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Shannon Skinner (she/her)

@PurpleJillybeans
Thank you for this statement. I fear I will be in the needy category soon.

Realistically, how steep is the learning curve and how daunting are the roadblocks for someone who has relatively little patience for computer tinkering?

I'm willing to put a reasonable amount of time towards set-up, but how time consuming will the maintenance be?

Also, I worry about compatibility with common software, such as Quicken.

Can someone recommend a comprehensive set of tutorials that aren't spattered with jargon, acronyms, and initialisms (my pet peeve)? I don't even know what a "distro" is.

I detest the trajectory #Spycrosoft is following, and I worry that others, such as myself, will be stuck using their products due to the high hurdle of switching to Linux.

Then again, everybody said "Mastodon is too complicated," and I didn't find that to be the case at all.

21 May at 19:40 | Wall-to-wall | Open on c.im
61 comments
75watt

@shansterable @PurpleJillybeans
Oh come on Shannon! This thread was about all the funny things that we should not do (wink wink) to Linux newbies.
Here, a tuto:
m.youtube.com/watch?v=sWbUDq4S

21 May at 19:54 | Open on mastodon.world
DELETED

@shansterable

Because a multi-billions company is doing shit with their product does not entitle you to not doing a bit of homework.

It has never been so easy to use and Linux. Not only the maturity but the amount of content (written or video) is insane. Even from an hardware pov is easier than ever, you have litterally Linux companies or friend (system76, framework, etc...)

Take Ubuntu, purchase it, support companies and get support.

@PurpleJillybeans

21 May at 20:05 | Open on toot.community
DELETED
cameronbosch :endeavourOS:

@petit_suisse @shansterable @PurpleJillybeans the main issue is that some companies are basically a no go in certain countries and many don't have touch screens.

@frameworkcomputer is really good though. I highly recommend them!

21 May at 20:47 | Open on fosstodon.org
Ruth Warkentin

@petit_suisse @shansterable @PurpleJillybeans
Ubuntu means "humanity to others," ironically enough.
If you don't want to answer people's questions, you can just keep scrolling.

21 May at 20:48 | Open on friendsofdesoto.social
weird herm

@petit_suisse did you not read the first post in this thread that said don't be a jerk!?!

You're the jerk right now

Edit: sorry it said don't be a dick

You're the dick right now

21 May at 21:31 | Open on toot.cat
DELETED

@weirdofhermiston did you read the last post of that thread?

21 May at 21:37 | Open on toot.community
weird herm

@petit_suisse I only see one post from that user on this thread- where she's asking for help. The rest are all suggestions for her and yours
Edit: correcting pronouns

21 May at 21:40 | Open on toot.cat
DELETED

@weirdofhermiston

First user wasn't asking for help but was ranting and somehow blackmailing a whole community.

If you think it is a good move, you are part of the problem.

now, like Shannon, feel free to mute me.

21 May at 21:51 | Open on toot.community
Mystery Babylon

@petit_suisse @weirdofhermiston There's no problem that I can see either, besides someone saying "don't be rude and off-putting" and you being rude and off-putting.

Asking a question publicly doesn't mean someone hasn't done their homework. You're making assumptions that help nobody. Tell me exactly how the poster you responded to is better off, having read your words? That's the problem the initial post is calling out -- Linux people posting for the sake of their own irritated feelings, and not for other users or the platform's sake. Just scroll by. If you don't want people to use Linux until they're able to be Linux scholars in public, then they won't use Linux. It's silly.

@petit_suisse @weirdofhermiston There's no problem that I can see either, besides someone saying "don't be rude and off-putting" and you being rude and off-putting.

Asking a question publicly doesn't mean someone hasn't done their homework. You're making assumptions that help nobody. Tell me exactly how the poster you responded to is better off, having read your words? That's the problem the initial post is calling out -- Linux people posting for the sake of their own irritated feelings, and not...

21 May at 22:03 | Open on onycha.monster
Matthew

@petit_suisse@toot.community Blackmailing? You mean, she asked you to go easy on Newbies to Linux who may not know the infomation or where to get the resources? Mind you, some have been using Windows which if I recall is nothing like Unix so already were hit at the learning curve for them as well as some aspect of Linux is little buggy and they wouldn't know how to ask for help to solve the issue.

