| LINUX EXPLAINED For Total Frickin' Morons (or not) |
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Linux is a free, "Open Source", publicly available operating system for most modern computer platforms including PC, Macintosh, and even some others that you never heard about. It's generally touted as having better security than Microsoft Windows, more financially accessible than Apple macOS, and much less "strongarming" of end-users than either platform. Who is an end user - oh, that's YOU, anyone who uses a computer pretty much.
History: where did Linux Come From, Whose the Famous Guy Who Made It? So just like Microsoft is associated with Bill Gates, Steve Ballmer, and Satya Nadella, and Apple is mostly associated with Steven Jobs and Steve Wozniak, Linux is associated with Linus Torvaldes. Sometime around the late 1980's/early 1990's, Linus decided to create his own clone of SCO/UNIX that was unique enough not to be infringing. What was SCO/UNIX? Oh, just a Mainframe O/S, oh yeah....kiddies, you don't know what a Mainframe is either - think of a Server, except it actually takes up the entire server Closet and has "dummy terminals" (you know those green and amber screens) all over places like a Hospital, Office, or whatever. If you were not born in the 80's or earlier, you probalby never saw this setup. Let's just say, have you ever seen the term "AS400" on Linkedin? That was a popular Mainframe (the IBM AS400 - aka IBM Application System 400). Linux's quasi-offical logo is "Tux" The Penguin, though different distributions have their own logos. Anyway, so Linux is a clone of Unix, somewhat. However, it has moved far away from that, and starting around the late 90's, got it's own "Graphical Shell/Desktops" and started to become more of a GUI driven O/S much like Microsoft Windows, but better (no ads, no activation headaches, no constant whining about not having enough "hardware" to run it), or Mac OS at the time (which was in the doldrums at that time and not very popular). However, it's against human nature to support, use, or get into anything not talked about by a huge lot of people, because we see it as not trustworthy. But that was never Linux's problem, the big problem with Linux is, due to it's Open Source, Non-Profit, Hobbyist/Hacker/Tech Guy driven nature, it scares mainstream people - especially the kind of people who create weak passwords and can't rmemeber them, don't know the difference between Windows/Office, and like to use excuses like "I'm not tech savvy" or "I'm a girl" as an excuse for their refusal to learn technology. When the real problems is generally laziness, afraid of change, and wanting to be popular with others (the majority marketshare holder is Microsoft Windows). Also, Linux distros don't do swanky ads that go up 90% in compression (percievable volume) and show some cute, trendy, young person using a shiny aluminum plate with a screen using their featured software product for things 90% of the PC/Mac using population DON'T Use their PC/Mac for - all the while touting productivity and entertainment for all.Why Linux? For me, it's largely due to the irrelevancy of the Operating System in general on a computer. 99.9% of what I do with a computer now, takes place through a Web Browser - at least, the stuff that's considered "Productivity". The only exceptions are photos, pictures, music production, Electronics Design, and making videos, but that's far less of the time spent on the computer compared to say, paying bills, editing this website, checking e-mail, occasionally social media (though that's done more on the phone), and the occasional document which is either done in Google DOCS/Sheets or Microsoft Office 365 Free on the internet using my (sigh) Microsoft Account, or I use the built-in Libre Office if it's not work-impacting since Libre can mess with file formats a little bit. So why would I want to suffer through an insufferable $99.99+ box of crap or a Pre-Loaded Malware Mess like Microsoft Windows 11 when I could just download an ISO file from a Open Source Linux distribution for free and if I don't like it, just backup and change to another one? A major drive away from Windows -for me - was that I was already dealing with their dark motions and predatory practices daily on the desktop, at home AND at work. And if I'm not being PAID to work with their stuff, then why should I force myself to suffer. What am I talking about? Their rampant advertising, constant malware-like notifications on the desktop, having to turn off all sorts of shit every time there's an update at home or in enterprise for crap I don't need, the terrible unprofessional language put in their dialog menuse, more switches on Microsoft edge than every Fender Jaguar that left the Fender guitar factories, except those switches change back with every update, all sorts of assistants and A.I. stuff. I don't mean to be terribly rude here, but Cortana is kind of a Wh*re! Seriously, it's just so disgusting, I can't look at Windows the same way again, so I left Windows, and moved to Linux. But what about Mac OSX, isn't THAT Linux as well? Well, it TECHNICALLY is, but Apple has changed it with some Microsoft-like practices I don't