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.
Stop using Brave, people.
I agree on the stop using brave part, but if your blog starts with this argument, your opinion piece means shit
Why was appointing Eich as CEO so controversial? It’s because he donated $1,000 in support of California’s Proposition 8 in 2008, which was a proposed amendment to California’s state constitution to ban same-sex marriage. Eich wrote a blog post defending himself in 2012, when the donation was initially discovered, where did not apologize and denied the donation made him a bigot
I also agree with you. Please don’t be shy with the downvotes
It could not be simpler.
My grandfather in law kept getting scammed and installing viruses while on Windows. I installed Linux Mint on his desktop last year, setup automatic updates, created a non admin account for him, changed a few easy configurations to hide the technical stuff that appears when you turn the computer on, and he fucking loves it.
Keep in mind getting this man to login to Netflix on his TV is a minimum 30 minute long phone call. One time, we had to send people to check on him because his phone was off for 3 days straight; he put it on airplane mode and couldn’t figure out how to turn it off.
He has had 0, yes, exactly 0, problems with his computer since I installed Linux Mint. It’s faster, to point where he noticed and commented on it, and he finds it easier to use than Windows, which has been on every computer he has ever owned.
He brags to anyone who will give him the time of day how much he loves it.
I promise you, it’s really that easy.
Same experience with my relatives. I had some family whose Macbooks were no longer able to update (for Apple forced obsolescence reasons). They run Mint now, and have never had a single problem since I first set them up.
Well, one of them called me because they couldn’t figure out how to attach a file to an email… But that problem would have been identical on Mac OS.
I feel like Linux is good for power users or users like your grandfather who are not very tech savvy. The issues arise with users savvy enough to get themselves into trouble but not enough to understand how to fix it or how to do a slightly more advanced task.
Hi there, I use nearly all the stuff you do and I am on Linux for like 2-3 years now.
I use PopOS. PopOS is a distro with a user interface that differs a bit from windows. But you will get used to it, its not like on Linux “up” is “down”.
PopOS has a lot of programs preinstalled, that help “normal users”. This includes drivers for Nvidia-GPUs and Flatpak which is a way to install software on all Linux-Systems opposed to the normal package managers, distros ship with, Flarpak e.g. has Spotify and Discord. But other distros might ship it too and you can definitely install it later on.
What you should definitely learn to use is the software-center (or App store or whatever some distros call it). This is a central place, where most software can be found and installed. Also all software installed through it can be updated here. So it’s in a way like steam for all the non-games.
I currently use (natively, so no web app or smth):
- Spotify
- Steam
- Discord
- Libreoffice (instead of MS Office)
- Gimp
- Brave (as backup browser to test if it’s Firefox’ fault)
Libreoffice is enough for day to day usage, if you are no power user with VBA-Scripts or mayor macros.
Games work mostly well, but as others have said, look at ProtonDB to check your specific Steam-Games. I mostly play single player titles or PvE stuff without the need for anticheat. Nearly all those titles work.
If a game is not on steam, you can check lutris. Lutris has install scripts for a lot of Battle.net games as well as GoG among others. There is also the heroic games launcher, but you don’t need to know all that yet.
PS: The great thing about Lemmy is that you don’t have to ask your friend, you can ask here.
PPS: If you plan to game on your PC, may I suggest some games? (All work well for me, of course)
Dwarf fortress - is a city builder/sims-like game, on steam for money or on the official website for free, but with less art.
Core Keeper - a small Indy game about digging, crafting and fighting
Deep Rock Galactic - a first person shooter with mining and fighting bugs
Factorio -
anTHE automation gameDisco Elysium - probably the best RPG/Detective game ever
The Long journey home - a space exploration rogue-like
Oh wonderful! Thank you for the suggestions!
Really, you already use gimp, but not linux?
It’s what I got to use in highschool computer class, I’m a sucker for what I know.
Don’t use an immutable distro like endless or silverblue. It’s a whole new paradigm to learn (in addition to learning Linux basics). You should get your feet wet with something more user-friendly first.
My big recommendation is Ubuntu. Normal ubuntu. Not one of the flavors or derivatives. It’s got everything you need, plus very easy to troubleshoot if something goes wrong. Try to avoid using the command line when following guides online, there is nothing on Ubuntu you actually need it for and the graphical tools are very good.
Don’t listen to the complaining about snaps. You won’t notice them, they won’t affect you negatively, they are designed to just set and forget. The complaints come from a highly particular and technical subset of the Linux community.
