CHANNEL IS BACK! Leave me a day or two to get my bearings and I'll treat you to a non destructive livestream with some explanations and some thanks for all the amazing people who helped
Glad to see our community united, and man I'd like to see a Diolinux Experiment collab, I remember to get very exited when you did one with The Linux Gamer a while back and it was pretty neat! And man I'm glad to have Nick back too! A big thanks to Dionatan and Nick!
For anyone interested in learning Linux, I would suggest setting up dual boot. Then you always have the option to switch back to Windows if you can't figure out something and you can't spend more time figuring it out right now
@@user-og9nl5mt1b personally though, it depend on the hardware If you for example have a good hardware, then yeah why bother Dualbooting while you can get in on a VM But for lower spec PC, it's best to use linux while Dualboot just to make sure the performance are the same like you would expect
@@Hyrionn u are right bro. I have an old laptop and I installed Ubuntu in vm . And it is kinda laggy tbh. Even though people say Linux is light weight and shit .
The "Giving Up Too Easily" mistake is so relatable. Reminds me of when I struggled with Debian XFCE or CentOS in the workplace three years ago. Ended up taking a day off to read some documentation, tried again to administrate the workstations that were up and months later I was the Linux SME at the IT department. When I left, they had CentOS equipment and no one up to the task of maintaining it. Oh well, I wasn't worth USD2400 a year.
make more money by sitting at home dicking around with your own linux version and collect assistance as `payment` for your time, etc......then laugh at them......
IMO, the major core difference between distros is the Package Manager: Arch: Pacman Debian: APT Fedora: RPM (my personal favourite) I found this the first major deciding factor in which distro to choose, because it affects so much: how many packages you have access to, how up to date are those packages, the documentation/support, are they official or community repos, etc. Yes, I know there are flatpaks but still the package manager is super important to user experience, and I find it gets glossed over so often.
Funny story, I got into Ubuntu when I discovered Linux and got so accustomed to the “unity” layout, that I had to “customize” the laptop I was given at work running windows by moving the taskbar to the left of the screen because the muscle memory would keep me looking that part of the screen for my apps. Great to see the channel back!
Funny story², I started using my taskbar on Windows on the side as soon as I started working with wide-screen monitors to save vertical space. Recently I decided to start using Linux more frequently and chose Ubuntu. Good surprise for me that it was like that already!
Glad to see you're back! This might be a somewhat unpopular opinion here but I'd also add completely uninstalling the previous OS to the list. There's no shame in dual booting and using Windows in areas where it's just easier to use than Linux (gaming for example). It's also good to have a backup option in case something breaks and you don't have time to fix it immediately. Plus it makes switching back to only using Windows a lot easier if you notice that you actually don't want to make the switch to Linux after trying it for some time
I completely agree with the essence of the first mistake. When switching to other OS, people often try to do the same things in the same way, but it doesn't work that way on a completely different system. In fact, this also happens when people switch from Linux to Windows. But this just happens not so often. As for the change of distributions due to the appearance - a controversial issue. In theory, I can install debian and make it look and feel like ubuntu or manjaro. But it will take so much time and effort that it’s easier for me to completely reinstall the system. Any system can be customized to suit your preferences, but sometimes it makes no sense to do this, since most likely there already exist a distro configured that way. Another beginner mistake is using unpopular distributions. Their repositories often lack the required software packages. They also contain many bugs that cannot be fixed due to the lack of developers. It is difficult to fix such problems on your own due to the fact that there are no ready-made instructions, and instructions written for other distributions often do not work (you already mentioned that).
I personally had lots of bugs on Ubuntu 20 LTS in 2021. Your PC won't shutdown unless you change from no splash to force acpi. If I switch from Nvidia driver to Xorg, boot ends up with a black screen and I had to use cheerooted env to fix things.Do you expect regular users to fix it on their own?
As someone who came to linux from mac os and had to use windows at school, I can totally verify that it's just as confusing going from linux to windows. The first thing I did was spend a few hours trying unsuccessfully to make the windows command line use bash. The second thing I did was bring a persistent live usb drive with linux on it to school.
Thanks for the video. I would add another tip : if you have the opportunity to use a new machine, consider a brand that officially support Linux (i.e.Lenovo or Dell). You'll minimize hardware compatibility problems.
That's ...THE... problem I've run into. After lots of troubleshooting to try to find out why every single distro did the same thing on my PC (ran ok except for random hangs that left no indication of why in the logfiles), I find out that the particular model of Nvidia my Emachines PC has is one for which there apparently exists no stable linux driver. (the proprietary list skips it, and the generic one is unstable on this model)
Man, it is great to have your channel back. Yours is my favorite Linux content on UA-cam. Your perspective on the Linux community and ecosystem is refreshing and very realistic. On the video subject, you are 100% right, specially on the "giving up too easily" part. Linux takes time and work, but in the end is totally worth it.
Glad you're back. About that terminal.... :-) I got the most out of the Joe Collins videos about Bash commands. He goes really slow and just walks you through each command. Pause and do what he's doing and make notes. At 1st I found the terminal frustrating and scary, but once you know a few commands It's actually a very easy way of doing things and it makes Linux so powerful.
So happy you're back! I don't think highly of UA-cam's capacity to be a respectable or even a likeable platform, but at least I'm glad you got stuff sorted out.
Wow, I'm planning my switch to Linux (outside a VM) for a while now and I am proud to say that I have not fallen in any of these "mistakes". It's maybe thanks to my curious programmer side that made me experiment a bit? (understanding commands before using them, trying out different distros in VM, etc) Nice video, thanks ;)
Nick, i am so glad your channel is back, and this quickly too! The community stepped up and it's so good to see see one of my favourite content creators get the treatment he deserves!
@@TheLinuxEXP could you please do a video about different scenarios of partitioning in linux . - everything on one partition - root and home not in the same partition - root and home in different HDDs - best partitioning for nuke and pave without losing data . ...
@@AlaKernel Great idea! To me the biggest mistake people make is letting the distro installer put everything on one partition. Users are going to install a new distro, either an updated version of their current distro or an entirely new distro, every couple of years on average, so putting your OS and user space on one partition is a big mistake.
