• starman2112@sh.itjust.works
    24·
    3 days ago

    Mint, judge me

    PS anyone have any favorite resources for absolute tech illiterate noobs? I’m trying, but without a baseline understanding of the subject, it’s hard to find the right guides

    • Allero@lemmy.today
      7·
      3 days ago

      Literally the most suggested newbie distro, so you’re probably fine :)

      Like, ideologically I may mention it’s Ubuntu-based so it sucks, but from end user perspective, it’s alright.

      Doubling down on literacy, Linux guides are either “here’s how to do that absolutely basic thing” or “using veheydgvrl for quantumschropping the badumbliss”. To me, Mental Outlaw produced quite some simple guides (warning: most vids are rants so you’ll have to search for actual guides), Veronica Explains might be the fun option and not bloated with anything but tech, and just searching for solutions to whatever your issue is before you grasp how it works.

      • rockSlayer@lemmy.world
        1·
        3 days ago

        They have a debian based version, it’s pretty awesome. It’s still a beta fork atm, but it’s rock solid so far

        • Allero@lemmy.today
          1·
          3 days ago

          Yep, true. But currently, I don’t see much point in LMDE, as Debian 12 is user-friendly enough as it is - though you’re free to disagree.

    • HStone32@lemmy.world
      9·
      3 days ago

      you’re not using debian? that must mean you hate freedom.

      My advice is to get a hobby. Self-hosting, or home automation to name a few examples. When you have a specific goal for something you want to do, it’s a lot easier to learn.

    • LordPassionFruit@lemm.ee
      2·
      3 days ago

      This may be shit advice, but it may help.

      I have a mint laptop and was also linux illiterate when I started. The way I did most of my learning was by googling (or duckduckgo-ing) “How do I [x] linux mint” and reading through stack overflow threads. If this doesn’t return results, (almost) any solution for Debian or Ubuntu will work on Mint.

      In general, I just assumed that if I thought the computer could do it, there would be a way to do it.

      • starman2112@sh.itjust.works
        1·
        3 days ago

        That’s the thing, I don’t know enough to know what to even ask. So far I’ve been able to follow step-by-step instructions for installing Mint and downloading software, but I don’t know what I’m doing at all.

        One example of something I spent hours on is adding Cura to the panel. I finally got that done while I was writing this comment by following AndyMH’s answer here.

        Now, I can read

        I would move the appimage into a folder in PATH. If you create a folder /home/you/bin it is automatically added to PATH next time you boot.

        And I can do that. I have no idea what PATH is or why I want to do that, but I can do it. And I can look it up, and I’m sure I’ll eventually get to a point where all of this makes sense to me, but I feel kind of helpless when I have to look up multiple terms every time I want to do something as simple as adding an application to the panel

        • InternetCitizen2@lemmy.world
          2·
          3 days ago

          That’s the thing, I don’t know enough to know what to even ask.

          Fair enough.

          I have no idea what PATH is or why I want to do that, but I can do it

          Its really only for non standard installs. That is outside of the package manager or flatpak. PATH is just where the computer will look for executables. Since you installed from source or some other side then it won’t be in the normal /bin. You’re just updating your PATH to include other places.

  • Skyline969@lemmy.caEnglish
    1821·
    4 days ago

    Linux Mint. Cinnamon. With a Windows Vista theme. It confuses and/or irritates everyone who sees it.

  • dejected_warp_core@lemmy.world
    5·
    3 days ago

    Put any distro in front of me and provided I don’t need to master it, I’m good. Ubuntu is fine. Debian is fine. RedHat is fine. Fedora is fine. I even have a tiny low-end system that is using Bohdi. Whatever. We’re all using mostly the same kernel anyway.

    90% of what I do is in a container anyway so it almost doesn’t matter; half the time that means Alpine, but not really. That includes both consuming products from upstream as well as software development. I also practically live in the terminal, so I couldn’t care less what GUI subsystem is in play, even while I’m using it.

