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Do not use the Arch wiki, it requires you to be a nerd. Use it IF you have problem or a specific question, then it's a god sent (even if you're not on an Arch based distro). Check out Gardiner Brian on Youtube and also The Linux Experiment and LearnLinuxTV. As an advice (I know I will be downvoted for this and also the Arch Wiki advice), do NOT use Ubuntu. Whatever you do, don't use it. It's a cumbersome mess and the reason people think Linux is hard.
Use either Garuda, Solus or PopOS.
Check out distrotest.net for some quick and painless testing of distros (but expect tons of lag).
Linux is much simpler than you might think with the proper distro.
Follow some Linux communities like r/linux_gaming and ask there as you go.
Make sure to install Steam, Lutris (everything non-Steam), Heroic Games Launcher (EGS), Goverlay, Mangohud (FPS counter), vkBasalt (Reshade) and Gamemode (CPU governor) for gaming. OpenRGB and CoreCtrl might also be of interest to you for OC and also GreenWithEnvy for OCing Nvidia GPUs.
Welcome aboard and have an amazing time! I'm sure you will love what Linux has become. :)
They're names of the *distr*ibuti*o*ns (packages of software) running Linux (the core of the system). The biggest difference is between Debian-based ones and the rest, which get less support and more need for "coding". Debian itself is pretty raw, so anything based on it tends to make it easier, like Ubuntu or Mint. If you install Linux Mint, which is trivial on a clean computer, you can also pick between the types of graphical interface. You can probably not bother reading up and pick Cinnamon, i.e. the featured one.
tl;dr just go for Mint Cinnamon.
It's funny how one of the problems with Linux is the choice paralysis in face of 643789 options.
You can play with Mint through your browser here.
The only real difference is the UI. Ubuntu uses GNOME for the desktop UI. A lot of people like it but I prefer the Plasma UI made by KDE. So I use Kubuntu, which is Ubuntu (so same OS base) but with the Plasma desktop UI instead. I find it runs a bit quicker on my HP ZBook circa 2014 (i7, 32gb RAM, NVIDIA K610M GPU, SSD).
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Nice thing about Ubuntu and Linux in general is that you can throw the ISO on a flash drive and boot a live version of the OS so you can try a bunch of distributions without installing them. You can also use DistroTest.net to find a Linux distro you like.
Easier way would be to download the image and either write it to dvd or usb stick and load it as a “live” disto. Running it through a VM will impact its performance significantly compared to not having to go through a windows install as well.
If you google using a live linux distro you’ll see how easy it is, and once you reboot, your machine will be back to stock windows 10 with no mods.
If you’re just interested in having a look at live linux systems without needing to download the images have a look at
Online linux distributions you can test without needing to install anything, but be aware there are a limited number of live users allowed concurrently so you may have to wait to get to use it.
I personally started out with Linux Mint and now use Manjaro (with Cinnamon as my DE). Mint is very user friendly. I've never particularly cared for KDE especially since, at least for me, the KDE interface was horribly buggy. Also seeing from posts in Manjaro, people are getting pretty annoyed with how buggy recent KDE updates have been.
If you can, play around with live versions on USB keys or VM's.
You can also use https://distrotest.net/ to try out different distros.
Ventoy make it easy to create a bootable USB-Drive.
Basically you "create" a Ventoy USB-Drive which will have two partitions. Once the USB-Drive done, it's now just copy/paste the .ISO and you have a menu to choose which one to boot.
It's really easier now than in the past but if you are scared to fuck'up you can use https://distrotest.net/index.php it allow you to launch a VM from the browser and connect to it (it's painfully slow but it allow you to test the interface).
Your specs are good enough to run kali as a vm. Kali linux is not meant to be used as a daily driver ( I did this myself back in the days), I would recommend you to start using any other distribution other than Kali Linux, if you want to have the tools you can install them in any linux distribution. Kali linux is based on Debian, getting Debian Gnome you will have a similar looking UI if you are familiar with Kali. If you don't know much about linux and distribution of if feel free to try some distributions online at https://distrotest.net
As a random FYI, if you wanted to quickly try out Linux you could try the DistroTest website. https://distrotest.net/index.php It allows you to try out almost any main distribution on a server using a web browser (no installation needed). However, it’s quite slow and limited. I think installing Linux on your own device is the best way to learn more about Linux and have a better experience on it.
I get along fine running Mint 19.1 on two machines; though they both have nVidia cards. I can't speak for AMD, but I don't imagine it would be that different.
You might try a few of them out from LiveUSBs (or even a VM) before settling on one, though; there are a lot of options out there and most of them are actually pretty good for varying reasons. If you're looking for something really specifically yours, you might try out DistroTest.net and just go browsing for a bit. It runs everything over HTTP, which is way too slow for gaming; but you can effectively boot them in your browser.
Try a bunch of desktop environments (DE) either via live USB on your own hardware or maybe at https://distrotest.net/
It's the most distinguishing factor in distros apart from low level tech stuff like the package manager. See which one you like best, then get a popular distro with that DE.
This is achievable depending on the desktop environment you choose. If you look into KDE or Gnome, they offer user-friendly configuration that may let you recreate the features in Spectacle.
If you try something like Distro Tester you could try out all sorts of DEs online to see if any of them compete with Spectacle.