My favorite part about Linux is that there’s so many distributions out there that can be specialized to particular tasks. I have multiple USB drives with different Linux live partitions that have persistence so that I can go up to any computer and effectively use it as my own Linux machine specialized for the task I want to do. It also allows me to run Windows or Mac on my computer so that if a program doesn’t work on Linux, I just boot up on Windows. I think if you want to use Linux, it’s generally smart to use multiple partitions.
@@fuseteam well, i would use linux mint and cinnamon, because linux mint uses a fork of Ubuntu, which changes unity (or now gnome) as a requirement to cinnamon/xfce/mate
The software part I think is super important - if you are considering a move, it's worth the time it takes to see whether everything you use can either work on Linux or be replaced by a Linux counterpart. The only thing keeping me on Windows for the past 8 years since I first tried Linux was the lack of Photoshop support. Now that you can run it pretty much seamlessly through WINE, I made the switch fully. I would definitely suggest dual-booting to start off, as you always have your original OS to fall back on should things go sideways. Or try Linux on an old laptop you no longer use. Play around, explore, and be willing to learn new ways of doing things. Linux is a fantastic way to extend the life of an aging laptop. I have two (both Lenovo) - an old netbook from my primary school days (2009), and my main laptop I use for university/work/gaming (2016). Both work as if they were new, despite their being relatively long-in-the-tooth by computer standards, and that's down to Linux and its ability to keep only what you need without all the bloat of Windows.
Oh, what a relief! I feel like UA-cam don't understand educational content creators like you. They only seem to hype behind UA-camrs who just hype on crazy influence with no constructive context.
I disagree with point two. While you are mostly right, i think a distro is more than just the software. A distro is the philosophy, community and team behind it. Best example of this is Mint’s stance against snap packages.
yep , distros are more than install packages , as you will be stuck with their update cycles snap is so lame they are containers ... they just take up too much space and make everything more complex
And, talking of Mint, their absolute commitment to making their installer ready for the beginner. Soon after Mint launched I saw an online comment that did "This is Ubuntu done properly". From the preservative of a home user coming to Linux for the first time that is still true, in my analysis
I've been dipping my toe into linux with my decade old laptop with Zorin OS Lite. The wifi sucks because 10 year old laptop, but it's still nice to get the practice in
I'm a pretty hardcore Linux user since 1996, and your video is perfect. I'm going to share it with so many people. I wish there was a French dubbed version. Every pitfall and bad mistakes beginners do, you have mentioned. Thank you.
Welcome back! :)) I'm glad you were able to get the channel back up. Your videos are always amazing and we all appreciate you greatly :)) Keep up the great work! You are a wonderful gift to this world and are an absolutely amazing content creator :))
Glad you are back my friend! Edit after watching the video: Going back to the Windows file system, I easily get lost. The Linux file structure just makes so much more sense, and it's more intuitive. What is /tmp? Read the name and oh duh, it's for temporary things. Where are my drives? Look in /media or /mnt. Again, read the name. Where are all my personal files? Perhaps in my home (folder).
Thank you for making this video. It is a great overview. I have been a Windows and Mac user, and I wanted to set up a PC with the Linux distribution. I went with Ubuntu and am very happy with it for my day today projects. I research my hardware before making the leap so I have no problems with drivers working and all of my web-based applications transferred easily. The open source Linux applications have worked for me without any problems. Thank you again for the video
@4:29 Yes, but it makes more sense to use a distro instead that provides exactly the gui you want, unless it sucks for other reasons. @5:00 Yeah, but that takes effort that can used somewhere else. ^^ @9:01 It is easier to find an alternative than to make those programs work on WINE but you have at least one of both options.
Glad you are back mate. The Desktop Environment mistake, I admit I made that mistake in the beginnings of my Linux adventure. After realizing that I didnt have to change distro or reinstalling the same distro but different DE everytime I wanted to try a DE. Ever since I learned that was a mistake, I come to realize that I love ricing my own DE.
Coming here from the deleted announcement, I got from the Linux community and I'm happy to see you back and without any deleted backlog ! I hope it did not carry over some burden like ad sense shenanigan Great video for newbies, the Windows 11 and Steam Os might be a great season for Linus newcomers ! Keep it up
I do think that choosing the right distro is the first step into really getting into linux. More specifically, the right base-linux. Not so much when just starting out. And with choosing distros, the most important question (I think) you should ask is which linux base you think you'll want. There's waaaaay too many distros to choose from imo. Chances are you'll get recommended Ubuntu, Elementary, Mint, Manjaro or Fedora, those seem to be the big ones atm. But that's still way too many to choose from if you don't know anything about Linux. Granted... I suppose you'll quickly find out more about your preferences, but distrohopping is a scary thing to do, especially when you've just succesfully switched the very first time. "What is debian? What is Arch? i've heard that debian is old and that arch crashes all the time and you'll have to build everything yourself" That's not helpful to someone new at all. And then there's the looks, which Nick very clearly points out that mislead a lot of people. Going for Mac or Windows at least saves you the hastle of that choice, it's their way or the highway. Then again.. that's one of the big reasons people want to get away from Mac & Windows in the first place. But I digress, I propose giving this bit of advice to people that want to start out with linux. 1. Specific Distro's don't matter, pick one you think you like and give it a spin. Bonus points for picking a popular & beginner friendly one. 2. Don't worry about 'old & stable' vs 'bleeding-edge' if you don't know for yourself. You'll find out your preference as you go. 3. Try sticking with linux for 3 months/6 months/ 1 year. 4. Don't be afraid to switch distros if you can and want to.
Excellent video :) Only thing I would add is in the last section; 11:08, mistake 7: Giving up to soon Don't expect to learn everything you need in one day. That's why every Linux distro I've installed allows you to dual boot with your previous OS. Keep Windows (or MacOS) till you are confident doing everything you need to do in the course of your working year. For example, if you have to file company accounts by a certain date, or a personal tax return, make sure you do it successfully on Linux because you commit to wiping out your old OS. And so on for every vital task you use your PC for. I strongly suggest that, as so many things in modern life are annual events, you need to work with a dual boot till you've gone at least a full year and never needed Windows (MacOS) once in that year. Even Linus Torvalds, when he was creating Linux, kept a dual boot system for ages. (In fact he went for a triple boot system, but that's a different story) The software that LT felt indispensable was an MS-DOS game called Prince of Persia. Even when Linux was working well enough for him to do all his actual work, be kept MS-DOS as a boot option so he could still play his favourite game. Some people believe that that is why he invented dual boot: not for work reasons but for gaming. Certainly that's a motive for many gamers right up to the present day.. Having dual-boot also takes the steep slope or of the initial learning curve: you only have to learn one new program at a time; not learn everything in a manic weekend.
