Bump for people who are having difficulties with the second bot protection. It's not actually a puzzle, it's not cryptic in any way, you don't need to overthink. I've used monospace so the both lines can be aligned correctly. The second line is your key.
Comment has been collapsed.
What do you think about draugerOS as a solely gaming oriented OS (dual boot with windows).
Comment has been collapsed.
Haven't heard of it but just checked. It's Ubuntu-based and uses XFCE as desktop environment. So expect something closer to WinXP UI. However they said that they added gaming specific optimizations, so I guess it's a fine choice from outside. I would check video reviews though.
Comment has been collapsed.
I have a VirtualBox image of Kali Linux for competitions and class. Easier for me than switching to Linux at this point as all my school work is on Windows.
Comment has been collapsed.
Benchmarks of CachyOS look good https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/179cec8/big_performance_difference_bw_popos_and_cachy_os/
Gonna try it soon
Comment has been collapsed.
I wouldn't say that it's difficult to manage, there is a wizard panel with checkboxes which allows to install everything with couple of clicks, it also has more options to install different DE. I run it with Openbox environment. It runs perfectly well on my low end celeron pc with intel hd graphics and it works much faster than pop os which was previously installed. I've also found benchmarks with nobara https://www.reddit.com/r/Fedora/comments/198plpx/cachyos_kernel_vs_zen_kernel/ , there is no actual difference with performance, but I like Arch more, than Fedora.
Comment has been collapsed.
I solely wrote that because CachyOS is Arch-based. There is nothing wrong for beginners to use it but they cannot handle if something goes wrong. I'm on EndeavourOS for quite some time and it only caused me problems a couple times (all of them are Nvidia related), and it's been perfectly fine from the last year at least. But still, I wouldn't want this to happen some beginner user. It's rare but even that one time is huge for beginners. Otherwise, Arch is great.
Comment has been collapsed.
You can simply add the x86_64-v3 repository or even the CachyOS repository to any Arch-based distro.
I'm using ALHP https://github.com/an0nfunc/ALHP
Comment has been collapsed.
Well, that depends on the games so it doesn't work for some people as intended (So a reason to dual-boot). Most of them are games with anti-cheat, yet again most of those games can run on Linux if the developers activate the Linux version of their anti-cheat (Easy Anti Cheat and BattlEye has Linux verisons and works nicely for a lot games).
I suggest Shutup10 to people for that, since Windows' own settings might revert after a system update.
Comment has been collapsed.
I've been intending to make the jump to Linux for my daily driver PC for a while, so it's nice to see a thread like this here. Really haven't liked the direction Windows has been heading.
Comment has been collapsed.
Yeah, I've been seen a lot of people who are uncomfortable with the latest Windows updates and they go worse with every new one. So I decided it would be nice to help people who are already on the battlefield. This thread only addresses those people, I would love to introduce Linux to every other user here but sadly I don't have that much willpower nor time.
You can bump any time if you make / decide to make the jump. :)
Comment has been collapsed.
I've been dual-booting for the few times I might need something in windows or for HDR since linux right now does not support HDR.
Comment has been collapsed.
Yeah, HDR support is still experimental on Linux and you can only have it on Wayland, which is not quite ready for gaming in my opinion. Steam also doesn't have a direct support for it but they are working on it. Also because of Nvidia's closed nature, Wayland experience on Nvidia is worse than AMD. They recently opened the code for kernel parts so I expect an improvement soon, but yeah, not convenient for Nvidia users yet.
Comment has been collapsed.
Usually I am advocate for windows - I have win10 on my work laptop and win11 on my personal. And frankly it has worked fine and I've never understood the complaints. But most of all I have never understood the stubbornness on holding to Win7.
But one thing lately started to bug me tremendously - the god damned onedrive. As the fucking plague. Cant get rid of it without cutting off your arm, yet it fills up automatically with every little shit in your pc and prompts you to buy more storage. Windows went true apple here. I've been on the edge about windows defender as well.
Frankly might eventually switch to Linux as well. But I am still quite dependent from outlook, teams and office, power BI. So I will have to see.
