how long would it realistically take for a windows / android normie to set up Linux
>get Linux compatible hardware
>install all basic software
>get browser, VPN and antivirus working
>without sacrificing any privacy / security
(I've heard the user friendliness you get with Ubuntu comes with data collection sacrifices?)
should I just pay my local computer store to set it up for me?
because I need Linux fairly soon
download rufus and the debian netinst with non-free firmware and you're set
I didnt mention,
I'm going to set it up on a new laptop
(current one is falling apart)
and I don't want to run Linux on Windows,
i'd like to remove all traces of Windows and just have Linux
and apparently it's much more complex to replace Win with Linux,
as opposed to just running them side by side
Download the ISO, put it on a flash drive, and follow what the installer tells you to do. Ubuntu doesn't collect your data.
Don't recommend Debian to normals. The installer assumes that they know what things are. Also Rufus has too many buttons. Etcher has like 3 buttons and will work the same for OP's needs.
No, running them side by side is more advanced. A monkey could do it but you still need to know what a partition is, and we all know that you're dumber than a monkey. So when the installer ask where to install, select the checkbox that says "use whole disk" and Windows will be completely wiped off. Choose your language and keyboard, defaults are fine if you're a burger. It may prompt for network access, so give it a password like on your phone. Pick where your timezone is on the world map it shows you, and then enter a username and password.
If you can't handle that you need to kill yourself.
alright thanks anons
I'll give it my best shot,
hopefully my laptop doesn't pull a note 7
The average normie would probably have trouble installing Windows.
I guess I'm half a step above most normies then because even I can do that
Installing linux is as easy as windows nowadays. Nearly any hardware is linux friendly. Nearly any distro nowadays comes with a browser.
truly caught up to win xp, can confirm
Don't fucking install Debian. It's a piece of shit. Nothing will work out of the box due to outdated everything. You can fix it but you don't know how and you'll just come back and make a "Linux sucks" thread. Install Ubuntu and be done with it.
thanks, yeah i think i'm just over complicating it in my head
>Ubuntu doesn't collect your data
You can't be serious, man.
>antivirus on linux
I'd say most hardware is more linux friendly than windows friendly, with a lot of shit working out of the box, ie. wifi, printers
1. Install it
2. You're pretty much done
I've always found it easier to install than windows as there are far less hoops.
While this is an exaggeration, yes, Debian is basically 'driver issues' the OS.
I've never installed it and had it just work.
But every time I install ubuntu (or rather xubuntu) it works.
I try not to install windows and linux on the same drive because windows has a nasty habit of fucking up the bootloader or some bullshit so that neither boot works anymore.
Easier.
installer is basically cp -R, installation is just packagemanager install packagename. The only other OS easier than that would me mac os
Downloaded Ubuntu Gnome 16.04 if you want a fancier looking UI. Regular Ubuntu is fine too. Check out Linux mint as well, Ubuntu/Linux mint are most intuitive to get into. You'll form your own opinions and try other distributions (versions) after a while.
Yeah, can vouch. Windows 10 and Ubuntu dual boot on a fresh drive took like 3 hours to get working properly with grub showing etc. It can be done ofc but there's a lot of shit to waddle through and it's not explicit for all machines.
>windows has a nasty habit of fucking up the bootloader
Windows does not fuck up the bootloader. It installs its own and makes it the default. Unfortunately it is not smart enough to detect Linux installations, but it does detect other Windows installations.
Most Linux distros do the same thing, but the bootloader they install (GRUB) can see other operating systems no problem.
To get around this I usually install Windows first then Linux (to make sure GRUB is set as default), or if you install Windows last you can reinstall GRUB from a live USB - help.ubuntu.com
>antivirus working
>linux
>antivirus
please stay at windows, we don't want you.
It doesn't help. At first, I wasn't able to boot into Ubuntu, then I fixed that and and grub didn't have a windows entry, then I restarted 1-2 times and again wasn't able to boot into Ubuntu (or see grub) and when I fixed that I added windows entry with grub editor or something.
It works flawlessly now but it can be a pain to set up. Again, there aren't explicit instructions for all machines, if OP has a ThinkPad that might be covered for him, but for any random laptop probably not.
Ubuntu sucks and Gnome is removing desktop icons and Gnome sucks
In 2018?
Thanks to MS pushing UEFI you need to go to legacy BIOS if things don't work.
