Hey everyone! I'm planning to buy a second-hand laptop soon, and my goal is to learn everything about Linux, get used to it, and eventually switch over permanently from Windows. I've chosen Arch Linux as my starting point, fully aware of the steep learning curve it presents. As a complete beginner, I'm ready to put in the time and effort to navigate through this process. I've done some preliminary research and know there's still a lot more I should learn beforehand. I'm reaching out to the community for help! Besides reading the documentation (I promise to tackle that thoroughly) and following various guides, what tools, resources, or recommendations do you have that could ease my transition? Anything you wish you knew when you started or tips you've developed over time would be super helpful, whether blunt or detailed!
2 Answers
Focus more on finding a user-friendly desktop environment than getting too wrapped up in the distribution. For desktop environments, GNOME and KDE Plasma are the biggest. I personally prefer KDE Plasma, but if you want something lighter, XFCE is an option, though it didn’t perform better for me than KDE on an older machine. Although Arch is a great distro, consider that by the time you really get into using Linux, you might not actually be using Arch regularly! For a rolling release that’s beginner-friendly, try openSUSE Tumbleweed—it lets you pick from several desktop environments during installation. Lastly, dive into some creator content on YouTube! You'll uncover discussions about Flatpaks and Snaps, which can be confusing at first. Good luck on your Linux journey!
Sounds good, thank you!
Check out the resources page on the wiki for beginners; it's packed with useful info! Also, remember to take regular backups, experiment in a virtual machine, and make sure you understand each command before hitting Enter.
Any specific creators you’d recommend?