Thanks for the thread anyway.
Comment has been collapsed.
Maybe I am just illiterate in using it, but years ago I could myself control what I deem to be trustworthy - now if there is anything defender does not like, quarantine and automatic delete. I had the issue mainly with torrent trackers - defender simply blocks any possible installer and deletes it outright. Yet at the same time the windows market or whatever it is called is filled with ad-filled crap trackers which probably have more viruses than Malaysan hooker.
In the end I somewhat got a web version of bittorrent running, but I was still not pleased I could not manually say that a file is okay.
Defender itself is working fine. I definitely prefer that over some third party antivirus systems, but in the end the defender is becoming a bit over intrusive. At least I tried looking for ways to actually green light something which defender quarantines, but didn't find anything.
Sure - this is not something majority should be able to do, but there at least should be the possibility with admin access at least.
Comment has been collapsed.
sorry for the late reply, i can feel you. i excluded a folder just for files that i know would trigger defender. its a shame for not being able to whitelist a file but i guess thats how MS wants to handle their product and users!
Comment has been collapsed.
No problem!
I remember removing OneDrive was hard but didn't know it was almost impossible now. I guess it's harder to get rid of it if you're using Windows with a Microsoft account. I recall that it was quite devious to create a local account on new installs.
Cannot say anything about Outlook vs Thunderbird since I use neither. However Microsoft Teams has a Linux version for some time. MS Office is tricky though. There are some workarounds like this but even there Outlook and Access don't work. And switching to LibreOffice or OnlyOffice doesn't work alone unless your whole organization makes the switch. It's fine for personal usage however.
But most of all I have never understood the stubbornness on holding to Win7.
Standard users who use internet daily should keep an un-to-date system. It's fine to use Windows 7 on local machines with no internet connection though.
Comment has been collapsed.
I've seen people talk about Wubuntu a lot before, so if you want to use linux , but your familiar with windows maybe give that a look
https://www.wubuntu.org/
Comment has been collapsed.
When I say to people I've had more problems with Windows than Linux, they don't fully believe me. There are lots of petty issues everywhere that bugged me I didn't even mention here, when I talk about those problems specifically they acknowledge them. People just got used to them and kinda fix them unconsciously.
Even Microsoft subliminally tells you you don't own your OS (My Computer became This PC). :)
Comment has been collapsed.
Yeah, they do that for some features but I don't think they ever give up on a telemetry feature. They were really determined about Copilot too. Maybe those won't be in an enterprise version but they don't sell it to individuals. It either requires an organization or sailing in the seven seas.
Comment has been collapsed.
Well, VR users have no choice really. I guess only Valve Index and maybe HTC have Linux support. HL Alyx had an experimental Linux build if I remember correctly but never made it official. Only 1.92% of Steam users have a VR headset, imagine the Linux users with a VR headset. That's probably why it still isn't there. Of course things might change if some company write an actual VR driver for Linux for their headset. However I don't think anyone would do it without a market share. :/
Comment has been collapsed.
Usually new and relatively rare technologies develop slowly on Linux side, especially when there is no support from corporations and the community tries to write things from scratch. Though Valve probably will make it work but Valve time is an entirely different space-time.
Comment has been collapsed.
I've been gaming on Linux for 3 years now, with certain tweaks you can get more FPS than on win11. Of course some anticheat don't work.
I've been using EndeavourOS for 2 years no major issues. But I can recommend Nobara and Cachy OS for gaming, both are optimized for performance. Maybe Garuda too. With these you will always get the latest software, but Pop_os is behind with the versions.
Comment has been collapsed.
Me too. It's been 4 years for me now and gaming part is getting better every day. Nvidia recently released a Wayland fix and opened the kernel part of their driver, currently in beta but will hit soon with 555. If that goes well, only thing we need left is probably native Wayland version of Steam. It already works fine on Xorg but Wayland is way smoother.
Well, I wrote Mint and Pop for daily general usage with some gaming aspect and they're good for beginners. But yeah, usually cutting edge stuff is better for gaming. I guess Nobara and CachyOS fill that space. I heard about Garuda being bloated but still works nicely for gaming.