>Ubuntu
>windows normie
Get mint!
Only for the love of god select
"USE proprietary drivers"
while installing the OS.
Only
>should I just pay my local computer store to set it up for me?
YES.
Or try using a live CD first if your current computer can start it congratulations, you can and are into linux.
GET MINT!
GET cinnamon for DE, Linux Mint cinnamon edition.
does mint use that pile of shit known as systemd?
>systemd
YES.
Sadly.
You want into linux get mint or are you seriously want a first time user to start with something that will throw command line errors and have ZERO drivers?
Practically everything has systemd even arch etc.
(I'm not OP, I'm the guy you replied to)
I unironically run Gentoo with OpenRC for all my linux needs unless whatever it is I'm doing requires something else. Usually if I need to bring something up quick I just use Debian.
I've seen Mint tossed around a lot and I know people like it but I've just never gotten around to trying it since I like what I have.
Well, Android uses Linux. So using a GNU OS with Linux is about as hard as that. But it depends what OS you want to use. I recommend using Ubuntu, probably Xubuntu, for beginners because it has the largest support community and is piss easy to install, it just has inferior documentation compared to Arch.
So you want compatible hardware, which is pretty much everything. I don't think there is much made in the last decade that won't run a GNU/Linux OS. Ubuntu comes with all the basic software you need. You won't need an antivirus and, no, Ubuntu no longer sends specific user data to Amazon.
>should I just pay my local computer store to set it up for me?
No. Ubuntu is easier to install and set up than Wangblows or MacOS.
I'd just like to interject for a moment. What you're referring to as Linux, is in fact, GNU/Linux, or as I've recently taken to calling it, GNU plus Linux. Linux is not an operating system unto itself, but rather another free component of a fully functioning GNU system made useful by the GNU corelibs, shell utilities and vital system components comprising a full OS as defined by POSIX.
Many computer users run a modified version of the GNU system every day, without realizing it. Through a peculiar turn of events, the version of GNU which is widely used today is often called "Linux", and many of its users are not aware that it is basically the GNU system, developed by the GNU Project.
There really is a Linux, and these people are using it, but it is just a part of the system they use. Linux is the kernel: the program in the system that allocates the machine's resources to the other programs that you run. The kernel is an essential part of an operating system, but useless by itself; it can only function in the context of a complete operating system. Linux is normally used in combination with the GNU operating system: the whole system is basically GNU with Linux added, or GNU/Linux. All the so-called "Linux" distributions are really distributions of GNU/Linux.
>and apparently it's much more complex to replace Win with Linux,
>as opposed to just running them side by side
Not at all? If anything it's easier because you don't have to worry about writing to the wrong partition.
XP doesn't have genkernel.
This. Seriously this. I use Arch unironically and seriously, go with Mint if you're just starting out.
Welcome to the club, and have a nice stay.
Why Mint over Ubuntu?
don't fall for mint, noobs who fell for it recommend it to other noobs, but ut's broken pos
It's nicely configured. Comparable to manjaro.
I uninstalled Manjaro as soon as it prompted me to share it on reddit and fagbook.
The best part of mint is:
1) ets everything up
2) cinnamon is a great DE
What is so bad about systemd?
Why are all distros using it?
What is the alternative?
The only thing I needed to know about systemd was binary logs.
Binary logs = trash.
Ubuntu is the win10/win8.0 of the linux world.
Ubuntu sends everything you do to its servers.
Ubuntu has a peace of shit DE (win8.0) named unity.
Drop it.
mint forked from ubuntu, think about mint like is someone took winXP/win7 and decided to develop it in a different direction the win8/win10.
A lot of ubuntu stuff will work on mint because mint is a fork of ubuntu.
...
you guys seriously need to stop pretending to like computers. you just install and recommend the first fucking distro you find and then it leads poor guys like this to install shit like mint and antergross.
Bitching about nothing.
>X apps
Started ridiculing it right here.
Facts
old gedit was great.
neo-gedit has a shit UI.
Mint developers take old-gedit code and create their own program named "edit" (stupid name BTW)
mint-edit is a cool program.
>S-s-s-s-stop forking our stuff.
How about NO!
>b-b-b-b-b muh namespace
How about you learn to install things manually you repository package managing baby?
Only idiots use repositories, repositories are slavery!
You get what you deserve, grow up.
