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6 Myths That Scare Away New Linux Users


steven36

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Have you ever wanted to switch to Linux but were to afraid? Here are some of the myths that stopped you and the real truth behind them.

 

 

5390255

 

 

Hard to install

This is one of the most popular myths about Linux which exists mostly because a lot of people don't even have to bother installing operating systems - they come preinstalled. However, you have to download Linux. There is, of curse, an option on the market for Linux as well but it's not as popular and it's only available if you want a new machine anyways.

But if you already have a machine and all you need is an operating system, the best thing to do would be to test which distribution you are interested in and see it through Live CD or Live USB. Once you like one of them, you can install it in a way that would allow both Windows or Linux to your laptop or you can replace WIndows completely.

No matter what you choose, the fact is that the download process is simple and especially for Ubuntu, Fedora, Linux Mint and openSUSE. Most of them also include a step-by-step install wizard and dimple graphical tools. Full installation shouldn't take longer than half an hour, apps included.
 

Not Compatible

This is another common myth that people often use when arguing against Linux. However, there are in fact only few examples of software and hardware on the market that are not compatible with Linux. It was designed to allow older hardware so you don't have to get the latest ones either, which is good. Particularly in Ubuntu, you can easily use most of the peripherals and software.

Applications are now a necessity for many professionals and people often fear that Linux is not going to be compatible with their preferred application. However, it will most likely be compatible. In case your app really isn't compatible with Linux, you can easily go to packages like Wine and Crossover Linux to use them. But, the best thing to do is to download an app that works similarly to your preferred one, just built for Linux. You can probably find a great match and include all of the basic productivity packages.

 

It's not as secure as others

This myth has the least merit. This is mostly because the fact is the opposite. Linux is more secure than Windows or Mac, as proven by researchers like Secunia. The superior security of Linux comes from the way the privileges in it are assigned and the fact that many developers across the globe are working on it. The wide variety of distributions is also one of the things that makes it safer.
New patches or antivirus software aren't necessary because of this. So, the reality is, if you are looking for a safe option, Linux is your best bet.
 

It's just for experts

The biggest misconception about Linux is that it's all about experts and programmers, people who understand coding well and so on. This is why so many people have stayed away from it for so many years. Some of that is changing but a lot of people are still too afraid to experiment because they think that Linux will be too overwhelming for them.

While it used to be true a decade or more ago, there have been many distributions which have made it better for an average user. Even children can easily use it nowadays. Developers included attractive graphical interfaces and other improvements which have made it that much more usable for people across the globe.

Server usage, just like with Windows, is much more difficult. But as an average user, you can use it easily, just as you would with Windows or Mac OS X.
 

Not reliable and no support 

If the lack of support is what's scaring you, it might be good to know that Linux has one of the most dedicated and helpful communities in the world. You can find a ton of tutorials and information on forums and blogs.

As for the reliability, Linux almost never goes down. In fact, crashes most often happen on Windows and Mac.
 

The TCO is higher

This is a myth that proprietary vendors use to scare businesses. There is no proof of this and many governments and companies turn to Linux in tough economic times. This is just a hoax to fight off its free price tag.

These have been just some of the myths concerning Linux. It's good to know that these are just myths and that you can have a great time using it, just like or more so than any other OS. Hopefully, these debunked myths will help you see the real picture.

 

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Free open OS that can by tried before to be installed thanks to the live option.
Installed on 10+ years old computers, used by 70+ years old people who have a minimum knowledge in using computers. No mess caused by broken updates like in win.

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i'm on linux again. got tired of all forced windows 10 shait.

 

just remember to write down the password you don't get

a pass if you forget it.

 

if you only use pc to surf and watch / listen to music and use

webbased email you're in for a treat.

 

apart from ubuntu i can really recommend mxlinux both is

based on debian.

 

if you love firefox on windows pc's you will never go back,

firefox on linux is just a different experience.

 

used linux on and off for the last +15 years no app or program

has required me to restart.

 

try a live usb version or to ram if you got lots a ram 

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I have something to say on 4th and 5th.

 

Just couple of days ago I read that it's not possible to install drivers without CMD in it. How true is that. If that's so, then it's not easy.

 

As for support, only one of them has the best support, or maybe two of them, at least on the common user side. For everything else, you need prior experience in it.