like as well, like all the blocking of "Sideloading" applications that are not in the "store" that you know are legit and safe, Siri is a bit more of a lady of virtue as a digital assistant, but still annoying at times. The fact you have to sign into some kind of corporate sanctioned account still really bothers me, though it's far less intrusive than Microsoft's version of the same thing. Also, just the fact I cannot simply browse my network as easily in Finder as I can in Nemo really bugs the hell out of me being an I.T. guy. But at least it's free. Also annoying though, is how Apple is in Bed with Microsoft with their "Bootcamp", and how they discontinue allowing using an "unsupported" version of macos on their older products when their older products are some actually, quite quality hardware that runs well - which just makes them the PERFECT candidate for a Linux installation. But here's the stuff most people can relate to. The O/S is free, it gets updated, it runs on older hardware than any Apple or Windows operating system does, keeping more e-waste out of the junk pile or 3rd world countries by keeping them useful for longer. The software is free, it has it's own software portal, but most online products are free for it as well, and easily installed like a Windows Application these days. There's no advertising or nagging on the good reputable distributions at least, and it does not change your settings every time there's a fuggin' update! Seriously, my stress level with computing has gone WAY down since I started using Linux! And a lot of software is available for it that runs on Windows or MacOS anyway - and a lot of the substitutes I feel are better.Okay, So How Do I find my Linux Distribution This is a personal choice and not something anyone can really guide you on. Personally, I think Linux Mint is the best for a longtime Windows user like me. It's rather lightweight, pretty fast, updates are not annoying, there's no advertising, most of the software is free, I've been able to run most of my normal software on it, and what few I can't find I have been able to either use compatibility layers, virtual machines, or better yet, free alternatives that actually work and are not at risk of filling their installer with Advertising once they start actually making a buck. I chose the Cinnamon interface because THAT is what's familiar to me. It looks like Windows, feels a bit like Windows, but is a little bit better than Windows. I came to Mint from Pinguy, which was a bit heavy for my older hardware (Most of my current computers are from around 2014 - I get sometimes as much as 15 years out of a PC these days before I have to upgrade). I run it on a Dell Latitude E6440 from 2014, with a 4th gen Core I5 2.6GHz CPU, 16GB of DDR3 RAM, and a 500GB SSD. The computer takes about a minute to boot, and screams even if I have Openshot Video Editor, OBS, Firefox, and 2 Windows NT VMs running with apps open in those as well. It looks like hell, because it goes with me everywhere, but it runs great at 10 years old. I've been using this setup for about 3-4 years now, and I've been very happy with it. I no longer have to struggle with BCD in Windows, or argue with Apple about installing some Open Source software from the internet. I don't have idiots at major corporations strongarming my user experience like some kind of evil version of Queer Eye for the Tech Guy that insists I let the ghost of Jobs and Gates shadow-consulting tell me HOW to use my computers on MY network in MY house which I am studying for MY career in I.T. and for keeping a safe, malware/adware/spyware free household. I've got enough drama in other parts of life, I don't need my computer to be another source. So I picked well. I would say, maybe PInguy is for you if you are using more robust hardware, or maybe straight up Ubuntu.Getting Used to LInux - Software The first thing I had to get used to is the various vectors for software in Linux. It may be free, but you still have to install it. In Mint there are three vectors for software... Software Manager - this is located in the Start menu on the left column and appears like a little parcel box. Click on this, it pops open a menu that you can search for software and instlal - just like Apple store, just like Microsoft Windows Store, but unlike either of those, you don't have to create an account, put in any financial details, or anything else.
The internet - And then is the internet, which is the hardest method. Sometimes, programs are in neither the package manager nor from apt - so I have to resort to the time and true practice of running an installer from the web. Some are downloaded as *.deb (debian package fileS), which are easily installed, and often pull the dependencies with them. Some are downloaded and unzipped, and then a shell script is run to install - ie open terminal in directory, sudo ./install.sh, and then the program is installed. And some programs, particulalry young ones early in their development that have not grown much, might be "standalone" - which are the easiest of all, they just run in the directory they sit in. So what do I use? Here's a list...
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