I generally think a lot of people have a lack of patience these days and trying to encourage people to stick at it and work through the issues can be really difficult. I appreciate you encouraging people to stick at it, because I think it's sorely lacking in the community at times.
More to the point, a lot of people work for organizations that have a lack of patience, so they don't get a chance to stick it out even if they want to . . . if they can even make the initial plunge at all.
The community has no patience for newcomers. You get a new kind of hate when you ask a simple question. Linux users don't want their club to go mainstream.
People have lacked patience for something new, no matter the age. Hell, whenever my grandpa gets a new phone, it basically starts an argument on how to use it
I've definitely fallen for number 2. My first Linux was Ubuntu, but I later switched to Mint just because I loved Cinnamon. Now I'm about to switch to Kubuntu because I like the idea of sticking to the base Ubuntu repos, and KDE Plasma looks like it'll be able to do everything I love about Cinnamon and then some. Plus: Wayland!
My worst mistake when i started using Linux are downloading Linux distros from unknown sources and whats worse is that i deleted all my previous data. (I'm still using Linux now but i changed the distros to the official one)
Yep, its a great way to experiment on a disposable system so when you finally switch (if you do make the decision) you won't be too confused and want to go back. Though, I also wonder if doing this would make you less fearing of breaking things in your system? Reason why I am wondering is that it is kind of a double edged sword because, if you aren't panicking you probably will fix it easily - if you give it enough time. But on the other hand you may just end up reinstalling your OS for even a minor setback because you didn't have time to fix the problem, and had a powerpoint presentation in 3 hours while in panic mode.
@@necrobynerton7384It's a lot less risk than running native. Whenever I made mistakes I just revert to previous checkpoint and redo. So I learnt faster than doing things on native.
@@blindtechworld True, but thank God that's only with systems (especially laptops) with a price-range bellow $500,- . most semi-modern systems can handle a Linux vm with 2GB mem allocated to it.
The main problem I have with Linux is anything requiring elevation (sudo) isn't surfaced in the GUI, it has to be done in a terminal. Things as simple as formatting a USB stick. Until Linux can 100% be used without a terminal it will never be ready for the desktop.
Most of the points you raised depend on users being more advanced than they really are, which is almost never the case for the average user. I only use distros that are easy to use, because I don't have time (or interest) to navigate through the advanced settings and customization options in Linux.
It has taken me 25 years from my first Linux install (SuSe, in 1998) and for years I was in the situation you describe. It was only gradually over the decades that I learnt, bit by bit, the more advanced stuff. Free software folk t talk about "scratching the itch" and that's exactly it. Whenever I cared enough about something to find out how to change that one thing, I learnt something new. My tip is to stick with distros that meet your current level of assumed expertise, or at most only slightly challenge you. There is a huge range to choose from, with LinuxMint at one end and Gentoo or Linux from Scratch at the other.
@@trueriver1950 The only distro I would ever install on my computer at this point is Zorin OS. I still have very little interest in learning the advanced side of Linux. The only thing I want is an easy to use, point and click OS for my PC. I don't mind a little troubleshooting now and then, but only on occasion.
@@Reed-Publications I think your point supports mine. Over 25 years the "occasional troubleshooting" you refer to, or that I referred to as "scratching an itch" builds into expertise. Certainly don't move from a distro till you find you want to.
but it will be their first contact with laptop/desktop, so liek i dont care if something looks like 100% windows, i care if something is easy and self explaining
The “drivers are preinstalled on linux” argument always baffled me. Whenever I tried switching to linux back in the day (couple years ago), some stuff never worked. For example webcam and printers.
Also installing apps in just “one click”. A lot of programs I wanted weren’t in the app store and you have to install through terminal, which is just very unfriendly in my opinion. I think I haven’t yet seen a linux desktop vs everything video that isn’t biased.
Honestly, most of the common Windows software I threw out the window whilst I was still using Windows 10. Most open source alternatives worked much much better and were more comfortable to use. And they were free on top of it a all.
Which software are you talking about? Free software that work better than proprietary one is not THAT common, we must be honest now. Btw, gentoo-only user from 2006 to 2017 here so elaborate if you want but don't point fingers.
7:35 from experience this is not always true, often the live environment can lack a lot of packages that would be installed with the os, so trying out any devices that might require some more configuration or different packages to work correctly can be a lot harder or plain impossible to get working without installing, so what i usually do is shrink the main partition on the drive and create a new partition to install and try out the Linux distro i want to use on that device, also being able to reboot the installed os can be good to check if it doesn't just work once but will consistently work as expected, i had a touchscreen driver that would work in the live USB and spaz out after install
@@stevethepocket To be honest, I thought they did. But only partially. It's still available on Windows as a single program and was broken apart an macOS into smaller apps.
The 5th tip was certainly something I wish I was told when I started. I went in thinking I'd be using Wine for everything and just carry over everything I used on Windows. I spent two days trying to get one program working and was *very* quickly sobered in the end. Wine is an amazing project, but it's absolutely not a magic bullet. Sacrifices need to be made.
@Bolivian-Lament I've considered running a VM, but don't they take ages to boot up each time you need them? I play a lot of games, so I'd want to shut it off for resources whenever I'm not using the programs I need from Windows.
Glad you could get back. Of the several channels I follow, you are one of the best. You have a very good screen presence, and seem caring of what you present. Also great explanations. Keep up the excellent work.
It needs to be run as root, and you need to explicitly allow deleting root. So the command would be `doas rm -rf / --no-preserve-root` or `doas rm -rf /*`
@@linuxnoodle8682 People are lazy, myself included. Doas is less fluid to type on a qwerty keyboard. It is a fact: it's... backward. Besides habit, that is seriously why I am reluctant to use it. Ok I could make an alias all right but... Didn't I mention I am lazy?
This video is a great explanation while Linux still in 2021 does not hit the consumer market above 2.5% These are not "mistakes". That's just how our human brain works. And as long as Linux requires users to go against their nature, the number above will not improve much, I'm afraid.
