Planning to switch to Linux for my next PC
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From the post:
But first question, as someone who isn’t tech inclined and tinkering [...] that runs out of the box without me having to install additional software manually or at least automatic setup wizards because like hardware
Don't recommend Arch to users who doesn't want to tinker please. I know, I use Arch. Arch regularly requires user intervention, you should see them on the news: https://archlinux.org/news/ You can see, 3-4 times a year you have to fiddle with some settings, otherwise you can get an unbootable system.
And that's how we get "the (unrealistic) expectation I had of Linux was all command line stuff and techno babble."
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The difference between distros are the package manager and choice of default software and settings.
E.g. Debian has no wifi enabled. Hence, ubuntu (which is like debian) is much easier because it's user friendly. Ubuntu uses a disliked packaging format, snap, which is not used by mint. That's why people love mint, becaus it's as easy as ubuntu and has no snaps. Blablabla
Whenever you want to know some linux thing, read the arch wiki and you'll know more about it.
Distrobox is like a vm, you spin up a distro within your OS with no overhead and can use arch on debian. Or ubuntu on arch. Or fedora on opensuse, or all at the same time because why not?
I'd try https://fedoraproject.org/atomic-desktops/ or https://vanillaos.org/ and install most apps as flatpaks. Vanilla is like ubuntu but you don't mess with the underlying system. Atomic fedora is "the same" but with fedora style. Problems arise at the dev level, not the user level. It should be good to go on your system
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But keep in mind Mint is a non rolling distro, it means you have to upgrade to a newer Version in a periodic time (like win XP to win vista). Rolling release distro (like Arch) doesnt have a Version.
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Pro tip is to install a virtual machine like virtualbox or something on your Windows system. They're super easy to set up with loads of tutorials on youtube.
From there you can install any number of linux distros (I recommend Mint or Pop!) and try them out without having to commit to real hardware. I would put the VM in fullscreen and pretend it was a real system, and use it as my dedicated machine for as long as possible. You can even install steam to get a feel of the setup process (bear in mind you'll need to set up stuff for graphics acceleration to play most games but the basic setup should be fine!)
At that point you won't be wondering if youve made the right choice when it comes to your next build, and you can get right down to actually using your PC instead of googling things. Good luck!
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There are also "easy" Arch like endeavour or cachy, but yeah, for users like him is Arch based not the best choice
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I also recommend Linux Mint. It's been hands down the best experience of all the Linux distros I've tried.
The installation is done with a USB stick. In short, you download the Linux iso image and create a bootable USB stick with a software. In Windows I have always used Rufus for that.
The Linux installer gives you a choise to wipe everything and install Linux. Installing Mint has always been very straight forward.
I can't comment on hardware since I've only used Linux on +5 year old laptops. They seem to work fine.
There most likely will be many new things that can feel confusing in the beginning, but I'm sure you'll get the hang of it. There also are tons of good tutorials of everything.
Best of luck to your Linux project!
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Distro - System level stuff. A "type" of linux. Mint, Fedora, Arch, Ubuntu etc.
DE (Desktop environment) - Surface level stuff, i.e. how it looks, behaves, and often what default apps you use for basic stuff like text editing. Gnome, KDE, etc.
Distros have a default DE but often provide different versions using others for people who prefer them.
You likely won't need to interact with any of that other stuff except flatpaks. Just think of it as a form of distributing and running software.
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You can just buy a system with Linux preinstalled. Laptop is from System76. I usually build desktops/towers from scratch but they sell those too.
Installing apps has always been easier on Linux then on Windows as Linux has had large free app stores back 30 years. The question is more are the apps you want in the app store. If not things get harder. I like Debian based distros like Ubuntu or Linux Mint as they have large app stores.
You might want to look at distrowatch.com. Mint is currently at the top.
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Good point. I still use what it came with, gnome, but kde is more windows like
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XP to Vista is a wrong comparison, as Vista changed the driver system, and on a lot computers it was impossible to upgrade, as drivers for a lot of stuffs wasn't updated for Vista. Non rolling upgrades similar to the recent windows big updates: it take some time, changes the wallpaper, but not something very complex...