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5 hours ago, DKT27 said:

I have something to say on 4th and 5th.

 

Just couple of days ago I read that it's not possible to install drivers without CMD in it. How true is that. If that's so, then it's not easy.

 

As for support, only one of them has the best support, or maybe two of them, at least on the common user side. For everything else, you need prior experience in it.

Not true at all for most popular distros  come with driver mangers ... Ubuntu  , Linux Mint and Manjoro have driver mangers i'm sure of  that detect and install any drivers you need if there is any  closed source ones for your system.   Some systems there like my Dell  you don't have to install drivers the  ones it uses  is all open source and comes with the distro . But like i say any drivers if you need any will be in the driver manger  .. But you have driver ppas  were you can add  via the terminal not maintained by the distro were you can use bleeding edge open source drivers that come out before the distro gets them. I use to to  use the bleeding edge stuff and install   linux kernels that was newer that was not released on Ubuntu LTS  yet,  but none  of this is really needed,   so I don't do it any more. Only you need to change kernels if you have problems because of your hardware and there is even apps with a gui to do this. 

 

There is many ways to install software and drivers on Linux ..  Via the terminal what windows users call CMD  , Software and Driver mangers  witch makes installing stuff more easy than on Windows , Also there is .deb witch are Debian files that work on Ubuntu and Debian  you can just click on them and install them like widows installers if you don't know how to use a terminal. Also there Snap and Flatpac  packages as well witch is a newer package type for Linux,  many of them now come in your software manger for easy install.

 

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3 minutes ago, steven36 said:

Not true at all for most popular distros  most distros come with driver mangers Ubuntu  , Linux Mint and Manjoro have driver mangers i'm sure of  that detect and install any drivers you need if there is any  closed source ones for your system.   Some systems there like my Dell  you dont have install drivers the  ones it uses  is all open source and comes with the distros . But like i say any drivers if you need any will be in the driver manger  .. But you have driver ppas  were you can add  via the terminal not maintained by the distro were you can use bleeding edge open source drivers that come out before the distro gets them. I use to to  use the bleeding edge stuff and install   linux kernels that was newer that was not released on Ubuntu LTS  yet but none this is really needed  so I don't do it any more. Only you need to change kernels if you have problems because of your hardware and there is even apps with a gui to do this. 

 

There is many ways to install software and drivers on Linux ..  Via the terminal what windows users call CMD  , Software and Driver mangers  witch makes installing stuff more easy than on Windows , Also there is .deb witch are Debian files that work on Ubuntu and Debian  you can just click on them and install them like widows if you don't know how to use a terminal. Also there Snap and Flatpac  packages as well witch is a newer package type for Linux many of them now come in your software manger for easy install.

 

I see. Good to hear about it.

 

Say, I have an Dell laptop that came with the most famous one of it. However, it's not been updated from some time now. It's being used mostly for typing and writing purposes by a little to medium expertised user. Which one do you recommend to use on it. Sometimes we do find ourselves Googling for answers for it.

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21 minutes ago, mp68terr said:

What do you mean? Aren't linux distro free?

 

Dude, this is a figure of speech. My apologies to those for whom English is not their first language. Not all Linux distros *are* free in terms of cost, but what *free*actually means is a big subject of debate.  RHEL (CentOS/Fedora), SLES (OpenSUSE) and Bullx Linux for instance, all take the open-source Linux code that you are free to modify and redistribute with an appropriate acknowledgement, then charge predominantly for support, instead of you having to rely on the community and forums such as this one. That is where they make their money - unlike me, lol!

 

Perhaps I should have used the slogan Distrotest.net use themselves: "Test it, before you hate it..."

 

👌

2 minutes ago, DKT27 said:

Say, I have an Dell laptop that came with the most famous one of it. However, it's not been updated from some time now. It's being used mostly for typing and writing purposes by a little to medium expertised user. Which one do you recommend to use on it. Sometimes we do find ourselves Googling for answers for it.

 

IMO (only!) - Start with Linux Mint... 😉

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3 minutes ago, brain_death said:


👌

 

IMO (only!) - Start with Linux Mint... 😉

 

The user of the laptop is not fond of it. However, I am looking for a similar one with similar interface and support there. Maybe a variant of it.