You are proving OP's point of how you guys are total dicks to newbies and have huge expection for them to know. Not everyone is tech-savvy which depending on which they usually do on their PC, it be ton of hassle for them to setup, troubleshoot as well as learn the alternative software that they used as it as different workflow as well as may not have the features they needed.

@petit_suisse@toot.community Blackmailing? You mean, she asked you to go easy on Newbies to Linux who may not know the infomation or where to get the resources? Mind you, some have been using Windows which if I recall is nothing like Unix so already were hit at the learning curve for them as well as some aspect of Linux is little buggy and they wouldn't know how to ask for help to solve the issue.

You are proving OP's point of how you guys are total dicks to newbies and have huge expection for them...

21 May at 23:22 | Open on blahaj.zone
spiegelmama

@petit_suisse @shansterable @PurpleJillybeans What a perfect illustration of exactly what not to do! Thanks, hilarious crank whom I will now mute. But that's a vote for Ubuntu, anyway.

21 May at 21:40 | Open on infosec.exchange
merzbow and chill

@petit_suisse

congratulations, you're doing more to turn people off Linux and free software than billions of dollars of Microsoft advertising with your whiny neckbeard incel word diarrhea

are you getting paid for that?

21 May at 23:41 | Open on queer.party
betalars :antifa:

@petit_suisse that's literally why the original post was made. This gatekeepy attitude is helping a lot with Linux not getting adopted.

22 May at 1:05 | Open on chaos.social
Thijs_Goverde

@petit_suisse @shansterable @PurpleJillybeans
This is your idea of being helpful to a newbie?

22 May at 5:55 | Open on mastodon.nl
TheStephy_Chi πŸ³οΈβ€πŸŒˆ ♻️

@shansterable @PurpleJillybeans There is a lot of free software that can make you Linux experience as familiar to you as windows. As you grow more experienced you will find things that make your Linux function far better than MacroSteal ever was. You will find that you can write simple scripts to automate dozens of daily tasks so they can be done in a few keystrokes. Linux is easy to love!

21 May at 20:25 | Open on universeodon.com
snahn ip

@shansterable @PurpleJillybeans the beautiful thing about Linux is you can set it up onc and do updates regularly and you'll be good to go forever without any Windows updates issues!!! So long as you don't choose #ubuntu. Wait no, that's wrong too... D'oh!

21 May at 20:51 | Open on mastodon.social
DELETED

@sn0n @shansterable @PurpleJillybeans Sad thing is Ubuntu is the most experience I have to share.

I get the criticisms: what once they had as a secret sauce almost every other distro either does better in, or specialized deeper in that Ubuntu can manage. (Linux Mint has a huge fan base, Elementary OS does a Mac desktop better than Mac at times, Pop_OS really wants Makerspace types and gamers to adopt it, etc. All of which use Ubuntu as a jumping off point...)

Then there's ArchLinux. πŸ˜„

21 May at 23:25 | Open on beige.party
Yeshaya Lazarevich

@Cefr the best thing about Arch is their software repositories. The worst thing is... Most of the rest of it. I run Arch and I seem to never run out of things I hadn't configured yet
@sn0n @shansterable @PurpleJillybeans

22 May at 3:36 | Open on hachyderm.io
snahn ip

@Cefr @shansterable @PurpleJillybeans don't get me wrong, I've used Ubuntu many times over the years... But as time goes on, I want to use it less. Debian 12 is my new default. IMO anyone willing to consider Linux will likely be fine with whatever the first distro they land on, and desktop environment, whatever it may be. They are all familiar enough to figure out where firefox is and how to get to whatever sites they want. The major bit of it is the "topic of interest" or why they are switching

22 May at 5:35 | Open on mastodon.social
snahn ip

@Cefr @shansterable @PurpleJillybeans 2/2 and Linux... Gamers will find gaming distros, programmers will find programmer distros, office, small business, school, etc.... but at the end of the day, none of it really matters until another Chromebook moment happens, but it's real Linux, not chrome. Most people these days just don't care about privacy.. which is what everyone is assuming will make the masses switch from windows. They have been shouting that since the 90s. Gaming is a start though..