    • TheRedSpade@lemmy.world
      5·
      4 days ago

      Steam Deck is weird. I mean, I love it, but coming from vanilla Arch it can be frustrating at times. Discover is terrible. Luckily, Distrobox is a thing.

      • Zaemz@lemmy.worldEnglish
        1·
        3 days ago

        I putz with Discover sometimes. Though I have no idea how it resolves package updates under the hood, as it often will produce a different manifest than running dnf itself.

        What would you like to see improved?

        • TheRedSpade@lemmy.world
          3·
          3 days ago

          I usually can’t find what I’m looking for, so a larger catalogue would go a long way. I also had problems with some software versions. The one that comes to mind is that Firefox had behavior with the save dialogue that I don’t like. It’s a minor issue, but one that I don’t have with the build in the Arch repo. I have a vague memory of something just not working, but I couldn’t tell you what at this point.

          • Zaemz@lemmy.worldEnglish
            3·
            3 days ago

            Ah, I see! Yeah, a bigger catalog would be nice. You can add more repositories to it, enable Flathub, which provide more options, but something about it does feel hamstrung.

            The Firefox thing is something I know about! You can set a config option in the about:config page to tell Firefox to use your desktop’s standard dialogue. It has to do with XDG Desktop specifications, I think

            • TheRedSpade@lemmy.world
              2·
              3 days ago

              It uses the system dialogue, but it starts from the same directory each time. If I’m saving files it’s usually multiple files in succession, so I want the dialogue to start off pointed at the last directory I saved to. The Arch build does that.

              • Zaemz@lemmy.worldEnglish
                2·
                3 days ago

                Ooohh! Interesting. You’ve got me curious about that now. I’ll have to look into it.

  • fleton@lemmy.world
    4·
    3 days ago

    Just curious does anyone actually care about what distro people use or more just a meme?

    • G0ne@lemmy.world
      2·
      3 days ago

      In real life not at all, online though it ranges from friendiy banter to elitist peeps bickering about package managers, those guys can be ignored.

    • OR3X@lemm.ee
      2·
      3 days ago

      There are a not insignificant number of people in the Linux community who feel that the more user friendly focused distros are for “beginners” and the distros that less so are for “experts” and there is a lot of elitism and gatekeeping that goes along with that sentiment. In reality they’re all running the Linux kernel so they’re all equally valid options. Use what works best for you and ignore the chuds who try to tell you otherwise.

    • dejected_warp_core@lemmy.world
      1·
      3 days ago

      The only time I’ve encountered people that care a little too much about what distro is being used, is right after having transitioned to Linux; the sheer liberating potential of the thing can make you lose your head.

      I’ve come across a lot of professional bias about Linux distros, but that’s usually due to real-world experience with tough or bad projects. Some times, decisions are made that make a given distro the villain or even the hero of the story. In the end, you’ll hear a lot of praise and hate, but context absolutely matters.

      There’s also the very natural tendency to seek external validation for your actions/decisions. But some people just can’t self-actualize in a way that’s healthy. Sprinkle a little personal insecurity into the mix and presto: “someone is getting on great with that other Linux I don’t use, so Imma get big mad.”

    • miau@lemmy.sdf.org
      1·
      3 days ago

      Definetely a meme at least among my friends and coworkers. Just a friendly banter akin to prefering console vs pc or supporting one sports team rather than the other

  • octopus_ink@lemmy.mlEnglish
    586·
    4 days ago

    That’s all well and good, but can we talk about proper use of this meme template?

  • Captain Aggravated@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    7·
    3 days ago

    The one that does what I need it to do on the device I’m running it on. I’ve currently got four different Linux distros on x86 PCs around my house at this moment.

  • atmur@lemmy.worldEnglish
    57·
    4 days ago

    For as much as Linux nerds (myself absolutely included) complain about distros like Ubuntu and Manjaro, I’d still take either one over Windows or MacOS any day.