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is there a Linux… idk what to call it, type? OS? Thing??? that runs out of the box without me having to install additional software manually or at least automatic setup wizards
The word you are looking for is called a distribution, or distro for short.
I'm surprised no one else has mentioned Bazzite, which should be exactly what you're looking for.
is there any specific hardware that works easier with Linux
An AMD GPU for sure. Nvidia drivers have come a long way, but they don't generally behave as well out of the box like AMD.
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Generally, Linuxmint is the go to distro if you want something that holds your hand, but due to your limited needs outside of gaming and already having a Steam deck you should take a look at Bazzite, which is basically the desktop mode of the Steam deck for PCs.
As for hardware, one thing that can be annoying is NVIDIA (drivers), but that shouldn’t be a major problem with these distros as mint has a built in manager that does everything for you and with Bazzite you just need to specify your GPU when downloading and don’t have to do anything.
My recommendation is download the distros you want to try, get Rufus put them on a USB and then play around with them in demo mode, make sure everything works (graphic card, printers) and you like the distro then start the installer. If you don’t like it you can just unplug the USB and reboot without anything persisting.
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Yeah I’ve seen bazzite pop in a few steam deck discussions, some other comments recommend Mint how do they compare/differ
But like I said in another comment I’m not looking to tweak much, if anything at all, so I think it might be a good fit, definitely gonna take a look at that link when I’m off work
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I completely agree, cannot recommend Bazzite enough. Installed it a year ago, first time linux, has been just smooth sailing
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Super happy with Bazzite as a gaming PC. I think only a power user might find the "immutableness" of it annoying. You can still install OS packages, it's just highly discouraged. 90% of the time you'd just be running Flatpaks (a mostly self-contained app that is easy to install and remove). I'm using it with an old-ish NVIDIA card and at first it was troublesome but I think it worked itself out after a few updates. AMD has better compatibility from what I understand.
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The difference between NVIDIA and AMD/Intel is that Linux has a different way of handling drivers compared to windows (all drivers are part of the Kernel). AMD/Intel respect this. NVIDIA develop there drivers like on windows even though Linux is not designed this way. Also sometimes a new standard is made (eg Wayland) but NVIDIA has little to no support for a long time. Additionally there drivers are proprietary which limits how distros can/want to ship them.
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Bazzite is probably the best recommendation out of everything I've seen so far. It is meant to be like the Steam Deck experience on any machine, and if OP is already familiar with that, why not transition easily?
Couple the familiarity along with Bazzite being an immutable distro, OP can just roll back if they break something.
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If you want to really learn Linux, then absolutely Arch is the way to go. But OP is looking for something polished out of the box and probably doesn't want to know much more than that. Some people just want a box that does the thing - and that's totally fine.
I say all of this as a diehard Arch user (BTW)
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I personally started out with Debian given that a vast majority of distributions are Debian based, typically paired with KDE Plasma 5, and learned from there.
Now Debian is really stable but does require command-line configuration quite often so it may feel complicated but if you’re capable of reading & following documentation then you should be all good.
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I recently got a steam deck and that kinda demystified the (unrealistic) expectation I had of Linux was all command line stuff and techno babble.
Outside of gaming, browsing and flatpaks it still very much is. People here will lie and tell you it's not. It is. But as long it's just Steam gaming, it's very simple.
so is there a Linux… idk what to call it, type? OS? Thing??? that runs out of the box without me having to install additional software manually or at least automatic setup wizards
Not really sure what you're asking here but I think it's a "package manager". Basically an app store for Linux. Discover store in KDE or "software" in GNOME. Open it, search for your software, click the "install" button and be done.
Outside of the package manager, installations become complex quickly.
is there any specific hardware that works easier with Linux
Yes, generally new hardware won't work as well. Linux drivers are a second class citizen. Also you'll likely experience lower performance and extra difficulties with Nvidia vs. Windows.
