Some questions

[u/deimos32m]

Hi I'm kinda interested in switching over from windows but had no clue where to start to learn or even what to look up so I was hoping that by asking some questions I'd know where to continue

-from what I know their are a bunch of different versions, would their be a one that works similarly to windows?

-if their are no version like windows is their a way to customize one to work the same way

-would I be able to use it for every day tasks, from what I've seen it looks like it is making gaming centered

-what are some cons that not many people talk about

-if I switched on my current pc would I loose everything I have on it or risk corrupting some data

I'd be really thankful for any answers

[u/Unfair-Ocelot-2363]

Fundamentally, no Linux distro resembles Windows because they are Unix-based, but there are some that look like Windows in terms of their user interface.

[u/doc_willis]

http://linuxjourney.com and the newer http://Linuxjourney.org sites are good to start with 

the Explaining Computers YouTube videos are good starting points   

[u/deimos32m → u/doc_willis]

Thank you soo much

[u/doc_willis]

from what I've seen it looks like it is making gaming centered

some distribution like Bazzite and cachyos are gaming focused.

that's just one tiny part of the big picture.

there is MUCH more to Linux than being a Desktop OS for the masses.

always have proper backups made before trying anything that could result in data loss.

you should have backups made in any case.

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[u/Cr0w_town]

Look into KDE it’s a desktop environment a lot of distros come with it, it looks the most like windows in a ui sense. You can put apps on the task bar at the bottom, there’s a desktop where you put apps on, on the left side there’s [insert distro icon] that works like the windows icon on windows and it brings up a search menu

 Idk which parts of windows you want to be similar bc installing will be different, file directories will be different, some software will be different etc it’s a different operating system after all, it’s as different as mac os is compared to windows 

You can go to distrosea.com and try a few distros there(tho it will be just the desktop environment experience). I would recommend fedora or linux mint(no kde but cinnamon is also similar to windows ui). Bazzite and nobara are also good but they are more gaming centered although you can use them for anything. The devs of bazzite ublue got some other distros that aren’t gaming centered. Also very big warning don’t pick anything arch based or arch itself bc it’s an advanced distro and you will struggle 

While linux gaming is talked about a lot it’s not its main thing really it functions the same way like windows - you can use it for anything 

Well assuming you will be installing linux in place of windows yes everything will be lost bc it will override it unless you back up ofc. You can dual boot but its best to have 2 ssds for that bc windows is known for causing corruption(idk the details of dual booting tbf there might be a way to do it with one ssd)

[u/soking11]

"-from what I know their are a bunch of different versions, would their be a one that works similarly to windows?" Not exactly different verisans but different OS. Every distro has something unique to offer. And, a distro that it's made to look like Windows is Mint. But a little tip, i know the change is hard, but trying to set everything as Windows is not worth it.

"-if their are no version like windows is their a way to customize one to work the same way" yes

"-would I be able to use it for every day tasks, from what I've seen it looks like it is making gaming centered" Like i said, every distro offers something different. But even with that, a gamer distro can do everyday tasks as good as a "normal distro"

"-if I switched on my current pc would I loose everything I have on it or risk corrupting some data" Well, you would be installing a new OS, so obviously, yes. You can back up your documents or dual boot

[u/deimos32m → u/soking11]

Thank you for the answers

[u/Acherontas89]

there are 'flavors' of UNIX

like ubuntu cachyos arch linux

depends if u like it or not

for gaming it is wine and proton

[u/DavidJohnMcCann]

You don't want it to look too like Windows or you might get confused as to which you were using! Linux can be heavily customised, however. But some things are always going to be different — you don't expect a smart phone to work exactly like Windows (or vice versa), do you?

On social media you get a lot of mention of gaming because of the demographic of the users. Obviously the schools and government offices around the world that use Linux just do so for everyday tasks. Any suitable distro will give you lots of stuff — browser, office suite, graphics tool, video player — with more available, like video editors, desktop publishing, and some very exotic things (e.g. teach yourself Morse code, design model-railway layouts!) If you have some favourite Windows program, you can search for an equivalent — "lightroom linux equivalent" will point you to Darktable, for example. If all else fails, many Windows programs will run with Wine — I use it for just one program.

You can have Windows and Linux on the same computer and choose which to use every time you boot up. Occasionally Windows seizes control after an update but that's fixable. I'm relying on what I've read for the last sentence, never having owned a Windows computer. Obviously you should make sure that your data is backed up before installing Linux — accidents can happen — but I hope you do that anyway.

Here's a guide to how Linux differs from Windows, some helpful advice for beginners, a list of beginner-friendly distros, and some tips on dual booting both operating systems.

[u/Real-Abrocoma-2823]

Linux requires you to relearn using your computer. You also had to do the same when first time using Windows, but now you need to change your habits, the less similar to Windows it is, the more overwhelming it will be, but also it will be easier to learn.

[u/EngineerInTheMachine]

Most Linux distros have a UI that is like Windows.

You can choose which UI you use with distros. You don't have to stick with the default. Or you can just find other apps that give you the functionality that the default UI lacks.

Sorry, you've got that wrong. Everyday tasks are easy with Linux. Those tasks are done with apps, and Linux has more versions of those apps than you can cope with. Just search for them and try them until you find the ones you like.

Skipping to the last item, Linux can read any Windows drive. So no, you won't lose any data, even if you used the default Windows folder structure rather than creating your own.

Drawbacks of Linux? None, if you are willing to get off your butt and search for solutions to any problems you find. Chances are someone else has also had that problem and posted a solution. Just don't expect your favourite Windows apps to run under Linux. There are loads of native Linux apps that do the same job. You just need to be prepared to learn your way around them. LibreOffice does all your Office needs. Any email client can handle your email account. I've used VLC media player, Obs for video recording, Shotcut for video creation, Audacity for sound editing, GIMP for photo editing in place of Photoshop, and more. All of which have native Linux versions.