I wouldn't recommend running OS off a flash drive for long,
Try this instead : https://distrotest.net/ These guys provide virtual machines for free, so people can try new distributions without all the mess.
yeah i was meaning in some instances when some people are scared of the terminal and just don't want to use linux even tho there are many DEs, app stores, ways of doing things (outside of terminal) and the sheer amount of choice from fully using the terminal to not even needing the terminal (most of the time). it could even be easier than windows (i have been using windows ever since i was 4 years old and i have learned a lot but i don't know many things like why winget doesn't work or how to even use command prompt and powershell) also i sorta think i have learned a lot more about linux and the file system, desktop environments, terminal commands, ed and even the applications i could get from terminal or store (or appimages from the web) in the like year i have been using it in distrotest.net , onworks.net and the hundreds of videos i have watched (if you want to know what youtubers they were, they are, chris titus tech, distrotube, techhut and there are many more that i cant remember off by heart)
I have not done it but search says its possible. And Linux is very flexibel in that if something has not been done before its probably possible to do.
You can also test Linux OSes on Distrotest via browser.
I did a fork bomb on my daily driver once. It's no joke.
It's nice to test that
rm -rf /doesn't work.You could
cat /dev/randomuntil the terminal breaks.
Distro Test (https://distrotest.net/index.php) is good for this kind of stuff.
I have hopped around a bit, we use centos at work so that is mainly what I use, and this is good. I'd probably go with xubuntu other wise, it's pretty snappy, probably fairly close to ubuntu so most tutorials out there would work well. I know a few people like engineer man on YouTube use it. I also liked linux mint but I can never remember which desktop version.
Do virtual box in windows to get an idea of which one you like is my suggestion, once you figure it out, you can shrink your windows partition then install linux.
If your data is important get a sync app and throw your files in it. Our university gives 1TB of space with box.com and one drive. Worst thing would be loosing data. Most of these syncs offer versioning so you could pull different saves.
Anyways there is also online resources to try different distros.
https://distrotest.net/index.php
Is what I found real quick.
You have gotten many good suggestions if you haven’t already check out a couple of them on https://distrotest.net and click around a bit to get a feeling of the ui. Even though you need a light system you shouldn’t settle for something you don’t like, there are plenty of light options. As a newcomer I would suggest that you keep within the most popular distros and their derivatives.
> I have been trying to use https://distrotest.net/ and whenever I try to access a distro I get the error "Failed to connect to server".
A site like this is probably much more popular than its designers expected. A network server has a finite number of available processes. The server is most likely overloaded with requests.
To break the logjam, install Linux -- on a VM is you prefer, just as a sampler without having to install it. Or you could boot an install USB device, many of which have a read-only desktop mode for testing in advance of installation.
Or, in windows 10, you can install WSL, which gives a Linux shell session and lots of exposure to the essence of Linux.
I dual-booted for a few years before finally making the full switch. The Linux installer should make it quite easy for you to install both Windows and Linux side-by-side.
Check out https://distrotest.net/ to see some Linux distributions (distros, flavors, etc) in action. This is a very simple service that is only designed to give you a rough idea what the distro is like, so don't take your experience for gospel if you choose to check it out :)
You can also download VirtualBox and install Linux to a virtual computer without having to do anything to your main system :) It's a great place to start.
If you have any questions, hmu! :D
Oh, and if you want to try it without using a USB there is a solution : https://distrotest.net/Linux%20Mint
Just be aware that it's not as speedy as using it in a live USB, but it will give you a first look into it.
You may be wondering, "what's cinnamon ? Xfce? Etc" and those are desktop environments (DE in short), I'd recommend starting with Cinnamon and using the others after to see which one you feel the most confortable with
I've just dove in and installed it and manage to muck it up. Several times. I'm shit with computers.
Here's some things I wish someone had told me:
First try it in a virtual machine like Virtualbox or use one of the online testers like https://distrotest.net/index.php
Use a second drive if you decide to commit, don't dual boot on one drive. If you mess up you have a fallback. You might want to unplug it entirely during the installation.
If you have an Android phone, play with termux a bit. It's not quite the same but is a way to tinker with stuff when out and about.
Make friends with someone who already uses it that wont mind questions.
Have a way to connect to the internet besides the device you are working on. Remember, a mistake can leave you unable to use your machine.
Other tips include reading about the different shells, systemd, desktop environments and package managers.
Dear Lord I already see it happening lol. Before you get 100 different suggestions on different versions of Linux you should try ,. Just have this gift from me to you lol https://distrotest.net/ you can "sample" any Linux you wish without installing it it will save you days and weeks of time lol
Nice! People always argue about distro, but I've always found the DE to be the most subjective (without the elitism). Being a severe distro hopper I would recommend anything (they all have their fun quirks and such), I would point you to the DistroTest website, which will allow you to peep around and kick the tires a bit. For times with a fast internet connection and lacking my "Linux bicycle" laptop (or my USB drive), I use that website to get my distro hopping kicks. Have fun!
You can effortlessly test run desktop distros online via VNC from https://distrotest.net/index.php instead of downloading GBs of ISOs and wasting time installing just to try out.