    • OpenStars@discuss.onlineEnglish
      282·
      4 days ago

      Mac OSX isn’t bad… so long as you sell it your soul, and don’t want freedom in return, it’s great 👍.

      I kid… mostly - it’s iOS that is horrifying, but Mac OSX is still Unix (tho not GNU), so not anywhere within leagues of Microdick.

      And - possibly dumb question - couldn’t you always just run a Linux VM at near-native speed, and get the benefits of both?

      • helenslunch@feddit.nl
        342·
        4 days ago

        MacOSX is great, other than the fact that it only runs on insanely overpriced, un-upgradeable and irreparable hardware. And that you have what I would consider limited control over it.

        • OpenStars@discuss.onlineEnglish
          16·
          4 days ago

          Other than all that, yeah:-)

          img

          Still not comparable to Windows though, imho.

          Its sins are just of a different sort - e.g. you don’t need to repair or upgrade those machines so often, bc they work so well for so long as it is, plus other than for gaming, who even upgrades machines these days to begin with?

          For non-gaming, Macs are great machines. So too are Linux. While Windows sux ass no matter what. Thus that’s the dividing line, imho.

            • OpenStars@discuss.onlineEnglish
              41·
              4 days ago

              I mean… a Mac machine will run non-Mac OSX software. Pretty much everything can run linux, with a little effort put into it:-) (unless somehow these M chips have prevented that? even if so, surely it’s only a matter of time before someone cracks that barrier)

              But yeah, it’s definitely a choice. e.g., Apple does not even sell cheap Macs, whereas machines intended to run Windows can be bought all up and down the scale - though I recall at various points in time, comparing equivalently-equipped machines, Apple ones were pound-for-pound actually cheaper than their Windows equivalents. This is ofc b/c of the monopolistic practices: when you rigidly control the hardware, you are able to order in bulk, and when you order in bulk, you are able to get large discounts from the supplier!

              Though surely nobody was arguing to purchase a Mac, not knowing who or what Apple is or is about? Installing Arch Linux is also known to be somewhat ah… “tricky”, so if we are comparing things like ease-of-use, the question gets back to OP’s “which distro?” And it’s all a matter of choice - what you want to get out of it, and which constraints you want to live underneath.

              But anyway, we were talking about “Mac OSX”, which yeah, very much is limited to specific sets of hardware, and cannot be installed willy-nilly on any old machine, this is very much a true statement, to be paid very much attention to by anyone wanting to learn more, or use that in their purchasing / installation decisions:-). I was just saying that while Apple (& iOS) may be evil these days, Mac OSX itself kinda is great, caveat: if you can live with its restrictions, and moreover, those are MUCH less than Microsoft’s set of restrictions these days (whereas Linux has its own set of difficulties).

              • helenslunch@feddit.nl
                22·
                4 days ago

                I mean… a Mac machine will run non-Mac OSX software.

                Ah yes, the worst of both worlds! Wonderful!

                I recall at various points in time, comparing equivalently-equipped machines, Apple ones were pound-for-pound actually cheaper than their Windows equivalents.

                I don’t ever recall that…

                • OpenStars@discuss.onlineEnglish
                  2·
                  4 days ago

                  I was only illustrating how Mac hardware is not identically the same as Mac software. They are tied together, yet distinct entities.

                  Your lack of recollection neither proves nor disproves anything at all. If you doubt me, look it up? (since surely if I did so for you, you would distrust that as well? 🤪)

                  I did not downvote you btw.

      • JackbyDev@programming.devEnglish
        5·
        4 days ago

        The company that laid me off let me keep my Mac which was a nice parting gift. I don’t think I’d ever buy one myself. They’re just way to expensive.

        • OpenStars@discuss.onlineEnglish
          2·
          4 days ago

          I hoped for that at my previous job, and they said it could happen… but it was never going to, and it was a false hope offered. Why do that to me man…? 😭

          Then I come to my current job, and they have a super old Mac laptop that was barely holding on that nobody else wanted, and I’m like “yes please”!