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21 minutes ago, DKT27 said:

I see. Good to hear about it.

 

Say, I have an Dell laptop that came with the most famous one of it. However, it's not been updated from some time now. It's being used mostly for typing and writing purposes by a little to medium expertised user. Which one do you recommend to use on it. Sometimes we do find ourselves Googling for answers for it. 

 

Just try them  with a Live DVD  or Live USB  before you install one and see witch one you like, if you don't know much about linux best to test Ubuntu Flavors ,  Linux Mint and others based on Ubuntu witch are the most easy ones.

https://distrowatch.com/

 

I know how to use Manjaro  and  Debian as well  but i stick with Ubuntu because they have the most software of all the distros . But its good to learn some others after you are comfortable with Linux  in case something happens and you need to change distros ..I learn Manjaro based on Arch because of some changes that AMD made in LInux witch they sorted  out long ago so i went back to using Ubuntu .

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@brain_death,

Got it! Indeed support means payment!
I would not say "Test it, before you hate it..." either ;) Might have been like that years ago, but distros are rather friendly now :) At least the ones I know.

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21 minutes ago, DKT27 said:

 

The user of the laptop is not fond of it. However, I am looking for a similar one with similar interface and support there. Maybe a variant of it. 

 

The thing with Linux on the desktop is that you are not tied to one particular Desktop Environment (DE). This can change the whole look and feel of a particular distro, even though underneath it is fundamentally the same.  Mint is just Debian/Ubuntu, after all. GNOME, KDE, LXQt and Xfce and all popular DE's, depending on how much bloat you want. And just because you installed one flavor, doesn't mean you can't change this later. Even though that may not be a particularly ideal approach, it is OK when you're learning in a VM for example.

 

There are many other DE's too. Linux Mint 19.1 (Tessa) comes with Cinnamon and MATE as standard, developed in response to GNOME's move from v2 to v3, which most people hated at first. Xfce is another alternative they offer. It is lightweight and attractive, so would be my choice.

 

F*ck Windoze, with just one desktop and a few third-party mods or themes...

5 minutes ago, mp68terr said:

Might have been like that years ago, but distros are rather friendly now :) At least the ones I know.

 

DragonFly BSD has HAMMER2: in some people's view the best file system yet...

 

But user friendly, probably not. More of a research OS. 😉

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31 minutes ago, brain_death said:

The thing with Linux on the desktop is that you are not tied to one particular Desktop Environment (DE). This can change the whole look and feel of a particular distro, even though underneath it is fundamentally the same.  Mint is just Debian/Ubuntu, after all. GNOME, KDE, LXQt and Xfce and all popular DE's, depending on how much bloat you want. And just because you installed one flavor, doesn't mean you can't change this later. Even though that may not be a particularly ideal approach, it is OK when you're learning in a VM for example.

 

There are many other DE's too. Linux Mint 19.1 (Tessa) comes with Cinnamon and MATE as standard, developed in response to GNOME's move from v2 to v3, which most people hated at first. Xfce is another alternative they offer. It is lightweight and attractive, so would be my choice.

Most people when they 1st start out they distro hop from distro to distro  or from de to de in the same distro,  but after awhile you settle down , I use to be like that , but not anymore I just want stable , fast and a sweet looking  DE so i been using Ubuntu Budgie  every since it became a official release.. I started out on Linux Mint Cinnamon  but used many others after .   I always test on Bare Metal , I don't like  virtual environments back when i was testing  Distros.  I  use to use a portable  hard drive and install 2 distros and had Windows on my main hard drive . I don't find this exciting anymore i just install Linux and Windows and   dual boot on one PC and  just Linux on the other PC and use my Portable hard drive  for media storage .

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1 minute ago, steven36 said:

Linux and Windows  dual boot on one PC

 

Fundamentally, you know I admire and agree with your point of view, @steven36.

 

But in these days of virtualization and powerful PCs, many wiser than me would say dual-boot is the *worst* of both worlds.

 

Your SSD/HD is doubly cluttered and there will always be something you require from one OS, you can't address without a reboot.

 

YMMV of course, lol... 😉

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5 minutes ago, brain_death said:

 

Fundamentally, you know I admire and agree with your point of view, @steven36.