I'd say Ubuntu is a good starting distro if you're doing this for the first time. The desktop environment (DE) you select decides your user experience. Distro is like engine+chassis and DE is like interiors+exteriors, to use an analogy. DE taste is quite subjective - sometimes I've preferred minimal and lightweight like XFCE, and at other times, more sophisticated and flashy like KDE. Kubuntu = Ubuntu + KDE. Xubuntu = Ubuntu + XFCE.
Windows cannot see Linux, which you would learn from a quick search. Linux is suited to people who search before asking, and who like to figure things out on their own. So please do more research and do some test runs. There is a lifetime's worth of resources available. Good luck zeroing in on what will work for you.
Right-click the menu icon → Configure → Menu (at the top) → Show favorites and session buttons (switch that off)
You can download a more customizable version version of the Cinnamon menu, but I can't find its name because I'm just running a distrotest.net window. Right-click the panel, go to “Applets” → “Download” (at the top) and find it.
I hope that helped. By the way, can I know why is it a “toxic shitpool”? I'm just curious.
All of these comments are pretty spot on, so I'll just leave this here:
Download one of the "just works" Linux distributions like Linux Mint (https://linuxmint.com/) and install it on an old laptop (or spin up a Virtual Machine under Windows) and play around in it. You won't "break" anything and it is 100% the best way to learn an OS; by actually using it. If for some reason that is impractical, you can spin up a VM running Mint 20.2 at DistroTest.net.
Embrace the terminal early. You are going to eventually wind up spending time in it when you need to get things done fast.
(The terminal is the command line where you issue very powerful commands like:
sudo apt update && apt upgrade -y
This just says "update all the information on all programs on my system and upgrade any that can be upgraded to the newest version and don't bother asking me for confirmation and do this all as the system admin.")
The terminal is scary at first, but a majority of Linux users spend a lot of time in terminal.
It’s actually really easy to choose a good distro. If you just choose one at random from the top dozen or so, you will be choosing a good distro.
Head over to https://distrotest.net and play with a couple. I suggest Ubuntu, Kubuntu, Xubuntu, Mint, Mint XFCE, Fedora, Pop!_OS. Just be aware that it will be a LOT slower than normal because you are running it in a browser.
If you see one that looks interesting, make a liveUSB and boot to it. This will let you test at closer to normal speed, though still much slower than installing directly to your hard drive. You can test it as much as you want, and if you don’t like it, just pull the USB out and boot back to your current OS. You can even use Ventoy to put multiple images on the same USB to do this faster.
In other words, just do something to get past the decision paralysis.
depends on how much time and money you want to spend on it. judging from the general specs it's not really worth any of the two. it's great for trying new small weird stuff. play around with it and see. for faster testing of a distro there is always the VM and this: https://distrotest.net/ . bodhi linux looks great tbh.
u could use ur mac and have linux on it (but idk if u will be able to switch back) instead of buying a new laptop. if u want a linux machine, i would recommend debian over arch based distros and sth like Ubuntu (and the dozen of flavors), Pop!_OS or Linux Mint. all of thesecare very friendly and i know that ubuntu and pop os have live usbs so u dont need to install the OS. if u feel like u wanna try the distros first instead of just winging it, i recommend tht u either install said distros in a virtual machine (VirtualBox should be good enough for this) amd testing it like that, or, if u dont want to download all of the ISOs, there is a website for that which u can find here.if u have some questions abt how to install VirtualBox or sth else, feel free to DM me.
oh I forgot add Kali Linux to the list too, I forgot I used it because I did that four years ago
my favorites:
arch Linux based: Manjaro
Ubuntu LTS based: elementary OS
better than VMs you can go to https://distrotest.net/ and test any Linux distro online
If your laptop has the power, you could try to setup some vms with virtualbox or vmware (all free)
If not, try a live system like linux mind and play around with it (obviusly dont install it until you are sure you want to make the switch)
Another option would be to dualboot but i have no experience with it so i cant tell you much about it
And there is of course https://distrotest.net/index.php
I love i3wm, but it's not really for newbies unless you're feeling adventurous. I do think Manjaro's i3 community edition is a fantastic packaging of i3 for noobs, though. I don't think you'll get it if you just install i3-gaps, but you have to actually install it from an i3 community edition iso to get all the niceties.
XFCE and Plasma are great. Plasma doesn't run as well on my hardware anymore, but it's generally been a great desktop even for older machines. XFCE really hits the sweet spot. GNOME is good for people who have only used iPads -- no snark. Well, 25% snark. ;)
I haven't tested it, but I'm pretty sure i3wm could run well on a 486 ;)
It's not fully-featured (not very fast, and no network access within the vms), but https://distrotest.net is a great way to try out various distros within a vm in nothing more than your browser. Definitely worth a look, my dude!
P.S. Just out of curiosity, I listed the memory usage of all running apps, and removed apps I ran manually like firefox, simplenote, evolution, etc. The memory usage on a stock i3wm Manjaro install? 500MB. 184MB of that was from Xorg itself. I'm pretty sure I've seen i3wm running in under 256MB RAM used. i3wm itself uses under 20MB RAM. I love an efficient system.
Io ti consiglio Kubuntu, molto semplice intuitivo con un'interfaccia simile a Windows.
