Welcome to our Forums! A few words about Linux

Welcome to our forums!

This is a place where we help you install your new Linux distribution and aid you through a variety of issues that you may require. Once you register, feel free to create a New Topic in the designated category (i.e., Questions).

Also, we cover areas such as De-Googled phones, Python programming, and we do have a Classifieds category for those who wish to sell their Linux systems or their De-Googled phones.

We have a helpful community of great people of whom I am proud!

Generally speaking, I’m the guy that visits these forums the most, so – if you want to address me directly, tag me with @vasileios (same as Truth Social). If you’re looking for me at Telegram, my username is @vasileikon. Also, if you are replying to one of my posts, hit the Reply button right under it (not the one at the end), as it will inform me. Sometimes, the forum application may slip some posts through the cracks, and they won’t appear on my “Unread” list.

Per to my credentials, my studies are in engineering (Polytechnic of Athens, Greece, AKA National Technical University of Athens), but I took that knowledge and applied it in 3D, CGI and Visual Effects. I’ve been working with computers since 1984 (I wasn’t aware of the meaning of that year until some time later!) and first laid my hands on Linux via the SUSE package back in 1995. Ever since 2010, I started using it as the default OS for my file server (initially Ubuntu and then Debian) and since 2016 it became almost a daily routine for me.

Nowadays, I run a variety of Linux distributions and I alternate between them. Those are Arch, RHEL (Red Hat Enterprise Linux), Zorin (Ubuntu-based), MX Linux (recent installation), OpenSUSE, Debian, and Mint (for issue replication). I am also familiar with Fedora and Gentoo. I’ve ran out of drives and systems to install more.

For all the new users out there, I would highly recommend Linux Mint. However, as of the date of this post, I would recommend the following:

Either install the Linux Mint Debian Edition (LMDE) or wait for the new version of Linux Mint that will appear by the end of June 2022. The main reason is the Kernel version. The Kernel is the core “translator” between your hardware and the Operating System. In truth, it is the Kernel that is called Linux. The rest of the OS is called GNU (GNU Not Unix – is its peculiar acronym). For expediency’s sake, we call it Linux (though in reality it’s GNU/Linux).

The Kernel is a mothership that hoards the so-called Modules. In other Operating Systems, those are known as drivers. Those modules can either be part of the Kernel file, or they can be attached as external files down the line. The people who advance enough in the art of Linux know that when compiling the Kernel (yes, you can do that, but it is not necessary as your distribution’s installer already handles that part) the user can choose which modules become attached to the Kernel and which are like… orbitals! There is no difference, really.

One of the fundamentals you need to know about Linux or GNU/Linux is that it is a mature Operating System. It does not have the telemetry a Windows or an Apple machine has. This means it does not spy on you. It is also extremely configurable and allows you to tailor everything to your personal preferences. If you tamper enough with it, you can pretty much create a desktop environment that looks like Star Trek.

When you first begin with Linux, you may feel overwhelmed. The reason for that is the vast variety of options you get that are impossible when using other Operating Systems. Don’t be afraid to experiment or even break your installation. You never lose your files. To further ensure that, when you do your first installations and intend to test things out, don’t select a full disk encryption. Yes, you can still decrypt it – provided you remember your passphrase.

First, all you need to do is make sure that you have a good backup of your files – especially when you’re moving from Windows or macOS. Even if you break your Linux installation without having backed up your files, you won’t lose them. I’ve broken my fair share throughout the years and didn’t lose a single thing. Though I did lose a lot with Windows. One time, it was by just leaving the data rest in its hard drive. That is known as Bit Rot. Yes, Windows rots with time, no matter how many times they patch it up. Its core is the old NT Kernel introduced over 20 years ago. If you ever had a Windows 10 Pro or 11 Pro and went to the Administrative Tools, those are exactly the same as Windows NT 4. That was July 31st of 1996. You get the idea.

Unlike Windows, Linux has a variety of filesystems. From the “simple” EXT4 all the way to BTRFS, XFS and ZFS. All of them are widely readable from all distributions. For example, BTRFS has its own self-snapshots, which act as Recovery Points (backups) of the system. It allows you to select its snapshot at boot – in case something went wrong. XFS and ZFS have advanced self-healing functions, which means they alternate the blocks of the files that have not been accessed or used for a long time. This method prevents the Bit Rot and loss of file data. I personally tested this with really old drives.

Linux can work for you in two ways. First, it can be your rock-solid daily driver, which gives you the capability of installing Windows from inside of it as a full Operating System (and runs basically everything but keeping your Linux OS safe from spying). Second, it can be your testing platform where you learn more about it. The more you learn, the higher your IQ will get. If you ever want to be a problem-solver, challenge it and it will get you there. In my experience, after watching many of the people here, it is the only OS that offers that sense of accomplishment. Besides, it is a system that is limitless. Your new car runs on it. Your refrigerator runs on it. Your thermostat system runs on it. Your Android runs on it (though Google inserted their proprietary layer on top of it). SpaceX runs on it. Super-Computers run on it. The vast majority of the Internet servers run on it. Just to give you an idea.

You can either use it to create your own home security system or you can create your own home machine-learning laboratory. Or, if you’re like me, you can have a state of the art CGI/VFX system.

The possibilities are limited only by your imagination.

Everything is your choice!

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