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Is Linux (dumb)user friendly yet?

So I’m building a new computer before the end of the year and lemmy is obviously pushing me towards Linux.

I am not computer savvy, I have a family member that will help me set up my PC, but I do not want to be calling/messaging them every day when I want to open a program.

Basically my question comes down to: can I operate a Linux PC these days without needing to troubleshoot or type code.

I use my computer about once a week for a few hours I would say, so any time spent troubleshooting is time wasted.

Thanks!

EDIT: since a lot of people are asking what programs I typically use, I’ll just list my most used programs.

Word, Excel, ect(I’m fine with alternatives)

Spotify

Gimp (would have been a make or break, so I’m glad it’s supported)

Brave browser (browser is a browser)

Steam

Discord

I would say that while I could figure out how the kernels work, I’m at a point with computers these days where I don’t have the time. My priorities fall with a seamless daily experience. If I have the time to figure something out I can, but ideally my day to day usage being unbotherd is what I’m after.

A lot of the comments so far have been helpful! I’m definitely going to give Linux a fair shot with my new build, probably start with Mint.

RoyaltyInTraining ,
@RoyaltyInTraining@lemmy.world avatar

I bet the others already gave a lot of good advice, but there is one thing I wand to emphasize. The way in which you install software matters more on Linux than on any other operating system. You are meant to install it through your distros package manager, which you will most likely use through the software management GUI of your distro. Do not download any executables from websites directly, unless you are absolutely sure that:

  • They are made to work on your distro
  • They come from a trustworthy source
  • You have complete and up to date instructions on how to install them

Sometimes you might need to add additional repositories to your package manager, the same rules apply there. You might also run into things called Flatpaks and Snaps, these are universal package formats and another great option for installing software. Flatpaks work out of the box in a lot of distros. Number one rule there is to stick to things that are marked as verified, unless you have a good reason to trust them. These universal formats might be integrated in the GUI software manager too, this varies across distros.

If you follow those rules and keep your system updated, I don’t expect you will have much trouble with Linux.

mastod0n ,

My dad is a complete tech noob. I took his laptop, installed Ubuntu, configured everything and showed him where he could find the applications he uses. Done.

MoogleMaestro ,

I mean, yes. But also no, it sort of depends.

If you have very low bar of needs (needing a web browser and some utility apps, without specific apps in mind) then it’s actually never been easier. If you use a Silverblue based system, all updates are done in a transactional way and old versions can be booted into at any time in case something breaks (which basically never happens with silverblue, with some exceptions.) Read only systems means you can’t muck around with the root files and can’t accidentally “break” your system in the way you used to be able to on older OS designs. I would say that “Linux with Guardrails” is effectively invincible, and I would like to recommend that new users try OSTree based systems. For example, Fedora Silverblue, Ublue’s Aurora / Bluefin, Bazzite (Steam OS clone), etc etc.

If you have more specific needs, it can be a crapshoot depending on whether or not the hobby in question has a strong linux presence. Particularly, bespoke non-game windows apps are still a bit tricky to get working and require some Wine (Windows process wrapper for compatibility) knowledge. There are edge cases where running certain applications in flatpak (Steam, Bitwig) can mean that, while it’s impossible for these applications to break your system, you’ll be very limited in options for these programs. For Steam, this can mean more difficulty with out-of-steam application management. For Bitwig, this can mean no choice in VST. These are all programs that have work arounds, but on a read-only system like Silverblue (which I would like to recommend for new users due to the indestructibility) those are all a little more difficult to implement and require you to know a thing or two about virtual desktops. (Thus, not new user friendly.)

I would still say that it’s never been easier, but as you get more famililar with any system, you generally demand more and more from it. Thankfully, with linux, its always been a case of “if there’s a will there’s a way” and the UX utility applications being made by other people have been getting better and better.

My recommendation to you would be to try UBlue Aurora. It’s familiar to Windows, it’s being managed in a way that makes gaming relatively simple, and it has an active discord community to help new users. It also has that indestructability that I was talking about before, but has a lot of the “work arounds” pre-setup for new users.

just_another_person ,

Stop. You’re overcomplicating what OP asked for, and putting your own spin on a suggestion with your own opinions. Stop.

setenforce ,

Having your own spin is entirely the point of a discussion board lol

bstix ,

Yes. Linux Mint works “straight out of the box”.

It comes with a preinstalled browser (Firefox), so if you only use your computer for online stuff, then you dont need to do anything at all. Just use it.

The only technical thing you might want to do is to enter the WiFi password and find the software manager to install any additional apps you need.If you can install apps on your phone, then you can also install apps on Linux Mint.

I actually found that it was a lot easier to install Mint than setting up a new Windows pc. The most difficult part was using a windows pc to download it and making a bootable USB stick. Your friend can help you with that or you can follow a guide.