22 May at 5:38 | Open on mastodon.social
DELETED

@shansterable @PurpleJillybeans Separate post to address Quicken... it won't run natively on Linux but there is something called WINE that allows some Windows programs to run on Linux.

appdb.winehq.org/objectManager

I've never had much luck with WINE, unfortunately. It's always been twitchy, dating back a loooooong time. Unless Intuit releases a native version Quicken's probably out of the question.

There are alternatives, but they're largely not compatible if you need interoperability.

@shansterable @PurpleJillybeans Separate post to address Quicken... it won't run natively on Linux but there is something called WINE that allows some Windows programs to run on Linux.

appdb.winehq.org/objectManager

I've never had much luck with WINE, unfortunately. It's always been twitchy, dating back a loooooong time. Unless Intuit releases a native version Quicken's probably out of the question.

21 May at 21:10 | Open on hachyderm.io
DELETED

@shansterable @PurpleJillybeans Distro is "distribution." There are different configurations of Linux made for various purposes. Fedora, Debian, Slack... all distros.

Learning curve depends on the distro. I now recommend Pop OS for noobs. They have sane default settings for basically everything and the installation is straightforward.

Maintenance? There's a package manager called PopShop. You open it and update. Problem solved. This is true in basically all newer distros. Very simple.

21 May at 21:11 | Open on hachyderm.io
DELETED

@shansterable @PurpleJillybeans As far as tutorials... almost all of the Linux tutorials you'll find are written by people that don't remember trying to learn, unfortunately. System76 does have some good videos that might seem particular to Pop OS, but largely apply to all distros. support.system76.com/articles/

If you have any questions, throw them my way and I'll help if I know how.

21 May at 21:14 | Open on hachyderm.io
Holland πŸ³οΈβ€βš§οΈπŸš©πŸ΄

@shansterable @PurpleJillybeans Linux Mint is extremely user-friendly & using command line is not generally necessary unless you want to get very hands-on. There's others too but Mint is basically plug-&-play.

With any Linux system, sadly there will likely be some moments where you will need to do some command line stuff bc so much is just not made for Linux systems that it adds some extra steps to things. But you can even play most games on Linux now at least thru steam lol so its gettin there

21 May at 21:22 | Open on mastodon.social
Holland πŸ³οΈβ€βš§οΈπŸš©πŸ΄

@shansterable @PurpleJillybeans I'm not a dev or even a programmer, altho I'm somewhat savvy (i code my own website for example, humble as it is in HTML/CSS). I've been pretty close to a "typical non-dev user" on exclusively Linux for ~10 years.

I do email, games, graphic design (mostly, but its more hardware limited than software), browse web, play music, word processing, burn USB sticks & other stuff without even touching a command line :) Just as you would in windows & often more easily.

21 May at 22:49 | Open on mastodon.social
Shannon Skinner (she/her)

@itsmeholland I don't play games, so that won't be an issue for me. Thank you.

21 May at 23:10 | Open on c.im
Mystery Babylon

@itsmeholland @shansterable @PurpleJillybeans Mint was what I started on, too, and I was not really very techy at the time. It had a couple of "oh crap" moments where I thought I'd messed up -- but they were fixable with some internet searching. It is a great one to try.

22 May at 0:04 | Open on onycha.monster
Pete

@PurpleJillybeans
Set-up wasn't too hard for me (I switched to Linux Mint) but some devices have funny secure boot protections that make it a little harder. It wasn't too bad, though.

At least for me, the maintenance has been pretty minimal, but I haven't needed specific professional software that I couldn't get in a web version. You mentioned Quickenβ€”is there an online version of Quicken you can use? I understand that Quicken runs well on Linux using CrossOver.

codeweavers.com/compatibility/

@PurpleJillybeans
Set-up wasn't too hard for me (I switched to Linux Mint) but some devices have funny secure boot protections that make it a little harder. It wasn't too bad, though.