Welcome back! I've been on Linux Mint since version 5.0. I've jumped a few versions here and there in the life of MInt. Currently running 19.3 Mint Cinnamon w/LtQt desktop and IceWm on my daily driver and I also have Mint 19.3 XFCE running on 3 other PCs, c2d based. I plan on overhauling my Main Mint rig to a x79 based e5-2650 v2 Xeon (used from AliExpress) with 16GB of ddr3-1333 or ddr-1600 ecc in quad channel in a few months. Least with Linux Mint..don't have to worry about being on the latest and greatest PC hardware that I can't afford :) *coughs* Windows 11
Nah... Man, the Linux community is the worst. I've been using Linux for 1 week, i do nothing that you guys tell me because it's all a bunch of work and I had zero issues. Do you know why "beginners" focus on feel and looks? Because that is what we interact with. And we are not going to spend time customizing if another distro already looks as we want. If you want to start on Linux here is an actual decent advice that makes sense for people that don't want to make using the OS their hobby: pick a popular distro. This will more or less guarantee that the problems that you might have will have solutions on some online forum. If the looks of the distro disgust you, find a UA-cam tutorial on how to change whatever is most annoying, but don't focus too much on it. Linux enthusiasts love to say that customization is possible they never mention that some very basic stuff might stop working, so limit the amount of cosmetics. If you use a shit load of specific software for work on windows, for example graphic designers, than you have to do the work and get used to different software, make sure things work and whatever. If you use Microsoft office and Google Chrome you'll have no issues on Linux, just install it
The common mistake made by this kind of videos is that, they think everyone is an engineer and know how to tweak everything in Linux. Most people won't even have time to learn or don't even care to learn.
What do you want to change that you can not? 8th mistake: Don't switch to Linux and expect it to work exactly like Mac or windows. Don't be afraid to try a different workflow. Linux is highly customizable.
Why are my replies deleted? There is nothing in them that is censorable. Questioning Linux claims is not a reason to remove them. Is this going to be deleted also?
@@keilmillerjr9701 Your "8th mistake" was 1st on the list that Nick gave and in itself demonstrates that the claim that Linux can do anything the others can, is false.
Excellent video with very good points! Here's a suggestion for a future video: "Ok, I've decided on a distro and DE, and I've installed and customized it. Now what?" You can cover gaming and various kinds of productivity software, along with general usage. You can also cover things like how to make sure network mount points get automatically mounted on boot. Or even... what mount points are and how the filesystem works. How services work. How cron works. And so on.
lmfao, I just saw CTT's video about you and scrolling down YT I saw this video and I was like "wait, what?" I don't know you man, I've seen some of your videos but what a great thing that you got your channel back.
CHANNEL IS BACK! Leave me a day or two to get my bearings and I'll treat you to a non destructive livestream with some explanations and some thanks for all the amazing people who helped
Is the winner still being announced?
And what about the winner?
What a relief! :)
I love your content 😄 Nice to see you back
Great Nick, good to have the channel back.
Welcome back my friend! :)
Glad to see our community united, and man I'd like to see a Diolinux Experiment collab, I remember to get very exited when you did one with The Linux Gamer a while back and it was pretty neat! And man I'm glad to have Nick back too! A big thanks to Dionatan and Nick!
I support Pedros idea
Feliz 7 de Setembro Dio! Não gosto desse país, mas pelo menos tamo em casa 😎
linux brasil huehuehue
Não esperava encontrar vc por aqui 🤔😅
For anyone interested in learning Linux, I would suggest setting up dual boot. Then you always have the option to switch back to Windows if you can't figure out something and you can't spend more time figuring it out right now
Why not just use vm
@@user-og9nl5mt1b personally though, it depend on the hardware
If you for example have a good hardware, then yeah why bother Dualbooting while you can get in on a VM
But for lower spec PC, it's best to use linux while Dualboot just to make sure the performance are the same like you would expect
@@Hyrionn u are right bro. I have an old laptop and I installed Ubuntu in vm . And it is kinda laggy tbh. Even though people say Linux is light weight and shit .
@@user-og9nl5mt1b since it's a old laptop, why not Singleboot Linux? Or Dualboot Incase you need windows albeit on older laptop
@@Hyrionn I like having Adobe software like photoshop .
The "Giving Up Too Easily" mistake is so relatable. Reminds me of when I struggled with Debian XFCE or CentOS in the workplace three years ago. Ended up taking a day off to read some documentation, tried again to administrate the workstations that were up and months later I was the Linux SME at the IT department. When I left, they had CentOS equipment and no one up to the task of maintaining it. Oh well, I wasn't worth USD2400 a year.
I've heard that story so many times... Like Aesop's fables, everybody have read it at some point but no one's taking the lesson seriously.
make more money by sitting at home dicking around with your own linux version and collect assistance as `payment` for your time, etc......then laugh at them......
So happy the channel is back !
You deserve all the success !!
Thank you so much!!
IMO, the major core difference between distros is the Package Manager:
Arch: Pacman
Debian: APT
Fedora: RPM (my personal favourite)
I found this the first major deciding factor in which distro to choose, because it affects so much: how many packages you have access to, how up to date are those packages, the documentation/support, are they official or community repos, etc.
Yes, I know there are flatpaks but still the package manager is super important to user experience, and I find it gets glossed over so often.
My preference is Pacman. The reason: Its faster to use than apt, and I haven't use Fedora so I don't know how to use RPM.
I prefer Manjaro/Arch because AUR. Don't want to deal with the PPA non-sense.
xbps
Doesn't flatpak eliminate all this now?
@@lmnts556 How?
Welcome back man! I was worried, starting to really hate UA-cam, but I'm glad you got it straightened out.
Funny story, I got into Ubuntu when I discovered Linux and got so accustomed to the “unity” layout, that I had to “customize” the laptop I was given at work running windows by moving the taskbar to the left of the screen because the muscle memory would keep me looking that part of the screen for my apps. Great to see the channel back!
Funny story², I started using my taskbar on Windows on the side as soon as I started working with wide-screen monitors to save vertical space. Recently I decided to start using Linux more frequently and chose Ubuntu. Good surprise for me that it was like that already!
Not-as-funny story, I kept my task bar on the bottom on Ubuntu until I needed juuuust a bit more vertical screen space :c
I think Ubuntu went downhill because they were just starting to get unity right then slopped onto crappy new gnome at the time.
Are you still using Ubuntu?
@@myself50094 No, i use manjaro KDE now
You are back!! Man, I am so glad! UA-cam and the Linux community is just not the same without you!
