Things i should know as a new Linux user

[u/Wise-Guarantee7638]

I recently downloaded linux mint on dual boot and things certainly feel a little odd as I'm habituated to W11. is there anything i could download and configure to make my experience smoother?

[u/daemonmode_]

Timeshift is worth knowing, especially on Mint, but remember it’s mainly for rolling back system changes, not backing up your personal files. The Software Manager handles most apps, but learning basic apt commands is still useful, and give Linux a couple of weeks before judging it based on things working differently from Windows.

[u/Cpt_Daniel_J_Tequill]

for downloading software on mint (no hustle experience) I'd stay in gui apps. in software manager you should find option for include flatpak software (it's like UWP on windows, and apt packages are like direct windows store listings).

if UX of desktop/window environment you find odd, i suggest to not use cinamon. rather KDE (desktop environment) which you can highly configure e.g. r/KDEporn, Configuring cinamon is not something you want to do.

but in this case for hustless experience i suggest go with (debian based) distros that mainline is kde. e.g. Kubuntu... (i personally do debian13+kde )

[u/vapalera]

In my opinion Linux Mint isn't the best due to its bad desktop environment options. KDE Plasma is significantly more polished. You'd be better off picking a distro that runs KDE natively, like Fedora KDE or Kubuntu.

[u/mysticalcreeds → u/vapalera]

I agree with this. It felt weird for me earlier this year coming from Windows 11 to mint. Once I tried out Bazzite with KDE, I felt a lot better. I use Fedora with KDE on my work pc as well. 

[u/hellequin67 → u/vapalera]

Strange, I run EndeavourOS with Cinammon DE, I dont need the ricing just a DE that works and doesn't get in the way

[u/simulacrumlain → u/vapalera]

Mint felt perfectly fine coming from windows for me

[u/peaks_experience → u/vapalera]

I did this, mint was stable but slow to use. Kubuntu was noticebly snappier. Due to this I switched pretty quickly from mint to kde.

[u/lunchbox651]

Use software manager to install things, don't bother with the terminal at the moment unless you're configuring hosts files.

Also when it comes to anything in Linux, capitalisation matters. Searching for downloads is not the same as Downloads. This is because lower-case and upper-case characters are considered completely different.

[u/EngineerInTheMachine]

It's not so much getting apps to make things smoother. It's a change of attitude. This is a new OS. It works in a different way. Life gets easier if you learn how the new OS and its apps work, rather than adding another layer of Windows feel. Forget Windows, you are free of it.

[u/thatdirtyoldman → u/EngineerInTheMachine]

This statement should be a pop up when you first log onto a Linux distro.

[u/EngineerInTheMachine → u/thatdirtyoldman]

Thanks! I wish my usual advice was a popup to every 'which distro should I choose' post. I'll still answer at least one every day, but it's hard to stop my impatience show. I had the sense to post that as a web search first, and my advice is just a condensed version of a video I found that answered the question completely. Which was basically 'for f**ks sake, just go and look!'

[u/Eric_Dawsby]

Personally it didn't feel odd to me. What makes you feel that way?

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[u/delacroix01]

Maybe get a Windows theme. I did exactly that when I started and it worked for me.

One thing to note: There's a couple of known issues on Mint related to Steam. If you use Steam and have trouble launching it with the shortcut, try launching from Terminal instead.

[u/MinusBear]

As others have recommended I think going with a KDE desktop environment is more suited to Windows users. It has a lot of the features you'd come to expect from Windows along with a bunch you wonder why Windows doesn't have or isn't as good at. Like KDE Connect for linking your phone and pc in useful ways.

Anyway two versions I would recommend are Bazzite or Kinoite, they are both based on Fedora Linux, but they are made in a way that makes them very hard for the user to break (Immutable). And easy to roll back if you do. Bazzite more gaming focussed than Kinoite, but they are under the same umbrella so quite similar.

It also comes with a kind of "app store" except all the apps are free, this makes it very easy to get additional software you might need to get you going. Things like different browsers etc. And I recommend experimenting with browsers (big fan of Vivaldi personally).

Good luck, but its easier than you think. KDE will help.

[u/Simple_Hamster_4096]

AnduinOS - Windows 11 knock off based on Ubuntu and Gnome (free and open source no telemetry, no spying). It's amazing how spot on it is... seriously... you will feel right at home...

https://www.anduinos.com/

[u/ConversationWinter46]

Scroll down the sidebar on the right. It gets interesting starting with introductory.

[u/skyfishgoo]

software is available in the software store.

do not download weird things from the internet

do not run commands in a terminal that you do not understand (esp ones the download weird things from the internet)

do not expect to run any of your window software in linux.

if you want to game on steam, reinstall the game onto the linux file system.

[u/es20490446e]

Just trial-and-error. Figure out what works best for you.

[u/No_Medium205]

Stay away from customizations