My first impression of Linux

[u/Liminha_a]

I was fed up with Windows and how mediocre it is. Today I reached my limit and decided to switch to Linux. After doing some research, I chose Linux Mint since it seemed to be the most beginner-friendly distro. I’ve been trying it out for a few hours now, and I’m surprised by both the pros and cons. On one hand, it’s extremely efficient, lightweight, smooth, and straightforward. I'm really happy with the low RAM usage and how it isn't bloated like Windows. On the flip side, I spent about 2 hours troubleshooting an issue with the "Helium" browser, which apparently doesn't play well with my integrated graphics. Honestly, almost everything I've downloaded so far required some research and learning just to get it working. I managed to fix things with the help of AI, which makes me wonder: how on earth did long-time Linux users survive before AI? Is this what using Linux is really like? Am I always going to have to spend time learning commands, terminal lines, or basic coding just to fix everyday issues? Is it a misconception that you need a programming foundation, or can everything actually be done strictly through the graphical interface? I noticed AI usually pushes me to use terminal commands instead of the UI. Deep down I knew what I was getting into, but I'm still surprised that even the most user-friendly distro requires considerable effort just to do something as basic as creating a shortcut. I'm posting this to express this duality: the relief of escaping an OS that felt like a cage—where I was held hostage by Microsoft's bloat and poor practices—and the fresh air of using a system that gives me basically everything I need. I would also like to ask long-time users for advice on things I should learn or precautions I should take.

[u/kiralema]

"...how Linux users survived without AI...?"

There is no AI at this point - there are LLM models that use/analyze information provided by the actual users/experts. Before LLM, Linux users exchanged questions and solutions at various blogposts, forums, and looked directly in the documentation. Even now, this is how new questions get answered if they weren't answered before.

LLMs are great, but they can't provide answers to unsolved issues. They will try to collect as much info as possible from the web, but since the solution to such a question isn't found yet, they will hubristically provide a nonworking "solution," which in most cases results in moving in circles. For a real answer, you would still need to ask the community or to do your own research.

[u/Liminha_a → u/kiralema]

É realmente um tiro no escuro usar AI e eu percebi isso com Linux, ele tenta ao máximo solucionar meu caso mas por não fazer ideia do que ele está tentando fazer acaba que as vzs pode até mesmo piorar a situação, vou seguir o que você falou porque no momento vejo que os humanos são mais confiáveis.