>b-b-b-b-b mint ships with all the codex and drivers and is not autistick like us
Laugh at the idiots everyone
>-m-m-m-m-m-muh legality
>-m-m-m-m-m-muh patents
This is the definition of a cuck.
>What is so bad about systemd?
Feature crept to hell, horrifically managed, bloated as shit.
>Why are all distros using it?
The goal was to standardize the linux init system, and when it was in its inception it wasn't *too* bad. But now it's just spiraled out of control and no one wants to admit that they fucked up by switching to it.
>What is the alternative?
Install Gentoo (or another non-retarded distro) and use OpenRC. Read this: without-systemd.org
I seriously want to learn.
>bloated as shit.
This word is overused.
>Feature crept to hell
Can I get a info-graphic or list of this happening.
>The goal was to standardize the linux init system
Why are they to lazy to make config files?
>ttp://without-systemd.org
Thanks
This
Start here: ewontfix.com
Then pick articles from here: without-systemd.org
There are a ton of reasons, and those pages go into better detail than I could without retyping everything they say.
>>bloated as shit.
>This word is overused.
Except that's what systemd is. They basically took the normal init process and shoved all kinds of shit into that has no real business being there. Refer to the EWONTFIX article.
>>Feature crept to hell
>Can I get a info-graphic or list of this happening.
systemd is supposed to be an init system. The fact that it does anything other than process management is proof enough.
>rufus
>not win32diskimager
What are you dumb?
So why not use Debian? Besides, Ubuntu doesn't necessarily need a shit DE like Unity, just like Mint doesn't need to use shit DEs like Cinnamon, Mate, and KDE.
systemd
>rufus
>antivirus
Don't even bother you fucking mongoloid
>get Linux compatible hardware
There's a very good chance that what you already have will work with linux out of the box unless maybe you have brand new computer
>install all basic software
Most basic software(office, browser, etc) is already included if you install something like Ubuntu
>get browser, VPN and antivirus working
sudo apt-get install openvpn. I assume you already know how to get it working after that if you've used vpn before.
Literally 30 minutes at most after you've finished downloading the iso and setting up the image on a USB-stick.
>So why not use Debian
Good question.
I started out using mint and I recommend it for first time users because its easy and I did not have problems.
I like the cinnamon DE.
What DE do you use?
>Ubuntu sends everything you do to its servers.
But that's wrong, idiot. Even when the amazon lens was a thing(it isn't anymore, just FYI), it never sent everything you did to its servers, just anything you searched for.
They used Mint at university, so I started with that. Then i used it until I tried Elementary OS and now I have had Elementary OS on my desktop for about a year. laptop have been running debian + i3 for about the same thing. And my experience is that after a while you get to learn cmd, what programs works good, how to set shit up etc. Then just use Debian+i3 and be happy.
Elementary OS comes with quite alot of annoying bugs and shit.
>Takes about 5 minutes to open filebrowser when saving/uploading something in Firefox the first time you do it after starting firefox
>Sometimes loginscreen freezes for a few minutes before you get to your desktop
>Bluetooth wont work
>Banshee freezes sometimes when changing tracks
>The built in Music/Video etc is shit
>it never sent everything you did to its servers, just anything you searched for.
This is a literal contradiction.
You are contradicting yourself!
Look at the Ubuntu shill.
>amazon
Yes I simplified the statement.
>Ubuntu collaborated with amazon to bla bla bla sends data to amazons servers.
However my simplification is still true I never specified who's servers I'm talking about.
And this little factoid is irrelevant.
Ubuntu spied on you.
>it isn't anymore, just FYI
Implying they don't do it again.
Ubuntu is burned and I will never recommend it to anyone and tell everyone how
Ubuntu = spy-ware.
>This is a literal contradiction.
That's like saying that since searching google sends the search terms to google's servers, that means everything you do with your browser(regardless of the browser you use) is sent to google's servers.
It's a wonder your skull hasn't imploded yet, because there must be a vacuum where your brain used to be.
He kid you write:
>it never sent everything you did to its servers
This literally translates to
>Ubuntu never did send any data to no servers!
>just anything you searched for
"anything you searched for" is included in the definition of the word "everything"
You are contradicting yourself or you can not into English.
Have a diagram.
Can you even talk yourself out of this?
>searching google
Nice damage control there spin doctor.
To bad the search was the desktop search and every time you searched for a local file this was sent to amazon.
Can you try to damage control this?
Xfce is the best DE.
