Posted on 01/30/2019 4:21:29 AM PST by ShadowAce
Changing operating systems is a big step for anybody -- all the more so because many users are uncertain about exactly what an operating system is.
However, switching from Windows to Linux is especially hard. The two operating systems have different assumptions and priorities, as well as different ways of doing things. As a result, it is easy for new Linux users to wind up confused because the expectations they have developed using Windows no longer apply.
For instance, here, in no particular order, are seven mistakes that refugees from Windows can fall into when they start to use Linux:
Linux comes in several hundred different versions, or distributions as they are called. Many of these are specialized and intended for different versions or users. Choose the wrong one, and your first hands- on encounter with Linux can quickly become a nightmare.
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If you are switching with the help of a friend, make sure that their recommendation is suitable for you, not them. Dozens of articles are available to help you, but if you stay with the top twenty or so on the Distrowatch listings, you are unlikely to go wrong.
Better yet, try a Live DVD of a distribution before installing it. A Live DVD runs the distribution from an external device, allowing you to test it without making any changes to your hard drive. In fact, unless you know how to make drives accessible under Linux, you won't even be able to see your hard drive.
Because of limited experience, many Windows users do not understand that a new operating system means new programs and new ways of doing things. No, your Windows programs will not run on Linux unless you use WINE or have a virtual Windows machine. You can't run MS Office or PhotoShop either -- you'll have to learn LibreOffice and Krita instead. These days, the applications will probably have the same features as similar ones on Windows, but their features may have different names and may be available from different menus or toolbars.
Even the assumptions are different. Windows users are especially likely to be taken aback by the idea that they more than one desktop environment to choose from -- at least seven main ones, and several dozen minor ones.
In Windows, new software is installed as a completely separate program. Often, it include all the libraries and other dependencies it requires.
Two services called Flatpak andSnap are currently introducing a similar installation system on Linux, but they are largely for mobile and embedded devices. More often, Linux depends on a package management system in which programs install only the software that is absolutely necessary, relying on what is already installed to supply anything else that is needed.
Package management is essentially the workstation and laptop equivalent of Google Play on a phone or tablet: it is quick, and requires no physical media for installation. However, it can also save 20-35% of hard drive space because dependencies are not duplicated.
Linux users value control. It provides services, but by default they have to be run manually. For example, most distributions will let you know that updated software is available, but you will have to choose to install the updates.
If you choose, you can even decide on each update separately. You may, for example, not want to run a new kernel because something in your installation requires keeping the existing one. Or perhaps you want to run all the security updates, but not the routine new releases. The choice is yours.
Many Windows users ignore passwords because logging in is inconvenient. At least as many routinely run an administrative account for convenience.
Neither practice is easy on Linux. Many distributions, especially those based on Ubuntu, use sudo, to prevent running as root, and most others are installed so that root cannot be run with a graphical interface. However, if you do succeed in setting up either of these practices on Linux, be aware that you are nullifying most of Linux's security advantages (and that neither is recommended for Windows, either)
Oh, and the option for automatic logins you might see on an install program? Those are intended for unusual circumstances like virtual machines that contain no private information.
Linux does occasionally need defragmentation, but only when a partition is being recovered or is nearly full. And, of course, as solid state hard drives become increasingly popular, defragmentation is becoming a concern of the past, although solid state drives do require a regular running of trim on any operating system.
Similarly, anti-virus software is a major concern only when your Linux installation is regularly passing on files to Windows machines. Very few Linux viruses or malware exist, and running a non-root account for everyday purposes, using strong passwords, and keeping a current backup should be enough to thwart them.
Software costs on Windows, and most categories are monopolized by one company -- for example, MS Office for office suites, and Adobe for graphics and design. These conditions encourage users to stick with the same applications, no matter what their faults.
On Linux, the story is different. Only a few high end programs cost, and almost every category of software has two or three alternatives, all available as downloads in ten minutes or less. If one alternative doesn't suit you, you can delete it and install another one with no greater effort. On Linux, you almost always have a choice.
Probably no amount of advice can completely prepare Windows users for Linux. Even saying that new users should keep an open mind is only limited use, because expectations run so deep that many users are unaware that they even have them.
The best that new Linux users can do is expect to make mental adjustments, and to take some time getting used to them. The transition will take some effort, but, in the long run, it should repay the effort of making the switch many times over.
“It really bugs me when people put the blame on users for being users.”
my very first thought when i read the headline ... funny, though, for all their faults, Apple rarely blames users for usability issues, though Apple does occasionally try to blame users when Apple’s hardware is faulty ...
