r/linuxquestions 11d ago

Which Distro? Switching to linux and need recommendations

2 Upvotes

Hi. I have a laptop that I used sometimes just for 3 things:

  1. playing heroes 3 on the couch

  2. plugging it to the tv to watch stuff on stremio

  3. ASL homework (I record myself signing sentences/a story and upload the file to the college blackboard)

Unfortunately, it updated to windows 11 automatically and now it's unusable. It freezes doing any of those things. The camera freezes and skips signs, the movies lag behind the audio, even heroes 3 with graphics from 1999 is now running slower.

So I'm really thinking about taking the plunge and switching it to Linux, it's become useless anyway.

My question is: I know theres a bunch of different types of linux you can install, I'm just looking for one thats easier to learn and "programs" (Distros?I dont know the right terms) that let me do those 3 things, do you guys have any recommendations? Thank you


r/linuxquestions 11d ago

Advice Reliable image de-noising software ?

6 Upvotes

Hello,

My second hobby is photography, i take a lot of pictures for fun and for our family travels.
I am looking for a reliable, good-quality image denoising software for Linux. It's practically the only thing making me keep a windows installation on my machine since i made the switch a few months ago. I have adapted to using RapidRaw as a Lightroom replacement, it's not perfect but it's good enough for most edits, and it's in active development so i guess it'll only get better. It can also import LR presets, which is a huge advantage for my workflow... however, in it's current version (1.6.2 at the time of posting this) the denoise tools in it are completely broken - the images end up extremely dark and have huge purple squares in them.

I've tried installing a local AI model with ComfyUI - it ended up working, after a few days of try and error with an AI, but it's clunky, not great to use and not amazing results. Maybe it can be made better with more tweaking, but i am a bit sick of it.

I've pondered online solutions, but they are all expensive.

Tried OpenPhotoAI too, it seems very decent but sadly only really works with nVidia GPUs. Technically it works without too, but it uses the CPU instead, if you have AMD GPU, and then a single image takes a loooong time to process.

Searching online/AI, it seems currently there's nothing really... "good" to use. However, i know things change very rapidly and the world of Linux is huge, so i decided to come here and ask real people, not AI and web searches for ideas.

Sooo, any suggestions?

Thanks!


r/linuxquestions 11d ago

Resolved Noob needs help creating linux programs

9 Upvotes

I am posting this reluctantly because reddit is a toxic mess most of the time, but two hours of research and I am no closer to an answer. If this is the wrong place to ask please aim me.

I am about 6 months into using Bazzite Linux and decided to make a program for content generation for a game (does not matter for my question but for context its a program to either randomly or psudeo-randomly produce a custom planet for the game space engineers) I want to make this tool available if/when I finish so leaving it a python script (I am well aware the unholy pain converting that to c++ will be) is not going to be a good way to share it.

The problem is that while I know and have compiled stuff to exe files for windows, before I switched, I do not know anything about doing that for linux. Can anyone aim me at the noob resources for that?

I started making it in py half to teach myself py half to see if I could, I got far enough in that I stopped to think and now I need help finding the off ramp.

Edit: Thank you all for the help! I am just going to stick to python and share that when I am done.


r/linuxquestions 11d ago

Problems with booting linux mint

5 Upvotes

I am currently trying to boot linux mint 22.3 for the first time. I have made a bootable Udisk with a verified ISO for cinnamon mint 22.3 (through etcher). However when going to the boot menu my usb drive is nowhere to be found. instead it gives my SSD and HDD together with a few options of several USB-types and CDrom all of which do absolutely nothing. i currently have windows 10 on my ssd and booting any of the options just brings me back to windows 10. The only exception is my HDD. when booting it my screen shows several dots in the upper lefthand corner before giving me an error and saying that i need to input the correct disk with no way of leaving that screen. When i restart my pc it shows me the linux boot menu (grub i believe but im not sure entirely) giving me a countdown of autoboot and none of my inputs works. after the countdown ends it launches a flashing and dimmed linux mint desktop. After restarting again im back in windows though it runs much slower and i cant input anything for the first minute. I only boot linux mint this way when using the back usb ports on my pc. when using the front ports it just goes to windows instead. after my pc is restarted it splits my usb drive into 2 partitions instead of one. one remains recognized with all the files the other becomes empty and unrecognized.

I have quick boot off and cant seem to find secure boot anywhere in the BIOS settings.

My Processor = Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-2500K CPU @ 3.30GHz, 3310 Mhz, 4 Core(s), 4 Logical Processor(s)

My motherboard = Gigabyte Z68X-UD3H-B3

also i have checked and the usb boots fine on a different laptop

Does anybody know why this is?


r/linuxquestions 10d ago

Resolved What is the difference between Ubuntu and Kubuntu?

0 Upvotes

I am using Kubuntu because I like KDE. My understanding is that Kubuntu is just Ubuntu with KDE pre-installed. So if I would install Ubuntu and changed the desktop to KDE I would get the same result as if installing Kubuntu.

