Anyone here using Linux?

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Aug 10, 2010
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Charlotte, NC
In an effort to expand my knowledge base on operating systems, I bought a few cheap, used laptops and SSDs to install various distributions/versions of Linux on to play around on and learn a bit. My first laptop has came in and I installed Linux Mint.

I have to admit, I like it a lot and it's been the first option I've been reaching for when needing to get online. I am still learning and exploring, but so far, so good. The interface is super simple, very intuitive and it is fast!!! The most surprising thing is that I needed no drivers. Everything on my laptop worked. Even the obscure functions the laptop has that use the Fn key.

I see that there are TONS of various Linux distributions. Are there any versions of Linux that you think I should consider giving a look at and explore? The ones that have caught my attention (but haven't downloaded, installed or done anything with yet) are Fedora, Ubuntu, Zorin OS and Elementary OS.

As for overall goals - mainly just learn Linux (and figure out some sort of way to train myself on terminal commands - suggestions are welcome), gain more privacy with my day to day online activity and explore Linux based operating systems that work best for myself and others that come to me for computer advice.
 
I use Xubuntu most of the time. Mint Xfce is also good, especially with the Shimmer theme. As you see, Xfce is my favorite Linux desktop, by far. But any flavor of Ubuntu or Mint is bliss. I keep saying I will try other distros but so far have found no reason to stray from what works and is fun to tweak and play around with.

Also, research how to install and activate Win 10 Enterprise LTSC. That is the one Win 10 version worth running. Enjoy.
 
Currently running Manjaro, which is forked from Arch. Super customizable, but runs well on its own right out of the box. Been running some form of Linux as my main PC for 8 years or so. Mint is probably the most rock solid and inclusive out of the box if you're looking for stability. Happy experimentation, have fun!
 
Hard to argue against Debian. It's one of the oldest, most actively developed and rock-solid distros with a great package repository. You can also use one of its many offsprings, like *buntu, Mint, etc. If your goal is to learn then give Slackware a try. It's the oldest maintained distro, solid as well, but it's known for being newbie "unfriendly", meaning, lots of manual configuration and tweaking - a great learning tool.

I ran a few distros back in the day, but I always preferred FreeBSD
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ubuntu fan. Used for years. Always get the long-term release that's supported for 5 years.

It's so much bother tweaking things that I like that I can just set it and forget.
 
Another vote for Debian stable. I need to run one Window 10 app and one Windows XP
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app. I use vmware for both.
I have used Mint, Arch, Gentoo and built Linux from scratch. They all have their strengths, but I prefer Debian for all around user experience.


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Different distributions only give you a different look/theme out of the box generally. Don't spend (waste) too much time trying a whole bunch of them. Once you get past the initial setup stages, most people can make any distro look like any other without too much effort, I'll bet.

I used Linux for over 10 years as my only OS (at home) and if it's like it was back then, is there always some new, popular distro that's popular for a few months, then it's another one, and repeat ? I didn't play that game. Settled on Debian for years and later Ubuntu (Debian-based).
 
I started with Mint due to frustration with Windows 8. Now only install Ubuntu. Looks great. Works great. Easy to do updates. Love Night Light for old eyes.
 
Yes, I did the same - I tried a few different Linux distros and settled on Mint. I've put it on three different laptops and a bunch of VMs.

I like to read about them on https://distrowatch.com/

I tried various distros such as Ubuntu, Mepis, Debian, SUSE, and a few others. They are all basically the same but some come with better packages of preinstalled apps. Some have slightly better updater systems.
 
I've been windows free since 2003, used most of the distro's since then. My desktop runs Arch Linux and my laptops run MX Linux.
 
I was going to suggest this. If one wants to try out a distro , use VirtualBox and run a VM on your PC

Originally Posted by Reddy45
I play around with it in VirtualBox.
 
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So anyone running a current linux and want to review another, virtualbox is not necessary; linux has virtualization built in using KVM or Xen.

There is even a tool call virt-manager (gui) that makes creating a virtual machine a 15 second task.
 
i run Linux . but iam NOT an expert. my idea find a REAL expert that can make house calls. iam lucky 3 years ago i had a GF expert set my system up. should have kept her. LOL.
 
Linux here. I have Win 10 on a few computers but Linux gets used about 95% of the time now.
 
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