Win7 is on my rarely turned on office box. I will never upgrade it to Win10 or whatever they come up with. Win7 is the end of the line for this mostly Linux user.
Correction to my last post. Calligra shows up but not Krita.
I read this article a a win 7 user and why I gave it a shot. I read many many articles that recommended the Mint Cinnamon as the best version for someone moving from Windows to Linux. And from my experience so far it was definitely very comfortable to use right away as a Win 7 user moving to linux for the first time.
https://www.zdnet.com/article/mint-18-3-the-best-linux-desktop-takes-big-steps-forward/
And here is an article about the newer more recent version 19.1
https://www.zdnet.com/article/linux-mint-19-1-the-better-than-ever-linux-desktop/
“I will never upgrade it to Win10 or whatever they come up with. Win7 is the end of the line for this mostly Linux user.”
Same here...
Okay; a restart has Krita showing up now. All good. This must be one of the rare programs that Linux needs a restart for unlike Windows which needs to be restarted for every little thing. When I was a Windows tech I felt like half my life was waiting on Windows to reboot.
I have ran into that a few times. A restart will make the item show up in the menu. I think they are there and can be run from the terminal but just not in the menu yet? Now there is something that would be handy and missing from Linux, an alert notice that it might need to be restarted for the item to show up in the menu. Like you, I had to figure that one out on my own.
Reading/posting this on my 10 year old laptop that was until yesterday running XP! Today it is running Ubuntu 18.04. I kept XP so long because I needed CorelDRAW but I’ve become familiar with Inkscape and GIMP and would just as soon keep the $2000 I’d have spent for a new box, Corel(Xwhatever) and Windows 10 so they can all go extinct in 3 years.
It's *possible* that merely logging out and back in would have fixed it.
I know I have to do that with webpages once in a while to see the new changes I have made to it. I will try that next time it happens so we will know for sure that will fix it also. :)
It’s one of the very dew quirks I have ran into so far with this. Too small to stress about. lol
Maybe. It had been a couple of months since I restarted it anyway.
“Linux comes in several hundred different versions, or distributions as they are called.”
I think this is the biggest problem (and strength) with Linux - version fragmentation.
“when Im not at work, I generally dont want my computer to be work.”
Exactly, I get my fill of screwing with software all day at work. At home I want something that just works, in the expected way, without a lot of futzing. Windows 10 (I preferred 7) is at least closer to that mark than any Linux I’ve worked or played with.
Been running Win 7 Pro for 5 years. Number of times I have needed support = zero. M$FT ending 'support' on Win 7 doesn't bother me. I've got all updates turned off.
That's the plan.
Alternatively I'm considering Linux 'only' with Win 7 running in a virtual machine.
We'll see. I have no experience with a virtual machine.
Doing a bunch of Internet research.
Do you have files you want to save from the windows folders? If so I highly recommend Installing the linux over the windows as dual boot first time around. This way you can go grab whatever you want to save from the windows folders and drag and drop them into the corresponding linux folders. That way you don’t have to transfer them to a stick or other medium and then back to the linux. The file drag and drop from windows to linux works great when set up as dual boot.
But one thing I do not know and maybe someone else can answer this? This transferring of the windows files to the linux folders might not work if you encrypt the linux OS during install. Anyone have any experience whether this still works or not when the linux is encrypted?
Please let is know how it all goes for you!
Many thanks for posting!
Ubuntu user here; I only tolerate windows cause work dictates it; even then, they use win7.
Thanks for your comments. I’m still reading and trying to learn. This Windows running as a virtual machine inside Linux is kind of a mind blower. Know anybody that’s had good success with this?
I’m not going to encrypt Linux. That, for now, is just another layer of uncertainty for me. Right now my motto is “keep it simple stupid.” :)
Absolutely... “Kiss”, That’s what I did, Even though I am fairly hip to working with Computers I put myself in the shoes of a noob and just trusted the Linux install software and process to make a dual boot machine and it went flawlessly for me. The advantage is if the Linux ever has issues and won’t load, I can still boot in windows and go get what I need to fix the Linux.
I would do this one step at a time if it was me, Get the Linux installed and then play with a VM after you check out the Linux for awhile. But you can run any second OS in a virtual machine. I have mine dual boot Linux over Win 7, And also have a VM set up with another like kind Linux in it.
But it really comes down to whether you have windows programs and files you still need to use or save. If so, installing Linux over the windows as dual boot is the best way to go at this point. You can always change this later by setting up a VM if you like. One thing I do know, unless you absolutely need windows for some reason, you may not want anything more to do with windows once you settle into Linux.
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