If you really don’t like the look of Ubuntu, then I’d second all the recommendations for Mint. Those two distros have the most number of non-technical users in their communities because they are both very user-friendly and well-tested. I’d recommend against trying anything else until you’ve gotten comfortable with Ubuntu or Mint.
It kinda depends a bit on the user’s background… For someone who is used to windows and how computers in general works, I would probably agree with you.
But for people who are more phone/tablet native, I don’t think something like Fedora Silverblue is actually that bad of a choice. It comes natively with Gnome 3, which isn’t too dissimilar to Android or iOS. Updates are installed in one fell swoop with a reboot, just like Android or iOS. Flatpaks behave much more like an App on Android or iOS, they are self contained, and don’t affect eachother.
I just set up my daughters (9 y/o) first school laptop, and picked Fedora Silverblue, and apart from learning about the save icon, and learning how to store files in a filesystem, she was pretty much instantaneously functional, having most of her prior computing experience on an Android phone.
Unfortunately the snap argument may have merit after all. Some companies have dropped support for it and are all in on flatpak. I’ve run into several cases where something was available on flathub but not the snap store. And considering gnome, kde, and most new devs are all in on flatpak, someone would be really missing out on some great apps that make life easier if they only had snaps.
Not only that but Ubuntu has really diverged in other areas as well they may only show up later like choosing LXD over podman. People should just get an experience that is closest to SteamOS for maximum compatibility and support atp. Putting someone on Ubuntu I think is like orphaning them.
I’ll be slightly contrarian to others and give a different perspective: you may find yourself hitting some roadblocks, I’ll try to explain.
I set up Linux Mint for my elderly parents. The key thing is, I set it up for them, functioning as the administrator for that machine, making sure they had a non admin account and configured their desktop to only show the shortcuts they cared about (firefox).
It worked fine, and I only got calls once every few months. They got scared if some popup occured, or if they accidentally saved something to their desktop that they wanted to get rid of. I don’t know if that really meets the definition of seamless, and I don’t know if you’d even consider those problems.
The other thing that can happen, is hardware interfaces. I know that you’ve listed out your use case. I’m just saying that if your birthday rolls around and someone buys you a 3d printer where you “just plug it in”, you’re going to be in for a long troubleshooting day, if it isn’t natively supported.
With Steam games, you can often get away with enabling proton, but… Small issues like being able to select multiple drive folders have sent me down long troubleshooting avenues as well. And when I use the word troubleshoot, I’m inevitably referring to the command line.
Lots of people are encouraging you to try, and you can make that decision. I just want to toss out that it might not be seamless. But I don’t think Windows is seamless either. It’s just what most people are used to.
I don’t think Windows is seamless either. It’s just what most people are used to.
This. I’ve never used Windows 11. Apparently, they are removing the Control Panel. If I can’t figure out how to fix a problem that comes up, I’m going to have to search for the answer and test out solutions. This is no different from Linux.
Hardware support is also two-sided.
For example: game controllers.
On Linux, any first-party Switch, Playstation, or Xbox controller works out of the box. Most 3rd party controllers also work out of the box. Even Wii remotes work once paired over bluetooth (and the pointing works but takes some setup).
On windows, xbox controllers work out of the box, except for very old ones which require a driver. 3rd party pc controllers will tend to work out of the box (or sometimes with a driver), but wired Switch and Playstation controllers need hacky workarounds to work or to get full functionality. Wireless controllers can often be paired with bluetooth, but I’ve had hit and miss luck with windows and first party Sony/Nintendo controllers
Yes it is. Pick a newbie friendly distribution. Say Ubuntu.
IMHO Windows is only “user friendly” because it’s preinstalled on most PC’s.
User friendliness comes with experience.
I’ve been on Linux for 20+ years now and it’s not as effortless as Windows or Mac, but it is definitely easy now.
So many things have improved with Linux desktop it’s crazy.
I setup and use Linux on my home PC for the last 12 years, as a non IT person. I don’t use the command line or any IT tools. It has to be user friendly. 99.9% of the time, me, and many others, enjoy a very good, modern experience. I’m happy with the Linux apps for home use. Installation, partitioning, app store and updates are all graphical. There might be the occasional glitch. Where you need online help. Ignore those who say the command line is the only way to solve it. They know nothing about GUI solutions. Nearly all issues are solvable. If you are unlucky, at worst, a reinstall is quick, and GUI based. Your learning can be confined to discovering the easy tools and GUI alternatives. I find Kubuntu good, because it allows me to solve things due to its flexibility.
