I've been thinking of fully switching to Linux. I've been programming for a bit and I already have some knowledge of Linux somewhat. The real struggle has been what distro to use. I've heard Linux Mint is alright, but i've seen Manjaro and it looks pretty cool.
//hey human beings//
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I make music
I have one terrible art piece that I won't bother removing, so that's about it. ✌️
Henry
@orbiter408
Age 15, Male
Music
Homeschooled
Somewhere out in Oklahoma
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ive been thinking of moving to linux
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Linux Mint is a great distro for beginners. It uses the same bits like Ubuntu, but has that familiar taskbar like Windows has.
You should use its Cinnamon desktop.
Do not do Linux Mint. Do not listen to @solitonmedic lmao
I started out with Artix Linux, and it took A LOT of learning, it's definitely worth it.
i got manjaro. just for a challenge. i've been loving it!
Dew it, Pussié.
@orbitron408 manjaro is alright. Definitely a slight baby-distro from what I hear but at least it's not Ubuntu-based. Good job
If you're getting a distro based on how good it looks...linux may not be the choice for you yet, lol.
More seriously, just get Ubuntu and install the KDE plasma desktop on it. Getting Manjaro because it has KDE is like getting Windows because it has Edge.
I've been using Linux as my only OS for 11+ years now. For both ethical(libre code only, :) epic), privacy, and work reasons.
I'm gonna have to agree with Octo on that. Surface-level easier now, is gonna cause problems and gaps in your knowledge later, when you may really need it.
My general recommendations are:
Expect for your workflow to change, don't fight it, because it WILL change, and it may be painful during the beginning, but it will get smoother than your original workflow.
DON'T BE AFRAID to experiment, breaking stuff is how you learn, just backup important things, try to learn from mistakes. It's actually kinda hard to mess up super badly.
The Arch Linux wiki is your best friend, EVEN if you don't use a distro even related to Arch. Just use the wiki.
Use native, open source programs. There is PLENTLY of very high quality open source software, just gotta know their names and where to look. Only bother with Wine or whathaveyou when you MUST.
Video games are kinda the outliner, 99.99% of my Wine usage is for older(or rarely when I play a AAA game) Windows games. Steam's proton is WILDLY good, 95% of the time it's click and play. ProtonDB is your friend. And with people actually releasing native Linux games, it's just easier to use them anyway.
My distro I'd say, stick to the Arch-based types. Rolling release, access to the AUR, extremely friendly with standard "desktop use". Very good. So, Manjaro would be great, although, with Artix's easy installer, and Arch getting a... mostly easy installer, it's better to stick closer to the upstream. Manjaro DOES change some stuff, that could cause confusion. I don't have major issues with Debian-based distros(Mint/Ubuntu), although, basing a distro on what is a server focused, HIGHLY stable, slow updated distro, and then changing its focus to desktop usage, and half updating certain things... Just causes more problems than a clean, modern, more upstream distro would. Artix can be a bit trickier because it's not Systemd-based, so having at least some knowledge of bash or POSIX shell helps a LOT.
For desktop enviroments, don't know your hardware, or what you want out of it, but, if you're coming from Windows, and probably don't want a massive bloated one in general... Just use xfce. You can try out the others on your free time(try EVERYTHING, DEs REALLY don't matter, it's all personal preference, and most of the time you'll slowly want to modify stuff to fit you EXACTLY. I personally don't use a desktop enviroment, just a tiling window manager and everything else is made by hand with basic shell scripts.
Oh yeah, if you wanted to try out something, even if it's just to try out what a different DE feels like, or even a different distro, don't forget virtual machines exist, experiment and try out everything! Find your niche.
And uh, you don't really need to be a "programmer" to use it. I know someone who uses Artix exclusively and doesn't know how to write a line of code. You'll naturally pickup some basic shell here and there anyway, and you'll find it's less "programming" and more... naturalist communication with your computer.
If you have any questions, feel free to drop me a PM on NG.
@Gimmick Get Kubuntu or KDE Neon.
@RefurbishedGraywulf I was going to, but I figured that it'd be better for them to cut their teeth with the mainstream version of ubuntu, rather than get a preinstalled version. (I once wrecked my Ubuntu when attempting to install KDE, and learned quite a bit in the process of unfucking my system)
Also as @DaemonPlus said: Virtual machines are your friend. There, fuck up as much as you can before installing it on your system, because shit can get real when it's your actual data at risk.
I strongly recommend Pop!_OS for gaming. For example installing Steam is very easy on it. All you have to do is open the terminal. type in "apt install steam", and follow all instructions! It's a very smooth experience.
Definitely not trolling hehehe...
@Positron832 Are you referring to the LTT daily driver video? I believe they fixed it shortly after the video, but I'm not sure about that.
@Gimmick They did fix it shortly after the video.
LinesToThePaper
I used Ubuntu from high school up through college. Eventually switched back to mainstream Mac and Microsoft OS after for professional reasons but I also wasn't a programmer enough to really maximize the benefits out of Linux based OS. Educational experience though, good luck!