In generale comunque se vuoi farti un'idea dei sistemi operativi che ti sono stati consigliati, ti suggerisco di avviarli da qui https://distrotest.net/index.php così puoi valutare quale ti piace di più.
You could start by doing a Distrochooser test. And once you have the options to explore further, you might want to continue to Distrotest and try it out in your browser to see what that distribution looks like. You won't get an idea of the speed, the virtual machine in the browser is really slow but you don't necessarily need to download the ISO file to your own machine. After that you may have some idea what you want from the distribution and maybe TOP 3 of which we can recommend you maybe the best one for you.
This is not about how great linux is, but since you are thinking about moving to a Linux based OS, try testing it before installing. There are a lot of Linux based OSs. Choose one that you are comfortable with.
Have a look at Linux Mint Cinnamon Edition - the UI will be similar to Windows and is an easy-to-use beginning distro.
3 ways you can try it:
- Through your web browser
- In a virtual machine - install VirtualBox, download the ISO and install it in a VM. Look up videos on YouTube to see how it's done.
- Burn it to a live USB and boot with it to see how it is on your hardware.
If you want to install it, you'll be able to find videos for that as well so you know what to expect.
If you don't like Mint, other Ubuntu derivatives are also good starting points.
Do an image backup (Rescuezilla or Macrium Reflect, free edition) of your drive before making changes (people sometimes accidentally nuke their old OS while installing Linux).
>Maybe there should be a simple website that explains the most famous
distros in a complete and full way in order for new Linux users to get
the right information about which distro to choose for their computers.
There already are sites like that. Even sites like distrotest.net where you can try out distributions online. But presumably most people will simply type something like "best linux distribution for beginners" into a search engine and get a bunch of low-effort list articles. The best option would be to just ask someone you know personally for their advice (if you actually know someone that is knowledgeable in terms of Linux distributions) but if I remember correctly Linus intentionally did not do this.
You could start by doing a Distrochooser test. And once you have the options to explore further, you might want to continue to Distrotest and try it out in your browser to see what that distribution looks like. You won't get an idea of the speed, the virtual machine in the browser is really slow but you don't necessarily need to download the ISO file to your own machine. After that you may have some idea what you want from the distribution and maybe TOP 3 of which we can recommend you maybe the best one for you.
That's usually a font issue.
If you don't know how to change the fonts by memory, you can use DistroTest and then mimic the same clicks on your system. Change the system fonts and that should fix it.
Ok short version Yes most games will probably work fine through one method or another.
The Terminal, there is LOTS of documentation, help, supportive, friendly communities out there. With "most" distro's you will rarely need it, if and when you do, you should be able to find help easily.
As for which distro, there are even sites that can help you choose a distro https://beta.distrochooser.de/ and https://librehunt.org/ have simialar "quiz" like setups that can point you in the direction of a distro you like
And then https://distrotest.net/index.php will allow you to choose a distro and take it for a test drive, through a Virtual Machine, get a feel for it, remotely without having to install anything and see if you like the look & feel of it. (though doing a remote VM over the Internet obviously will be lagy, and you won't be playing games on it.)
Have you checked this out?: https://distrotest.net/index.php
I favour ArcoLinux, or EndeavourOS for Arch-based simply because I prefer the underlying philosophy and solid OOBE. ArcoB Xtended has 8 twm's and OpenBox on the one ISO. Several DE's are available with either distro.
Debian without a desktop environment only takes up 65 Mb of memory. Trinity, OpenBox or LXLE Desktop Environment adds very little more. Manjaro makes a great looking OB distro.
AntiX has 4 desktop environments preinstalled that you can select at login (vs having to change distro) that run from ~80 Mb to 270 Mb. MX Linux standard if XFCE but also has Fluxbox preinstalled.
You can pretest distros on distrotest.net to see how it goes memory wise. Hop into a terminal and type free -h to see. For a 1 Gb machine I would prefer 500 Mb or less used by the Desktop Environment. There is some misinformation on the KDE Desktop Environment still out there. Modern releases at boot are slightly LESS than XFCE. (400-800 Mb).
I distro-hop often, and it's pretty fun. You just gotta have brain cells when on Archlinux and Gentoo. You can actually try Gentoo at distrotest.net and it's already set up for you, which I think is cool (though Arch isn't). I normally distro-hop on a Dell Laptop with only 2GB of RAM, or my Lenovo N22 laptop. I distro-hopped between Manjaro, openSUSE, Fedora, Ubuntu, elementaryOS, Xubuntu, Lubuntu and more.
you can kinda try-before-install any of them via USB drive.
Here's a website for it: distrotest.net
I'd recommend Linux Mint given you are Linux-noob. But anything on your list can be done easily on nearly all distros :)
Just beware of GNOME 3 thing, that has a very bad theming and no-dark-mode afaik.
For all you people in doubt which to choose, do you know https://distrotest.net/index.php ? Here you can testdrive all kinds of Linux distro's online. Maybe not always the newest from the newest, but at least one can check the looks, etc..
I am also using windows since the X-P windows and am wanting to change to the Linux. You must note this, that I have not changed as of yet, but I am suggesting this Linux's as these are good ones I have come accros that I feel comfortable changing to
This is the Solus linux, the Zorin linux, and the Kubuntu and Lubuntu Linux. I am also looking at the AntiX linux and MX linux, also the Linux mint this is often a good one for Windows people to change to. Me I can recommend this site to go to https://distrotest.net/index.php , this you can load maybe a kind of virtual machine in your browser and have a look at how does this linux look.