          Bc if its Windows vs. Mac, and especially if “nothing” isn’t even an option, then a million times out of a million I will choose super old, barely holding on Mac that nobody else wants.:-)

          It’s a single SSH command away from my work Linux, and it has MacVim, tons of other open source software available, plus a bunch of stuff that only Mac OSX has, like Preview and other fairly nice tools, which have open source equivalents like ImageMagick and gimp, but aren’t nearly as easy to use.

          I don’t need a nice car, and I went without one entirely until I moved to the Midwest where it becomes absolutely necessary, but it’s essential to have a good computer for me:-).

      • tatterdemalion@programming.dev
        1·
        3 days ago

        couldn’t you always just run a Linux VM at near-native speed, and get the benefits of both?

        The obvious downside is that Linux is no longer the host OS. MacOS or Windows would be closed source code managing your hardware. And any VM could only be as fast as the host OS allows it to be.

        • OpenStars@discuss.onlineEnglish
          1·
          3 days ago

          The host OS is likewise limited, but more by hardware, so it might be a small performance tradeoff, depending on whether, as you brought up, you need Linux to be ultimately in control rather than to simply run some software.

          So that would not always work, ofc… but it sometimes would!:-)

        • Farid@startrek.website
          10·
          4 days ago

          Privacy and data collection-wise MacOS is fine. It’s their main selling point. Doesn’t even force updates on you. I know it’s a low bar, but damn Windows bar is at the floor at this point.

            • Farid@startrek.website
              7·
              4 days ago

              I didn’t say it’s perfect, but it’s not terrible. And I think that page is mostly about Apple services, like iCloud and stuff, not MacOS specifically. It’s not necessary to use the services.

          • helenslunch@feddit.nl
            32·
            4 days ago

            Privacy and data collection-wise MacOS is fine

            At best it’s “okay but not great”.

            It’s their main selling point.

            The millions of people who log into Facebook on their MacBooks prove that’s not true.

        • OpenStars@discuss.onlineEnglish
          31·
          4 days ago

          I had to look it up (e.g. https://www.extremetech.com/internet/317371-evaluating-apples-data-collection-in-macos-big-sur) and damn, I didn’t know that they collected and sent THAT detailed of info!? (and perhaps they didn’t, until Big Sur)

          Even so, as the other reply mentioned, it’s still leagues away from Windows at this point. But yeah, fair then that both Windows and Mac OSX are doing it, while Linux is not.

          Still, if you had to pick a machine for your grandma to use, or like either Windows or Mac at work (but not Linux, though lets say that there is a terminal SSH option to Linux available from either), I would pick Mac OSX. It’s fine if others would pick Linux for the former, but I don’t think Mac OSX is a bad choice there.

          While Windows… urg, is basically synonymous with being a cuss word nowadays. Witch: “a pox be upon thee - nay, moresooth, may you be cursed to only use Windows for the rest of your days!” (Onlookers: “gasp! what could anyone have done to be cursed with that bad of a punishment!? I would not wish that upon even my worst enemy!?”) hehe:-P

            • OpenStars@discuss.onlineEnglish
              31·
              4 days ago

              That Apple blocks you from running every program you put onto it until/unless it can be properly certified, and that “Big Sur can bypass any firewall restrictions the end-user attempts to create”? It’s true that it’s not nearly as bad as it may sound at first, and they even released a statement that:

              We do not use data from these checks to learn what individual users are launching or running on their devices.

              Notarization checks if the app contains known malware using an encrypted connection that is resilient to server failures.

              These security checks have never included the user’s Apple ID or the identity of their device. To further protect privacy, we have stopped logging IP addresses associated with Developer ID certificate checks, and we will ensure that any collected IP addresses are removed from logs.

              Though I also understand that if someone wants the ultimate in privacy, it’s difficult to trust such a corporate promise, especially one like Apple known to hide or lie about such things. (Edit: also… “developer ID certificate checks”, so if you don’t register with Apple as a known developer then…?)

