Comment on Linux Distros Designed for Former Windows Users Are Picking Up Steam | Linux Journal
Peffse@lemmy.world 11 hours agofunny you should say it like that. I just recently I tried using Debian’s default GNOME desktop and thought I had corrupted the install somehow. I reinstalled the OS two more times because it kept dumping me into a nearly blank screen with no obvious buttons to click aside network/sound/power.
I’m used to LXDE, KDE, and Cinnamon, so this was completely foreign to me… and trying to find the web browser had me at a caveman level of confusion.
That’s strange - vanilla gnome should start in overview mode and dash is populated with gnome apps by default. Aside from that, there’s a button in the upper left corner that goes into overview if you press it.
Maybe your install did get corrupted, because literally my grandma could figure it out. On the other hand, most mainstream distros ship with dash to dock and discoverability must be the reason.
Debian was not a great choise, it is not for beginners. I wonder why you chose that one.
If you want to try again, I recommend using a distribution that is recommended for beginners. For example Ubuntu.
It’s people with attitudes such as yours that give Linux a bad name. Your response to someone who’s just told you that they’re used to 3 different Linux DEs is that they must be a beginner and should use a beginner distro is the height of arrogance. The person you responded to is clearly not a beginner, and that’s the response you have for them when they share their totally valid experience? Shameful.
I do agree: Debian can be a bit tedious to set up and upgrade at times. It would not be my choice if you had to install a Linux distribution for the first time with no help. But, if you were able to set it up then you’re good, no reason to change now.
BassTurd@lemmy.world 3 hours ago
That’s weird, and sticks you had that experience. I should take a step back and say that I haven’t used a lot of different districts, including Debian. What I have experienced though, was either a star menu like button either in the bottom left, to left, or a floating dock.
I went full in on Arch when I made my permanent switch a couple of years back to make myself really learn more rather than just plug and play. That may be skewing my perspective some. However, I did throw mint on an old laptop that I have to my brother, and I was shocked that everything was exactly ready to go after install. Libre office, browser, other useful tools, updates, etc. I spent more time verifying things than configuring them and just passed it off.
I know that at least when I install kde in Arch, there are a few different build options from fully loaded to no extra apps. Perhaps with Debian there is a similar selection and you grabbed something stripped down rather than fully loaded? I’m not sure, but it’s good to hear this stuff to check my ignorance when discussing this with people.
Peffse@lemmy.world 2 hours ago
yeah, it was wild. I was trying to do set up some computer labs. Debian was the first suggestion in the guide:
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After the second reinstall of Debian, I gave Fedora a try as it was the second to be suggested. Only to be greeted with this:
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It took me forever to realize that dash-dot at the top left was not some stylization and was a button to show the overview.