And so is /r/linux4noobs What you're trying to make a point here is that this subreddit is biased towards Linux and ppl here will tell me to switch no matter. This is just like saying /r/apple or /r/iPhone with the ppl in it are gonna say stay on Android.
I definitely will tell anyone to switch if I had replied and even more ill tell him to screw the vm and boot into a real system via live USB. Vms are crap and won't give the proper idea. If he wants to try a distro he can goto https://distrotest.net/index.php and test any distro he wants.
discord is supported, https://distrotest.net/ lets you test out a buttload of distros, for gaming - depending on how new/old your hardware is - i'd recommend something with more recent packages/kernel like fedora/opensuse (leap or tumbleweed)/solus (tho you can fix that yourself with varying levels of effort for slower distros like debian/all the ubuntu vatiations if needed)
Choosing an OS is not an either/or proposition. After all, is your phone OS the same as your work computer OS or the embedded OS on your smart tv/game console? Very unlikely. You probably already use 3-4 different OS's in your day-to-day life.
There's no harm in trying linux to see if you like it. A few options available:
- Testing a distro in a browser via https://distrotest.net
- Running linux on Windows in a virtual machine via VirtualBox or similar software.
- Installing a linux distro directly into Windows via WSL2
- Booting your machine into a live linux environment that doesn't write to your hard drive via a live USB
- Installing linux alongside Windows via a dual boot
- Installing linux onto an external SSD and plugging it in to boot linux (basically the advantages of installing onto bare metal with a dual boot + the portability of a live USB rolled into one)
- Installing a light linux distro onto an old machine that's a bit slow for Windows but otherwise still works
- Buying a cheap linux device such as a Raspberry Pi or Pinebook
- Overwriting your daily driver computer with linux
Only the last option actually has you wrestling with whether to abandon Windows. All the other ones have their various strengths and weaknesses, so be sure to research the one you like for you. Also check out Sidebar #1 for some great resources if you decide you want to try linux.
https://distrotest.net/index.php
You can see what a distro looks like pretty quickly on this website. Its slow, but it lets you get a feel for it without downloading or installing anything.
Also, if you think something you said is mean, you can just remove it by editing your post and deleting that part. Your description of the video does sound pretty prejudiced.
I hope you have a great day too.
I do not use VirtualBox, but I know others have gotten the main version of PsychOS running live and/or installed on it just fine. Also, someone recently posted an online VM of PsychOS people could try. However, just in case there is any confusion, "PsychOS" is the name of the project and is also the name of the main GNU/Linux distribution while "PsychOS486" is the second distro I have made for this project with an even older target. Hopefully that makes sense. And please make sure to capitalize the "OS" part.
You can run both "PsychOS" and "PsychOS486" live without installing and therefore no need for a VM if you wanted to and both of them do not use much RAM at all; however, newer computer owners will probably have to turn secure boot off as I am only targeting 32-bit and older systems at the moment, so I do not really feel too bad about that. PsychOS running live does not have persistence, ie saving your live session but PsychOS486 does and can also be installed to a USB as if it were an actual hard drive.
Remember, it's GNU/Linux; there are always options. Always.
PsychOS 2.x series was based off of OpenSuSE 13.2 via SuseStudio.com but then for whatever reason, they got rid of their 32-bit option, and then the 64-bit version disappeared one day, and basically it just fell apart, builds failing constantly, until someone thought the Open Build Service was an actual legitimate option for the average person (it's not) and the site closed. All SuSEStudio had to have done was just have 32 and 64-bit options of Tumbleweed and let all of the "home:" repos do the work.
The main version of PsychOS is i686 and can be ran live and someone also placed a copy online to play around with as well if you are curious.
I suggest checking out this which lets you test different distro from a web-browser: https://distrotest.net/index.php
I'd look at Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Kubuntu, Elementary OS, Ubuntu Gnome, and Xubuntu. There are a lot of various nice looking distro, you can also see /r/unixporn.
Then you generally download the .iso disk file, and burn it to a USB stick using UNetBootin. You boot into it and its usually a LiveCD that you can test to make sure your wifi and stuff work.
Then you install it, which there are thousands of youtube videos. Just make sure you back up your files, or partition it properly if you want to dual-boot:
Many distros now have a 2 CPU core minimum [for performance]. Some that have that minimum won't startup AT ALL.
Use a lean to no Desktop Environment. Some lean Window Managers: XFCE, Fluxbox, Trinity, LXLE and a bit more less popular ones. Avoid the high memory DE's like Gnome, Cinnamon, KDE and MATE. Lubuntu USED TO BE lean but now its LXQt DE is slightly heavier than [Xubuntu] XFCE.
It is preferred to get memory use <400 mb [with your 2 gb] by running solely with a Window Manager like Openbox. I just ran a Debian 10.6 Virtual Box instance with Openbox: 215 mb of memory used. Likely a bit less with Trinity DE running.
There are some distros that are setup lean 'out of the box' ... outside of them expect to do some fiddling or extended searches for ISOs of 'ready to go' lean installs.
