So i was surprised today when my fiancee told me she was thinking about switching over to linux. Surprised because she is absolutely not technically minded, but also because she was weary about having Microsoft AI slop forced on her PC every update. ( i’m so proud!)
Now i’ve used a little linux but i’ve always been a holdout. Won’t stop me from moving someone else over but i have too much going on in my setup to deal with that right now. So i’m not super versed but i was able to give her the basic rundown of what distros are, concerns when switching, what may and may not be available, shes still on board so we’re doing this! Knowing her she would like to not have to transition too much, whats something fairly hands off and easy to learn. I’ve heard some good things about mint from hanging around you nerds the past few years but also some not so good things, any suggestions?
next concern is what kind of transfer process is this going to be? i have some spare HDD’s so we can try and get everything ported over but i’m so busy with school right now i can’t quite allocate the time to really deep dive this.
Any help is appreciated, cheers!
If you’re supporting it, then one you are familiar with would be my recommendation. If you’re both beginners, then Mint.
So you know basically as much as her. You guys can experience it together how great.
Linux Mint is the windows 7 experience of linux. It gets out of the way so you can work. It also has the best in-OS help tools. It’s also a bit more conservative in terms of newest features, so it’s a lot more reliable.
If she does PC gaming, you might want to look at Bazzite rather than Mint. It’s a lot better equipped for non-technical people to start gaming. It’s basically a preconfigured Fedora linux, so it’s got a solid foundation. It’s also something called an immutable distro, which basically means it’s more difficult to break as the core OS is “read only” (to simplify).
In terms of migrating, best to avoid dual booting off a single disk. Microsoft keeps breaking Linux installs (probably on purpose). So best to install a second SSD.
Before you migrate, have her make a list of software she uses and the hardware she has. Best to post that on a forum like this to have more experienced people look for possible issues.
When it gets to migration day, if bitlocker is disabled, you can access your windows data from linux.
Also get her on Lemmy and asking questions directly. The best thing you can teach a low tech person is how to get help.
Unfortunately, Linux Mint devs are transphobic.
I think Linux Mint would be a good first distro.
I recently learned about a project called Operese. It is a Windows to Linux migration tool that also sets up Kubuntu. Kubuntu is Ubuntu with the KDE desktop environment instead of the GNOME desktop environment. I don’t know how well that tool works since I never tried it but it looks promising.
There is also a new project called Winboat that is meant to make it easier to install and use Windows software such as Adobe Photoshop
Well quite obvious: as the name “Debian” was coined to celebrate the union between Debra and Ian, makes it a de facto choice! ;)
If she’s a Windows refugee, Linux Mint.
If she’s a Mac refugee, fuck if I know.
If she’s a IBM OS/2 refugee, please let me know how to get the drugs she’s gotten. I want in.
Mint is the best for most users. But if you want a Mac style, Elementary OS is the correct answer for MacOS users. Here’s my latest screenshot of it:
GNOME is great for Mac refugees. Fedora might do.
popos for mac refugee? it’s very macky
You know, I can see that.
Still, mac users use macs because they just want the computer to work.
And the Cosmic DE is rather new so can be a bit buggy from time to time. It might look mac-friendly, but its stability is still largely untested so caution may be advised before recommending it in my opinion.
Ubuntu for a Mac refugee. Definitely Mint for a Windows refugee.
I hate GNOME through and through, but it’s a very polished interface and resembles Mac in a lot of ways.
Ubuntu is heresy. Canonical hath turned against the users.
Also, I’m genuinely curious: why do you hate GNOME?
Nah, Ubuntu is perfect for a Mac user - they love the abusive, arbitrary decisions made by their OS designers lol
Yeah…
See, I used to like Ubuntu, but then Canonical had to ruin it for me by betraying the principles that Linux stands for.
Ubuntu is a shadow of its former self, and it saddens me. :(
I hate GNOME because it feels like an iPhone.
I don’t know much about what Ubuntu is doing but it surely can’t be that bad.
I hate GNOME because it feels like an iPhone.
That’s fair.
I don’t know much about what Ubuntu is doing but it surely can’t be that bad.
You would be surprised.
Oh, and I also hate that they’re actively undermining of theming.