EndeavourOS is my favourite too. Though I've been eyeing Void for some time but haven't made the switch yet.
Comment has been collapsed.
In my experience Intel WiFi chips and their Chinese knock-off designs aren't supported out of the box which sucks and prevents me from wanting to try out those 2% market share OSes. Even if chips are recognized there are problems reported with data throughput.
Don't get me wrong I'm not agitating against open software but experience shows that companies aren't to forthcoming in sharing their design secrets publicly and thus driver development is hampered. May I cite Linus Torvald's famous "Nvidia fuck yourself" to illustrate what I mean.
Comment has been collapsed.
Actually Intel Wi-Fi chips are pretty good supported with the latest kernels, you just need to use a new distro. Doesn't even have to be cutting edge either. However Chinese knock-offs usually don't work at all, and I don't think that would change unless they also write their Linux drivers.
While that statement is still valid, Nvidia recently released a kernel part of their Linux driver as open source. And one of their developers helps the open source Nvidia driver as well. Maybe this is a start of some change, maybe not. But these are nice developments.
Comment has been collapsed.
Hello from Nobara Linux :) I've installed MacOS theme i really like how it looks but had to change Apple logo from top left felt like using knock off Balenciaga or something hehe :p Well about OS i've been happily using it for a while without any issues. All of my games and stuff works same as Windows only games with kernel level anticheat software doesn't work but i've stopped playing those anyway no more COD or Fortnite for me :D I'm happy with what i've got atm.
Comment has been collapsed.
Hi ;)
Nobara is nice, isn't it? GloriousEggroll sure knows his stuff well. Some games still doesn't support anti-cheat on Linux but a lot of them added Linux support. Even Hell Let Loose works just fine now. Though there is nothing to do for kernel level anti-cheats but at least both of us don't care.
Nice rice by the way. :)
Comment has been collapsed.
I would also recommend using Google Doc / Office 365
Also, for the more experienced users, I would recommend trying to use tiling window managers like Hyprland.
It's incredibly comfy and fast (Hyprland is also pretty), I can't imagine how you can use a computer now, dragging / resizing those windows with a mouse and alt-tabbing :D
(I use Arch, btw)
Comment has been collapsed.
They might not be fully compatible with all the documents but they work fine most of the time.
I recently tried Hyprland and really loved it. Though had to switch back to Bspwm because of Nvidia. Now I'm waiting for the new Wayland improvements. When 555 is available for stable, I'll give it another shot. Generally I found it really smooth and straightforward. I felt like Xorg is really primitive.
Comment has been collapsed.
Looking at the release notes we both are on clear and this driver will support GTX 970 as well. Just need to wait a little more, Fedora is hasty with these updates so you should be able to use it soon.
Comment has been collapsed.
bumpo for great thread! although i have windows installed on a separate ssd, ever since i moved to nobara a year ago or so, i haven't even thought of going back.
some software doesn't and won't work on linux, but it's so minimal and has alternatives readily available. besides, i can just use a VM for that anyway.
Comment has been collapsed.
Unlike what most people think, having control over everything is pretty refreshing. While overwhelming for some people, having endless options is also great. Once you discover what you like, you can settle there and can live like that for years without changing anything. I mean, you can use this with modern software and I think that's pretty neat. :)
Well, people need to understand that every operating system has their own tools so of course there will have to be some changes. Though one of the best parts of the open source, you can find the same software on every other system too. I remember the times KDE as a desktop environment can be used on Windows, replacement of explorer.exe if I'm not wrong. Nowadays it's only their programs though.
WINE is impressive as well. It can run many Windows software without a fuss. Though I recently noticed that I stopped installing it on my system long time ago. Alternatives just work for me.
