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Switched to Linux, don't know what to do
(lemmygrad.ml)
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this post was submitted on 11 Nov 2023
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Linux
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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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From a recovering distro-hopping addict, there's two ways to dip your toes in to the various Linux experiences:
When you install your distro, partition a separate /home folder that is distinct from your root and boot partitions. There are many good walkthroughs on YouTube on doing this process, it's fairly simple. Once you do that you can keep your home folder intact as you install different distros over the top. Just make sure to mark you /home folder each time and don't format it during install.
Like another commenter said, try distrobox. It will allow you to test out the various distro bases pretty conveniently. Another similar option is learning how to set up virtual machines. Again, sounds more difficult than it is. There's many good videos that walk you through the process.
Aside from the mechanics of testing out different options, I would recommend KDE as a desktop environment. Cinnamon and Gnome are both flexible, but do feel more restricting than I like. You can customize nearly every element of KDE, I really like it.
Really, most distros are fairly similar, aside from using different package managers and having different sets of software pre-installed. The desktop environment is where you'll experience the most user facing differences.
If you like to tinker, make your way over to an arch based distro at some point. I've really enjoyed endeavourOS, but you will need to mess with config files to get your printer working and things like that.