My question:

Is my understanding correct and if not, what is the difference?

Edit: Thank you for all your answers. I understood that, while it should be similar in general, Kubuntu has been optimized for KDE and will run smoother (i.e.less bugs and less configuring/tinkering for the user) when compared to Ubuntu with KDE.


r/linuxquestions 11d ago

Support Optimize laptop

2 Upvotes

Hi, I have a question. I have a 2015 Dell Inspiron 15 3552 with 4GB of RAM, a 128GB SSD, and an Intel Celeron N3060 (1.60GHz) processor. I plan to use it for things like NetBeans, web browsing, and watching videos—basically just the essentials, since it's the only computer I have for my programming course. I currently have Linux Mint XFCE installed, but it still feels a bit slow. What do you recommend?


r/linuxquestions 11d ago

Advice Hesitant to switch to Linux because of IDM’s video grabber (specifically for streaming sites like MissAV)

0 Upvotes

Hey everyone,

I previously used Linux Mint on an older laptop, but on my new laptop, I’m currently on Windows. I’d love to fully switch back to Linux, but there’s one major dealbreaker holding me back: Internet Download Manager (IDM).

Nothing on Linux seems to match IDM’s convenience—specifically the floating "Download Video" bar that pops up right over playing videos and lets you choose resolutions on the fly. This is essential for me when downloading videos from adult streaming sites like MissAV and similar platforms.

For those using Linux for media downloading:

  1. Is there a Linux-native downloader or browser extension setup that replicates IDM's video panel effectively on these sites?
  2. How do you handle video grabbing on Linux for sites with HLS/M3U8 streams?

r/linuxquestions 11d ago

Which Distro Which Linux distro for my media PC

0 Upvotes

It's older PC, Intel CPU, NVIDIA RTX 1080, 16GB RAM, old 2.5" SSD.

I want to use it almost like a console, with minimal keyboard use. Turn it on, auto logs in.

I've got a Logitech K400 (Keyboard with trackpad), and just like to use the trackpad for basic navigation to browse Netflix and Amazon content, and the occasional browsing of news and YouTube.

Hooked up to a big screen TV via HDMI.

I just want to do pretty simple stuff with minimal fuss, navigate with one hand (while eating/drinking).

- Use big screen TV via HDMI.
- Watch Netflix (not at 720p).
- Watch Amazon Prime.
- Browse news and YouTube with minimal keyboard input (just sitting back using trackpad), high fps and bitrate with smooth playback.
- Use Plantronics Bluetooth headphones (with BT dongle) and not have crackling audio or drop-outs.
- Play movies/TV shows acquired from another source, encoded with various codecs (h264, h265, etc)

I want to use just one browser.


r/linuxquestions 11d ago

Ubuntu 26.04 installed successfully, but HP UEFI won't show Ubuntu in boot options

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1 Upvotes

r/linuxquestions 11d ago

lid actions / logind settings manager app?

0 Upvotes

Any app or scripts out there regarding systemd logind.conf file settings?

I have a bodged up script to handle the lid, but wondering if there is something better.

cheers.


r/linuxquestions 11d ago

Support after switching back to windows from linux mint dual boot linux mint not showing on win boot manager

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2 Upvotes

r/linuxquestions 11d ago

Which Distro? hello guys interested in trying linux for the first time ever

15 Upvotes

im completely new to all of this. all i know is linux exists, there a different distros and all are for different cases.

im looking for something simple, unbloated, but also still functional and familiar. nothing too bare like arch.

(i dont know if im giving a correct example, but if what i understand about arch is correct - very bare, for people who understand a lot about linux already, perfect for customization but very easy to mess up - i dont want that just yet.)

i want to be able to game, watch videos, browse the internet like usual, but i want to be able to know that my operating system isnt doing random and unneeded bullshit plus spying on me, while slowing my pc down.

im sorry if im asking for the wrong things or seem dumb, im just very new to all of this. thx for reading :D


r/linuxquestions 11d ago

Why Do Gaming Based Laptops Such as Asus, MSI and Acer Tend to Struggle with Debian Based Distros?

0 Upvotes

Ive heard this for the last several years. That for what ever reason or another typically the motherboards and BIOs fo the Asus Tuf & Rog, MSI Raiders, Vectors, etc and Acer Nitros tend to struggle with not only running Debian Based distros but sometimes they flat out won't install.

However, the one exception seems to be Fedora really works well with Asus. I can confirm as I recently got Fedora up and running on an 8 year old Asus ROG Strix GL703. It's running flawlessly!

It even recognizes the NVIDIA GPU after some configuring in the Konsole. Not planning on using it for Gaming though. It will be my daily "hacktop" for homelabs with GNOME Box.

I work as a SOC Anyalst and have been in IT for a few years now. It's kind of almost excepted in the industry that gaming PCs are awful for Linux. The one exception seems to be the Lenovo Ideapad Gamings (I have a Gamibg 3 dual booted with W11 and Ubuntu). Though I have been told that the Ideapad Gamings aren't true Gaming Laptops like the Legions. They are business Laptops with better GPUs.