At least for me, the maintenance has been pretty minimal, but I haven't needed specific professional software that I couldn't get in a web version. You mentioned Quickenβ€”is there an online version of Quicken you can use? I understand that Quicken runs well on Linux using CrossOver.

21 May at 21:42 | Open on mastodon.xyz
Compadre de Ogum :Ryyca:

@shansterable @PurpleJillybeans I suggest looking if your software is compatible first, then, if not, discovering ways to deal with it. One is to emulate it using WINE or wine based software like Bottles. Other is to choose an alternative software.

If you choose the Alternative software, try it on windows first. Use wsl to test it if needed.

Then choose a DE you will feel comfortable. Gnome and Plasma are the most common, but you also have cinnamon, bungie and many others.

The DE is more important because that is the main way you will interact with the system.

Then, pick a distro. Ubuntu and Fedora are the most common. They say Mint and Zorin are the most friendly.

You will face troubles, but those can be solved most of the time.

@shansterable @PurpleJillybeans I suggest looking if your software is compatible first, then, if not, discovering ways to deal with it. One is to emulate it using WINE or wine based software like Bottles. Other is to choose an alternative software.

If you choose the Alternative software, try it on windows first. Use wsl to test it if needed.

21 May at 21:58 | Open on ursal.zone
bananabob :tinoflag:

@CompadredeOgum @shansterable @PurpleJillybeans I use Gnucash but can't remember if it allows import from quicken you would need to check the Gnucash docs

22 May at 0:56 | Open on mastodon.nz
n8chz β’Άβ’Ί

@bananabob @CompadredeOgum @shansterable @PurpleJillybeans Certainly you can import QIF files into GnuCash. I don't know whether you can still export QIF files from Quicken. You'd think so, since Quicken invented QIF, but Intuit is notorious these days for clouds and subscriptions and the like, so who knows?

22 May at 2:24 | Open on queer.party
Ditol

@shansterable @PurpleJillybeans
Hi, I feel with you. :)
Distro is short for Linux distribution. The problem (for switching to Linux) is that Linux comes in different shells or frontends let's say (this is a very very simplified way to put it, but it's easier to understand this way).
Personally, I am a Linux user for some years but never bothered to learn more than I really need, so I am still a beginner.

21 May at 22:33 | Open on freiburg.social
Ditol

@shansterable @PurpleJillybeans
As a beginner, I recommend you to start with Linux Mint or Kubuntu bc of their look and feel similar to Windows and a really good documentation.
Basically, once the operating system (OS) is installed (and it is quite easy to do by now), the computer is set for the usual every day tasks. There are some functionalities that you will still need to install manually, such as multi touch for some reason, but basically, you can work with it without further knowledge.

21 May at 22:40 | Open on freiburg.social
Ditol

@shansterable @PurpleJillybeans
I even know a guy who is an absolute computer dummy and works on Ubuntu and is happy with it. So, Ubuntu and its derivates Mint and Kubuntu are basically dummy proof.
Which doesn't make them perfect, prepare for some strange bugs or missing functionality. It's not perfect, but it doesn't spy on you. :)

21 May at 22:47 | Open on freiburg.social
Raptor :gamedev:

@shansterable @PurpleJillybeans use a reasonable distro like SuSE or Fedora and it's literally no worse (I would argue far easier) than setting up windows. While most of your windows apps will likely work, I would still start looking into moving towards actual linux/cross platform alternatives for the long run as every patch you risk them adding something reliant on specific windows11 features, there just can't be any guarantee they'll keep working.

21 May at 22:44 | Open on mastodon.gamedev.place
Raptor :gamedev:

@shansterable @PurpleJillybeans oh, and for the love of all that's holy stay away from the reddit linux community, they're "those" people who parrot the "nvidia evil, sell your card and buy ATI, delete xorg" etc, meanwhile themselves playing games dualbooting windows (or telling people to just buy a ps5 if they want to play games...) and only using linux as a toy. The advice you get there would be HORRIBLE for actually having a usable system and running all your software.

21 May at 22:49 | Open on mastodon.gamedev.place
Shannon Skinner (she/her)

@raptor85
I deleted my Reddit profile after they began ousting moderators and monetizing community contributions. Won't touch it.

