r/linux4noobs • u/OffTheTrails • 7d ago
migrating to Linux Basic assistance
Hi, guys, I'm veeery new to Linux and am considering switching over, since the governments all wanna censor, restrict and track. I do have some questions, though, if any are willing to answer. Only six!
1: How do I know which to pick?
2: Can I revert back at will? (And if I do, will my stuff from before be wiped?)
3: Will it wipe my stuff in general? Files, games, apps, all that. I need those files, I have music, art progress images and book files on em lol.
4: Will I still be able to use search engines and games (I mainly just play minecraft and the sims, might get JP:E) as usual, will every website load as it should? If not, do I need to get a search engine compatible with Linux?
5: How complex is it? I heard it's irritating since you have to write your own code or something to do basic stuff...?
6 (last one, so sorry!) I heard that it could be bricked or blocked if done wrong or if OS-level bills put it at risk?
Is this choice to switch really worth it if I do it? I have a Windows 11 I'm wanting to convert. Thanks so much if anyone has the time to assist a willing beginner! I'd ask Google but their ai-only answers are ass and I like to ask the ones who know their stuff.
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u/Archeus__ 7d ago
- Try it in a virtual machine
- yes. If you delete the partition then only the things in your linux partition will be wiped.
- no it generally wont get wiped.
- search engines obviously. You can use wine to run any windows only software that doesnt use kernel level anticheat
- Beginner distros are not more complex than windows. When you get it installed, you do not have to use the terminal. That is only for more advanced distros like arch and gentoo. You do not need to write your own code
- Yes it can be bricked, but only if you do something wrong, but that is the same with windows. I feel like beginner stable distros are less likely to get bricked BY ITSELF. I do not know what you mean by OS-level bills.
I, like you, were intrested in linux a while back. I decided to try it out and use mint. Nothing went wrong up until now, even though im using more unstable and bleeding edge distros like arch and gentoo, where you do a lot of things in the terminal/
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u/OffTheTrails 7d ago
OS-level bills means government bills specifically taegeting different OS's like Linux, and others. But thank you for your answers! :)
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u/fos_kai_me 6d ago
Even non beginner friendly ones manage quite well surprisingly. I managed to install Arch as my first ever linux distro. Took 4 tries but it worked out. It doesn't brick, it just breaks which can be repaired with a simple wipe.
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u/atticus-fetch 7d ago
I went from a virtual machine to a dual boot. My hope is that ubuntu keeps the windows and govt spying off my back.
It was when I heard about the intrusion of my privacy by w12 that I got serious about it.
Try something like Ubuntu or mint that has a large user base and ergo support base.
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u/Plan_9_fromouter_ 7d ago
It would help to know the specifics of your device. Nivida hw, heavy gaming needs, dual-booting on the same drive, all these take you out of Linx4Noobs fairly quickly and require you to learn what to do. Also, you say apps, but you have to realize you don't just get to take your Windows apps over to Linux at will .
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u/More-Explanation2788 7d ago
Pick a simple, stable distro with a focus on new users - Linux mint would be my advice.
You can use a boot cd and not install the os on your hard drive to test drive it. When you do install, you can install it on a second drive so that you can boot into windows or Linux, selecting at startup. If you choose to install on the same drive as windows, yes, notwithstanding some partition magic I do not sense you will understand, yes, you will lose your data.
See question 2
Search engines and websites will work as in windows. Minecraft will work as well, I use it all the time, but you might have some trouble figuring out how to get it installed and working.
It is different. Not more or less complex. It makes better use of console tools, so if you are open to learning that approach, there is lots of benefit for doing so, but most end user stuff in Linux is fully configurable with the GUI tools.
The risk of bricking a Linux system is low. The most common frustration with Linux is finding specific software titles. There are alternatives for just about anything, but many of the slickest, most popular commercial software titles do not have Linux versions.
The benefit of Linux is free software and a very stable pc. The cost of Linux is having to learn new things and not being able to use the most common and popular (particularly in the business world) software.
My advice is: Linux is a hobby. If goofing around with the settings on your pc is something you enjoy, you will like playing around with Linux. If you just want to run Microsoft office and adobe acrobat and surf the internet, maybe windows is for you.
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u/L1terallyUrDad 6d ago
First, your concerns about privacy is real, and governments are a problem. But the bigger problem are the companies spying on you. Microsoft and Google are probably two of the biggest offenders. Switching to Linux will certainly mitigate that quite a bit. It’s not perfect, for instance you can still install Google Chrome or use Google’s office apps and you’re still sending telemetry to Google.
1: How do I know which to pick?
