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Comment on W10 EoL and possibly switching to Linux (various tech questions)

Last year I switched to Linux, so I’m a recent “convert” and have learned a lot. I would highly recommend moving to Linux over paying Microsoft more money!

1a) As far as I understand, Linux is usually installed using ext4 or btrfs, while Windows uses NTFS by default.

1b) Most programs should work fine through Wine, and the ones that don’t usually might have a few visual glithchs or simply crash. Usually there isn’t loss of data, unless you’re running a program where you are editing, say, a document, and it crashes before you are able to save (that would count as lost data. There are a bunch of Linux-native document editors though so that wouldn’t be a problem)

1c) To copy bookmarks, you can export them as an HTML file. Specific settings can be easily synced with Firefox sync or, if you don’t want to make a Mozilla account, I think you can also just copy the profile directory (go to about:support and there’s a button to open the directory) or the stuff in that directory that you want to keep, quite handy!

1d) Aside from .exe (and similar Windows-specific stuff, like .msi for installers), most file types should work fine (PDFs, images, videos, MS Office files, audio, all that should work!). Even some extensions related to proprietary software (like .ai for Adobe Illustrator files) can sometimes work with Linux-native apps (like Inkscape) but there might be compatibility bugs here and there.

1e) Everything stored on the USB isn’t saved in a live boot environment, it’s meant for you to test out the feel of the operating system, see if WiFi/Bluetooth/etc work, that sort. I highly recommend trying Linux distributions in a live environment first as you can test basic compatibility as well as see if you like the desktop experience (e.g. if you are deciding between GNOME, KDE Plasma, and Cinnamon)

1f) Linux is thought to be more secure not just because it has a lower desktop market share, but also because it’s open-source (meaning anyone can check the code for vulnerabilities and exploits). This is one of the reasons why Linux has a very high server market share. They do exist, so you still have to be mindful as with any operating system!!!

If you accidentally run Windows malware through Wine, unless it’s some really sophisticated stuff, it is unlikely that it will spread to your Windows drive. Even if it was likely, it’s not really a reason to not go with Linux, as Windows malware would be worse on Windows.

1g) Most distributions have the option for including Nvidia graphics drivers, but do your research as there are some cards that don’t have great compatibility. If you have very new hardware, I would recommend you go for a distribution that has a faster release cycle (like Fedora or, if you’re a tinkerer, a rolling release option like Arch-based distros) over ones that have slower ones (like Debian or Ubuntu-based distros).

If you go for Fedora, make sure to enable “third-party repositories” or “proprietary repositories” when installing the distro, as it is needed to install Nvidia drivers, Steam, and a few other things, and the option becomes hidden in a bunch of menus if you don’t click that during the setup screen. I did not select this option when installing Fedora, so it took me ages to find out how to install Steam. Don’t make the same mistake as me!

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Toes@ani.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago
Something I want to tag on for anyone pondering this.

Steam on Linux will be unstable if you try to use your NTFS drive for games. As the support of the filesystem isn’t consistent.

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- Syrc@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago
  Understood, thanks!
  
  I think most games I play have Linux compatibility so this shouldn’t be an issue, but is there any other filesystem I could use for a shared drive where I install Steam games and access them from both OS or is it generally a bad idea and I should stick to one?
  
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  - Toes@ani.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago
    Steam makes OS unique modifications to the game, trying to share the same game drive between them causes an update war and corruption.
    
    I’ve tried it a few times, never goes well long term. Generally, I partition the drive and only use windows for problematic games like pubg.
    
    Also, if you enjoy workshop features in games with a native Linux version like Left4Dead 2 or Garry’s mod. I would recommend you force the windows version by selecting proton in the compatibility section under properties for that game. Some workshop mods don’t play nice on Linux and its like playing whack-a-mole solving it.
    
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sbeak@sopuli.xyz ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago
Some more tips if you end up switching to Linux, specifically on methods of installing programs (because that can be confusing)

There are five main options to install programs on Linux:

The ones packaged for your specific family of distro (like .deb for Debian based distros, .rpm for Fedora/RHEL based distros). These will work the best and should be your default.

Flatpak, a universally compatible Linux app format that most desktop programs support. They have what’s called “sandboxing”, which basically means that apps don’t have full system-wide access by default. This can be annoying for some applications, but with a bit of configuration it seems that you can get it working. Additionally,

AppImage, another universally compatible format. This one is more similar to a standalone exe on Windows, where it doesn’t install itself anywhere, it just runs as a program. Optionally you can get a program called “AppImageLauncher” which handles the “installing” part (e.g. adding entry in the applications menu, moving it to an applications directory) if you need that.

Executable w/ some other stuff wrapped in a tar.gz (Linux equivalent of .zip, both formats work but tar.gz will remember Linux-specific information like symlinks and can offer better compression too I think). The executable usually doesn’t have a specific file extension. This would be similar to installing a portable application in a zip file on Windows.

There are also snap files, but the community doesn’t really like them since they are sourced from a centralised and not-so-open repository controlled by Canonical, the company behind Ubuntu, and it isn’t as widely adopted as Flatpak. Unless no other alternatives exist, I wouldn’t really go for this option.

Most distros have a graphical user interface to install programs, usually letting you install programs via either specific packages (like rpm for Fedora) or via Flatpak. You can also install those two through the command line (“sudo apt/dnf install [name]” and “flatpak install [name]”, note that flatpak doesn’t require admin privileges! You can update programs using “sudo apt update” and “sudo apt upgrade” on Debian-based distros, “sudo dnf update” on Fedora-based distros, and “flatpak update” with Flatpak. You need to update repos and then upgrade packages separately on Debian-based distros, while on Fedora with dnf it is done with just one command)

You can also go to the website/git repo of the software you wish to install and download the respective file to manually install stuff, as well as to get programs that come in AppImage or as tar.gz archives.

