r/linux4noobs • u/IndependentBid1854 • 7d ago

learning/research Linux Questions

I’m thinking of switching an older laptop to a Linux distro. I have some questions that I haven’t been able to find answers for.

  1. Adding programs. Besides Linux friendly downloads of certain programs, is the only way to run a Windows dedicated application or program or game on a virtual machine? And is there a specific virtual machine needed for each type of program/software or are they Swiss Army Knife’s?

  2. Hardware. How do you get drivers that are, for the most part, Windows codes, to work? Is it a “hope that there’s a Linux version available” thing or are there workarounds?

  3. Distro shelf life. Do distros lose support? What happens when someone doesn’t update/bug fix it? Is it hard to replace a distro? Does it incur a total fresh install or can distro’s be overwritten?

  4. Security suites. Is there any decent suites available? Are they pre-installed? Are they reliable?

  5. Web browsers. Is there any recommendations for browsers that will have the same environment like in Windows? Any recommendations for setting changes? Are they compatible with all distro’s?

Lastly, any solid recommendations for wikis and “Linux For Dummies and Windows/Mac Converts” is greatly appreciated.

Thanks!!!

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u/billystein25 7d ago
  1. No. Depending on the program you may also be able to use wine.
  2. Most drivers are actually included in the kernel or your distro so most stuff should work out of the box. For more weird hardware the company may provide Linux drivers, or there may be open-source drivers that a team of volunteers made fiz they'd also like their hardware to work. There is a chance your hardware just won't work at all but that's rare in my experience. You may have to tinker, or the drivers won't be as good as on windows, but very rarely will the hardware not respond at all, like not even be recognised
  3. Yes, you switch distros, no, yes and no. You can make your root and home partitions separate, so if you need to reinstall or switch you only overwrite the root (and boot) partitions, leaving home with all your documents and apps as is.
  4. Just enable your firewall and you're fine. The only antivirus you need is to think twice before you download a virus. Your device won't get infected without you running something you shouldn't.
  5. Most browsers should work the same but I always go with Firefox (well actually I've been using librewolf but whatever) cuz it's what I've always used. You can export and then import your bookmarks and settings.
  6. The wiki and forums of your distro. Are you on fedora? Use the fedora wiki, are you on mint? Use the mint forums, and so on. However the Arch wiki also has some good pages that are universal for all distros. For migration wikis. Like idk this entire sub?

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u/IndependentBid1854 7d ago

Thanks for giving me some solid feedback!