Glad to see you're back!
This might be a somewhat unpopular opinion here but I'd also add completely uninstalling the previous OS to the list. There's no shame in dual booting and using Windows in areas where it's just easier to use than Linux (gaming for example). It's also good to have a backup option in case something breaks and you don't have time to fix it immediately. Plus it makes switching back to only using Windows a lot easier if you notice that you actually don't want to make the switch to Linux after trying it for some time
Dual boot can definitely be a hindrance to really adopt Linux
I made this mistake
I completely agree with the essence of the first mistake. When switching to other OS, people often try to do the same things in the same way, but it doesn't work that way on a completely different system. In fact, this also happens when people switch from Linux to Windows. But this just happens not so often.
As for the change of distributions due to the appearance - a controversial issue. In theory, I can install debian and make it look and feel like ubuntu or manjaro. But it will take so much time and effort that it’s easier for me to completely reinstall the system. Any system can be customized to suit your preferences, but sometimes it makes no sense to do this, since most likely there already exist a distro configured that way.
Another beginner mistake is using unpopular distributions. Their repositories often lack the required software packages. They also contain many bugs that cannot be fixed due to the lack of developers. It is difficult to fix such problems on your own due to the fact that there are no ready-made instructions, and instructions written for other distributions often do not work (you already mentioned that).
I personally had lots of bugs on Ubuntu 20 LTS in 2021. Your PC won't shutdown unless you change from no splash to force acpi. If I switch from Nvidia driver to Xorg, boot ends up with a black screen and I had to use cheerooted env to fix things.Do you expect regular users to fix it on their own?
@@prakhars962 Yeah I get you. My first linux was LXLE which I had to manually boot through grub everytime. Not the best first impression.
As someone who came to linux from mac os and had to use windows at school, I can totally verify that it's just as confusing going from linux to windows. The first thing I did was spend a few hours trying unsuccessfully to make the windows command line use bash. The second thing I did was bring a persistent live usb drive with linux on it to school.
Thanks for the video. I would add another tip : if you have the opportunity to use a new machine, consider a brand that officially support Linux (i.e.Lenovo or Dell). You'll minimize hardware compatibility problems.
Or one from a Linux hardware seller like Slimbook, Tuxedo, it System76
@@TheLinuxEXP Yes, course ;-))
That's ...THE... problem I've run into.
After lots of troubleshooting to try to find out why every single distro did the same thing on my PC (ran ok except for random hangs that left no indication of why in the logfiles), I find out that the particular model of Nvidia my Emachines PC has is one for which there apparently exists no stable linux driver. (the proprietary list skips it, and the generic one is unstable on this model)
Unfortunately, that's too restrictive. I'm lucky to live in Japan, I buy NEC or Fujitsu, ultra lightweight below 900g laptops.
Man, it is great to have your channel back. Yours is my favorite Linux content on UA-cam. Your perspective on the Linux community and ecosystem is refreshing and very realistic. On the video subject, you are 100% right, specially on the "giving up too easily" part. Linux takes time and work, but in the end is totally worth it.
Glad you're back. About that terminal.... :-) I got the most out of the Joe Collins videos about Bash commands. He goes really slow and just walks you through each command. Pause and do what he's doing and make notes. At 1st I found the terminal frustrating and scary, but once you know a few commands It's actually a very easy way of doing things and it makes Linux so powerful.
I’ll check that out, thanks!
Glad this ended well and to see your channel back, you're special to the Linux Community, keep up your awesome work Nick.
You aren't the "Linux Community," are you?
I love how community supported you,started watching you linux mint videos for switching
So happy you're back! I don't think highly of UA-cam's capacity to be a respectable or even a likeable platform, but at least I'm glad you got stuff sorted out.
Wow, I'm planning my switch to Linux (outside a VM) for a while now and I am proud to say that I have not fallen in any of these "mistakes". It's maybe thanks to my curious programmer side that made me experiment a bit? (understanding commands before using them, trying out different distros in VM, etc)
Nice video, thanks ;)
I was so relieved when the channel came back, one of the few channels that stays as unbiased as possible.
Nick, i am so glad your channel is back, and this quickly too! The community stepped up and it's so good to see see one of my favourite content creators get the treatment he deserves!
Tbh, many these points would deserve more in-depth dedicated videos. I think you nailed a lot of things here 😀
Good idea!!
@@TheLinuxEXP could you please do a video about different scenarios of partitioning in linux .
- everything on one partition
- root and home not in the same partition
- root and home in different HDDs
- best partitioning for nuke and pave without losing data .
...
@@AlaKernel Great idea! To me the biggest mistake people make is letting the distro installer put everything on one partition. Users are going to install a new distro, either an updated version of their current distro or an entirely new distro, every couple of years on average, so putting your OS and user space on one partition is a big mistake.
If my first pc wasn't that bad i would never install mint and several distros more. Glad it was, i love linux now (when there's no hundreds of bugs)
Yes Nick! Good to see you.
My favorite part about Linux is that there’s so many distributions out there that can be specialized to particular tasks. I have multiple USB drives with different Linux live partitions that have persistence so that I can go up to any computer and effectively use it as my own Linux machine specialized for the task I want to do. It also allows me to run Windows or Mac on my computer so that if a program doesn’t work on Linux, I just boot up on Windows. I think if you want to use Linux, it’s generally smart to use multiple partitions.
there's a core of truth to unchangeable defaults btw; some operating/desktop environment are less customizable than others
But the DE can be replaced
@@laurinneff4304 yes you can but even that can depend on the distro, not all distros support all DEs either :3
I've read that some distros work well with specific DEs too
@@re.liable yes because they are optimized and often integrated to work with specific DEs such as, i dunno, elementaryOS and pantheon?
@@fuseteam well, i would use linux mint and cinnamon, because linux mint uses a fork of Ubuntu, which changes unity (or now gnome) as a requirement to cinnamon/xfce/mate
The software part I think is super important - if you are considering a move, it's worth the time it takes to see whether everything you use can either work on Linux or be replaced by a Linux counterpart. The only thing keeping me on Windows for the past 8 years since I first tried Linux was the lack of Photoshop support. Now that you can run it pretty much seamlessly through WINE, I made the switch fully.
I would definitely suggest dual-booting to start off, as you always have your original OS to fall back on should things go sideways. Or try Linux on an old laptop you no longer use. Play around, explore, and be willing to learn new ways of doing things.