Comment has been collapsed.
once i started having to remove all the microsoft spyware crap after every windows install and using open source software on windows just to make it somewhat usable, i started wondering just why bother when, indeed, linux gives me way more control over what i want or don't want to do. using windows nowadays is akin to using a virtual machine within the microsoft infrastructure. it's scary how people just see this and are ok with it because they'd just rather not learn something new.
and i won't pretend like linux is the easiest thing in the world. i experienced a lot of frustration when i moved for the first time, and especially when my first exposure to it was a debian-based server OS (the interface is entirely terminal-based). i think there's still a lot to do especially in terms of newbie usability, but it's so so so much more user-friendly than it used to be and it's absolutely worth a shot given the payoff you'll get in the end.
Comment has been collapsed.
It can be really tiring isn't it? And doing some of these after every update is also irksome. Let the users decide what they want, but no. They force you to have an account, they force their programs on you, they don't even give you a chance about telemetry. No privacy at all.
I guess it's mostly about people's comfort zone. They don't want to leave what's easy for them and that's understandable. However leaving this comfort zone in your term is better than you're being forced to. What Microsoft does is basically forcing people out of their comfort zone by nagging about upgrades. If my system is working without problems, why should I upgrade? The very same system works just fine with Linux and still getting up-to-date software.
I think people should think about the time when they first learned about Windows. It can be not easy to learn Linux, but it's not harder than learning a second foreign language once you learn one. You already know how to use a computer with one operating system, you can at least transfer some of your knowledge, add some more and you would be fine. When people are mentally ready, they can do anything. Some people just need a little spark.
when my first exposure to it was a debian-based server OS
You started tough :) Debian server is lovely though.
Yeah, comparing to 10 years ago it's much more newbie friendly now. There are even Linux system where you don't need terminal now, they kinda work like Android.
it's absolutely worth a shot given the payoff you'll get in the end.
100% agree with this. There is no going back once you taste freedom.
Comment has been collapsed.
Recently had a Chrome update that once again made me question things. Previously I've only used Linux to rescue HDDs when windows broke - which worked like a charm. Apart from that all of that command line stuff just is not my thing. Admittedly, last I checked into Linux is also likely at least 5 years ago and much had changed from 5 years before that and 5 years before that. But considering Windows 7 and 10 are just working so níce... you know, never change a running system. So for me I guess the time has not come, yet.
Make Windows XY have an obligatory AI assistant (spy) on your system and that's probably the time I'll move on...
Comment has been collapsed.
never change a running system
I agree, if it works for you that's great. They're tools for making our lives easier in the end, shouldn't be the other way.
Sadly both Google and Microsoft do a lot of questionable things and it doesn't get any better. They even make their users feel that they have no respect for them.
Previously I've only used Linux to rescue HDDs when windows broke
Haha, I have a friend who exactly does the same thing. Well, it's nice to have a backup plan. :)
I would say a lot has changed in the last 5 years as you can guess. Nowadays there are distros called as "immutable", which means user doesn't have access to the root file system so they cannot break it. Something like Android, everything works on GUI as well. Their update system is a bit slow though but that's an acceptable price. Bazzite and MicroOS are examples.
Today I helped my sister to configure her laptop which has Windows 11 and I saw Copilot on the menu. It seems it's currently optional but your time might be closer than you think, considering Windows 10 has like 1 year left.
(Also it was kinda funny and frustrating that I couldn't change the system to local language, only half of the system changed. On Microsoft forums they suggest a reinstall of the whole OS. The worst part, I saw a lot of threads about this.)
Also, that's a cute bump. :3
Comment has been collapsed.
I've tried Linux in dual boot several times, but ended up coming back to W10/11 each time because there's always something that doesn't work like I want. And I've got too much programs I can't use on Linux at all (MAO software and plugins, simracing stuff, Playnite to manage my game library, ...).
Too bad as I own a Steam Deck and it's incredible to use and most games works really great..
Comment has been collapsed.
Well, it should be convenient for individuals to make the jump. If you're depending on many proprietary software (and they don't really have alternatives), it wouldn't be convenient for you sadly. Would be kinda funny if you game on Linux and use other programs on Windows though, since most dual-boot people do the opposite. :P
Heh, you already do this with Steam Deck though. :)
Comment has been collapsed.