21 May at 23:06 | Open on c.im
betalars :antifa:

@shansterable I fully support what @raptor85 said. Use Fedora.

It's the distribution Linus uses personally and it is one that has a good balance of being very beginner friendly yet very powerful and stable.

One "odd" thing about Linux is: a lot of information can be found by following wikis and written tutorials.
Especially the arch wiki is really great. Just don't use arch as a beginner. But fedora is architecturally close enough to arch for the wiki to still be helpful.

22 May at 1:15 | Open on chaos.social
betalars :antifa:

@shansterable I'm not sure about that, but you may get to choose between KDE and gnome when setting up your fedora.

These are desktop environments. While your distribution mainly determines what software comes installed and how to install software, desktops determine the flavour of your user interface.

Generally speaking: gnome has a smoother user experience and feels a lot like apple.
KDE/plasma is rougher, but more windows-like. I personally use plasma.

@shansterable I'm not sure about that, but you may get to choose between KDE and gnome when setting up your fedora.

These are desktop environments. While your distribution mainly determines what software comes installed and how to install software, desktops determine the flavour of your user interface.

22 May at 1:24 | Open on chaos.social
Iuri

@shansterable @PurpleJillybeans Hi Shannon! I can offer suggestions based on my personal path.

In order to get a hang of how the interface works, what worked well and not well, I started with a Virtual Machine (like VMWare but there are others out there). Download the type of Linux you want (people said Ubuntu or Linux Mint or Fedora). You are looking for an ISO image to use on the Virtual Machine.

Try it out, see if you can do everyday stuff on it over time. Technically it will be running Linux within Windows. MS can still screenshot here.

Then you can install an image on a USB stick and boot from it. It should be able to access and change your files on your main storage. And it won’t run code from Windows. But if things get daunting or you can’t do something, you can always reboot back into Windows.

Honestly I spent a couple years using Linux from the USB stick. And it took me a bit more than 10 years from my first virtual machine to removing Windows from my computer.

So try it out at your own pace.

@shansterable @PurpleJillybeans Hi Shannon! I can offer suggestions based on my personal path.

In order to get a hang of how the interface works, what worked well and not well, I started with a Virtual Machine (like VMWare but there are others out there). Download the type of Linux you want (people said Ubuntu or Linux Mint or Fedora). You are looking for an ISO image to use on the Virtual Machine.

21 May at 22:47 | Open on tech.lgbt
isotope239πŸ₯ΈπŸ’»πŸ“šπŸ‡ΊπŸ‡¦

@shansterable @PurpleJillybeans Shannon, these days the learning curve for Linux isn't that steep depending on the 'distro' which just means the flavor of Linux you choose. The core of Linux is the same no matter which distro you choose. It's the user interface, default apps etc. that differentiate each distro. Several entities offer their own particular distros such as Red Hat, Ubuntu, or SUSE. You might want to take a test drive: ubuntu.com/tutorials/try-ubunt 1/3

@shansterable @PurpleJillybeans Shannon, these days the learning curve for Linux isn't that steep depending on the 'distro' which just means the flavor of Linux you choose. The core of Linux is the same no matter which distro you choose. It's the user interface, default apps etc. that differentiate each distro. Several entities offer their own particular distros such as Red Hat, Ubuntu, or SUSE. You might want to take a test drive: ubuntu.com/tutorials/try-ubunt

21 May at 22:52 | Open on mastodon.online
isotope239πŸ₯ΈπŸ’»πŸ“šπŸ‡ΊπŸ‡¦

@shansterable @PurpleJillybeans I would recommend starting out with Ubuntu Desktop: ubuntu.com/desktop Note that while many distros are free, some do have a price, usually the enterprise or business editions that come with support. Something to note is that almost all distros come with a set of apps already installed, those are usually free as well. So if you decide to use Ubuntu Desktop, it'll already have a word processor, spreadsheet, web browser, media player and so on installed. 2/3