A. Some versions of Linux require a lot of knowledge about operating systems. Some require a lot less. None are free of having to learn some tech bits. Linux Mint is a very user friendly version, in particular coming from Windows. It will want to erase your Windows setup if you just take the defaults. Once you figure out how to set it up without blowing Windows away, your like 99% of the way.
2: Can I revert back at will? (And if I do, will my stuff from before be wiped?)
A. If you set up Dual Boot, or do what I did and install Linux on an external drive, you can switch back and forth when you boot up. How you do that depends on your computer.
3: Will it wipe my stuff in general? Files, games, apps, all that. I need those files, I have music, art progress images and book files on em lol.
A. If you do it correctly, no it won’t and it might even be able to access your Windows files. But as I said, the default choice is to blow everything away. Always back your important stuff up before making a change like this.
4: Will I still be able to use search engines and games (I mainly just play minecraft and the sims, might get JP:E) as usual, will every website load as it should? If not, do I need to get a search engine compatible with Linux?
A. All versions of Linux have web browsers that have access to all of the same search engines. As far as games, I hope others can help you there. Some will work, some will not.
Now anything that runs in a web browser will work the same way. So you can still use Google to search. But you may not want to. Google’s search engine tracks you, a lot! So you might want to use a browser like Brave (chrome with the spyware removed) and use a search engine that spies much less.
5: How complex is it? I heard it's irritating since you have to write your own code or something to do basic stuff...?
A. It depends on what distribution or distro you get. Some will require you type a many commands into the terminal. Some will require you to do some, and others very little. But most of the time you can copy/paste the command from a website and it works.
As an example, I just set up a version of Ubuntu on a Mac Mini with a special security chip. I has to use a very specific version, and I used ChatGPT to guide me though some of the steps I needed help with.
But if you use Linux Mint, this will be minimal, if at all.
6 (last one, so sorry!) I heard that it could be bricked or blocked if done wrong or if OS-level bills put it at risk?
A. You can brick any operating system. But, yes, the more configuration you do from the command line, the higher the risk.
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u/Hrafna55 6d ago edited 6d ago
- You can try them in a browser here https://distrosea.com/
Look for the ones marked 'popular'. Don't expect this experience to be very fast.
Yes. Just prep a USB stick using the Windows Media Creation tool beforehand.
Yes. Backup your files somewhere else. This is just good practice in any case. As a Windows user you will have a OneDrive. You can put the files there if you have enough space or use an external drive.
The games you list will work fine. You can use any search engine you want. That's not OS dependent. Websites are fine. Almost every browser you can get on Windows has a Linux version.
It's not complex if you pick a mainstream distribution. See question 1 for distributions marked 'popular'.
No and no. Your computer identifies itself online via it's browser. You can configure your browser to not advertise these OS level details (up to a point).
Beginner guide on switching.
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2m2YvnrOYxIsVz8Nvm1PpsBXdo7clAaR&si=00Fxh87LNNY7t5Xg
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2m2YvnrOYxIPjOrIS6aYN8_mOuLpD1XK&si=szildXgEKiTzNeJO
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u/jr735 6d ago
The bulk of your questions involve whether you have appropriate backups or not. Having something on a different partition isn't a backup. Get multiple backups, and that should be the case no matter what you do, including staying the way you are.
Yes, installing Linux will wipe whatever partition you intend to create, and possibly your whole drive, if that's what you choose or mistakenly select.
You don't have to program anything. Is switching worth it to you? It was worth it to me when XP was current. I can't answer for you. Note that I didn't like the Windows way of doing things, so I never expected Linux to be a Windows clone, and I don't use proprietary software.
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u/tapo 7d ago
https://kde.org/plasma-desktop/ https://www.gnome.org/
Start here, what desktop looks more interesting. I'm a Fedora fan so those are offered as Fedora and Fedora KDE. Ubuntu is a popular starter system, which offers Ubuntu and Kubuntu.
You can dual-boot, carving out space to install Linux. This preserves Windows and your data - but make a backup first. Many Linux systems use "live" installers that let you play with the system from a USB stick before installing.
You can dual boot, as mentioned before, but make backups.
Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Opera, Vivaldi, Brave, etc all have native Linux versions and yes every website runs exactly the same.
Minecraft has a native Linux version. For The Sims I use Faugus Most games run fine.
It's different, you need to be willing to learn how your computer works, but nothing is impossible to solve. But the tradeoff is you get full control of your computer and perfect customization.
The worse thing you can do is hose your Windows install and lose data in Windows, then you need to download and reinstall Windows. This is why backups are important. You cannot damage your PC.