Linux is a fantastic way to extend the life of an aging laptop. I have two (both Lenovo) - an old netbook from my primary school days (2009), and my main laptop I use for university/work/gaming (2016). Both work as if they were new, despite their being relatively long-in-the-tooth by computer standards, and that's down to Linux and its ability to keep only what you need without all the bloat of Windows.
I can't believe you got punished for doing something good, I'm glad you're back!
What happened?
@@AshishKumar-qi5gk I wonder too
@@AshishKumar-qi5gk His channel got taken down for a couple days
Oh, what a relief! I feel like UA-cam don't understand educational content creators like you. They only seem to hype behind UA-camrs who just hype on crazy influence with no constructive context.
I disagree with point two. While you are mostly right, i think a distro is more than just the software. A distro is the philosophy, community and team behind it. Best example of this is Mint’s stance against snap packages.
yep , distros are more than install packages , as you will be stuck with their update cycles
snap is so lame they are containers ... they just take up too much space and make everything more complex
totally agree; and you can change a desktop really easily, a distro; not so much (unless its Debian and Ubuntu!)
I don't care about anyone's philosophy or who they are. If their software is good that's enough for me.
And, talking of Mint, their absolute commitment to making their installer ready for the beginner. Soon after Mint launched I saw an online comment that did "This is Ubuntu done properly". From the preservative of a home user coming to Linux for the first time that is still true, in my analysis
Glad you are back. i was about to leave YT for good!
So pleased you're back 🤗🎉
I've been dipping my toe into linux with my decade old laptop with Zorin OS Lite. The wifi sucks because 10 year old laptop, but it's still nice to get the practice in
YAAASSSS!!! Such a relaxed style and great to have you back.
I'm a pretty hardcore Linux user since 1996, and your video is perfect. I'm going to share it with so many people. I wish there was a French dubbed version. Every pitfall and bad mistakes beginners do, you have mentioned. Thank you.
Welcome back! :)) I'm glad you were able to get the channel back up. Your videos are always amazing and we all appreciate you greatly :)) Keep up the great work! You are a wonderful gift to this world and are an absolutely amazing content creator :))
Thanks a lot for the kind words 😁
Glad you are back my friend!
Edit after watching the video:
Going back to the Windows file system, I easily get lost. The Linux file structure just makes so much more sense, and it's more intuitive. What is /tmp? Read the name and oh duh, it's for temporary things. Where are my drives? Look in /media or /mnt. Again, read the name. Where are all my personal files? Perhaps in my home (folder).
I’m glad you’re back. I really enjoy watching your content. You are really a good person
Thanks! I just started with Linux. I’ll rewatch this video several times in the coming weeks/months.
Super heureux de ton retour ! Ce genre de choses ne devraient pas arriver.
Thank you for making this video. It is a great overview. I have been a Windows and Mac user, and I wanted to set up a PC with the Linux distribution. I went with Ubuntu and am very happy with it for my day today projects. I research my hardware before making the leap so I have no problems with drivers working and all of my web-based applications transferred easily. The open source Linux applications have worked for me without any problems. Thank you again for the video
Great to see, that your channel is back!
@4:29 Yes, but it makes more sense to use a distro instead that provides exactly the gui you want, unless it sucks for other reasons.
@5:00 Yeah, but that takes effort that can used somewhere else. ^^
@9:01 It is easier to find an alternative than to make those programs work on WINE but you have at least one of both options.
Welcome Back.
Was worried about the channel,I love your content
Glad you are back mate.
The Desktop Environment mistake, I admit I made that mistake in the beginnings of my Linux adventure. After realizing that I didnt have to change distro or reinstalling the same distro but different DE everytime I wanted to try a DE.
Ever since I learned that was a mistake, I come to realize that I love ricing my own DE.
We're on your side, Nick. Count on us. Thanks, for everything, dude.
Coming here from the deleted announcement, I got from the Linux community and I'm happy to see you back and without any deleted backlog ! I hope it did not carry over some burden like ad sense shenanigan
Great video for newbies, the Windows 11 and Steam Os might be a great season for Linus newcomers ! Keep it up
HE'S BACKK! THE LEGEND HIMSELF IS BACK! Welcome back, you were missed.
Great to see you back. You have huge support amongst UA-camrs and Viewer's alike
Oh phew, this is a relief. Welcome back.
Definitely a huge relief!!
I do think that choosing the right distro is the first step into really getting into linux. More specifically, the right base-linux.
Not so much when just starting out.
And with choosing distros, the most important question (I think) you should ask is which linux base you think you'll want.
There's waaaaay too many distros to choose from imo.
Chances are you'll get recommended Ubuntu, Elementary, Mint, Manjaro or Fedora, those seem to be the big ones atm.
But that's still way too many to choose from if you don't know anything about Linux.
Granted... I suppose you'll quickly find out more about your preferences, but distrohopping is a scary thing to do, especially when you've just succesfully switched the very first time.
"What is debian? What is Arch? i've heard that debian is old and that arch crashes all the time and you'll have to build everything yourself"
That's not helpful to someone new at all.
And then there's the looks, which Nick very clearly points out that mislead a lot of people.
Going for Mac or Windows at least saves you the hastle of that choice, it's their way or the highway.
Then again.. that's one of the big reasons people want to get away from Mac & Windows in the first place.
But I digress, I propose giving this bit of advice to people that want to start out with linux.
1. Specific Distro's don't matter, pick one you think you like and give it a spin. Bonus points for picking a popular & beginner friendly one.
2. Don't worry about 'old & stable' vs 'bleeding-edge' if you don't know for yourself. You'll find out your preference as you go.
3. Try sticking with linux for 3 months/6 months/ 1 year.
4. Don't be afraid to switch distros if you can and want to.
Glad your channel is back!
keep it up with the amazing content and good mood xD
Welcome back my friend and i would also like to thank CT & DT for their yesterday's videos supporting this channel.
Awesome stuff! I was happy to see you posting this morning. I hope that doesn't happen again, it was probably pretty stressful :(
Glad you got it sorted out. It was great to see the Linux UA-cam community rally around you.
It was really fantastic, what they did. Can’t really thank them enough!
Welcome back
Same, just have to rid that stupid 'y' from my muscle memory in an empty browser location bar, when I'm in procrastination mode....
