Okay I know this sounds like click bait but trust me switching over to linux requires you to first master the open source software that you will be replacing your windows/mac counterparts with. Doing it in an unfamiliar OS with no fallback to rely on is tough, frustrating and will turn you off of trying linux. DISCLAIMER: I know that some people cannot switch to linux because open source / Linux software is not good enough yet. But I urge you to keep track of them and when so you can know when they are good enough.
The Solution
So I suggest you keep using windows, switch all your apps to open or closed source software that is available on linux. Learn them, use them and if you are in a pinch and need to use your windows only software it will still be there. Once you are at a point where you never use the windows only software you can then think of switching over to linux.
The Alternatives
So to help you out I’ll list my favorites for each use case.
MS Office -> Only Office
- Not for folks who use obscure macros and are deep into MS Office
- Has Collaboration and integration with almost all popular cloud services…
- Has a MS Office like UI and the best compatibility with MS Office.
Adobe Premiere -> Da Vinci Resolve
- It is closed source but available on linux
- Great UI, competitive features and a free version
Outlook -> Thunderbird
- Recently went through massive updates and now has a modern design.
- Templates, multi account management, content based filters, html signatures, it is all there.
Epic Games, GOG, PRIME -> Heroic
- Easy to use, 1 click install, no hassel
- Beautiful UI
- Automatically imports all the games you have bought
PDF Editor -> LibreOffice Draw
- Suprisingly good for text manipulation, moving around images and alot more.
- There might be slight incompatibilities (I haven’t noticed anything huge)
- But hey, it’s free
How do I pick a distro there are so many! NO
So finally after switching all the apps you think you are ready? Do not fall into the rabbit hole of changing your entire OS every two days, you will be in a toxic relationship with it.
I hate updates and my hardware is not that new
- Mint - UI looks a bit dated but it is rock solid
- Ubuntu - Yes, I know snaps are bad, but you can just ignore them
I have new hardware but I want sane updates
- Fedora
- Open Suse Tumbleweed
I live on the bleeding edge baby, both hardware and software
- Arch … btw
Anyways what is more important is the DE than the distro for a beginner, trust me. Gnome, KDE, Cinnamon, etc. you can try them all in a VM and see which one you like.
SO TLDR: Don’t switch to linux! Switch to linux apps.
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Enough with your psyop, Bill. Go back to trying to cure malaria to atone for your past sins.
So you’ve just posted your personal choices as though they were THE way to go. There are countless alternatives for everything. Just making that clear.
It reads like a good starting point for someone who wants to get away from Microsoft but has no experience with Linux, though. While Linux and OpenSource software are getting more and more beginner friendly, the amount of choices can make it difficult for newbies to even find out that Linux programs (be they FOSS or not) exist that can do what they need.
I just want to add, obviously I am not an expert in every field in the world and cannot find an alternative for everything but if you do want to do some research sites like alternativeto.net are great resources.
My one amendment would be - forget Ubuntu and variants, just Debian is fine with older hardware. Less headaches and hassles, and some snaps.
I’d even say Mint Debian Edition over Ubuntu.
Another option if you have a laptop and desktop is to test the waters slowly with the laptop, and keep your desktop as is. It’s what I did for a long while to get used to things on Linux.
If there is a critical problem with my Linux instalation on my laptop, it’s OK because all the real stuff I care about is still on the desktop. So I’m free to wipe the laptop at a moments notice. It’s the easiest way to learn in my experience.
Strongly recommend a KDE-based distro if coming from Windows.
Gnome is too janky when you’re used to the workflow in Windows. It’s almost like Windows 8, which nobody uses if they can help it.
KDE is just way more familiar.
I feel that. I also like XFCE. I chose between that and KDE on a proverbial coinflip.
Good advice for the average Windows user, but I found GNOME a refreshing and streamlined way to work. I hate when I have to do something for work in Windows now, its just a terrible user experience.
I feel a surge of rage every time I have to touch Windows Update.
Or Cinnamon! IMO it feels less overwhelming than KDE to people coming from Windows.
You already use Draw to replace publisher in your list so why not use the rest of the Libre Office Suite?
Note: this belongs more in a Windows community than a Linux one. The people here would already use Gnu/Linux or Google/Linux
While LibreOffice has improved immensely over the years, its compatibility to Microsoft’s file formats is still a bit hit n miss at times, while OnlyOffice is a drop in replacement. It looks like MS Office and handles docx & Co. as well as MS Office, which might be a deciding factor for someone who has been on Windows for a long time and has all their documents in docx.
