I'm planning to switch from Windows 11 to Linux and live in a rural area in Norway. I'll be visiting the capital next week and I'm wondering if I should pick up a Linux beginner's book beforehand. Since I only have one PC, if something goes wrong during installation, my internet access will be tricky as I can only use my phone. Any advice?
5 Answers
Check out "The Linux Command Line" by No Starch Press. It’s perfect for beginners, written as if a tutor is right there with you. It doesn’t use complicated jargon and is really engaging. I’m on chapter 10 and enjoying it!
You might want to get a used SSD, even a small one like 120GB would work. This allows you to switch back easily if anything goes wrong. Before diving in, try running a virtual machine of your chosen distribution so you can familiarize yourself with it. Also, look at desktop environments first before you settle on a distribution.
Instead of a book, consider checking out some articles online about transitioning to Linux. A friend of mine has a couple of good ones that explain his and others' experiences. They’re available in multiple languages too!
Honestly, those 'For Dummies' books aren't as useful as they used to be. Check the official documentation on the distro's homepage instead. Also, create a Windows installer USB just in case you mess things up. If you don’t plan on dual-booting, most distros can be installed just by erasing the drive and following the default settings.
Absolutely! A great option is to buy an external USB hard drive to install Linux on. This way, you can boot from either your internal drive (Windows) or the external one (Linux) without messing up your Windows setup. I’ve been using this method for years, and I rarely need to boot into Windows anymore.
I remember the very first 'For Dummies' books were actually helpful back in the day. But they quickly turned into just filler content. Some early ones, like Windows 3.1 for Dummies, were great for beginners; unfortunately, most of their newer titles aren't worth it.