Looking to change to a Linux-based OS on a laptop, but I don't really understand coding so I haven't tried any of them. Is LinuxMint a good place to start? (lemmy.world)

submitted 3 weeks ago by Penny7@lemmy.world to c/asklemmy@lemmy.world

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So like it says in the title. I'm looking to make a change. The only coding I ever did was like, some very light HTML on stuff like LiveJournal 20 years ago (because I'm ancient in internet years, haha) and even that I barely remember.

I've seen people talk about LinuxMint in other comment sections and how that one might be closest to something like Windows (in that a layman like myself can use it out of the box like buying a new laptop from Best Buy or whatever store). Is that actually a good one or is there something better for somebody like me?

I've seen enough people go 'NO UBUNTU!!!!' to steer me away from that one, but otherwise I have no clue what would actually be good for somebody in my shoes.

I have a laptop that still technically runs Windows 8 that I just use for downloads so I'd be trying it on there so that if something goes wonky I'm not fucked. After looking at the LinuxMint website, the specs on that laptop meet the requirements for it.

Thanks so much!

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[-] verdigris@lemmy.ml 2 points 3 weeks ago

Using the command prompt is not coding. You sometimes need to use the command prompt in Windows to solve certain problems, the terminal in Linux is just easier to use and more powerful so it's often an easier way to solve problems or get information.

Also, they're all explained, you just don't care to read the explanations. One of the best things about the Linux terminal is that most commands have exhaustive and clear documentation.

[-] Lumidaub@feddit.org 0 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

The command prompt is not a GUI.

I WOULD have cared to read the explanations, there just weren't any or they sent me down a billion rabbit holes. Just yesterday in fact I did try Linux Mint (after having tried various Linux distributions over the years, ending in confusion every time). I hate (HATE) just following instructions without knowing why I'm doing what I'm doing so I tried very hard to understand every step. It was nothing but frustrating because my earlier post is only a slight exaggeration.

[-] Brkdncr@lemmy.world -1 points 3 weeks ago

I relate. There's a lot of people on Lemmy that feel Linux is better in every way over MacOS or Windows and it's simply not true. I'm following some vague instructions right now to bring a device up-to-date that appear to be re-compiling kernel unexpectedly. I just wanted my display to rotate correctly, and be able to play some games.

[-] Lumidaub@feddit.org 0 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

(sorry, rant incoming)

See, I'd be absolutely willing to learn that Linux is indeed "better" than Windows (in fact, I do suspect it probably is - once you know your way around it). What annoys me absolutely endlessly is how people go on and on about how eeeeasy it all is and modern distros are juuuust like your current OS, really, and there's absolutely zero need to be intimidated because it's all so very intuitive and you can't do anything wrong*! It isn't easy. And it doesn't have to be easy, I'd be okay with looking shit up - if explanations and guides didn't assume you already know your way around the OS ("do cryptic thing xYz, duh"), if they weren't out of date because they were published an entire month ago and if people didn't pretend.

* I almost broke my display tablet in my Mint experiment because while trying to get the driver to work, I followed a guide that explained nothing (so for every step I looked up another guide which lead to another guide to another guide to another guide.......). No I don't know what went wrong because I don't know what the guide was making me do. Luckily, I'm tech savvy enough to fix it on my own - under Windows.

Edit, 3 days later: lolnope trying to get the thing running under Mint did break the tablet, I just thought it was fixed, but the problem is more serious. Brilliant.

[-] leave_it_blank@lemmy.world 1 points 3 weeks ago

Thank god I'm not the only one. I was convinced it was me! i used Mint for two months, and when everything works it's good, but the second you encounter a problem it becomes a nightmare.

[-] Ftumch@lemmy.dbzer0.com -1 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

Using the command prompt is not coding.

Ackshually, whenever you write something into the command prompt and it works, you're writing valid Bash (or whatever shell you're using) code. Bash is a programming language, so technically you are coding.

For example, try typing the following into a terminal:

for ((i = 0; i < 10; i++)); do echo $i; done

You just counted to nine using a loop and a variable!

this post was submitted on 17 Aug 2025

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