this post was submitted on 13 Sep 2025
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Linux
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
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i've used linux in the past for servers so i did have some background but when i switched on my desktop from windows to linux, i jumped right into mint and it's been one of the best experiences. setup was pretty easier; i recommend using a live usb to test it out since you can install right from there.
Even though I use EndeavourOS (Arch easy installer), I won't hesitate to vouch for Mint. I'm using its Cinnamon desktop environment (DE) and it's the best user experience I've had after having used Xfce, KDE Plasma, Budgie, Gnome, et cetera.
We're you able to keep all your files from windows when you transitioned?
well most of the stuff i really wanted i either had in google drive (i just use it as an external hdd for random files) and then i moved the important stuff cough downloaded movies and shows to another external hdd and the rest i just blew away.
Copy, my major worry about swapping my daily driver over to Linux is because of the way Windows hides all my shit in clouds and random places for some reason I'm concerned I'll lose something.
the major things i would check is your documents folder, which can be linked to onedrive, and to turn off bitlocker encryption if you're going to remove windows entirely (your keys to it might be in your microsoft account). usually everything else is just in the folder on the drive; if you want any app data, then check the appdata folders but you're better off just starting fresh or getting an export from the app if it allows and has a compatable linux version.
for browsing, most of my stuff was in my firefox account anyway so i could just sign back in on linux and get my bookmarks, history, etc.
just had to set up my imap info in thunderbird but all the emails were on the server so that wasn't a big deal.