The community can’t agree on which distro is the best, because there is no best. They’re all good. Pick and choose! Personally, I have used Fedora, Linux Mint, and am currently using EndeavourOS. As long as your hardware is compatible and you aren’t using something super unstable, you should have a good experience.

For beginners, I would recommend either Linux Mint (Cinnamon) or Fedora (Workstation/GNOME or KDE, other DE spins also exist), which faster release than Mint, so it’s better for newer hardware. These are the ones I’ve personally used and was happy with. I have not yet used Bazzite, Nobara, or similar gaming-oriented distros. Nobara is a fork of Fedora that is gaming-centric, and it seems that most people are happy with it. Bazzite is also Fedora based, but it’s an atomic distro, meaning there’s some stuff you can’t do on the system (which can be good, less likely to bork it, but also bad, as it gives you less control and there are limitations on what stuff you can install)

Although Pop! OS used to be a recommended option (you can find it in a few articles here and there) they are currently transitioning to their new DE called COSMIC, which sounds really cool but is a bit buggy it seems, given that it only recently went into beta, so it needs a bit more time in the oven. Just a note so you don’t do a Linus Tech Tips and translate a bad experience with buggy COSMIC as a bad experience on Linux.

If you want to experiment and don’t mind tinkering a bit to fix issues with a more unstable distro, you could try out a rolling release distribution. If you’re a beginner simply looking for an alternate OS and don’t want to do that, I wouldn’t recommend these. You of course have the Arch-based ones, like EndeavourOS (which is more standard) and CachyOS (which has gaming optimisations) that are easier to install than vanilla Arch Linux, but you also have openSUSE Tumbleweed, which sounds like a decent option. I currently use EndeavourOS as there were a few specific software that I wanted to try that were built for Arch-based distros but weren’t built for non-Arch distros (like rmpc, an awesome mpd music player which requires manual building if you don’t use Arch), and I also wanted to experiment with being on the “bleeding edge” of software. The package manager on Arch is called “pacman”, and you can get the loading bar when installing programs to look like a yellow C pacman eating little dots rather than through hashes (e.g. [#### ]), it’s amazing!

What are the differences between GNOME, KDE, and Cinnamon? Those are desktop environments, and most distros allow you to interchange between them since Linux is super modular! I started out with Fedora Workstation, which uses GNOME, and I was able to install KDE Plasma and then after remove GNOME. If you want, you can install multiple DEs and switch between them from the login screen (but then you would get duplicated system apps, like file managers and stuff). Different desktop environments give you a different user interface with different features and theming options, and it truly is simply which one you like more! GNOME, KDE, and Cinnamon are the most established options, but you also have ones like XFCE and MATE.

Between the “big three”, GNOME is the most “minimal” with lots of padding and it looks very nice (but some people hate it), especially when you install apps that match its aesthetic, but is not as customisable by default (it’s kind of like macOS in a way where you need to install extensions and apps to add additional functionality). KDE Plasma is the most feature-rich and customisable out of the box, so much so that some people have mentioned that there could be too many options. It’s really polished and intuitive to use, and their default Breeze theme (which is more boxy and contrasty) looks equally good as GNOME’s libadwaita, it’s just a matter of taste. I personally use KDE for its extensive theming options, you can really make it looks like anything you want! Cinnamon is Linux Mint’s homegrown DE. It’s somewhere in the middle in terms of customisability, and out of the box (!), it is the most similar to the Windows 10 interface.
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- Syrc@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago
  Thanks for the answers (and additional info)! There’s a lot of stuff I didn’t fully understand but I’ll reread through the comments when I have more questions after installing so it’ll definitely be helpful!
  
  A couple more questions just in case:
  
  If you go for Fedora, make sure to enable “third-party repositories” or “proprietary repositories” when installing the distro, as it is needed to install Nvidia drivers, Steam, and a few other things
  
  I’m assuming you said Fedora as an example but it’s something I should do on any distro which asks that on installation, correct? And is there any downside of doing this besides maybe taking up more space?
  
  Also being a “recent convert” and maybe having it more fresh in your memory compared to other commenters, do you have any recommendations on sites/documents/videos/guides I could use to get a better understanding of how to use Linux in general (or even specifically Mint/similar distros)? I read a few pages of TLDP’s guide but I realized it was very outdated and I might’ve ended reading hundreds of pages only to find out most of it worked differently nowadays.
  
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  - sbeak@sopuli.xyz ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago
    
    Yes, that is correct, if repositories of proprietary repositories is asked (on distros that only install open-source software by default, like Fedora), you should enable that for Nvidia and Steam. This won’t have any downside really, it just lets you install a few proprietary/closed-source software. It won’t even significantly take up more space either, as what it’s essentially doing is telling the app installer manager to check these URLs in addition to the default ones when searching for things to install. If you don’t select this option then you won’t be able to install Nvidia drivers or Steam without manually adding the repos in the menu hidden somewhere. If you are going with a gaming specific distro they might also have an Nvidia-specific version for you to download.
    
    LearnLinuxTV, the YouTube channel, is super useful, as well as Veronica Explains (who has both Peertube and YouTube channels)
    
    Bread on Penguins is another channel I follow and they recommend a bunch of neat little command line tools and tips and tricks regarding the shell (like RMPC, which I really like as a music player!)
    
    Most importantly, always read the documentation! Of your distro and of the software you are using. It can really help a lot!
    
    Another thing, even if you don’t use Arch, ArchWiki has excellent documentation on a lot of things that apply to all Linux users.
    
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