “need to work”? Reverse the process back to the Windows drive.

                Feeling a little more confident and want to access your files on the Windows drive? Get a SATA-USB adapter. No need to go all enclosure just yet as that just adds steps when you need the Windows setup.

                Comfortable in Linux? Copy your important data over to the Linux system, format the original drive, NOW put it in an enclosure for a handy backup drive.

                Feeling confident in your newfound prowess? Connect that external drive to a Raspberry Pi and turn the Pi into a basic NAS, maybe drop a little VPN on it, and now you can access that device/drive from anywhere. At the very least, you now have a place to backup important data in case the laptop falls into a volcano. Hell, now you’ve got a reason to subscribe to SelfHosted & HomeLab.

                Reference: 1998-2001 I ran a “dual boot” using removable hard drive bays on a full tower system. As noted above, Windows can sometimes mess up what makes your dual boot possible.

                Currently running Mint on an older HP Envy AMD laptop to get back into the Linux swing. Win10 is my daily driver on the desktop from that need of things to work. When you’re fixing other people’s/company’s computers all day, the last thing you want to do is work on your own computer. That and a lack of real gaming support/documentation forever ago is what pushed me back to Windows. The old argument of “Linux is free” wasn’t too heavy a talking point when MS kept giving me free licenses to stick with what I was more comfortable with. Win11 reminds me of Win8, reminds me of WinME, and the cycle of MS dysfunction continues. I want off the ride.

                With Gaming as viable as it is on Linux, plus much nicer tools for VMs (AND Docker exists now), I’ve got about year to convert my daily driver desktop (2025 end of Win10).

                Oh and I did try to put Arch on that laptop. It was overwritten by Mint as soon as it booted up without a GUI. Now, might of been my fault for using a “base image” or something, but again I need it to just work without spending what limited time I have trying to make it work. But hey, at least folks aren’t trying to get you to install Slackware from 3.5" floppies.

  • rufus
    151·
    11 months ago

    Try it with a Live USB stick. And maybe don’t listen to the people recommending Ubuntu. It’s somewhat okay, but they regularly do annoying business decisions that affect their users. I’d rather start with Mint or something.

    There are many other websites dedicated to this question:

  • Amends1782@lemmy.ca
    152·
    11 months ago

    For the love of god and all that is holy just use mint cinnamon it’s the easies most stable with little learning curve ever. High performance great for work gaming browsing whatever lol. If you can use windows 7/10 you can use mint cinnamon

    • average lemmy user@lemm.eeOP
      2·
      11 months ago

      I’ll add that to my VM list!

      LMDE Mint cinnamon plain old mint Pop OS Ubuntu

      Planning to finally boot up my VM after procrastinating, anything else?

      • sizzling@lemmy.world
        2·
        11 months ago

        I’ve been using Mint for quite a while now on a spare machine and it’s the first linux strain that has me not giving up in frustration. I can definitely recommend.

      • lemmyvore@feddit.nlEnglish
        2·
        11 months ago

        You can also run many distros “live” from the install media without installing anything, to get a feel for them and to check that mosts things work (network, sound, movies etc.) You can make a bootable stick and choose the live option when it boots.

  • SterbenDeathGun@lemmy.ml
    10·
    11 months ago

    Why don’t you try becoming comfortable with Linux while using it in a Virtual Machine? I tried different distros too, and then I decided which one was the best for me.

    We can’t really suggest you one, if we don’t know what you are going to use it for.

    You may want to do some research, because different distros have different purposes (gaming, privacy, programming, easy to use etc etc).

    Let us know, what your use cases will be?

    • Techognito@lemmy.worldEnglish
      2·
      11 months ago

      https://distrochooser.de/ is a great tool that help to understand what the different distros can do.

      Also, you should probably know that selecting a distro is more about selecting the underlying OS and less about the UI (DE). Most distros support the top 5 Desktop Environments (DE for short). And selecting a DE can be just as important.

  • Guenther_Amanita@feddit.de
    9·
    11 months ago

    Mint is the most mentioned choice and an extremely great beginner distro with an huge community.

    ZorinOS will get a big update very soon and is also a very good choice. It was my first distro, especially because it looks very modern and pleasing.

    If you’re a tiny bit more advanced and get the basics, then you might take a look at the immutable Fedora variants like Silverblue.

    They have many advantages compared to traditional distros like the two mentioned above, but atomic Linux is a relatively new concept. I also find them easier to understand and use, and, imo, they’re even more user friendly, but not as refined.

  • conrad82@lemmy.world
    8·
    11 months ago

    I would recommend using one of the distros backed by a big company or have very long track records. They are less likely to break on updates, and have a higher chance of supporting any uncommon hardware you may have.

    • Fedora
    • Ubuntu
    • Mint
    • Pop OS

    If you have new hardware (e.g. GPU newer than 6 months) you will probably have issues. Follow the recommendations from the hardware supplier, or use something arch based. I used Manjaro a while when I got new hardware.

    Besides those tips, you should decide which desktop environment you like best. I prefer gnome, as I enjoy to spend time in apps and not on in settings. Others prefer customization. Have a look at https://youtu.be/09cYQJBgKEs?si=KX8FZeMRcMlPTzG2

  • TheGrandNagus@lemmy.world
    7·
    11 months ago

    Mint is good, unless it’s very new hardware in which case the base (so things like drivers) can be a little dated.

    Look up Ventoy. It’s a tool where you can put multiple ISOs onto one USB drive and boot into any of them. You can use that to try out a few distros. Maybe Mint, Fedora, PopOS, Ubuntu.