That sounds like a very specific user case, I’m using a laptop for teaching with a smallish screen so gnome actually improves my workflow and the visibility of the OS. I don’t need theming either. Gnome is really aimed at productivity imo.
That’s legit.
Ubuntu is gross, don’t recommend. It works until it doesn’t. Expect questions like “why doesn’t USB access work in chromium” and having to try to explain what snap is
If she’s a Mac refugee, fuck if I know.
She could consider Linux Mint with KDE Plasma. KDE Plasma feels very like modern Mac, only nicer, to me.
if you’re doing kde then i think debian would make more sense (their netinstaller is very good)
Ooh that’s a good point. I mean, not Linux Mint because as thanksforallthefish said below it’s not a Mint-supported DE but I actually installed Arch (btw) with the KDE Plasma DE onto an old laptop I have and yeah it definitely gives early-2010s OS X vibes. :)
KDE is not a Mint supported DE and the KDE files are not in the Mint repos.
This can be made to work if you’re experienced but is definitely not a good idea for beginners. It will eventually break, and dependency hell is a thing.
For a KDE option suitable fir beginners, Fedora offers KDE as does Ubuntu, or there’s KDE Neon
Unfortunately, Linux Mint devs are transphobic.
Is there a specific reason you are spamming the same single-line accusatory comment 7 times in this thread?
Combined with your account only being 10 days old if there’s not more substance to a spammed accusation like that I’ll just have to assume bad faith and block.
I’d suggest 0 change at first : boot on a live USB then connect with her Web accounts (e.g. Firefox Profile) then get an easy win. Sure not 100% will work but she’ll be 80% there in minutes. If she hates it, logout, reboot, remove key and that’s it.
A lot of folks recommending Mint Cinnamon. I agree, that’s a great choice, one of my favorites. If for some reason there are technical problems, you might also try something with KDE, like Kubuntu or Fedora KDE. Also windows-like, even more mainstream than Cinnamon, faster to adopt new shit like Wayland.
Unfortunately, Linux Mint devs are transphobic.
Any of the large, easy to use distributions should work just fine. I’d recommend a popular distribution because it’ll be easier to get help online. So consider Mint, Fedora, OpenSuse, Ubuntu and maybe Pop!_OS.
I think the main consideration should be which DE (desktop environment) she’d like to use. IMO the main contenders would be:
- KDE - Very configurable, nice looking, a bit heavy.
- Gnome - Simple and very opinionated, so not very configurable, a bit heavy.
- Cinnamon - Should feel familiar to Windows users, a bit faster than KDE and Gnome.
- Cosmic - A middle ground between Gnome’s simplicity and KDE’s configurability, pretty fast.
- XFCE - Very fast and light-weight, fairly configurable, but not very flashy.
Based on which DE she prefers, I’d suggest getting a distribution that comes with said DE by default, for the best possible integration. How do you figure out which DE she likes best? Put Ventoy on a USB stick along with a few different Linux ISOs. Ventoy wil let you choose which one to boot from a menu. You could get the following ISOs:
- Fedora or Ubuntu with Gnome
- OpenSUSE with KDE
- Linux Mint with Cinnamon
- Pop!_OS with Cosmic
- Mint or Ubuntu with XFCE
Download an ISO for each, install Ventoy on a USB stick and copy the ISOs to the stick. Boot into each ISO and play around with the desktop for a bit. When she’s figured out which DE she prefers, install a distribution that comes with that desktop.
I mean from what you’re telling me I’d imagine cinnamon, but now that you mention It, wasn’t there a website dedicated to showing off the different desktop environments?
Not really possible, because how a desktop feels or what can be configured it’s hard to show on a website. Especially how you can visually adapt it. And what you can configure in general. Running it from a live USB takes like 5 minutes.
For example KDE is also very close to Windows, but can also be configured to behave more like a Mac. Visually most desktop environment can be themed. Cinnamon just got additions to be able to theme gnome apps globally I think? If you want to use a central dock like a Mac and have running apps at the top, that’s just a master of setting that up on KDE.
For distros, not desktop environments. You can choose DEs for distros though. But there it is: https://distrosea.com/
Cinnamon is a great choice. It’s the default on Linux Mint for good reason.