 

But in these days of virtualization and powerful PCs, many wiser than me would say dual-boot is the *worst* of both worlds.

 

Your SSD/HD is doubly cluttered and there will always be something you require from one OS, you can't address without a reboot.

 

YMMV of course, lol... 😉

Not everyone has money to fork out for  new hardware your thinking with your  technical brain and not in your real world brain. He was talking about installing Linux on a old Laptop he sure dont want to be using Linux in a VM with that .. Linux runs very good on low power and older system just not so good in a VM on Linux if you going install anythng in a VM on linux it should be Windows that is if your harware is fast enough if not use wine or something if you use windows apps. :lmao:

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Don't be so sure, dude. Linux is better with old hardware than Windows ever was. Guess I got a bit distracted...

 

😪

 

PS: Wine is something I drink, not ever *throw* on any PC... 🙄

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17 minutes ago, brain_death said:

Don't be so sure, dude. Linux is better with old hardware than Windows ever was. Guess I got a bit distracted...

 

😪

 

PS: Wine is something I drink, not ever *throw* on any PC... 🙄

That just one reason why to just use Linux  on Bare Metal there many more technical  reasons as well .

 

Any reason NOT to run Linux in a VM all the time?

 

Quote

 

 

 

Assuming you can get everything working, and you don't want to do resource intensive tasks such as playing games or doing large compiles, then I think you'll be fine.

There's some basic issues you will probably encounter:

  • guest time incorrect
  • guest screen size or color depth incorrect
  • can't access USB devices (printers, phones, etc.)

To fix this, you should install VirtualBox guest additions. See the VirtualBox Arch Linux guests guide for details.

To get some extra features, such as USB 2.0 and Intel PXE support, you can also install the VirtualBox extension pack.

After that, there's a few issues you should know about:

Obviously your Linux VM will be affected if your Windows system crashes too. Issues I've had happen recently:

  • Windows host crashes due to driver bug (blue screen)
  • Windows host reboots due to security update

When running a virtual machine the biggest performance hit will be to your disk I/O. If at all possible, put your VM on a separate disk and/or use a solid-state drive. Using a virtual SATA drive instead of a virtual IDE drive can help too.

 

 

 

Quote

 

I teach a hands-on class on Linux, and unfortunately, by company policy I'm not allowed to reformat the class-provided laptops, so we're going by the VirtualBox guest approach.

Ignoring all performance concerns, here are some notes / problems I noticed:

1) Bridged mode and Wireless

Some wireless cards apparently have difficulty having "dual identities", which means that our routing / firewall / networking lessons go to hell. It's a known issue - most wireless drivers do not support bridging.

bridge | The Linux Foundation - It doesn't work with my Wireless card!

This means that if you're using a wireless interface, you have to do some extra work for the guest to have a "public" IP.

2) Desktop Integration

Save for a few wallbangers in design, the modern desktop environments are pretty well thought-out, and offer some conveniences that are lost when they don't have full access to the input/output, or to the device attach/disattach tool. For instance, the Vbox menu at the bottom gets really annoying if you have a window chooser or notifications there. And some machines use the Ctrl+Alt+cursor_key shortcut (switching workspaces) as to flip the display.

I mean, compare how easy it is to disattach a USB device in GNOME, vs the equivalent number of submenus / clicks in Windows, and I know which one I'd prefer any day.

3) USB "stealing"

Sometimes, windows just doesn't want to let go of a USB drive - telling virtualbox to attach it doesn't always work - most likely when windows is reading the contents for some reason or other. And then there are some USB drives that aren't straight-up storage devices, but do a mode switch-like action to make your drives accessible - those are annoying to attach to the Linux machine.

4) Stability

It's typically easier to "break" Windows than Linux, which is why you typically want to have Linux "protect" Windows instances, rather than vice versa. I already lost a couple of work days with the staff overwriting the wrong files and ending up breaking both our installation of Virtualbox and our Linux images.

5) Command Line Tools

On Linux at least, you have the option of mucking around with Vbox disk images using qemu-nbd and the network block device.

QEMU/Images - Wikibooks, open books for an open world - Mounting an image on the host

This lets you look at and modify the contents of the guest OS disk without having to boot it, for example, if you rendered it unbootable.