48 Comments - Last post 13 minutes ago by nguyentandat23496
1,846 Comments - Last post 1 hour ago by MeguminShiro
1,526 Comments - Last post 1 hour ago by devotee
454 Comments - Last post 4 hours ago by Rosefildo
16,316 Comments - Last post 5 hours ago by kungfujoe
38 Comments - Last post 8 hours ago by Axelflox
104 Comments - Last post 10 hours ago by WaxWorm
14 Comments - Last post 52 seconds ago by VahidSlayerOfAll
824 Comments - Last post 1 minute ago by Bum8ara5h
50 Comments - Last post 10 minutes ago by xurc
31 Comments - Last post 42 minutes ago by aquatorrent
72 Comments - Last post 1 hour ago by Cjcomplex
2,814 Comments - Last post 1 hour ago by pizurk
60 Comments - Last post 2 hours ago by antidaz
While Windows is deteriorating day by day, Linux has become a viable option even for people who have never used an operating system other than Windows before. If you miss Windows 7, are tired of incessant pop-ups urging you to update to Windows 11, weary of uninstalling Candy Crush after every update, occasionally find yourself meddling with regedit, or simply want to use your choice of browser without being disturbed by the default one and don't know what to do, this might be your chance to discover that everything is possible in the world of FOSS (freE and open-source software).
You don't need Windows, unless you require specific software (I'll address that later). Since we're on SteamGifts, you're here because of gaming, and the Steam Deck has demonstrated that you can game without Windows (Thanks GabeN). My goal here is to create a simple guide about what you should expect and answer your questions if you have any, even help with your problems if you decide to pass the river. SG has many Linux users and the ones I personally know are quite helpful, if not me you might get your answers from some other fellow penguin. :)
1. You want to install Linux but there are too many options
If you checked before or simply searched the internet for beginner's Linux, it is possible that you came upon to the articles where they mention ten different Linux operating systems. There is a reason for that. The main reason is the code is open source and everyone can make their own distro (short term for distribution), and of course every distro has a certain use case. Some of them are similar and there are very specific builds like where you can use your machine as a retro gaming device, a home multimedia server or a hacking tool. If you can imagine a use case, it's probably already exists.
Anyway, I'm going to focus more on gaming related distros here but I'll also mention real beginner-friendly distros.
2. You cannot leave Windows entirely because of a specific program
This is possible and may happen to some of us. Yes, there are many alternative software to what you use daily, most of them are free and you can even use Windows programs on Linux (that's how Steam Deck mostly works too). However some programs do not run well, or do not run at all. In this case, if you are unsure about Linux, you can install it alongside Windows. Your PC will ask which OS you want to use at the boot and you can select either one from the list.
3. Practice makes perfect
Before installing Linux to your computer, practice it somewhere else if you can. Most of the installation medias can run on your PC when you plug it in and choose it from BIOS so you can test what that distro is about before installing. But what I'm talking about is, if you have an old laptop (or a spare one), install Linux there first and try to get familiar. You may not need this, it's just a precaution for beginners. Another precaution before starting your installation is, disconnect your other disks and only leave the one you're gonna install. AgaiN, you don't need this either if you follow a guide without haste but sometimes mistakes can happen so it's better to eliminate them before the possibility.
You can also try a lot of distros with VirtualBox before deciding which one to use.
4. Finally you have installed Linux. The journey starts
It's time to taste the freshness of your new operating system. It's like a new machine.
THE GUIDE
This won't be a "from the scratch" or a "walkthrough" kinda guide. However I'll try to mention as many things you might expect, so you won't get caught by surprise if something goes wrong.
1. Choosing a distro
Many people who are trying to find a distro for themselves get overwhelmed by the number of distros. That's quite normal and there is nothing to worry about. There are no wrong answers (unless you are trying to use Kali as a daily driver. OK maybe there are, anyway). Since we're on SG, your main criteria will be gaming, so I'll focus on gaming-related distros more. Not to be misunderstood, you can game on any distro if you know what you're doing. Gaming distros are just an out-of-the-box experience.
