Yes, it's another Linux for noobs request. No, it's not a what Distro to start with query. I'm looking for info on using Linux. For instance, how the hell do you run/install things? I'm used to seeing an app, downloading the app then double-clicking the app. However, anything I search for usually ends up with me being pointed at a github page, which is a total ****ing mystery to me. It seems you can't download an app, just a bunch or source code and then what? compile it yourself, somehow? As an example, I searched for temperature monitoring tools, and was pointed to github then got throughly cofused? It feels like you (or I, at least) need a tutorial just to navigate github. I know this is purely ignorance on my part, but where do you begin? Is everything installed via command line through the terminal? Is double-clicking an executable considered bourgeois? I really have no idea. I'm not trying to be sniffy about this, it is a genuine request for a good, simple resource to learn the basics of navigating and making use of the OS. Cheers
Most modern desktop distros have an app store that'll have pretty much anything you're looking for. Like a Microsoft Store but much more complete, typically.
Depends on your distro but yup, it is not as user friendly, some distros have a software centre, which is a like windows store or app store where you can double click and install trusted applications from a distros repository, some software as you have discovered is command line where you download something from a rando github etc and fire off a build script after giving it super user privileges, nice and safe. that is a bit less trusted that getting it from the distro repositories but like downloading random exes you might have found through a google search etc. There are a number of command line ways to do installs and updates also, again distro dependent. I'm sure proper Linux users will be in soon but there are plenty of youtubes out there that can help.
Glad it's not just me. I have installed stuff via there when I've been tinkering but how I did it and whether I did it correctly I have no clue. Do need to get a grasp on it well before extended updates end rather than at the last minute. E: I think I found one of the easiest ways when messing with Mint was to install gdebi (iirc) that was in the app store (or whatever it's called). That allowed a GUI install of any .deb files that I got off GitHub. I'm still not convinced I had any idea what I was doing
Copilot is rather fickle, it can often excel and correctly guide you through procedures (step by step) and other times it just plainly guesses.
Okay, so, first thing that'll help: you can't think of "Linux" as an operating system, 'cos it's not. The old Stallman saw of "GNU/Linux, or as I have come to call it GNU+Linux" is part of it, yes, but effectively each parent distro is an operating system unto itself; Linux is just the kernel. Android also uses the Linux kernel, to give you an idea of how different the experience can be depending on what's on top of it. This is the biggest thing to get your head around coming from Windows, which - a few outliers like Windows IoT, the embedded stuff, and Windows S aside - is just Windows: you're not running Linux, you're running {SOMETHING} Linux. So, when you're learning how to do X you'll need to learn different things depending on what the "something" is. I'm on the laptop right now, which is running a five-year-old Ubuntu Linux - which is based on Debian Linux. It has its own "app store," called "Ubuntu Software" - a misnomer, as very little of the stuff offered in there is by Canonical or Ubuntu, but it does come from Ubuntu's repositories. Basically, it's like the Microsoft Store - Microsoft provides the hosting, but most of the software is third-party. I can click on any software found in the app and then click Install. That's it, two clicks: click on the software, click on Install. No command-line faffing, no compilation, no searching in a web browser, two clicks. It's even quicker than the Microsoft store, 'cos I don't need to sign into an account to use it. Now, the "Ubuntu Software" app store is special, 'cos it distributes its software as Snaps. You don't need to know what they are, but it's a Canonical thing. If you're using a non-Ubuntu Linux then you won't have the Ubuntu Software store and you probably won't have Snaps either. The exception is if you're using an Ubuntu-derived distribution, like Mint - though most of these remove the Snap store 'cos nobody likes snaps for Reasons. Not all software is available in the Ubuntu Software store, just like not all software for Windows is available in the Microsoft Store. When you're searching for software for your particular Linux, don't search for "softwarename Linux" but "softwarename distributionname." That'll get you what you need. Some software for Linux is provided as "packages," which are designed for use with a "package manager." Ubuntu and other Debian-derived distros use ".deb" files - Red Hat-based distros use ".rpm" files. That has almost everything you need, and you should be able to just download it and double-click it to install it. I say "almost" because the software will depend on other software, and that's the package manager's job to handle: if your graphics app needs a particular graphics library and it's not installed, your package manager will pull it down from your distro's repositories automatically. It'll also handle keeping it up-to-date. Again, none of this requires fiddling at the command line. Other software is provided as an "AppImage." This is (for the purposes of this intro) a self-contained executable (it's not, but let's gloss over that) - you don't even have to install it. Download, double-click, bosh: there's your software. Well, nearly: most Linux distros make it so you can't directly execute something you've just downloaded for safety reasons (like how Windows pops up the UAC dialogue): you'll need to right-click on the file, go into Permissions (or whatever your file manager calls it), and tick "Allow executing file as program" (or whatever your file manager calls it.) Then you can double-click it. AppImages don't have dependencies, they literally come with everything you need. If there's no package and there's no AppImage, it's probably available as a Flatpak. This is like an AppImage combined with a package: it's a self-contained executable (again, no it's not but that doesn't matter) but handled with its own special "package" manager. Depending on your distro, you may have to install Flatpak yourself - it's not available by default in most - but once you've done that and set up FlatHub you can literally browse software in your web browser and do the one-click-install trick. Again, no command-line required. If there's no package, there's no AppImage, and there's no Flatpak, then yes, you might have to compile it yourself. This is rare, and normally only the case for fringe software and small tools. That might sound complex, but it's not - though, yes, finally you might have to open a terminal. Here's an example of how that might look: Code: $ git clone github.com/developer/software ... $ cd software $ ./configure $ make $ sudo make install That's it. That'll download, compile, and install most software provided as a source package on GitHub. Details may differ - maybe it's a tarball download, in which case "git clone" becomes "tar xzfv software.tar.gz", maybe there's no ./configure, maybe it's so small there's no makefile and you have to "gcc software.c software" instead - but that's the general gist. But the key takeaway from all of this is simple: don't look for "software Linux", look for "software distroname".