              I still use Mac OSX myself, but if someone wants to avoid that and use Linux for this reason, I’m not going to argue with them - whereas I would push back a little bit if a friend were to tell me they planned to put Windows (as the primary OS) onto a machine.

      • GregorGizeh@lemmy.zip
        2·
        4 days ago

        “always” in this case is when you have two or more gpus in your system, which limits the ability to “just” run a vm considerably.

        • OpenStars@discuss.onlineEnglish
          4·
          4 days ago

          Ah, for gaming, yes Macs are not fantastic gaming machines that’s for sure.

          Then again, Linux has long been known to have issues with gaming as well, especially with an Nvidia card…

          Unless you use Steam, and then both work, kinda?

          Still it seems like it’s Linux and Mac OSX on one side, and Microsoft left behind thousands of years in the past, except maybe for gaming where literally an old Windows running on a VM may run the widest selection of games?

          But I still don’t see the logic of grouping Macs together with Windows, even for gaming.

          For VMs, I expected more someone to bring up the switch to the M1 chipset, a huge setback for VMs definitely even if temporary, though I’m old enough to remember that Linux and Macs both running Intel were often easier to get things running on than Linux on Intel vs. Linux on AMD. But things definitely change over time, as to what is easiest at any given moment.

          Microsoft sucks tho - now THAT’S universal. Can’t we all just get together, united in our hate for it?! (/s, or, well, actually… not!)

          Edit: hey, anyone want to start like an anti-Windows or I-fucking-hate-fucking-Windows community? I’ll join it today if you do!? :-)

    • Farid@startrek.website
      1·
      4 days ago

      Ubuntu has Snap and ads and stuff, but I thought Manjaro was considered good. What’s wrong with it? It’s supposed to be Arch based.

  • Allero@lemmy.today
    111·
    3 days ago

    Ooookay, this will get controversial.

    Proud Manjaro/Debian user!

    • Ubuntu and derivatives suck because of Canonical and their practices
    • Fedora sucks because of Red Hat
    • OpenSUSE sucks because RPM (why?!) and still SUSE (but they’re the best of the three)
    • Rest is exotic and obscure

    So we end up with Arch and Debian. Debian 12 is good enough as is, and runs on a work laptop where I don’t care about anything but stability. Arch is respectable and great, but requires excessive maintenance to work properly. Among its derivatives, Endeavour is just a nicer archinstall (so, why?), Garuda is cool but unstable and too gamer’y, Manjaro is a bit problematic at times but generally the safest bet when it comes to Arch. So, when it comes to my main PC doubling as a gaming rig, this is a no-brainer.

      • Allero@lemmy.today
        3·
        3 days ago

        Normally when people hear Manjaro, hell breaks loose :D

        Apparently folks here are a lot more chill about it

      • Allero@lemmy.today
        2·
        3 days ago

        The fact that it adds too little to Arch to be seen as a separate entity. And I don’t want to run mainline Arch. It requires too much maintenance to work with it properly, and every update is a bit of a gamble on what’s gonna break next - unless you spend solid time reading notes to every update.

          • Allero@lemmy.today
            1·
            3 days ago

            Yeah, I am aware of some of those controversies, and they sure are unfortunate!

            However, it’s really, really hard to find a well-supported distro free of controversies. Still doesn’t excuse Manjaro on that front.

            I personally did not test Arch for such a long time, but what I had I certainly didn’t like. Also, full barebones approach is not for me, and more of an enthusiast kind of thing. So, to each their own indeed!

          • Allero@lemmy.today
            1·
            3 days ago

            Lol, fair, fair! :D

            But really, I just see no point for myself when there’s Debian 12 already. I’ve always seen LMDE as a backup of sorts, so that the community would remain should Ubuntu really screw it for everyone. Or if you’re Cinnamon maximalist, they have everything as polished as possible for that (but generally you can easily have Cinnamon on mainline Debian)

            I myself am KDE fanboy, though :)