Also, I personally always get MS Office 2003 flashbacks when using LibreOffice, while file types don’t really matter to me.
I found LO had better compatibility than Microsoft Office when using different versions but I understand out of the box the UI is different/better
Davinci Resolve is not a solution for at least 60% of the people who would move to Linux. The new version has trouble working on Debian-based systems (even with the various scripts and workarounds that exist), and it requires an nvidia card with lots of GBs of VRAM (while it does work on Windows with Intel/AMD without big problems). So I’d never suggest Resolve to someone moving to Linux unless they’re going to use Fedora, and have a recent nvidia card. For everyone else, there’s KDENLive and Shotcut. Which are way worse in the things they can do compared to Resolve (especially when it comes to professional color grading and audio plugins specifically for human speech), but that’s the situation we’re in.
Although I have to say, kdenlive surprised me very positively, when I tried it out recently. DaVinci is still king imo but in a pinch, I‘d prefer kdenlive over Avid Media Composer any time.
… as someone who completely involuntary switches everyones computers I manage for some reason (ie extended family mostly) to Linux … normies don’t care that much.
No asking, no thinking, just Linux.
Because if you just set it up for them, they don’t have to think about the million choices of Linux. Tell them „here browser, there office and there files“ and most people above 40 probably won’t care.
Yes.
But in the last 10+ years the
just set it up for them
is what popular distros just do out of the box, and they do it well.
Not new to Linux but recently I bought a new PC for dad and installed Tumbleweed … and besides installing it (there is a fully automated default settings option even for that) I only configured the wallpaper image (bcs he likes it even it changed every hour or whatever). Not to mention how up-to-date it is and how seamlessly the updates are managed. Oh, and I had to manually install Signal & some Firefoxy extensions, but thats like just user stuff on basically any os.
You forget the step of installation though. My mum would be totally able to use Linux but creating an installer usb is probably beyond her capability or at least her comfort zone, let alone opening the bios, setting the usb as boot drive, disabling secure boot, and then installing Linux correctly. Although to be fair, the last step is probably the easiest. That’s why you still have to set it up for non tech savvy ppl. Sure, not much different with windows, but usually it comes preinstalled.
Being a linux user for 23 years and a linux promoter and installer for newbies, I don’t agree with so many of your recommendations and priorities.
Seriously, OP sounds like they taste tested a handful of open software options and wanted to share, but had to implicate the newbie decision of windows vs Linux somewhere.
A better title would be “The best way to switch to Linux is slowly.”
But muh clickbait
My concern with this take is that it positions the switch as all downsides. You do not get any of the Linux benefits, just the compromised experience on Windows. You may decide it is not worth it even before switching.
I would say: “Don’t switch to Linux. Just start with Linux and never use Windows or Mac in the first place”
Don’t have to get used to something if you’ve never used something else.
Avoiding snaps on Ubuntu sadly is not an option anymore. Maybe go for pop!_os Instead of Ubuntu.
I disagree… I have no problems going without it. Could you give some reasons why you think avoiding snaps is not an option anymore?
Because canonical removed packages from apt to prevent users to install their apps from apt instead. Firefox for example.
Firefox from Apt is a link to a snap!
This is some bullshit level activity that I do not want.
I moved away from Microsoft to not have to deal with such an annoyance. Now canonical is doing it to their users.
Linux Mint is the most Windows-like Linux distro.
Ubuntu is the most Microsoft-like Linux project.
Or, conversely, just switch to Linux.
Take an hour or so to have a look around the place.
Go on the internet if you have any questions.
People are smarter than you assume and if you want Linux to grow in popularity we need to stop pretending any if this is difficult.
This does not work for everyone. A lot of people will try to switch, but find one tool they are used to they cannot now use and are not used to the alternatives so feel frustrated when trying to use them for real work. Then get pissed off at Linux and switch back to windows.
This advice is more for people that are thinking about Linux but have some professional or semi professional or hobby workflow on their computers that they need to be productive in. It can be very hard for them to switch os and tooling they are used to with no way to fall back to what they know when they need to.
You will find most people don’t rely on these tools and they can doba quick check and decide to switch straight away. But ignoring this advice for the rest can make transitioning to Linux easier.
We need to stop pretending that switching tools that you rely on and have spent decades learning to be proficient in is a trivial task for everyone.
You are giving the average person too much credit. If you ask them what OS they are running, they are as likely to say ‘windows’ as they are to say ‘dell’
I think the most likely answer would be “what?”
Let’s not forget that switching to Linux isn’t always the right choice. In some industries the software doesnt have high enough quality Linux equivalents.