Mint should be pretty easy to get used to, solid choice IMO, as for the programs
Word, Excel, ect(I’m fine with alternatives)
If you’re fine with libreoffice, no problems
Spotify
Don’t know.
Gimp (would have been a make or break, so I’m glad it’s supported)
No problems
Brave browser (browser is a browser)
Not sure if there’s a flatpak, U might need to add a PPA, but it’s just a one time copy/paste a few commands.
Steam
Works fine, but some games might not run or require some tinkering, check games u play on protondb.com
Discord
It’s a bit annoying because they require u to have the latest version all the time, it won’t auto update, and the package might take a while to update, so u either download and update manually every time (it will be a different install than the flatpak package) or use the web version, peraonally i just run a script to download and extract the
tar.gzversion when there’s an update.brave has flatpack , and you don’t really have to do all that to update discord just go to software store and click update?
I don’t use flatpak but i assume there’s a delay between discord and flatpak updates, or even if there is no delay
just go to software store and click update?
This would update everything, right? That’s usually not what i want when i’m opening discord.
I’ve had no problems with the Discord flatpak and updates. I use a KDE variant of UBlue and the package manager prompts me to update all flatpaks when I start the computer (whenever there are updates available), which I do with one click.
For a new user, i would think that individually managing package updates is probably not a desired workflow.
even if there is delay discord won’t force you to update until there is update in flat pack, and no software store won’t update everything you can update whatever you want, and you don’t even have to use flat pack version to update with software store. most distros allow you to update apps installed through package manager too
There are also 3rd party interfaces which are basically web client wrappers that add some features.
Steam ⇒ No Ubuntu
For Word/Excel alternatives, I would suggest LibreOffice fresh. So, go with one that gives recent versions of it [1].
can I operate a Linux PC these days without needing to troubleshoot or type code.
That will vary greatly depending upon your Hardware selection. I was lucky enough to manage a good enough setup (adding extra effort to check Motherboard components) for Linux support and still have a few problems. [I am unable to get CPU fan speed (tachometer reading).]
I like Endeavour OS, but it being rolling on Arch, means, it is for someone who is happy with troubleshooting and bug reporting.
I had tried Open SUSE for a bit (back then, I hardy knew Linux) and liked that too.
Debian probably won’t work either, because, even though it is something you probably won’t need to troubleshoot for years, once setup, Steam will make it hard for you and Discord, well, no idea. I removed it after declining the new TOS.
I hated the problems with older versions, which seem to be greatly reduced in the newer ones ↩︎
Why Steam -> no ubuntu? EDIT: Ah, i see. I didnt have that problem because i always used pop os
Maybe this article would be a good indicator.
By default, Ubuntu will give the Snap version, which Steam devs don’t like to support.
And installing another version will probably require some configuration and terminal stuff, so I’d suggest going with something that plays well with Valve.This is true. And it’s also why I always recommend downloading steam through their website. They distribute their own Deb directly, and it auto updates.
Flatpak version is also okay but if you want to use a secondary disk then you need to know how to use portals (or the Flatpak configuration tool that I can’t remember the name of).
Yes, it’s easy. BUT:
- buy Linux-compatible hardware. While you might technically be able to get something to run by fucking around, it’s just better to bit Linux-compatible hardware. If something doesn’t work, it doesn’t work, put it on a shelf and try again in six months.
- If you’re dual-booting windows, know that windows occasionally nukes the boot loader, so that only windows loads. This happens irregularly, like every 2-5 years. A Linux friend can help fix it, or you can follow instructions online (you need an empty thumb drive to do it).
It depends! You’ll get a lot of recommendations. And they’re probably good recommendations. But there are most certainly Distros out there that are very simple. I would suggest you don’t be afraid to Distro Hop until you find one that you really feel at home on.
If you’re looking for something that’s simple, out of the box, and out of your way, I’d avoid anything Arch based. Ubuntu or Debian based Distros will have the most documentation and therefore minimize the amount of time you spend looking for answers, however, Fedora based Distros, in my experience, are rock solid and sit comfortably between stable and the bleeding edge.
Start with Mint and use flatpaks. You will be all set.
Mint is pretty dumbass proof.