I have had zero issues and I have never written a single command line. It just works.

Vittelius , (edited )

You can try Linux out without installing it to get a feel for it before you make the jump. Set a weekend aside (or at least a couple of hours) to test drive a Linux distro and check if it is your cup of tea.

This is one way of doing this:

  • Install Virtual Box on your (Widows) PC
  • head over to getaurora.dev and download the latest iso
  • In virtualbox create a new VM
    • set the OS Type to fedora (64 bit)
    • after that you can keep all the standard settings, just be aware that performance is not going to be representative of an actual install
  • Then select the newly created VM and open the settings panel
    • here you go to “Storage” and click on the slot under “Controler: IDE” labeled "empty"
    • click on the CD symbol on the right side of the window, in line with “optical drive” and select "choose a disk file"
    • pick the iso file you downloaded in step 2
  • close the settings window and start the VM
  • go through the installation wizard to install Aurora OS in your Virtual Machine
  • Profit

I know that these instructions can seem daunting but it is easier than it reads, I promise.

Why Aurora OS

Aurora OS is based on Fedora Silverblue meaning that it is what is known as a immutable distro. That in turn means that it’s harder to mess stuff up and break your install. It also means that some things are harder to achieve. But I also think that you are probably not interested in the hard stuff anyway.

Aurora uses the KDE Plasma Desktop, the same desktop used by Valve on the Steamdeck. It has a familiar Windows like layout by default but also allows you to customise it like crazy to fit your particular need (whatever that may be).

Aurora flatpak as it’s app format. To see what kind of software is available for this distro you can check flathub.org . It’s not going to be as much software as Linux Mint for example (Mint uses flatpak and deb), but everything the average user needs should be there.

c0smokram3r ,
@c0smokram3r@midwest.social avatar

Great write up, but OP stated they’re not computer savvy. I’m sure more ppl have used flash drives than used VMs. They are also building a new pc so gotta get those distros from somewhere/another machine.

Another option would be to grab a couple of 4GB or more flash drives and try each one by booting from the flash drive before committing to one.

•download something like balena etcher •download Mint, Ubuntu, PopOs, Aurora, whatever else •use etcher to burn distros to the flash drives • pop in the flash in new pc & have at it

Vittelius ,

I considered that. Unfortunately silverblue doesn’t do live systems and aurora therefore doesn’t either. So a VM is the only way of trying it out. OP stated that they have someone to help with the actual installation so I left the whole create install medium for bare metal install out intentionally since I assume this person will be capable of helping with that.

Also small Markdown help: If you use dashes lemmy will automatically format bulletpoints correctly. You can’t use •s for it. Doesn’t take anything away from your comment, etcher is still the best tool to create a bootable usb drive, but for the future consider using dashes.

Telorand ,

Yes. If you want something easy, look at:

  • Pop!_OS (Ubuntu-based, great for newbies)
  • Linux Mint (Ubuntu-based, great for newbies)
  • Spiral Linux (Debian, easy to set up, rock solid)
  • Aurora (Fedora Atomic based, hard to break, automatic updates)
theshatterstone54 ,

Never heard of Spiral, and I’ve heard of a lot of distros, so I’d steer clear of projects like it, that are new and/or niche, as there will be lower reliability and support available. Aurora is also pretty new, but it (and Fedora Atomic, and uBlue in general) has a strong community, so I’m more likely to trust them.

PopOS and Linux Mint get a thumbs up from me.

Telorand ,

Spiral is to Debian as Endeavor is to Arch. It’s a painless way to get Debian (bookworm) set up.

wazzupdog ,

I had a friend who was about as computer illiterate as they come, they had a crappy gateway laptop(netbook maybe) that had kubuntu on it they preferred it to when they had win vista(yes this was forever ago, i replaced vista with kubuntu because it was lighter than gnome at the time) they loved the kde interface and most of what they did was Myspace Tumblr and Facebook, but even they managed to figure out play on Linux and wine after a few months

scytale ,

The only barrier to entry is creating a usb installer. Once you’re past that, there’s nothing more than basic computer knowledge to do what you need to do. By basic, I mean knowing how to use a computer, so you should be good. Just choose a user friendly distro like Mint and you won’t need to open the terminal at all unless something really bad happens.

captain_aggravated ,
@captain_aggravated@sh.itjust.works avatar

In the last four years I’ve built three gaming PCs and installed Linux on two and Windows on one.

If you can install Windows on a PC, you can install Linux on a PC. The process of getting the ISO, writing it to a thumb drive, using the BIOS to boot to the thumb drive is the same. The Windows installer is kind of its own environment, but most Linux distros will boot to a “Live environment” that gives you a full desktop you can try out and use before installing, and the installer runs like any other program. Some automatically launch it, some give you an icon to click on the desktop. The installer will ask you the same basic things, though Windows asks you more stuff about their proprietary garbage.

