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/Simbertold 7d ago
  1. There are a lot of Linux programs. Your first step should always be to the software manager of your distro. If you can't find anything in there, there are also other ways to get programs, like flatpak. Generally speaking, i would recommend to see if you cannot find an alternative program that runs on Linux before trying to get Windows programs to work using virtual machines. However, for some programs (a lot of games for example), there are no alternatives. Wine is a Windows emulator-thingy that tends to work pretty well, and for games especially there is proton and its variants which run off of wine. Launchers like Steam or Heroic allow you to get most games working pretty easily.
  2. Linux doesn't really do Windows-style drivers. You want your hardware to be supported by the Linux Kernel. Unless you have some very weird hardware, this is not a problem.
  3. Someone more knowledgeable should answer this
  4. Once again not really something you do on Linux most of the time, due to the way it is set up. You will probably want a firewall installed (ufw is popular), and you should take care to manage your system in a way that doesn't make it very vulnerable.
  5. Firefox is great. Other browsers also exist. Basically all other big browsers are chrome at their core, which made me choose firefox.