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Advice for a Mac user switching to Linux?
(sh.itjust.works)
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this post was submitted on 19 Jan 2026
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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
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Ignore people telling you you have to use GNOME. Use whatever looks good to you. I actually have a KDE Plasma desktop with a Mac-like layout. The DE doesn't matter much though.
Fully agree that the DE doesn't matter much. I've used KDE and XFCE the most over the years, and cinnamon, gnome, and even enlightenment a bit over the years. I was never a big fan of gnome, however I recently got a 2in1 laptop, and after a few days of tinkering... I think gnome is a bit better for that kind of interaction than than the others.
There are things to like and dislike with all of them I'd say.
I used a customized XFCE with Peppermint OS 10. They did a redesign with 11 and it just wasn't the same. I miss that desktop so much. XFCE is great, especially on lower-end hardware. The biggest downer for me is no global menu support.
The Mac themes on KDE are pretty great, and so is the customizability. KDE makes things very easy to tweak until you like it. GNOME does not.
I went from Mac to Linux and use Plasma because I really can't get on with GNOME. People go on like its 1:1 to macOS, but it really isn't. GNOME feels so much more restrictive to me.