Lean out of the box: AntiX, DamSmallLinux, Debian, MX Linux, Puppy, Q4OS, Peppermint, SparkyLinux, etc.
Linux and Windows for you with only 2 gb of memory should be Dual Boot ONLY. Create 2 partitions, Install Windows on the 2nd and then install Linux on the first. The Linux install of many distros will detect Windows being present and will then setup Dual Boot with little to no interaction on your part.
You can test-drive the various DEs installed on distros at - https://distrotest.net/
You can get a new pinebook pro for $200. It's ARM, so there's pros and cons.
If you just wanna try a shitload of linux distros you can do so via your web browser at https://distrotest.net/
Yes it's okay, a few recommendations:
Search for screenshots and videos of the different environments or try all the lives online. Because Debian ships them by default without custimization and for XFCE and Mate that makes a great difference in the turn-key experience compared to distros that customize them.
If you find that the default, graphical installer is too confusing or have a bug with your mouse/touchpad, then use a live iso to install: boot in live and in the desktop you will have another installer, it's named Calamares and it's another possibility since recently.
If you have Wi-Fi on your PC, try with a live ISO to check if it works. Debian by default only ships with libre software, this is great, unfortunately many Wi-Fi chips require a non libre driver (or firmware also?). If Wi-Fi doesn't work, the easiest way without experience is to use the non-free isos. https://cdimage.debian.org/images/unofficial/non-free/images-including-firmware/current-live/amd64/bt-hybrid/
Yeah, there's even a Belgian Linux mint Facebook group with great support. And support in general is good: for example, the eid software works.
During my research I saw a lot of people saying things like "if you're not going for ArchLinux what is even the point", but fuck that, honestly. Mint worked out of the box. It works, I can use it every day.
How did you end up with fedora? I personally tried about 10 distros on live USB (I didn't know about this site , haha), and went with mint because of how easy it looked and how popular it was (support).
I recommend trying a few of the major distributions in a virtual machine first - then you can see which one you like best and stick with that one!
Ubuntu, Linux mint and Manjaro are reasonable starting points if you're completely unsure.
You can even test a lot of popular distributions in your browser at https://distrotest.net
check out https://distrotest.net/ for a feel/taste of the DE of several distros. It may be slow.. but its just a test. Use Ventoy to make a live USB to test it out on your hardware.
XFCE/Xubuntu - may be fairly easy for them to pick up on. Or LXDE.
There is a raspberry Pi OS called Pi-7 (i think) that looks so much like windows - its scary. But i have no idea if it Acts like windows, or if there is a variant for a normal pc. So there may be other Distros out with Identical looking setups, but i suggest just sticking to something more mainstream.
Distrotest can give you a feel for the different desktops. It allows you to start and connect to a VM containing one of hundreds of distros/desktops (the VM is not run on your hardware, but on theirs). It's quite limited, no internet connection and the performance is bad, laggy mouse etc. but what it will do is let you see what the desktop and menus etc. look like.
You could go to distrotest and try some of the options suggested above to see if you like the look of them.
This site allows you to start hundreds of distro/desktop combinations in a remote VM in a few seconds. It's quite limited, the performance is often poor (very laggy mouse) and the VMs often seem to crash or shutdown for no reason, but it will give you a quick way to see what a default install looks like without downloading and creating USB images.
I recommend looking at distrotest.net first. You can't do much in their VMs due to no network access (people abused it, so they had to disable it) but it's a great way to check out the different desktops on offer. Use it to draw up a shortlist of which ones to try in VirtualBox.
You should always choose a distro according to your needs as my experience says. And choosing UbuntuDDE idk now is good time. I think it needs more maturity. Now if you're switching from Windows I suggest you should try Linux lite and if Mac then elementary OS on virtual environment like virtual box or VMware, so that you will not toast your system while learning all the shit. And when you feel confident that your daily work flow can be done and all software you use can be found or replaced on Linux you switch to UbuntuDDE, it's nice looking distro with stable base . Having Ubuntu base helps with great help available online. And also you can check on this website and this website it helps to choose.
Well, generally speaking I don't see why not, but I don't run Linux on VMs so I can't guarantee it :)
I'll recommend https://distrotest.net/, they've got tons of options and works awesomely (albeit sometimes a bit slow ;) )
I found links in your comment that were not hyperlinked:
I did the honors for you.
^delete ^| ^information ^| ^<3
They are different desktop environments (DEs). It's the DE that controls the look and feel of the UI. The taskbar or dock, launch menu, window decorations and so on.
If you want to see what different ones look like, try out various distros on https://distrotest.net/.
Back up everything you might not want to loose first.
Check out distrotest.net, it lets you try different Linux distros via remote desktop connection.
I think Ubuntu is a good distro to start with, use it for a while and after you figure out what you like or don't like, you can hop to a different distro if you want to. Ubuntu because there's probably most beginner friendly information available for it.
Most if not all distros can also be tried from a USB stick before making any changes to your system. It will be slower because USB, but you'll get a good idea.
Just remember that even though desktop Linux has gotten really good in the recent years, there are specific applications you can't get to work. There are alternatives, but they may or may not be up to par with the commercial software for other OSs.