Excellent video :)
Only thing I would add is in the last section; 11:08, mistake 7: Giving up to soon
Don't expect to learn everything you need in one day. That's why every Linux distro I've installed allows you to dual boot with your previous OS. Keep Windows (or MacOS) till you are confident doing everything you need to do in the course of your working year. For example, if you have to file company accounts by a certain date, or a personal tax return, make sure you do it successfully on Linux because you commit to wiping out your old OS. And so on for every vital task you use your PC for. I strongly suggest that, as so many things in modern life are annual events, you need to work with a dual boot till you've gone at least a full year and never needed Windows (MacOS) once in that year.
Even Linus Torvalds, when he was creating Linux, kept a dual boot system for ages. (In fact he went for a triple boot system, but that's a different story)
The software that LT felt indispensable was an MS-DOS game called Prince of Persia. Even when Linux was working well enough for him to do all his actual work, be kept MS-DOS as a boot option so he could still play his favourite game.
Some people believe that that is why he invented dual boot: not for work reasons but for gaming. Certainly that's a motive for many gamers right up to the present day..
Having dual-boot also takes the steep slope or of the initial learning curve: you only have to learn one new program at a time; not learn everything in a manic weekend.
I generally think a lot of people have a lack of patience these days and trying to encourage people to stick at it and work through the issues can be really difficult.
I appreciate you encouraging people to stick at it, because I think it's sorely lacking in the community at times.
More to the point, a lot of people work for organizations that have a lack of patience, so they don't get a chance to stick it out even if they want to . . . if they can even make the initial plunge at all.
The community has no patience for newcomers.
You get a new kind of hate when you ask a simple question.
Linux users don't want their club to go mainstream.
@@darkerfox6246A lot of people like helping.
@@darkerfox6246But there are always black sheep.
People have lacked patience for something new, no matter the age.
Hell, whenever my grandpa gets a new phone, it basically starts an argument on how to use it
Glad you are back. You are the only Linux channel I follow on UA-cam. I am happy for you.
I've definitely fallen for number 2. My first Linux was Ubuntu, but I later switched to Mint just because I loved Cinnamon. Now I'm about to switch to Kubuntu because I like the idea of sticking to the base Ubuntu repos, and KDE Plasma looks like it'll be able to do everything I love about Cinnamon and then some. Plus: Wayland!
Welcome back, UA-cam and Linux community is not the same with you. Great to have you back.
My worst mistake when i started using Linux are downloading Linux distros from unknown sources and whats worse is that i deleted all my previous data. (I'm still using Linux now but i changed the distros to the official one)
Welcome Back Bud, I missed you and felt bad, I am a new member but watched a lot of your videos in recent past. Its nice to see you back.
My advice has always been: USE a VM! Sure, the experience is different then on real hardware, but it's a great way to learn Linux.
Yep, its a great way to experiment on a disposable system so when you finally switch (if you do make the decision) you won't be too confused and want to go back.
Though, I also wonder if doing this would make you less fearing of breaking things in your system? Reason why I am wondering is that it is kind of a double edged sword because, if you aren't panicking you probably will fix it easily - if you give it enough time. But on the other hand you may just end up reinstalling your OS for even a minor setback because you didn't have time to fix the problem, and had a powerpoint presentation in 3 hours while in panic mode.
@@necrobynerton7384It's a lot less risk than running native. Whenever I made mistakes I just revert to previous checkpoint and redo. So I learnt faster than doing things on native.
Most of the people who recommend VM would not realise that some people have low end hardware that would make the VM unusable
@@blindtechworld True, but thank God that's only with systems (especially laptops) with a price-range bellow $500,- . most semi-modern systems can handle a Linux vm with 2GB mem allocated to it.
@@DJNightchild the sad thing is I can't afford a 500$ laptop and I am pretty sure that there is other people like me
This is the best linux transition advise video I have seen in by far. Thank you!
Thanks for watching :)
Step 1: Installing arch while u strrugle with ubuntu
Good to see that the channel is back online, welcome back!
The main problem I have with Linux is anything requiring elevation (sudo) isn't surfaced in the GUI, it has to be done in a terminal. Things as simple as formatting a USB stick. Until Linux can 100% be used without a terminal it will never be ready for the desktop.
It can be used on gui using polkit authenticator like lxsession.
Glad to see the channel is back in action!
Most of the points you raised depend on users being more advanced than they really are, which is almost never the case for the average user. I only use distros that are easy to use, because I don't have time (or interest) to navigate through the advanced settings and customization options in Linux.
It has taken me 25 years from my first Linux install (SuSe, in 1998) and for years I was in the situation you describe. It was only gradually over the decades that I learnt, bit by bit, the more advanced stuff. Free software folk t talk about "scratching the itch" and that's exactly it. Whenever I cared enough about something to find out how to change that one thing, I learnt something new.
My tip is to stick with distros that meet your current level of assumed expertise, or at most only slightly challenge you. There is a huge range to choose from, with LinuxMint at one end and Gentoo or Linux from Scratch at the other.
@@trueriver1950 The only distro I would ever install on my computer at this point is Zorin OS. I still have very little interest in learning the advanced side of Linux. The only thing I want is an easy to use, point and click OS for my PC. I don't mind a little troubleshooting now and then, but only on occasion.
@@Reed-Publications I think your point supports mine. Over 25 years the "occasional troubleshooting" you refer to, or that I referred to as "scratching an itch" builds into expertise.
Certainly don't move from a distro till you find you want to.
It is SO good to see you back on YT Nick!
when someone in my family will get their first laptop/computer, i will install linux >w>
Nice!
use a windows looking like DE so that it will lower the chance that they will see a difference
but it will be their first contact with laptop/desktop, so liek i dont care if something looks like 100% windows, i care if something is easy and self explaining
@@justfoxxo2924 fair ngl
amogus
i read about the unfortunate situation yesterday. and I'm really happy when this video pop up on my feed just now.
The “drivers are preinstalled on linux” argument always baffled me. Whenever I tried switching to linux back in the day (couple years ago), some stuff never worked. For example webcam and printers.
Also installing apps in just “one click”. A lot of programs I wanted weren’t in the app store and you have to install through terminal, which is just very unfriendly in my opinion. I think I haven’t yet seen a linux desktop vs everything video that isn’t biased.
How long has it been? It’s really not the case anymore
I'm so happy for your coming back!!
