One of the common mistake made by new user coming from other OS, is to expect finding the applications they are used to
Sometimes they are lucky and a linux version exists, else sometimes wine can run perfectly the missing windows app, else you will have to find a equivalent/remplacement application
Feel free to search and ask on forums if you don’t find what you need
An other thought about the differences is that GNU/Linux is more about configuring your computer to how you want it to run, from small user configurations to crazy kernel modifications
Where Apple and Windows knows better than you what you want/need, and you will just have to follow wherever they want you to go
But you can also let you drive by the GNU/Linux distribution you choose if this is the kind of computer you want
About the terminal, you may have to use it for some tips given in articles or forums, but you also may not touch it, depends on how much you’d like to control your computer.
It may seems complicated and scary, but if you try to understand how it works, you’ll see that it is not that complicated
It really depends on your profil, but I would absolutely not recommend the use of git or emacs for a basic new user, it’s overkill, maybe once you’ve started to appreciate using the terminal it could be interesting
My basic advice is to find someone you can bug when you inevitably break the OS. Ideally someone physically close, who you can meet and who will make your system boot again, or make your internet connection work, or even explain something hard to describe by showing it.
LibreOffice, Standard Notes, and Signal desktop are all on my list, with BitWarden, and what do you think of Dolphin file manager? or do I even need one?
Using myself as an example, I had never heard of Emacs until I saw it mentioned in the forum a few months ago, and I’ve been using Linux at home since about 2009 or 2010. (And I still don’t really know what it is.) So I naturally question how useful it would be for a new Linux convert.
As for git, I don’t really interact with it, either.
You don’t need any of them, even they can be useful. Git would not be in the top ten I would recommend to a Linux newbie.
Emacs is much but at first I would say it is a text editor. It is powerful, so maybe worth to learn but like vim it is really not intuitive and there are alternatives like gedit, nano and so on.
I think Dolphin is fine. For most it seems intuitive enough. One thing that I think is worthy of note is to try to eject one’s USB devices from Dolphin before disconnecting. While it hasn’t happened a lot, I have bricked a couple of portable drives that way. Two to be exact. They were using Veracrypt (ooh! Add Veracrypt to your list) so that might have had an influence there too.
I am Git beginner but using git clone <Git address> has proven to an easy way for me to grab a tool off of Githut or Gitlab. So knowing that syntax might be handy but otherwise, totally agree.
Look, the OP was asking for “I wish I had known to do that” moments. Well, I wish I started using emacs (especially Emacs Org mode) and some revision control system (git was nonexistent back then) right from the beginning.
I don’t want to get into why Emacs is better than X editor, or why integrating git into your workflow will pay off tremendously later (unless OP specifically asks me about that). There’s enough material about both on WWW. The names are mentioned, it’s all Free software = free choice.
figuring out how to make, delete, and understand where symbolic links helped me a lot. also understanding how the shell finds executables via environment variables really helped me.
get a terminal that supports split screen (like Terminator) helps workflow and keeping things organized without alt tabbing and changing tabs.
figuring out how to use the package manager/dpkg well enough to not have to google things all the time
adding/re-enabling non-free repositories (if you wish) to get certain packages/drivers is helpful. eg. drivers for wifi6 cards.
learn to use nano/vi (or vim) to a certain extent so that you can debug problems on your machine. these two are important as they are almost always included in any linux distribution.
learn to use grep/less and pipes to filter through logs so that reading through them isn’t a pain
learning iptables is nice, but there are plenty of rule sets that people post online that should help you set up your firewall. knowing iptables exists is probably more than enough
do not panic when you accidentally switch ttys and lose your Desktop environment
I have been using pico/nano for almost 20 years and I figured the first two out only a month ago after looking into the documentation for the first time.
Another probably dumb question, but since PureOS is based on debian, then any commands I find on other debian articles/threads/sources etc will work in PureOS?
So I am scheduled to receive my L14 next week and other than checking for PureOS updates and installing them, any other first day things I should be checking/testing/setting up before I begin to install any of the software apps I want?
I know I want to install a few basics such as BitWarden, Standard Notes, and move over my Libre Office files. Probably Gimp, and a photo manager, something to auto backup like Timeshift, and either Audacity or VLC for my music playing/manager.
I’m hoping to avoid as many newbie duh moments as I can
@Bass20 - have a boot USB drive with PureOS/Debian/Flavorful ready. Copy your data into laptop, use it for 1 month. Backup everything and re-install from boot USB drive and restore backups.
Document Installation/Recovery every-step (commands, apps, configs). Repeat recovery 2-3 times and keep updating/adding/reviewing the instructions.
Also .config and .local folders in the home directory was important for me to learn, 15-20 years ago…
I have not done this introductory course, but you may wish to try it. I am sorry I cannot speak from personal experience. I just happened to bookmark it a long time ago.
As you gain experience and get oriented on Linux itself, you may wish to double-check the security settings. Here is a pretty good link, even if you just want to read through it. I have not done everything suggested, but I have gone through the list.
and I get an error message…
The following packges have unmet dependencies:
librewolf: Depends: libnss3 (>= 2:3.63~) but 2:3.61-1 is to be installed
E: Unable to correct prolbems, you held broken packages.
Any ideas? Should I install LibreWolf differently?
Here is some short Linux amd64.deb recipe for you (based on librewolf, as here provided, links), just a slight adjustment (perhaps worth to be proofed on PureOS).
Edit properly your sources.list and add the following to it: deb https://ftp.debian.org/debian/ bookworm main
Save sources.list (but might leave it open for now, no need to close it).
Edit properly home:bgstack15:aftermozilla.list and add the following line (disable with # the first one, as below): # deb http://download.opensuse.org/repositories/home:/bgstack15:/aftermozilla/Debian_Unstable/ / deb https://ftp.gwdg.de/pub/opensuse/repositories/home:/bgstack15:/aftermozilla/Debian_Unstable/ /
What needs to be done now (yet please do not think about nor execute: sudo apt upgrade):
sudo apt update sudo apt install librewolf −− with emphasis not to replace install with upgrade, not even once, not ever.
Change your as admin opened sources.list related line to ((add # character, save and close it): # deb https://ftp.debian.org/debian/ bookworm main
sudo apt update librewolf −− open Settings …, Add-ons and themes, that’s it.
NOTE: You will need to enable bookworm repo from time to time (new librewolf version dependencies related, but not always. Hope you’ll find this working with byzantium distro well. Enjoy!
