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Ugh. I'm going to have to seriously look at Linux, aren't I?
Absolutely no idea where to start with that, nor whether any of the software I need for work (or indeed anything else) is compatible, not how I'm going to find the time to learn all this.
Bleugh 😔
EDIT - Just want to say thanks to everyone for all the helpful tips and advice below. Will make it my mission this summer to at least understand Linux better and work out if it's for me. Cheers, you lovely people 👍
Linux Mint is one of the most recommended for newbies.
You can use a live CD/USB to try it out without installing.By newbie do you mean people who don’t know anything about computers ie me?
Yes. It's probably the friendliest Linux distro. But there's still a learning curve so don't go in thinking it's as plug and play as Windows.
Source: Tech savvy guy that changed over recently
@maniclucky @nevermind
Linux Mint is indeed the friendliest of the Linux distros but one still needs at least a bit of experience with installing OS. The fundamental problem with Windows is that it comes pre installed on everything and most people had never needed to install an OS.@nevermind, you need to find a friend who's done it or someone online willing to walk you though it. It's not very difficult but if you've never done it it could be a bit weird.
Thanks!
I won’t even ask what plug and play means…
Plug and play essentially means "it just works". Like as simple as plugging in a USB mouse and using it. When something isn't plug and play, it means it takes a bit of fiddling with.
Ah yes, thank you. A tiny part of my brain wondered if that was the meaning but it’s never safe to assume something when I’m as clueless as I am.
Actually I think that term was coined by Windows 98 for hardware you could connect and it would Just work™ (I.e. without the need to install drivers).
idk if this is going to help or not, but I've had Mint on every machine since 2010. If this laptop I'm using were a car, I'd say I've learned to change a tire and I've learned where to go for answers to problems as they come up, but that's it. I remember being worried I'd bork everything the first install, but instructions are absolutely For Dummies (thank fuck). Easier than putting an Ikea desk together imo.
Tried changing distros a few times to see what the fuss was, but I actually just don't care, and that's ok. You don't have to care about everything. I also buy the same jeans all the time and no one gaf about that.
Though if you DO enjoy shopping around (or find you're intrigued by the possibilities and want to play) here's one place to get a lay of the land that's been a cool, helpful hub over the years that even I find accessible, and that's saying something.
Anecdotal: I've never been locked out of anything to do with work that I couldn't find an easy work-around for (the MS threat). It's nbd.
I'd mean people who don't know linux in particular but are marginally tech-savy.
Mint has been described as "the distro your granny can use" (and some do), but it does require some knowledge to at least install it — but it's nothing a tutorial somewhere won't help with, it's a low bar.
Mint, Zorin, and Ubuntu are the ones I always hear.
Ah, interesting - that could definitely be an option, thanks 👍
What's a CD?
It's like a vinyl record, but fancier.
Waaaaay less fancy
Installed mint on an older computer I had so my oldest daughter could have a pc for school. She has had zero problems using it.
Ubuntu is the typical go-to replacement for Windows as it's arguably more plug-and-play than other distros.
alternativeto.net is a great place to find Linux alternatives to the software you use. Many products already work on Linux without switching, but some areas might be more difficult. For example depending on your needs you might not find a great drop-in replacement for Photoshop.
you might not find a great drop-in replacement for Photoshop.
I'm not a photoshop user, so maybe I'm just being dumb and not getting it, but....isn't that gimp? I remember that one because the program name "gimp" made me laugh first time I heard it. It's like a BDSM thing, and then you're like "Oh, it's photoshop? My mind went a totally different direction..."
GIMP is really powerful, but goddamn its UX is abysmal, unfortunately
This describes many Linux software suites...
Most of the people devoting time to foss projects are uber technical geeks that at best consider UX design an after thought if they consider it at all.
TBH it's probably one of the biggest things holding Linux back today.
Yes, there are certainly alternatives and there are several with a better UI than GIMP (see Krita and Pixel). But I've been told there are specific tools and workflows that are missing. Partly it's probably a matter of finding new ways of accomplishing your goal.
The name is so stupid, and it is straight up a reference to the character in Pulp Fiction.
Pulp Fiction came out in 1994, GIMP in 1998. “Gimps” as we understand them came entirely from the scene in the movie - like yeah, full bondage suits have always existed but the term “gimp” and that style were invented for the movie (and then became a real thing later).
Ah, thanks, that looks a useful site.
Sadly, this is my work as well as personal PC, and Photoshop and Premiere are more or less essential for me. I know there's Photopea, which can handle PSD files, so that would probably do to replace PS, but not sure about Prem.
Happy to try something else, but it's finding the time to learn everything again that's my real issue.
Still though, that's a great resource, so thanks 👍
I mean Adobe is a piece of shit company and if there's any way you can ditch them, do it. If you can't, I get it. In that case a Mac is probably the easier way out.
Most distros have official forums, and may have sections specifically for people using Linux for the first time, which can also be great sources of information.
If nowhere else, make a post on NoStupidQuestions and I'm sure there's a few people that will help. I made a reply here suggesting raspberry pi os as a good starting point. No command line skills needed and quite a bit of software is available free from Debian (Linux which raspi os is created from).
The user interface is similar with a start menu etc.
If you've got a spare PC, I'd use it as a guinea pig system first before moving onto the main system.
Thanks, good advice. Will do a bit of research myself first I think.
Sadly no spare PC to try it on at the moment. I do have a laptop running Plex, but don't really want to mess with that right now.
Maybe I can buy a cheap one to have a play around with first.
Cheers, much appreciated 👍
Its only 32-bit.
Oof 32-bit support is becoming less and less on all OSes these days. Debian still has 32 bit releases at least
Debian is dropping support in the future
The Linux community here on Lemmy is extremely helpful but as a complete novice I've found ChatGPT to be quite useful tool for this as well. I can ask it how to do something and if I run into trouble I can just take a picture of the terminal window and it'll tell me where the issue is.
People would probably advice not to insert code into terminal, given by an LLM that you don't even understand but the alternative is to put that same blind faith onto a stranger on a messaging board. In my experience the options are either to do that or not use Linux at all - unless you first spend few years learning it all yourself.
Oh ok, cool - although I've actually never used Chat GPT either (I sound like a total luddite here, I know!)
Thanks for the tip though, will keep it in mind 👍
Is your hardware not W11 compatible or you just don't want to upgrade? Because you can just install the pro version (ISO on Microsoft's website) and choose English UK during installation and that will solve most issues... I'm sure you're able to figure out how to get it activated ;)
Or if you just use Rufus there's a checkbox you can select to disable the TPM check, and disable the "force online account" thing too.
More people need to see this comment.
Rufus is flagged as malware by Microsoft
Just something to keep in mind
Really? Ive never been notified of it. And I just checked on my work laptop too
It's compatible, but I don't want to go to W11. Plus, I've been thinking for a while that I should check out Linux, but just never have the time.
What does UK change?
Different laws, Microsoft is more limited in what they can push to UK users. Works with any European countries really...
Ah, I'm actually in the UK, so maybe this is good news for me! :-)