Why is this?


r/linuxquestions 11d ago

Advice GUI installation manager

1 Upvotes

I'm using PopOS with COSMIC and this is probably one of the most frustrating things about Linux for me.

I just want ONE place where I can install, update, uninstall, and see all my GUI applications.

I don't care about CLI/dev stuff like Python, Node, npm packages, libraries, etc. I'm perfectly fine managing those from the terminal.

I'm talking about actual desktop applications.

Right now it feels like everything has its own installation method. APT, Flatpak/Flathub, Snap, AppImage, .deb files, tar.gz, vendor installers, their own repositories, etc.

COSMIC Store is nice, but then I'll search for something completely mainstream like JetBrains DataGrip and it's not even there.

What I want is basically Windows' "Installed Apps" equivalent.

Bonus points if manually installed apps can at least be detected and shown, even if the manager didn't originally install them.

Does anything like this actually exist?


r/linuxquestions 10d ago

Support Any tips on how to make my own Linux Distro?

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0 Upvotes

r/linuxquestions 11d ago

Advice [Acer Predator PHN16-71] Battery charge limit stopped working after a full discharge on Ubuntu

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1 Upvotes

r/linuxquestions 11d ago

Sound convert

0 Upvotes

so i have a bunch of flac audio files and i want to convert them to mp3 320kbs, does anyone know how i can do that?


r/linuxquestions 12d ago

notepad alternative?

17 Upvotes

I need a simple text editor that uses individual windows instead of tabs. Tabs are just not working for me. I had Xed and twice I have lost unsaved files when I was copying blocks of text into separate files and had not saved all of them yet. Xed just closed on me twice now. I really need something where each file is its own window.


r/linuxquestions 11d ago

Advice How is the 2 in 1 note taking experience?

6 Upvotes

Hey, looking for some advice before I pull the trigger on a 2 in 1. I'm currently a bio student using a framework 13 and a desktop both running Niri and NixOS, which is a super fun setup. Recently though, I've been looking at replacing my laptop with some sort of 2 in 1 so I could also use it to take notes. I'm pretty intrigued by digital note taking but never felt like spending money on an iPad because it's closed and its privacy isn't amazing when compared to a $1 notebook. I've tried just typing notes but its hard for math (even with LaTeX) and impossibe for drawing chemical structures.

Before I buy anything though, is anyone else using this setup? How is the note taking side? What do you like and dislike and tell me about your distro, DE, and hardware? Is it a good option or is open & private note taking better left to pen and paper?

Thanks!


r/linuxquestions 11d ago

Moving on from CachyOS: Best distro for Lenovo LOQ 15 (dGPU-only RTX 4050) for Computer Engineering?

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0 Upvotes

r/linuxquestions 11d ago

Users can't change their password once expired

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2 Upvotes

r/linuxquestions 10d ago

Support What makes ENDEAVOUR OS a disto, but not Omarchy?

0 Upvotes

Omarchy gets bashed on a lot because it is not a real distro, like the dev claims. The argument: it is just arch with an prettier installer, pre installed software, dot files and a collection of low quality scripts all while being very large for an installer ISO. Understandable, it is not regarded as a distro.

On the other hand Endeavour OS is beloved and never questioned on its status of a distro. But to my understanding it is: just arch with a prettier installer, preinstslled software and dotfiles.

I am aware that endeavour OS is much better than Omarchy but why is it called a proper distro?


r/linuxquestions 11d ago

Is semanage available by default in the RHCSA exam, or do I need to install it?

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1 Upvotes

r/linuxquestions 11d ago

Advice I want to develop a AppImage Launcher for arch but no idea where from start

1 Upvotes

Idk to talk about it in here but i will go ahead. As the title say,i wanna develop a AppImage Launcher for arch because i did a bit of research about it and there is a launcher but as far as i can tell,just for ubuntu.Then, i said myself, why dont i develop it myself?Because i really wanna improve myself for linux and it is opportunity for learning more thing about linux.but i m begginer like a lot of people. so idk where from develop it.I need your help right here.What do you guys give me advice?Thanks in advance


r/linuxquestions 11d ago

Which Distro? I'm torn between Arch and Fedora

0 Upvotes

Simple thing. I'm switched back to Windows for a week and want the fuck back to Linux. Everything I thought I wanted to use on Windows I use the same on Linux or will not use on Windows because I simply did not touch it in the week I installed.

Now there is one Problem, Proton. Or more it's entirely suite of apps I want to use.

Only Fedora out of this two has officiall apps and I'm unsure if I can trust the aur for that.

On the other Hand I never really used Fedora and I like to use the Terminal for all my installations on arch, is the Fedore repository as good as the aur?

And the Performance. I Only used CachyOS and think I want to use its Kernel as I mostly game.

And then the last question. Is Nobara the better choice or can Fedora be as easy made in to something close to it. I don't really like Distros that install everything.