this post was submitted on 24 Apr 2025
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No Stupid Questions

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63
Linux help and actual pros and cons (lemm.ee)
submitted 2 days ago by danciestlobster@lemm.ee to c/nostupidquestions@lemmy.world
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Like perhaps many others I am debating what to do with my PC at the end of support for windows 10 later this year. I have read a lot of discussions here about switching to Linux, and a lot of commentary that though it has gotten a lot more plug and play it maybe still has some weaknesses. I just want to know what those are, and if it can support what I currently do with my computer.

Basically my computer is just for gaming. I play a plethora of games both major titles and small indy games. I also use mods on my games sometimes. Beyond gaming it's just basic web browsing.

More specific questions:

  1. I think I need to pick a "distro", right? Based on the above, which distro may work best for me?

  2. what am I most likely to NOT be able to do, if anything? I have heard modding in particular can be challenging with Linux. Like Skyrim mods that use a script extender or rely on various Windows programs. Is that true? Are there some smaller indy games that don't have Linux support (thinking back to the early mac days)?

  3. I would rate my computer technical ability at like..... A 4/10. I haven't done anything too crazy but can Google most issues and willing to learn. Is this realistically enough to get me up and running with Linux? I don't have any programming experience or anything of the sort.

  4. if the final answer here involves running a windows partition, is it possible to safely still use a windows 10 partition, even after the end of support? Or does it need to be a windows 11 partition? Best case is no partition, but curious if it comes to that.

  5. anything else I might run into that I'm not expecting? Words of encouragement?

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[–] BlackLaZoR@fedia.io 3 points 2 days ago

I think I need to pick a "distro", right? Based on the above, which distro may work best for me?

Noone will tell you the major differences, so I'll do it:

Debian: So called "Stable distribution" They have twisted concept of "Stability" which is "If it's broken it stays broken" - their libraries tend to be extremely outdated causing issues for normal users.

Ubuntu: Debian based distro. Somewhat less outdated. Had bad experience with it. Very popular for some reason. Ubuntu LTS basically follows the debian philosophy - broken stuff stays broken, only security fixes are applied.

PopOS: Debian based, but optimised for gaming. Graphics drivers are updated more often + other tweaks

Arch Linux: Power user oriented rolling distro, meaning Everything is updated to the most recent version as quickly as reasonably possible. Rolling distros are recommended if you update your hardware often. Patches tend to be huge

Manjaro: Arch based rolling distro (using it since few years myself), tuned more towards mainstream user - less terminal more GUI.

Gentoo: Compile everything from source code. EVREYTHING

Fedora: Linux by large corpo - REDhat. Well supported and sane maintenance schedule.

Now, while in Windows you get always the same user interface, in linux you can install whatever you want - systems are modular, and usually distro intaller will ask what desktop environment you want.

Two most popular ones are KDE and GNOME. I Really, really recommend KDE because it follows user experience philosophy from windows 7. Gnome reinvented the wheel, and you'll have a bad time readjusting to it coming from windows.

Two more tips at the end:

  • Almost none of linux distros mount non system drives by default at the system startup. Which is stupid as fuck, you can change it via KDE settings without editing config files or terminal (look for drives and cameras in settings)
  • Remove Plymouth package. it provides pretty loading screen during system startup but on some configurations it interferes with display detection - the issue surfaces gradually over the years and noone will ever help you fix it. It's unfixed bug since many years. Save yourself time, life and frustration

Also, if you're looking for file explorer to open your drive and look at the files, it's called "Dolphin" or "Nautilus". Obviously... /s