I’ve not noticed Cinnamon being any faster than KDE. I’d recommend KDE for someone coming from Windows.
I’m on KDE as a former Windows and Mint user and it’s really annoying. Especially the text editor Kate. All the hotkeys are different than Windows/Mint, there’s no notepad equivalent and only a notepad++ equivalent, the GNOME text editor doesn’t match the theming, and I had to settle on Mousepad for my replacement.
I had to do a lot of customization to get the system to behave like Windows, particularly the panel. Maybe with ZorinOS it’s better.
there’s no notepad equivalent and only a notepad++ equivalent
I believe you’re looking for KWrite.
Thank you, that’s exactly what I’ve been looking for. Wasn’t bundled with Kubuntu (or maybe it was but I uninstalled it because I thought it was Wordpad) and didn’t come up when searching for it in the Discover app, but after going to the official site and opening a link in the Discover app I got it installed.
Now to look up how to clean up the start menu so searching for a text editor doesn’t give me the uninstalled Mousepad or it’s separate settings app (I did it with a 5 second duckduckgo search).
Unfortunately, Linux Mint devs are transphobic.
Suggesting anything with gnome should come with a penalty of having to fist fight a Canadian goose and it’s henchswans.
Three correct answers:
- Mint
- Fedora
- Pop
And a few incorrect answers:
- Ubuntu
- Arch
- Ubuntu again
- Really, don’t go with Ubuntu
Pop is such a cool project but it’s been kinda broken for me both times I’ve tried it, and then add to that what happened with Linus tech tips where him being dumb combined with pop having not fixed a major and obvious packaging issue that completely broke his system has kinda just left me with the impression they’re not super on top of the ball
I hope that’s changed, I want them to be successful, especially with cosmic
Gentoo it is, then!
What about Ubuntu flavors? Or Debian?
While Mint is an Ubuntu-based distro, it tries to un-fuck the worst of Canonical. Other Ubuntu spins with a different desktop environment don’t do this, like Xubuntu, Kubuntu, etc. They end up as just Ubuntu on a different DE, with all the decisions made by canonical.
Base Debian might work, but afaik, is “not as beginner friendly” compared to Mint.
Not for beginners.
You guys use Arch ??
They didn’t say beeteedubs so clearly not.
Unfortunately, Linux Mint devs are transphobic.
Ubuntu was really good when I was a kid. when I went to school like 10 years ago I had to have a windows computer for a while to run my school’s proprietary virtual clinical lab software and I was too busy studying and going to irl clinicals to worry about getting a dual boot running. I tried to go back once a few semesters in but it seemed really bloated compared to the Ubuntu I grew up with and I did mint for a bit but that computer kicked the bucket iirc and I didn’t have the time to set up another dual boot. Hubs is thinking we’re gonna have to switch soon and I’ve honestly been ready for a bit and think I’ll probably try mint again, but distrowatch says a lot of people are super into cachy so I was considering that. Will Probably still try mint first.
When I was a kid (15-ish years ago) my laptop’s hard drive crashed. The repair place told my dad that something broke and it’s not compatible with Windows so they installed Ubuntu. Barely noticed the difference.
Yeah, I switched to Ubuntu in 2008, and it was great for years, but lately it’s just been so awful.
Who even uses normal arch anymore.
All the cool kids use endeavour or cachy. Which is like calling Ubuntu, Debian.
Nah all the cool kids are on Omarchy now.
Fedora is pretty cool.
Linus Torvalds uses it, so you could say it’s the canonical distribution.
Well no, the Canonical distribution is Ubuntu.
/s
slow clap
They should change their name to Antitethical then.
Second on fedora, have been using it as a daily driver for over a year and ot has been pretty solid.
Mint
correct
What about Slackware? Not popular anymore?
This is the first I would suggest as well. As much as I like other distros, Mint has the appearance, capability, stability, and settings combination I would want as a new user
Why do you want to start a distro war?
Is this with the intent of trolling our community?
“Let many flowers blossom”.
Popos 24 beta is dope if you like to live dangerously.
Holy shit voyager dude. Could I get a virtual autograph? Love your app!