21 May at 22:54 | Open on mastodon.online
isotope239πŸ₯ΈπŸ’»πŸ“šπŸ‡ΊπŸ‡¦

@shansterable @PurpleJillybeans It's hit or miss (mostly miss) with compatibility with MS-based apps. Your best bet is to run a virtual machine on your desktop and use that to run your MS-based stuff. A VM [virtual machine] is sort of like a Star Trek holodeck, it runs another operating system [OS] such as Windows inside its own little world. You'd then install your Windows apps on that VM: fossbytes.com/how-to-install-v 3/3

21 May at 22:55 | Open on mastodon.online
betalars :antifa:

@isotope239 @shansterable @PurpleJillybeans hmm I don't know if I would recommend Ubuntu anymore. Or Debian based Distros in general.

22 May at 1:31 | Open on chaos.social
Mayor of Nerdocrumbesia 🏑

@shansterable @PurpleJillybeans

You will hear alot of people pushing you toward Linux Mint or Ubuntu. I myself use Linux Mint and consider it the most Windows-like experience. I have used Windows 3.1 to 11 and Linux for the past 20+ years.

I say all this to say, you should avoid Ubuntu. I recently created a Ubuntu Live drive to access files on a locked Windows machine. It took me awhile to find the file manager.

Linux Mint running the Cinnamon desktop is the one to go with.

21 May at 23:23 | Open on social.sdf.org
Scott Wilson

@shansterable @PurpleJillybeans Hopefully I can answer some of the questions:

- Learning curve/maintenance: It's gotten better, but there's still some work you have to do in the terminal.

- Compatibility: Getting better, but sort of depends on software vendors like Quicken to support Linux for the best results.

- I don't know of any tutorials, but feel free to send questions and I'll be happy to give you a comprehensive explanation for your question.

22 May at 0:16 | Open on mastodon.social
Dave Lane πŸ‡³πŸ‡Ώ

@shansterable @PurpleJillybeans I'd recommend installing Linux on a second computer as first step without disturbing your current one if you can. Then do your best to use just the Linux computer until you encounter a show-stopper (where what you want to do is impossible, not merely a bit inconvenient or complicated). As for you question about maintenance: I think Linux is vastly more maintable than WIndows. You won't have throngs in inst IT dpts paid to help you, but some will, gladly!

22 May at 1:06 | Open on mastodon.nzoss.nz
Dave Lane πŸ‡³πŸ‡Ώ

@shansterable @PurpleJillybeans many of your familiar apps won't be available on Linux, but most (nearly all) will have analogous apps that will do the same thing. Just remember that the latter #libre apps have achieved their current state of capability despite having ~$0 market budgets and having perhaps 1/10000th invested in them vs. MSFT & other proprietary software. It's overwhelming how good that software is, built by dedicated individuals, & generously made available to all!

22 May at 1:09 | Open on mastodon.nzoss.nz
Dave Lane πŸ‡³πŸ‡Ώ

@shansterable @PurpleJillybeans once you're happy you can exist on Linux, consider moving your main machine to Linux - but first make comprehensive backups! You can then install VirtualBox on your Linux system & (only slightly illegally) install Windows on it, so it runs *within* your Linux system. You can use it for most apps that depend on Linux, and just treat it as another window on your Linux desktop.

22 May at 1:10 | Open on mastodon.nzoss.nz
Fritjof

@lightweight @shansterable @PurpleJillybeans this is sound advice.

Regarding the ease of install:
My wife (who is not at all into tech and wants a computer to "just work") tried installing Ubuntu for a project, and - following an online guide she found - she'd made a bootable USB and gotten the system fully up and running in about 30 minutes total.

22 May at 3:31 | Open on social.riversouldiers.dk
Sean McCabe

@shansterable @PurpleJillybeans

Linux is a lot like any other OS. There's a start button, the Libre office suite (MS Office compatible) is free, so you don't have to install or pay for it, Firefox, Chrome, Opera, Brave, and other browsers are easy to install with a download and double-click.

I use Linux Mint - it's free, lightweight, and you just need to remember to run an 'update' two or three times a year to stay current (I've gone over a year with no issues).

