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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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My wife asked me last summer to switch her, because she didn't like the news she was hearing about "recall" and being forced to have AI.
She is far from techie, but is over a year on Mint with no issues.
She actually switched before me, because I was distro hopping trying to find the right one for me, so I dual booted for a while. But I am 9 months on a single distro and happy to be rid of Windows.
Which distro did you stay on? I was trying Manjaro but Plasma had random freezes and stutters all the time, XFCE felt like an unfinished product and GNOME was even worse than XFCE. Solus Budgie gave me only black screens, and most others also didn't run well on my old machine. Linux Mint runs stable so far and looks stunning and it also runs my games better than Windows 10 so that's a win.
Xfce is pretty polished; however, you need to theme it to look good. On the other hand, even some themes from the 2000s should just work, so there's that. Either way, Cinnamon looks quite good, so if you're happy with it, good for you!
You don’t have to distro hop to switch desktop environments. You can install KDE Plasma (5.27 though) on LinuxMint.
I tried Manjaro for a while and had the same issues with KDE Plasma, which originate with the Nvidia drivers. Unfortunately, Manjaro is pretty poorly maintained and always manages to break itself within a couple months.
If you're looking a for a super stable and reliable Arch-based distro, try Garuda. I've been running Garuda with KDE for over 7 months without a single issue.
I wanted something with cutting edge. I like hardware upgrades. I also wanted something I could game on without a lot of fuss, because I was new to Linux. And not that it matters, because you can switch easily, I wanted KDE.
I ended up with Garuda. I'm pretty happy with it.
I'm glad I did choose something which keeps up with the kernel, because I was having power management issues and monitor issues on every other distro I tried before this one, and none of them affected me here. I'm pretty sure the combo or a newer kernel and Plasma 6.something is what did it.
Setting up my wife's first mini-desktop PC with Fedora Silver Blue this weekend! There are some perks to being the family sysadmin (i.e., since nobody else wants to deal with the system they get a relatively stable Linux flavor on any new machine)
Her old laptop is shitting itself and on Windows 10. Hoping for a clean cut over.
I could never go back to an immutable distro like Windows. I want to be able to uninstall critical system programs and be able to update without rebooting.
I hear ya. I wanted the simplest, borderline unbreakable, PC for my wife. She is non-technical and I want it to feel like it "just works" so she doesn't accidentally brick it. I use arch on my main PC and agree that control over everything without jumping through too many hoops is nice. I wouldn't choose silver blue for me, but... I just want stability/to not have to manage it closely for her.
well alright, maybe just a little bit moreso. But Windows has been doing shitty shenanigans and prompting a number people to switch for many years, W11 isn't unique in this regard. Microsoft have long-demonstrated they could reach out the computer monitor and slap every user around a bit with a large trout, and still keep 95% of their user base.
Microsoft have long-demonstrated they could reach out the computer monitor and slap every user around a bit with a large trout, and still keep 95% of their user base.
so too can the democrats w their base. lol
What does politics have to do with an operating system? How are republicans annd MAGA immune from your statement? It’s best to leave politics out of it.
Politics influences every single aspect of everyone's life and is the core reason why Windows is so dominant on the desktop despite there being a significantly better alternatives w Linux.
Better late than never. I hope the momentum continues.
Good. The more people switch, the more support there will be.
I’m not very techie at all but after using some guides I learned how to dual boot and distro hop. I’m now all in on CachyOS and have been super happy with it. Ditched windows for good a few months ago.