Honestly, most of the common Windows software I threw out the window whilst I was still using Windows 10. Most open source alternatives worked much much better and were more comfortable to use. And they were free on top of it a all.
Which software are you talking about? Free software that work better than proprietary one is not THAT common, we must be honest now. Btw, gentoo-only user from 2006 to 2017 here so elaborate if you want but don't point fingers.
7:35 from experience this is not always true, often the live environment can lack a lot of packages that would be installed with the os, so trying out any devices that might require some more configuration or different packages to work correctly can be a lot harder or plain impossible to get working without installing, so what i usually do is shrink the main partition on the drive and create a new partition to install and try out the Linux distro i want to use on that device, also being able to reboot the installed os can be good to check if it doesn't just work once but will consistently work as expected, i had a touchscreen driver that would work in the live USB and spaz out after install
#8. Reminding everyone you use linux any chance you get.
So happy to see the channel back online!
"You won't expect macOS programms run on Windows." I miss you, iTunes *sighs*
Don't scare me like that. I thought you meant they had discontinued it!
@@stevethepocket To be honest, I thought they did. But only partially. It's still available on Windows as a single program and was broken apart an macOS into smaller apps.
The 5th tip was certainly something I wish I was told when I started.
I went in thinking I'd be using Wine for everything and just carry over everything I used on Windows.
I spent two days trying to get one program working and was *very* quickly sobered in the end. Wine is an amazing project, but it's absolutely not a magic bullet. Sacrifices need to be made.
@Bolivian-Lament I've considered running a VM, but don't they take ages to boot up each time you need them?
I play a lot of games, so I'd want to shut it off for resources whenever I'm not using the programs I need from Windows.
I literally switched yesterday
Glad you could get back. Of the several channels I follow, you are one of the best. You have a very good screen presence, and seem caring of what you present. Also great explanations. Keep up the excellent work.
Thanks a lot for the kind words :)
If your Linux PC is slow just enter 'rm -rf /' in a terminal.
Just joking, pls don't do it, it will delete your entire system
It needs to be run as root, and you need to explicitly allow deleting root. So the command would be `doas rm -rf / --no-preserve-root` or `doas rm -rf /*`
@@linuxnoodle8682 you are implying that most people use doas lul
@@mihailmojsoski4202 Lmao just remembered that people actually use sudo
@@linuxnoodle8682 People are lazy, myself included. Doas is less fluid to type on a qwerty keyboard. It is a fact: it's... backward. Besides habit, that is seriously why I am reluctant to use it. Ok I could make an alias all right but... Didn't I mention I am lazy?
@@alessandrozigliani2615 Eh, just a matter of opinion. I actually prefer how doas is typed, but they are barely different im the first place.
It’s good to have you back!!!
yay
Glad to have you back on UA-cam!
Installing steam
Was so worried at morning, thanks for being back
This video is a great explanation while Linux still in 2021 does not hit the consumer market above 2.5%
These are not "mistakes". That's just how our human brain works.
And as long as Linux requires users to go against their nature, the number above will not improve much, I'm afraid.
Welcome back! I've been on Linux Mint since version 5.0. I've jumped a few versions here and there in the life of MInt. Currently running 19.3 Mint Cinnamon w/LtQt desktop and IceWm on my daily driver and I also have Mint 19.3 XFCE running on 3 other PCs, c2d based. I plan on overhauling my Main Mint rig to a x79 based e5-2650 v2 Xeon (used from AliExpress) with 16GB of ddr3-1333 or ddr-1600 ecc in quad channel in a few months. Least with Linux Mint..don't have to worry about being on the latest and greatest PC hardware that I can't afford :) *coughs* Windows 11
Nah... Man, the Linux community is the worst. I've been using Linux for 1 week, i do nothing that you guys tell me because it's all a bunch of work and I had zero issues. Do you know why "beginners" focus on feel and looks? Because that is what we interact with. And we are not going to spend time customizing if another distro already looks as we want.
If you want to start on Linux here is an actual decent advice that makes sense for people that don't want to make using the OS their hobby:
pick a popular distro. This will more or less guarantee that the problems that you might have will have solutions on some online forum.
If the looks of the distro disgust you, find a UA-cam tutorial on how to change whatever is most annoying, but don't focus too much on it. Linux enthusiasts love to say that customization is possible they never mention that some very basic stuff might stop working, so limit the amount of cosmetics.
If you use a shit load of specific software for work on windows, for example graphic designers, than you have to do the work and get used to different software, make sure things work and whatever. If you use Microsoft office and Google Chrome you'll have no issues on Linux, just install it
I'm so glad that your channel is back!
The common mistake made by this kind of videos is that, they think everyone is an engineer and know how to tweak everything in Linux. Most people won't even have time to learn or don't even care to learn.
Welcome Back Nick, nice to see the channel back and working again.
"You can virtually tweak or change anything on lInux..."
...except what YOU want.
8th mistake: Believe what _Linux users_ say.
What do you want to change that you can not? 8th mistake: Don't switch to Linux and expect it to work exactly like Mac or windows. Don't be afraid to try a different workflow. Linux is highly customizable.
Why are my replies deleted?
There is nothing in them that is censorable. Questioning Linux claims is not a reason to remove them.
Is this going to be deleted also?
@@keilmillerjr9701 5 attempts at posting the reply and every single one deleted for no good reason that I can see.
@@keilmillerjr9701 Your "8th mistake" was 1st on the list that Nick gave and in itself demonstrates that the claim that Linux can do anything the others can, is false.
its gud to have u back man, the community including other creators were fighting for u against youtube, its gud to see u got ur channel back
Excellent video with very good points! Here's a suggestion for a future video: "Ok, I've decided on a distro and DE, and I've installed and customized it. Now what?" You can cover gaming and various kinds of productivity software, along with general usage. You can also cover things like how to make sure network mount points get automatically mounted on boot. Or even... what mount points are and how the filesystem works. How services work. How cron works. And so on.
Dude!!! You're back! Welcome back I'm glad you got your channel back.
lmfao, I just saw CTT's video about you and scrolling down YT I saw this video and I was like "wait, what?"
I don't know you man, I've seen some of your videos but what a great thing that you got your channel back.
Thank you! Chris has been super nice, can’t thank him enough!
This is wonderful. I just installed Linux mint and learned so much from your video. Thank you.
now a grateful subscriber