22 May at 1:46 | Open on mastodon.online
normy foxyoreos (πŸ”ž)

@shansterable @PurpleJillybeans You can get a long way on your own, the cliff for Linux is not so much daily maintenance it's having the confidence that if something goes really wrong you can fix it.

If you're able to find somepony that you know who also runs Linux and that you're not scared to ask questions of or to let look at your setup, you might not need to ask them very much very often, but when you do need them, it can turn a 3 day pawblem into a 1 hour pawblem.

22 May at 2:06 | Open on mastodon.social
normy foxyoreos (πŸ”ž)

@shansterable @PurpleJillybeans Honestly, for me Linux is mostly set-it and forget it. :3

I have family members on Linux, once I've gotten them set up I rarely do tech support. The setup is the hardest part.

But some of that depends on how a computer is set up, I know how to set up a Linux distro where I know it will be stable. That's where new users sometimes fall over. Having anypony around to help bypasses that.

22 May at 2:09 | Open on mastodon.social
normy foxyoreos (πŸ”ž)

@shansterable @PurpleJillybeans When my family members wanted Steam set up, I set it up for them, made sure their drivers would be fine, made sure the games they wanted would work.

And then I basically never need to touch the computer again. But that's because I knew how to set it up.

And from their perspective, they know that if they try something and it goes horribly wrong, I'll be there to fix it. It doesn't happen very often! But it lets them just use the computer without worrying.

22 May at 2:11 | Open on mastodon.social
normy foxyoreos (πŸ”ž)

@shansterable @PurpleJillybeans You definitely can learn Linux on your own and install everything using online tutorials. I'm particularly fond of Endeavouros as a distro for a bunch of complicated reasons I won't get into. You can do it! :3

But my biggest advice is that if you find yourself a weird Linux friend (ie, somepony helpful that won't talk down at you), you can do the same setup and learn things without worrying that if a wiki is wrong you'll just be completely stuck.

22 May at 2:16 | Open on mastodon.social
normy foxyoreos (πŸ”ž)

@shansterable @PurpleJillybeans

In my experience that's the biggest predictor of success.

I'm less worried about whether anypony can learn Linux (things have gotten much more accessible), and more worried about the safety nets to help fluffers in the instances where they do have questions or pawblems.

That's part of the ideal of Linux anyway; at its best open source ought to make computer maintenance feel less isolating and more like you have a community you can rely on <3

22 May at 2:23 | Open on mastodon.social
Bit_form

@shansterable @PurpleJillybeans ubuntu is a nice beginning. I'm still rocking it. It feels a lot like Mac, I don't know any tutorials for system stuff, but anything USB and Bluetooth just works out of the box including printers.

If you'd like something that feels a bit more like windows in design, check linux Mint!

I'll be putting out a zine about first time Linux users or for anyone curious where I'd get into the nitty gritty without jargon, but hard to do when it is actually very different, but I'll be gentle I promise! <3

@shansterable @PurpleJillybeans ubuntu is a nice beginning. I'm still rocking it. It feels a lot like Mac, I don't know any tutorials for system stuff, but anything USB and Bluetooth just works out of the box including printers.

If you'd like something that feels a bit more like windows in design, check linux Mint!

22 May at 2:11 | Open on corteximplant.com
Internet Rando

@shansterable @PurpleJillybeans

Best newbie distros are (in no particular order)

- Fedora
- Ubuntu
- Mint
- PopOS

As a linux desktop user of 25+ years, i can tell you, *using* #Linux is pretty easy for most things. *Installing* Linux can be intimidating.

Buy your nerdiest friend a beer or 3 and have them install it for you. Or buy a machine with Linux preinstalled.

You shouldn't need to be a mechanic to drive a car, computers are the same. Normal people changing engines should be avoided.

@shansterable @PurpleJillybeans

Best newbie distros are (in no particular order)

- Fedora
- Ubuntu
- Mint
- PopOS

As a linux desktop user of 25+ years, i can tell you, *using* #Linux is pretty easy for most things. *Installing* Linux can be intimidating.

Buy your nerdiest friend a beer or 3 and have them install it for you. Or buy a machine with Linux preinstalled.

22 May at 4:32 | Open on mastodon.seattlematrix.org
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