https://www.pcworld.com/article/2918397/how-to-get-started-with-linux-a-beginners-guide.html
Starting with a live USB from which you can boot Ubuntu is how I got started. A live USB allows you to use Ubuntu without having to install it to your hard drive. You can look up things you don’t understand using the pre-installed Firefox. ArchWiki and just looking stuff up on internet in general is how I slowly got to learn how to use GNU/Linux.
Specifically I recommend
downloading an ISO file from Ubuntu’s official website
using http://rufus.ie to copy that Ubuntu ISO onto a USB stick
rebooting your computer and figuring out how to boot from USB (this is different for each computer, use duckduckgo to look it up)
Alternatively you can use VirtualBox to mess around with a “virtual machine” (a fake computer inside of your computer) and install Ubuntu on there.
Which Linux distro they would want depends on the use case though, I found this site to help choose: https://distrochooser.de/en/, but I can’t assess how accurate that is because I have only used Ubuntu and Debian.
It’s an operating system that originated as a clone of the ancient UNIX – much like Windows originated as MS-DOS. Linux is popular because the source code is licensed as free software (i.e. it’s in the cultural commons and free to be used and changed by anyone without fearing lawsuits).
The fact that it’s free is why there are so many different operating systems built on top of it: Ubuntu, Fedora, etc.
Linux is often used on servers, such as at Google, Microsoft, Amazon etc. However it’s also used on desktop PCs to a lesser extent. Because the source code is open to inspect, it’s considered more trustworthy than Windows/MacOS. This is also why https://www.privacytools.io/operating-systems/ recommends it.
It’s very straightforward these days. The only issue is that it can be risky to experiment on your main computer because when you install a new operating system you lose your data.
That’s why I asked if you have a spare computer that you can try it on. If you’re interested, let me know I will forward you links that detail the installation instructions.
Yes, you need to save your data somewhere not on your computer before installing Linux (the above-mentioned Live USB won’t erase your data, so it’s good to get a first impression, but it won’t permanently install the system). When you have installed the new system, you can then move your data back to the computer. So, I wouldn’t say that this is a particularly big risk if you have saved all the data that you want to keep somewhere.
Something I’m more worried about is what if the installation goes wrong and you no longer have any working system on your computer, but I’m not sure how big of a risk that is. For me, installing Debian worked just fine without any issues.
In your live usb copy the entire Windows installation onto an external hard drive and a .img file using dd.
If Linux isn’t working out then use dd to reinstall Windows to the harddrive.
Boot the prepared USB flash drive. Here you can try out Linux Mint without affecting your Windows installation. So if you want to play around with it, feel free to.
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https://www.pcworld.com/article/2918397/how-to-get-started-with-linux-a-beginners-guide.html Starting with a live USB from which you can boot Ubuntu is how I got started. A live USB allows you to use Ubuntu without having to install it to your hard drive. You can look up things you don’t understand using the pre-installed Firefox. ArchWiki and just looking stuff up on internet in general is how I slowly got to learn how to use GNU/Linux.
Specifically I recommend
Alternatively you can use VirtualBox to mess around with a “virtual machine” (a fake computer inside of your computer) and install Ubuntu on there.
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Why do you endorse Ubuntu in particular? Ubuntu has done some questionable stuff: https://www.networkworld.com/article/2162000/stallman-slams-ubuntu--calls-amazon-integration--spyware-.html (The way for using a live USB for another distro tends to be quite similar, though.)
Which Linux distro they would want depends on the use case though, I found this site to help choose: https://distrochooser.de/en/, but I can’t assess how accurate that is because I have only used Ubuntu and Debian.
Debian here
Linux Mint Debian version. (I don’t actually use this rn but would recommend instead of Ubuntu especially for beginners)
If you have an old spare computer you can install Linux Mint on it.
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It’s an operating system that originated as a clone of the ancient UNIX – much like Windows originated as MS-DOS. Linux is popular because the source code is licensed as free software (i.e. it’s in the cultural commons and free to be used and changed by anyone without fearing lawsuits). The fact that it’s free is why there are so many different operating systems built on top of it: Ubuntu, Fedora, etc. Linux is often used on servers, such as at Google, Microsoft, Amazon etc. However it’s also used on desktop PCs to a lesser extent. Because the source code is open to inspect, it’s considered more trustworthy than Windows/MacOS. This is also why https://www.privacytools.io/operating-systems/ recommends it.
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It’s very straightforward these days. The only issue is that it can be risky to experiment on your main computer because when you install a new operating system you lose your data.
That’s why I asked if you have a spare computer that you can try it on. If you’re interested, let me know I will forward you links that detail the installation instructions.
Yes, you need to save your data somewhere not on your computer before installing Linux (the above-mentioned Live USB won’t erase your data, so it’s good to get a first impression, but it won’t permanently install the system). When you have installed the new system, you can then move your data back to the computer. So, I wouldn’t say that this is a particularly big risk if you have saved all the data that you want to keep somewhere.
Something I’m more worried about is what if the installation goes wrong and you no longer have any working system on your computer, but I’m not sure how big of a risk that is. For me, installing Debian worked just fine without any issues.
In your live usb copy the entire Windows installation onto an external hard drive and a .img file using
dd. If Linux isn’t working out then useddto reinstall Windows to the harddrive.deleted by creator
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