Ask questions! Most people in the community want to help you.
And most importantly, back up everything you might not want to loose first.
I thought it was Ubuntu, thank you for the info. I used DistroTest.net and tried the game on Debian Buster and it worked as expected, once I changed both LODERUNN executables to allow execution, the ran without problems. The output in terminal was very similar as well, compared to my PixelBook Go (which is now on Stable). I'm not knowledge enough about Linux or Crostini to know what to try next. I appreciate you trying it on your chromebook, thank you again for your time, and help!
As distros dependem muito da sua finalidade de uso.
Se você estiver iniciando no Linux e quer uma distro convencional (uso diário), eu recomendo usar uma das distros mais conhecidas entre o público geral: Mint e Ubuntu.
Tirando essas, outras boas alternativas são: Pop! _Os (bem similar ao Ubuntu), Mx Linux e Manjaro.
Vê alguns vídeos no YouTube para ver qual te agrada mais, e se preferir, cria uma máquina virtual com a ISO de uma dessas distros. Você também pode usar o Distrotest, que disponibiliza a virtualização de diversas distros no navegador (é um pouco lento, mas é uma alternativa).
Intel Celeron, huh?
I hear they use those in hell to torture people with :)
Hmm, not saying to do this, but I have run Windows10 in 2GB RAM. It was slow but stable.
And I do have an old friend who runs Linux Mint in 512MB RAM, on a really ancient Toshiba. Fecking Toshiba refuses to die. Die, fiend, die!
So, technically it's possible, but not going to be a smooth experience, as you say.
I recently came across a site, https://distrotest.net/, which lets you try out different distros on their VM server, so you can compare/contrast.
You might come across one that works for you ...?
Yes, I found it in distrotest. But if you want a better way just flash it on usb and boot it up to try, as long as you don’t press that install button you'll be fine trying things out while not installing it on your disk.
Test a new operating system
Welcome to DistroTest.net
On our website you will find many operating systems, which you can test directly online without a installation.
There are no restrictions for the operating system: You can use all functions of the system, Uninstall and install software, test installed programs and even delete or format the hard disk or system files...
It's slow... but seems to work okay
The main features I like in Nautilus are:
- Really good batch rename, Thunar's is wonky.
- Control+z to undo (great when I accidentally move something)
- Nautilus undo will even reverse a batch rename, which is excellent.
- Contol+F, find by name, basically Catfish built-in
- Move selected files to a brand new folder, Thunar needs extending
Just checked out Nemo on distrotest. Nemo doesn't seem to have Undo or Batch Rename as far as I can tell.
If you’d like to test out a few this is a great tool:
however, I would recommend setting up a virtualization server. Proxmox is fairly user friends (and free!) With 32 GB of RAM you can run multiple VMs and develop different environments to test networking in.
Check out Distrowatch for a fully comprehensive list and information about pretty much every distro.
Then find one you like the look of and test it out in your browser with Distrotest.
I was going to say use DistroTest to play around with various Linux distributions in a VM online and see which you like, but it may be hard to get a vm right now. Seems they’re donating extra computing power to Coronavirus research.
If you want to try out a distro without installing or using a virtual machine, there is https://distrotest.net/ which allows you to try a lot of them right in your browser.
Be aware that in the browser, it will feel a lot slower than once it is installed.
I wouldn't say Linux is easy at first, but depending on the desktop environment your choose it can either be completely different or quite similar to what you're used to.
You can completely run Linux through a GUI and not have to use the terminal but it might strengthen your knowledge and comfort of Linux if you use a few commands in the terminal.
>Right now theres a lot of things confusing me such as installing an app. In windows its pretty easy just by clicking .exe file. In linux is really complicated.
Not complicated at all. Ubuntu has a software centre that you can use for apps. Search for an app, click on it and you can install it. It only looks complicated if you're going through a tutorial. For simplicity it is easier to make a tutorial using terminal commands as it's the same for everyone else on Linux. Everyone has a terminal, everyone can enter a command. However not all OS has a software centre that might have a similar GUI to the person making the tutorial.
Make sure to change your mindset if you want to use Linux 100%. It's not Windows, it's not going to be what you're completely used to but it is really nice to use.
I chose something that wasn't a Windows clone not a MacOS clone just to get our is my comfort zone. Just choose a desktop environment you like and then you can choose an OS from there. Burn it to a USB stick and try it. Or similarly try out an OS your interested in from your browser at distrotest.net.
Don't be scared to try things out. Remember you can just install other desktop environments on top of almost any distro. Sometimes you can just test some things in a VM or distrotest.net.
>let's you try everything out before installing.
That's the question though, what am I trying out? Vim and Python are pretty much on most of the distros I've looked at over at Distrowatch so I can essentially pick one a random from a hat and I'm done.
As for the bootable USB, that's what Distrotest is for. I can just test the distro in my browser. I'd even run Virtualbox.
It's just the testing bit that's I'm confused about. Am I supposed to be trying out the terminal? The package manager?
Don't know any specific tools, but a quick google search gave me some alternatives to DistroTest.Net.
​
Go to https://distrotest.net/ to give distros a quick try. The most important thing is finding a desktop environment you like. You'll know after just a few seconds if it's a something you can live with. Once you've found a desktop it's then a matter of finding the distro that configures it best out of the box. Some distros do a better job than others with making all the system settings just work.
