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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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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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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Get a usb drive and try out different distros before committing. With Linux you can make use of a feature called LiveUSB which allows you to boot from USB a full usable operating system without changing anything in your filesystem.
The steps here should work for any distro not just Ubuntu. https://documentation.ubuntu.com/desktop/en/latest/how-to/create-a-bootable-usb-stick/
Once created, restart your mac and hold alt when you hear the chime and select the USB drive from the boot screen. Spend sometime in the new OS, get a feel for it, and if you like it you can install, if not, restart and you will be back in macOS as if nothing happened.