You could also do things like scripting backups of VDIs - or just their contents, or changing VirtualBox "profiles" via symlinks - a lot easier on bash.

 

Source

https://unix.stackexchange.com/questions/38379/any-reason-not-to-run-linux-in-a-vm-all-the-time

 

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Hey Dude,

 

Take your point. The only VM I run is on a Linux install, where I have an XP SP3 program I still need to use, because of my rubbish work.

 

It is IMO the lightest and most efficient Windoze install yet, so long as you know what you are doing.

 

Peace !! ✌️

 

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10 minutes ago, brain_death said:

Hey Dude,

 

Take your point. The only VM I run is on a Linux install, where I have an XP SP3 program I still need to use, because of my rubbish work.

 

It is IMO the lightest and most efficient Windoze install yet, so long as you know what you are doing.

 

Peace !! ✌️

 

 Yes XP  is good in VM i used it before also if you have  the right hardware installing  newer windows with a gpu pass trough  on Linux  you can play games in it just like you was on Windows, But using Windows  for a linux vm is blah. just for noobs who have doubts about using  linux. :chug:

https://davidyat.es/2016/09/08/gpu-passthrough/

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1 minute ago, steven36 said:

just for noobs

 

I don't think we're noobs, @steven36...

 

A fellow sufferer is a fellow sufferer in any language.

 

Word to the mother ship!

 

🏳️‍🌈

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10 minutes ago, brain_death said:

 

I don't think we're noobs, @steven36...

 

A fellow sufferer is a fellow sufferer in any language.

 

Word to the mother ship!

 

🏳️‍🌈

We are all  noobs  at something there is no one that knows everything   , sure there noobs  see here

 

Linux4Noobs

 

I only been using Linux since 2015 compared to what I know about windows I still  think I'm a Linux Noob i 'm just good at problem shooting and comprehending. If they was no noobs they would be no need for easy to use Linux it would still be all command line.

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On 1/13/2019 at 5:11 AM, steven36 said:

 

Just try them  with a Live DVD  or Live USB  before you install one and see witch one you like, if you don't know much about linux best to test Ubuntu Flavors ,  Linux Mint and others based on Ubuntu witch are the most easy ones.

https://distrowatch.com/

 

I know how to use Manjaro  and  Debian as well  but i stick with Ubuntu because they have the most software of all the distros . But its good to learn some others after you are comfortable with Linux  in case something happens and you need to change distros ..I learn Manjaro based on Arch because of some changes that AMD made in LInux witch they sorted  out long ago so i went back to using Ubuntu .

 

On 1/13/2019 at 5:20 AM, brain_death said:

 

The thing with Linux on the desktop is that you are not tied to one particular Desktop Environment (DE). This can change the whole look and feel of a particular distro, even though underneath it is fundamentally the same.  Mint is just Debian/Ubuntu, after all. GNOME, KDE, LXQt and Xfce and all popular DE's, depending on how much bloat you want. And just because you installed one flavor, doesn't mean you can't change this later. Even though that may not be a particularly ideal approach, it is OK when you're learning in a VM for example.

 

There are many other DE's too. Linux Mint 19.1 (Tessa) comes with Cinnamon and MATE as standard, developed in response to GNOME's move from v2 to v3, which most people hated at first. Xfce is another alternative they offer. It is lightweight and attractive, so would be my choice.

 

Thanks for the information both of you.

 

I have tried some of them previously. But the user of the laptop does not want to try things nor I have time anymore to try things. It came with this but is highly outdated and somehow refusing to update.

 

Yes I have known one can install another interface on it. I'm currently confused between mixing this with this or directly use this. Easy to find help online and easy to use is a priority. The laptop is a 4th generation i3 which is  quite powerful enough I think.

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9 minutes ago, DKT27 said:

The laptop is a 4th generation i3 which is  quite powerful enough I think.

Any of the big general purpose ones will do , if they don't  know much about Linux, Linux  Mint comes with just about all they need  and the  good thing about Mint they service them for 5 years . Were on Ubuntu LTS some DE are 2 years and some are 5 years.

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7 minutes ago, steven36 said:

Linux  Mint

 

Some personal hatred against it by the name of it. The user does not want to explain the reason. :P

 

That is why I am asking for alternatives for it.

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