So all I know that the Linux mascot is a penguin and Arch users meme about using Arch. Jokes aside I’m planning on making to the jump to Linux as I’m planning on getting a tower PC. I recently got a steam deck and that kinda demystified the (unrealistic) expectation I had of Linux was all command line stuff and techno babble. This all very future oriented questions* as I haven’t even picked out hardware (probably gonna go prebuilt since I do not trust me) and there’s also the matter of saving up the money for a new PC.

As for my use case (cus I know some software is wonky on Linux compared to windows) it’s mostly between games running on steam, which most of my games play fine on the steam deck, and essays and note taking for my college classes, which I use libre office and obsidian (with excalidraw to hand write my notes) saved to my proton drive and also sync those documents between my surface laptop and home laptop

My ideal OS would be plug it in, let it do… things… and it’s ready to be a PC to install steam and stuff

But first question, as someone who isn’t tech inclined and tinkering is pretty much just a few VERY basic settings in the settings app on windows, so is there a Linux… idk what to call it, type? OS? Thing??? that runs out of the box without me having to install additional software manually or at least automatic setup wizards because like hardware, I do not trust me with setting it up. As for installing it after I wipe whatever computer I choose I assume I’m gonna have some OS installer on a USB and let it work its magic.

Second question, is there any specific hardware that works easier with Linux, I can’t really think of any examples cus with installers and updaters I just the computer handle it, like updating Nvidia stuff in the GeForce app for all I know it’s genuinely performing dark magic during the automated updates

Anyways I probably have way more questions that I have no idea I had, but to wrap up I’m not super tech inclined since I let automated stuff do its thang on windows (if the computer can manage and install it I’m gonna let it do that) and my pc mostly just plays games and do documents on libre office and obsidian

  • ocean@lemmy.selfhostcat.comEnglish
    1·
    15 days ago

    I really like fedora out of the box but if you’re used to windows some will recommend Linux mint. In fedora there are a lot of packages installable via the software store as well as downloading app images and RPM files.

  • Communist@lemmy.frozeninferno.xyzEnglish
    1·
    15 days ago

    Linux mint is a common recommendation but I think a bad one (for beginners anyway), I highly recommend bazzite with kde, I have 15 years of linux experience and am willing to do infinite troubleshooting if you add me on matrix (which is on my profile) I’ve onboarded many people and this is my experience with beginners

    in short, linux mint is bad vs bazzite with kde for 3 reasons

    kde is much more well supported and developed than cinnamon, it’s not even close especially if you care about security

    immutable distros are much more forgiving for new people, immutable means that the core OS can’t be modified.

    and finally bazzite has more up to date software, linux mint is a “stable” distro, stable in the linux context means unchanging, not unbuggy

    if you don’t know what any of that means, go bazzite over mint, you’ll have an easier time.

    • kusivittula@sopuli.xyz
      0·
      15 days ago

      imo kde will give a bad impression of linux as it’s quite buggy and the taskbar is way too easy to fuck up completely

  • Fanmion@discuss.tchncs.de
    0·
    15 days ago

    If you have time to learn how your distro works: Archlinux. If you just want to easily install a distro and everything just works: Linux Mint.

    • infeeeee@lemm.ee
      1·
      15 days ago

      From the post:

      But first question, as someone who isn’t tech inclined and tinkering […] that runs out of the box without me having to install additional software manually or at least automatic setup wizards because like hardware

      Don’t recommend Arch to users who doesn’t want to tinker please. I know, I use Arch. Arch regularly requires user intervention, you should see them on the news: https://archlinux.org/news/ You can see, 3-4 times a year you have to fiddle with some settings, otherwise you can get an unbootable system.

      And that’s how we get “the (unrealistic) expectation I had of Linux was all command line stuff and techno babble.”