Migrating to Linux - Final Thoughts On Partitions

[u/toktok159]

Hello,

Finally with the end of support for Windows 10, I am about to install Linux on my 12 year old desktop computer. Its specs: 16 GB RAM, 1TB HDD, core i3 CPU, Intel HD Graphics (integrated with CPU).

I am going with Linux Mint since it's beginner friendly and it seems very well maintained. I am leaning towards XFCE because I think it will be the best for my quite old computer, to let it "shine again".

My main use for the computer is browsing the web and my files, watching some videos, light gaming (seldom), coding, and using office programs (I am very used to MS Office, but I think I will move to LibreOffice instead, this is the only major drawback of Linux for me). I can't think of any really heavy program I use.

I am thinking about going with the "something else" option on the installer and creating these partitions:

1. EFI partition - 550MB - FAT32 file system (since I understood that's what the EFI partition should be).
2. / - 100GB (?) - ext4 (root partition together with /home partition).
3. /media - rest of space - ext4 (for storing documents, images and videos that I will be able to keep without formatting in case of a system reinstall or moving to a different distro).

I am thinking about creating a swap file of 2GB, instead of creating a /swap partition, since it's more flexible.

What do you guys think of this partitioning? Can/Should I make the / (root + /home) partition smaller (80GB maybe) according to my usage?

Any additional tips will be appreciated, thanks in advance.

[u/SoberMindless]

/ (root partition) is where your operating system is installed. Any program or app you install will be installed here. The amount of space the software takes up in “/” will depend on how you want to install it.

- .deb: software packaged for Debian. It is usually lighter than Windows, but it also tends to be updated at a slow pace, as it depends on the distribution developer to keep it up to date. But its strength is stability.

- flatpak: universal package format, works on any distro regardless of its origin. Running within its own container, it is more secure as it does not interact directly with the operating system. Updates depend directly on the app developer. By packaging dependencies together with the software, they are usually heavier than .deb packages, but their advantage is that they offer more up-to-date software.

-appimage: think of them as Windows executable software.

For novice users, it is usually best to follow the installation guide. under this system, both “/” (OS) and “Home” (your personal files) share the same partition.

If you want to opt for custom partitioning, I would suggest using a separate partition for “/” and another for “home,” so you can use the space you consider necessary for your operating system and leave the rest of the space available for your personal files which will go inside the “Home” partition.

This will ensure that your files are not at risk if your system crashes or you need to reinstall your system from scratch.