>my bloated ui is better than your bloated ui
dubs confirm quality of post
When I was in high school and wanted to try linux, I was so confused how to install drivers and which anti virus do I need for linux.
>This literally translates to
Except it doesn't, you retarded piece of shit. You must have fucking first grader level of understanding of English to think that. Everything means EVERYTHING, not just "anything you search for". As in, all the other things you do IN ADDITION to anything you search for.
Now that we're clear on that, just kill yourself retard.
Here comes the Gentoo user.
>What is the alternative?
Void Linux is good alternative...
Ubuntu doesn't collect your data.
>get new hard drive
>boot linux from usb
Simples.
>Xfce
Why?
I want
1) Thumbnails for all pictures everywhere.
2) """Quick snap""" Whatever its name is I can Winkey + arrows to position the window.
3) productivity oriented benefits
4) tabs in windows
5) middle click to open folder in new tab
6) Shift + enter to open every folder in new tab
7) Dragging of windows on the task bar
8) """Expose view""" CTRL+ALT+UP arrow (whatever the name of this is)
And I gladly sacrifice 2GiB for this, I have 32GiB.
15 minutes if you are not a total moron
>use Linux
>set up for week and a half
>FUCK YEAH, WIRELESS IS FINALLY WORKING
>Try to upgrade
>pic related
/thread
Most of those have nothing to do with the DE.
stop shilling void or it'll be stormed by 14 year olds like arch
WEW.
you mast have fallen for the bleeding edge meme.
Also using arch like a fagot.
You always go for the try and tested distros not the autistis fagot bleeding edge rolling release distro shit!
You get what you deserved!
Now learn and switch to a distro that is not maximal retardation why the fuck do you need bleeding edge on a operating system platform that can not into modern drivers?!
>FUCK YEAH, WIRELESS IS FINALLY WORKING
JESUS is this what its like to live on arch?!
What fagots meanwhile on mint it simply werks!
Out of the box.
Also don't upgrade everything like a idiot.
Arch fags go brick yourself!
calculated post
Really?
What do they depend on?
How do I get them on xfce without spending hours on reconfiguring the DE.
Triggered much?
you can get everything you listed with a decent window manager and use like 500kb of ram
That doesn't answer his question, you know.
just an alternative, seems set on using a de for no reason
How I see it.
Desktop Loonix OS :
1)
Bergen basement drivers.
Unsupported hardware.
Drivers written by artists in their free time.
Shit build on another shit
2) Magical bundle of old bizarre and often conflicting mini programs like:
Terminal utilities (bash VS corn VS ...)
Demons
pulse audio etc
3) GUI starts here
X.org server
loads of shit
Finally you get to the DE that includes all the bells and whistles.
This is what you interact with.
Its a pile of layers on top of layers of abstraction.
Shaky at best so I'm glad it works and I give the 2GiB RAM.
Feels good to have bought RAM like crazy back in the day.
In Loonixes defense all OSs suck ass they only suck differently.
MS can not even manage their OS to support old hardware they did support back in the day.
I have examples of Windows not detecting hardware while Loonix detects it and vice versa.
They all suck they suck only differently.
And ruining Loonix is all about the politics and not about some magical performance or security (pro tip there is no OS that will give you this).
The cluster fuck named cinnamon gives me my nice things so I ignore the cluster fuck that its made out of.
The cluster fuck named Windows can not even into cinnamon productivity and includes MS spy-ware.
windows is way more of a shit built on other shit os, but it's true that all OS suck in their own way.
Lots of suck can be mitigated by removing systemd and having a more bare interaction with X.
>That doesn't answer his question, you know.
I'm puzzled.
Are the xfce fanboys so ass blasted they try to advertise some magical thing you can do in xfce to get the tings I want?
Or is there even a way to get this in xfce?
I ran xfce however it did not have the snap feature from the start and I simply switched back to cinnamon.
I want to know if this is even possible I see mint like this:
Magic box that has loads of shit in it and a complete mess(pic related) however it makes cinnamon run and I'm happy not to fuck around in the mess to get my productivity it can take my 2GiB of RAM I have 32.
I like to learn because locking myself into one distro is always bad.
So I'm asking.
>windows is way more of a shit built on other shit os
I know.
>In Loonixes defense all OSs suck ass they only suck differently.
>They all suck they suck only differently.
>And ruining Loonix is all about the politics and not about some magical performance or security (pro tip there is no OS that will give you this).