You can choose a distro by being cutting edge, being stable, has big user base so you can find more support on the internet, has a nice default theme, you like the name... Basically these are endless, and if you ask me all of them are fine.
A tip before starting: We have many Wikis in Linux world but Arch Wiki is one of the best. Highly recommended to bookmark it, or just know the name and go for it when you search for a problem on a search engine. There are minor differences between distros but once you learn about the basic structure, you can adapt almost everything from Arch Wiki to your needs.
Standard distros for daily usage (that you can also use for gaming):
There are way too many options out there but it's a good idea to stick to the most known ones.
Linux Mint: If you ever heard about Ubuntu, as THE Linux distro, to the newbies Linux Mint is the same for these days. You can easily use it as your daily driver without worrying about anything. There is also LMDE (Linux Mint Debian Edition), so if you're looking for something closer to Debian, this is it. You'll expect a traditional desktop computing here.
Pop!_OS: Same as Linux Mint, Pop!_OS is also based on Ubuntu. If you primarily used Windows before, the user interface might feel different. However simplicity is a strength here. And once they release their own desktop environment, it'll be a much more smoother user experience. If you want to try something new with the same benefits that Linux Mint have, Pop!_OS is a great choice.
openSUSE (Leap): Another robust distro that can be good for beginners. You'll have more advanced options here while installing, so it is good if you want more things to tinker (like choosing a desktop environment).
Gaming-focused distros (that you can also use for daily tasks):
Nobara Linux: Despite this is a one developer project, the developer is a one-man-army. He is mostly known by Proton-GE (Glorious Eggroll) and he went straight and even made a distro, where everything you might need is already installed or easy to install. Pretty much everything is cutting-edge here.
Garuda Linux: While this is an Arch-based distro and I tend to keep them for the advanced distros part, Garuda Linux made things easy for a newbie. Since it's Arch-based, you still have a lot of options to tinker it. If you don't feel confident, go with Nobara or Bazzite.
Bazzite: This is probably one of the best gaming distros out there, but Bazzite has a one different feature from the other distros in this list. It's immutable (or atomic), meaning the operating system part of the file system is read-only. You can't modify it even with a root user. Kinda similar to Android in that regard. Does this important for a Linux newbie? Absolutely not. But it's good to know. It also has a back-up feature by default, so if something goes wrong with an update, you can easily rollback to its previous state.
Gaming distros (only for gaming):
ChimeraOS: This is basically a copy of SteamDeckOS. You can either use this on your desktop (only recommended for a living-room PC), or you can buy SteamDeck-like devices and install this to use it like SteamDeck.
Drauger OS: A performance focused gaming distro. It might look like any other distro from a distance but the developers of this project don't recommend to use it for other than gaming purposes. If you want to squeeze the most performance out of your gaming PC, this might be a good choice. If you have a good PC, you probably don't need this though.
Lakka: An interesting project, this distro can turn any of your device into a retro gaming console, from Raspberry Pi to old netbooks. It provides you RetroArch as an out-of-the-box retro gaming console experience and that's it.
Advanced distros that a newbie can use (if they are willing to learn the terminal):
CachyOS: You probably won't need terminal if you don't want to, but since it's an Arch-based distro, it basically offers everything Arch Linux has. If you are ready to get familiar with terminal, this distro most likely has every flexibility you might need.
openSUSE (Tumbleweed): Tumbleweed is rolling-release version of openSUSE. It features cutting-edge software with powerful GUI tools. This one also can be used without the need of terminal, however like any other advanced distro it would be wise to get familiar with it.
Debian: Yes, the good old Debian. You probably won't need terminal, after you set everything up. It also has a graphical install option so everything can be done with GUI. Debian has a lot of options to select, so it is recommended if you are at least familiar with Linux. Note that Some users here recommend to use Debian Testing for a more cutting-edge usage, so it might worth to check.
Now that I recommended 3 distros for every category, I can continue with the next step:
2. Installation tips
...to be continued... (hopefully soon)
There is also something "special" hidden in this thread. (LV3+)
Comment has been collapsed.