I've had some experience with Linux, mainly with distributions like Ubuntu, Mint, and Lubuntu. Recently, I built a PC from spare parts with no particular purpose in mind, and I decided to give Linux another shot. I'm using Nobara 42 since I'm interested in the DaVinci Resolve integration. My PC specs include an i5-7500 processor, 24 GB of RAM, a GT 1030 graphics card, and a 275 GB SATA M.2 drive (though I plan to add more storage later).
I have a few questions about my experience so far:
- I noticed that the main way to install apps is through the Flatpak store. Is there any other method available beyond Flatpaks?
- How can I install fonts in Nobara? Unlike Linux Mint, which let me search for and add font packs, I couldn't find this option in the Flatpak store. How do I add the fonts I already have?
- Do I need to set up Nobara to auto-mount extra drives? In Mint, I had to do this, but Bazzite seemed to auto-mount them, so I'm curious about how Nobara handles this.
- I remember linking my secondary drive to the folder structure when I set up Emulation Station on another system. Could I do that in Nobara too? Is that done through symbolic links, or is there a different approach?
- I'm looking for a PDF reader and editor. I believe OnlyOffice might work, but I'm looking for other recommendations since I used PDFGear on Windows.
- I struggled with OneDrive integration in Linux; it felt overly complicated. Do Dropbox or Google Drive work well on Nobara? I mounted Google Drive easily in Mint, but haven't found a way to do the same in Nobara. Any alternatives?
- Lastly, I had trouble writing to external HDDs formatted with NTFS on Mint and Bazzite. I could read files but not write to them. Any tips for sharing external drives between Linux and Windows?
I'm not using this PC for gaming since I have a Windows setup and an Xbox One for that. Thanks for your help!
1 Answer
For installing apps, Nobara is based on Fedora, which typically uses the DNF package manager. If you’re on KDE, you can check out the Discover app to find and install software, or just use the terminal for DNF commands. It’s a straightforward method once you get the hang of it!
Regarding auto-mounting drives, you might want to look into the fstab configuration, which determines what gets mounted at startup. KDE and Gnome both have user-friendly tools (like Disks or Gnome Disks) that make it easier to set this up without having to mess around with fstab directly. When you mount a drive, it should automatically integrate with your file structure, so your files should be safe even if you reinstall the OS—just be careful which drives you format! Also, for Google Drive, I recommend using rclone to mount it, which requires a bit of terminal work but it works well once set up.
How can I check which desktop environment I'm using so I can follow your advice properly?