I simply don't want people to get fooled by the linux fanboys who I have no idea what they are doing.
Using what "bleeding edge" things???
Are they ricing my terminal or some shit?
i mean it is
linux fanboys who have no idea what they're doing is like the entirety of this board
there is literally a thread up for gnome vs kde
Use the non-free cd, niggers:
cdimage.debian.org
In all honesty if we wanted to have turbo OSs.
All of them would be written 100% from scratch (no code re-using!) 100% in assembler.
However no one has time for this not even the multi billion dollar super world monopoly OS manufacturing corporation.
And a OS written by autists in their free time can compete and even outperform Windows in some cases.
All OSs are a absolute mess under the hood.
Linux for me
1) Political, I want to have control of my software.
2) Political, I don't want a spy-ware OS
3) Productivity in my work (file browsing copy and past in the DE)
I have no idea where this Linux has super performance shit is coming from.
Especially from people who are running only arch with no DE.
The fuck are they doing on their computer?
Almost all major linux distros come with a GUI installer. If you can burn an iso and set up windows you can install Linux.
There are millions of form posts on thousands of linux forums about how to set your system up. Linux is becoming very streamlined.
>And a OS written by autists in their free time can compete and even outperform Windows in some cases.
Actually Linux today is mostly written by big corporations like Red Hat and Canonical.
you forgot to say to him
Use mint.
Or a Normie distro of your choice.
If you want more people on linux you actually need to stop the autism with recommending arch or some shit that will get normies frustrated and never think about linux.
Don't leave a blank or he pick some shit like arch.
Arch doesn't have a GUI installer. But if he figured out how to install it he would have no problem after that. Arch is fine for beginners excluding the install.
Yes however Red Hat priorities are different from home users.
This is why every linux can have software raid and RAM discs while in windows you need to pay and get the super extra ultra ultimate GOTY windows version to have this.
This is also why every linux can support over 6 gorilions of processor threads(I don't remember the exact number) while windows has issues running more then 10 in win7.
This is also why linux graphics cards and sound are completely neglected while on windows they shin.
You are installing a server OS and Red Hat has different priorities then someone who wants to support every graphics and sound card.
Are we talking like Ubuntu? Literally less than an hour if you have a fast internet connection and know what you're doing. Presuming you don't, like 1 - 1.5. The installer is better than the windows installer. You can opt directly out of the Ubuntu data collection, just be careful about what you install on it after that.
>Arch doesn't have a GUI installer
NO GUI installer = instant frustration, never going linux again!
>Arch is fine for beginners excluding the install.
No its not.
I tried and I'm not retarded and can use the terminal.
>Be me want to install a DE on arch
>try pacman cinnamon
>I need other packages
>Try to get them
>They need other packages
>OK Try to get other packages
>They need other obscure packages
>Try to get other obscure packages
>They need other even more packages
WTF! Can you not like pull all the dependencies!
You retarded package manager peace of shit?!
>Try to get other even more obscure packages
>Try to get other ULTRA obscure packages
At his point you realize you are wasting your time and you better install mint.
What is he going to do?
Watch his terminal?
What do you terminal only people actually do all day on the system?
I'm curious because I never got a answer.
If a normie can not get his web browser in 3 minutes and working the distro is not OK.
Mint can do it!
Ubuntu can do it.
Xubuntu can do it!
Lubuntu can do it!
Never recommend arch to new users.
Not everyone is a autists like you who has nothing other to do in his life then fuck around with the package manager in the terminal all day and think its fun or some shit.
Sometimes I'm thinking if you Arch autists are nothing more then trolls trying to troll people into using arch.
GET MINT.
Stop shilling Ubuntu.
>You can opt directly out of the Ubuntu data collection
>opt directly out
>opt
>out
>the Ubuntu data collection
Mint has this removed from the start.
Only get cinnamon edition for your own good.
>FUCK YEAH, WIRELESS IS FINALLY WORKING
I laugh at the pathetic state of arch.
>Triggered much?
LOL WTF?!
Arch has the best documentation of any distro. It's obviously your own fault if you couldn't do anything. Most things can be done with the terminal, yes even file management. Just use i3 as your wm.
>Most things can be done with the terminal
1) Are you seriously recommending the terminal to a normie?
2) What is a normie going to do in the terminal?
3) What do you do in the terminal only all day Arch user?
I want you to actually answer these points.