Category: Computer Ramblings
Added: 15th of December 2021
Updated On: 19th of December 2021
Viewed: 1,601 times
The Linus Tech Tips Linux challenges and the state of Linux
I have noticed a lot of debate, some good, some bad around the state of Linux at present, prompted by the Linus Tech Tips Linux video challenges on YouTube.
I think it's actually good that Linux is getting this type of airing, and also good for new users thinking of trying out Linux for the first time. It's actually prompted some of the more popular distributions to get a few bugs ironed out, and look a bit more closely at the overall user experience for new users.
As a new user it's always good to explore Linux with an open mind. There is actually no rush to fully migrate to Linux, and there are many options available that will allow you to use both operating systems, until such a time you are ready to fully migrate. I covered this in one of my other tips, Switching from Windows to Linux
When you have chosen a Linux Distribution, you are going to want to create the same sort of set up you had with Windows. Some of the software you relied on in Windows might not be available on Linux, so it's good to do some research beforehand, and see if there are any alternatives that will fulfil your requirements.
Some programs you relied on Windows, might also work under Wine. You can check if your software is supported by visiting https://appdb.winehq.org/. There has been a lot improvement over the years, with more and more Windows software now working on Linux.
With Linux there are also lots of ways of doing the same operation, for example in Windows you zip a file from the Desktop, on Linux you can do the same but you can also do this through the terminal. This is the same for lots of packages you might install in your chosen distribution later on. For some users, this might feel like a step backwards, but when you have been using Linux for a long period of time, you actually find that using the terminal is a lot quicker and more convenient. If you ever start creating bash scripts or ssh in to a remote computer, you then start to get a better understanding of why the terminal exists.
It might be a bit of work to get what you want, but the trade off for using Linux in my own experience, is a more secure computing experience, great performance and more importantly the freedom(s) to install the distribution of your choice on as many machines as you like. It's what intrigued me about Linux in the first place, and led me to eventually stop using Windows altogether.
A good example of Linux performance is my laptop. By today's standards my laptop has a very poor specification
4GB RAM
AMD E1-1200 APU (2) @ 1.400GHz
AMD ATI Radeon HD 7310
I installed Ubuntu Mate on this machine in October 2020. In that time I have installed and removed hundreds of different packages. The laptop still boots and shuts down in the same time, as it did when I first installed the distribution. I wish the same could be said to some of the laptops and PC's I have seen running Windows over the years. I find it sad seeing good spec machines that would absolutely fly on Linux, crawling along because of Windows.
Linux is also a fantastic learning tool. The computing industry is lacking people with good Linux knowledge, so it's never too late to learn.