The suggestions in other responses are good so I won't bother repeating them. Go try them out and you can always come back and ask "what's the best distro for [desktopX]?" And for desktop use, as you've discovered, Debian probably won't be the winner.
a little late in the party but don't forget to try out <strong>DistroTest.net</strong> where you can find many operating systems, which you can test directly online without a installation.
I just switched to Linux from MacOSx/Windows 10 (I have both but I put it on my 2009 MacBook Pro since I plan to buy a desktop, my MacBook is old, and I wanted to try Linux). It actually breathed some life into my MacBook and I’m thinking about upgrading some hardware (mostly the battery) and keeping it.
I used this site to test out some distros and see which I liked: https://distrotest.net
Everything I read had people recommending Mint, Ubuntu, etc but I personally found their GUI aesthetic unpleasant. For me it came down to Solus OS and Deepin. I chose Solus because I fell in love with the UI. The only thing about it is that it’s a relatively new distro with its own language (May be using incorrect terminology) but I love it so far and I figured if I hate it I can just get a new distro and change it.
I did completely wipe my hard drive and replaced it with Linux but if there’s any chance you might want to go back to windows you might want to partition a drive so you can dual boot
Also some of the major distros dont seem to have pictures either. Sometimes I'm just trying to see what desktop environment a distro has, what version of the DE, what kernel it has and often its hard for me to find that information. I guess I could look into all the packages it contains or use distrotest.net to see what everything looks like. It just seems like screenshots and all that kind of stuff should be standard.
You can test linux distros online: https://distrotest.net/
But I guess Ubuntu is always a good first choice. Easy to install and easy to begin with. And you can start using the terminal once you're ready, you don't need to do simple things
I'm not aware of one. It would be a huge live image.
You can use Distrotest to check out live environment in your browser. There are enough options there that all the DEs should be covered.
You could also use a virtual machine to test out different options in an OS like openSUSE or Debian that build a large number of DEs.
There's this which is aiming to provide that service: https://distrotest.net/
There's a lot of latency and some limitations on what you can do so local VMs are better for really playing around but if you want to avoid running VMs on your machine that could help.
I would highly recommend using POP_OS! Its the first distro that works out of the box and there are many desktop environments that can make it look like Mac.
You can test different Distros on https://distrotest.net/
Theres a website you can try all the distros from a web-browser:
The most widely used ones that work towards simplicity are Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Manjaro, POP_OS, Elementary OS, Deepin, MX Linux, and KDE Neon.
I'm also a recent user that recently took the jump. I went to Linux Mint (xfce) and it's been great. They guide you through the installation process during the install. You will be able to pick whether you want to keep Windows or not (I kept it alongside).
Go to the Linux Mint site and download the file you want (there are 3 different 'flavours', which mostly means the desktop environment. Doesn't matter much for beginners but you can test drive them in your browser here https://distrotest.net/Linux%20Mint)
Keep a USB-dongle at the ready.
I then followed the instructions here: (another distro but same rules apply) https://tutorials.ubuntu.com/tutorial/tutorial-install-ubuntu-desktop#0
And about half an hour later I was done.
Rather than installing another DE, you might want to just install a whole new OS. I have never tried to install a DE, but I think it’s rather advanced. It’ll be easier to just install all at once.
I’d recommend Manjaro KDE. It’s excellent.
However, you can try out almost any distro by going to the following site, which allows you to open a virtual machine in your browser using a distro of your own choosing. https://distrotest.net/
Check it out. Test any distro in the browser. Site lets you start a virtual machine for almost any distro you can imagine. In a new browser window. Performance will vary because it’s a VM on a remote server. But you can still get a feel for the OS.
Also, search YouTube for Latte Dock. It’s a KDE Mac-like dock. Super awesome. I’d give you a link but I’m boycotting YouTube forever. At least on my phone, which I’m using now.
I can not connect to this site at all. Every browser I try tells me there is no such site as https://distrotest.net. I can find it in search results but clicking it does nothing.
Is anyone else having an issue connecting?
Is there a status page or issue page that tracks this site?
Download VirtualBox or check out https://distrotest.net and test out as many distros as you want before installing. DistroTest is faster to get an OS booted but VirtualBox runs faster once loaded, so maybe use DistroTest to narrow them down and then use VirtualBox to do the longer test drive?
KDE Neon is nice an simple, and actually runs really well.
It looks similar to windows as well so since you're new to linux it shouldn't be too hard to get use to.
If you want to see what distros look like without going through the hassle of flashing a USB with 5 different ones you can go here.
I used this site to test it in Solus 4.0 myself, this is what terminal said:
live@solus ~ $ sudo eopkg install p7zip
Total size of package(s): 1.51 MB
Downloading 1/1
Package p7zip found in repository Solus
https://distrotest.net/Manjaro KDE, Xfce and Gnome are pretty good, KDE is the most customizable. i3 is also really cool nur Sometimes you might run into smaller difficulties. anotger distro i really Like is Pop os, works great Out of the box
You can preview distros via Web browser with https://distrotest.net/
Similar to previous comments I think you might need to research Linux versions of Microsoft software. I use Linux mint xfce which I recommend like others before me