This ⇈ should be pinned. I've been procrastinating over installing Linux, because I also have no idea what I'm doing with it...
You can just down load a Ubuntu live CD/iso fire it up and have a play without doing anything destructive. Other distros are available but most people I know who don't understand computers or Operating systems and just want to do simple things like web and office stuff manage fine with Ubuntu.
Thanks, G, I had a feeling you'd drop in. So, the BC-250 SBC I'm played around with is currently running Bazzite, which is some development of a specific fork of Fedora (I think). I suppose my question is just how much do they differ? They largely utilise the same command line AKAIK, but what about applications? Will all Fedora apps/programs etc.. run on it? For that matter, what about apps designed for other Linux based distros? Do they really differ that much? Could I visit the Ubuntu app store and download and run any/some/all of those apps on Bazzite or a different distro? I'm guessing there's no central resource, due to the varied number of distros out there.
Bazzite is... special. It's Fedora 41 with a bunch of stuff to make it better for gaming, particularly on the Steam Deck. But that's not what makes it special - you can install Steam, Lutris, and Heroic Games Launcher on stock Fedora or Ubuntu, you don't need Bazzite for that. What makes it special is it's immutable. As in, unchangeable. It's designed so that while you're doing stuff the underlying OS doesn't change - and when you do stuff that does make it change, you can roll those changes back and make it like they never happened. That's neat, but also means that you're limited in how you can actually install stuff - because if you try to do things outside the way they're expected, they'll either get undone or break the immutability. Now, remember when I said software will either be in your distro's own app store, a package, an AppImage, or a Flatpak? Well, in Bazzite it's a Flatpak. That's how the immutability works: Flatpaks are containers which run on top of the underlying OS without modifying it - a little bit like firing up a virtual machine on Windows, but not really. As a result, if you want to install something in Bazzite you'll be looking for a Flatpak - although the docs say it can handle AppImages too. The docs also say that Bazzite has had an app store since July this year, GNOME's Bazaar - which looks very much like the Ubuntu Software app store: Except instead of Snaps from Ubuntu it installs Flatpaks from FlatHub. Otherwise, same-same: click on the software you want, click "install," you're done. No need to do anything at the command line if you don't want to!
Thanks again, G. This is kinda a first semi serious foray into Linux - I mean, I installed it in the past and noped out of it pretty quick, although I have made good use of a Mint live distro numerous times, but all this is bound to help me explore it a little more.
@Gareth Halfacree Has anybody suggested you should get into writing? That post has probably done more for my understanding of Linux than weeks of reading random bits of things online.
Fedora's "store" is just called "Software" and looks the same as Ubuntu's, because it's Gnome Software. The difference is Fedora installs Flatpaks instead of Snaps. I hate both because Reasons.
Not that Gareth doesn't have this covered, because he does, but there's loads of linux users on here and we're a friendly bunch who can answer questions. I've been using linux for everything aside from my gaming pc since 2007.
I've been running linux desktop pretty much since the first release of Ubuntu back in 2004, and have been managing linux servers professionally over the last 12? 13? years. I support the linux desktop users at work meaning I've already taken out all my bitterness on them because of stupid questions. I expect better from them, they do this **** professionally. Feel free to ask any questions, I'll gladly help where I can.
You explained all that better than i could’ve thought to structure it! Maybe a “Linux for Microsoft escapees” newsletter and site could go on your “what next” list! The only minor note I could give is adding third party repositories to install stuff for the things that don’t Flatpak/etc but also are not in package managers by default. So, to everyone seeking knowledge: If you happen across a GitHub and you see it talking about repos and/or keyrings, this is a way of adding third party applications into your package manager. It’s generally safe to follow the given instructions. Generally speaking you would use the command line to add the repo and then install the software, but you can get GUI interfaces for some of the package managers too. Not with Bazzite as explained above though. Another tidbit for everyone “sudo” means “do this with superuser privileges” I.e. it’s roughly equivalent to right click > run as admin. Linux is just much stricter on this and is all the better for it.
You guys are doing this wrong. I understood all of that. -And where's the guy that says, "It works fine for me." in every troubleshooting thread? Honestly, Bit and it's users is way too valuable a resource to lose. The world would suck without you lot.
Friendly…? Speak for yourself, pal… Some of us are proud to be grumpy curmudgeons, muttering about having to hand-craft xorg config files in such a way as to not blow up their monitors with barely any resources to help them out, or the days when you had to compile the kernel from scratch if you wanted to upgrade it… Package managers?! “App Stores”?! Bah!