The last time I installed Windows, (Win 10 about a year, year and a half ago) it started up with a fallback video driver and 800x600 resolution, and I had to use Edge to download the GPU driver from AMD’s website. I’ve never had to do that on Linux; AMD drivers are supported directly by the Linux kernel and work out of the box.

I have an unusual speaker system that makes a loud popping sound when the sound chip in the computer turns on and off, so I have to disable a power saving feature by putting a line in a config file. That line I copied and pasted from a forum. It’s entirely because I have this weird old sound system of mine; the vast majority of folks won’t have to do that.

I’ll note that I also choose hardware specifically for Linux compatibility. I use AMD GPUs, I make sure to use Intel wireless chips, I have desktop peripherals that don’t require those goofy dashboard apps to configure. Generally go with as normal as you can.

If you’re coming from Windows, I would suggest trying the Cinnamon or KDE desktops, in the look and feel department they’re probably going to be closer to what you’re used to with robust graphical tools.

Standard disclaimer: Linux is not Windows. You will have some learning and adjusting to do as you get used to a new ecosystem. I don’t think Windows or Linux are free of “troubleshooting.” Stuff goes wrong on Windows too. Thing is, with Linux you can…learn how to fix it?

c0smokram3r , (edited )
@c0smokram3r@midwest.social avatar

Linux Mint LMDE is always my recommendation to friends & fam who are leaving Win & Mac environments. LMDE bc ease of use/install & stability.

Slight learning curve, but that goes with anything new to a person when it comes to tech. Linux Mint forums are also legit for quick answers.

Good luck regardless of what you choose! Don’t let the negative feedback get you down! 🍀

-sent from an old MacBook running LMDE

Revan343 ,

I’ve been curious about LMDE, I use the Xfce version of regular Mint, but am comfortable in Debian (at least, server Debian). How does LMDE compare?

c0smokram3r ,
@c0smokram3r@midwest.social avatar

They’re both great starters, imo! Xfce or LMDE is a solid choice for Linux beginners.

Xfce was a little too minimal for me & iirc it’s canonical-based. I chose lmde specifically bc I prefer Debian. I can’t recall if I had any major issues setting up either of them. I think it also just comes down to visual/aesthetic preferences. They’re both highly customizable so either way you’re good!

I’m gonna set up xfce for my dad on an old Dell desktop & i’m sure he’ll appreciate how close it is to windows right out of the box. 📦

Revan343 ,

I specifically like Xfce or LxQt, because I generally run older hardware; I suppose my biggest question is how easily I could use either (not overly picky about which). I’m not sure which desktop environment LMDE defaults to, but both Gnome and KDE are deal-breakers for me, unless it’s easily changeable.

I don’t have that problem on my actual Debian machines, because they’re headless anyways, there is no desktop environment at all

c0smokram3r ,
@c0smokram3r@midwest.social avatar

Ooh, I gotcha! LMDE doesn’t default to gnome or kde. LMDE installs w cinnamon.

Not sure I’ve seen much of lxqt. Will def give that a once over our if curiosity!

ArcaneSlime ,

Honestly if you figured out lemmy you can figure out linux at least enough not to be a 95yo about it.

Use a distro that is both popular and good for beginners, like Fedora or it’s KDE spin, or Mint. There will be learning, there probably will be troubleshooting, you’re switching from something you’ve always been familiar with to a new thing, it is unavoidable. It’s like moving to Mexico, you’ll need to pick up at least a little Spanish. It’s really not as hard as people make it seem, most questions will be solved by searching the problem and pasting in a terminal command, but it’s good to learn what those commands do over time. It might benefit you to use the computer more often while learning if possible.

Do it, you’ll be fine!

pr06lefs ,

No more tricky than windows these days. Nice thing is there’s a lack of commercial BS - spyware, ads, unwanted apps etc. And pretty much no matter how old your computer gets, you can still run brand new linux on it.

vzq ,

Most operating systems these days are just micro-kernels to run the actual operating system, your browser. Most users will be perfectly happy using whatever in most cases as long as you can get one of the major browsers on it.

If they have special requirements, then you need to figure them out first.

GustavoM ,
@GustavoM@lemmy.world avatar

If you mean “dumb friendly” by “An exact Windows clone”… there are plenty of “Windowslike” Linux distros out there.

If you mean “user friendly” by “Easy to understand by any user”… then yes, (any) Linux distro is user friendly as is.

orcrist ,

If you really are so hopeless with computers that you can’t figure out a modern popular Linux distribution, then you should not build your own computer, because that’s much more complicated.

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