Hello all!
I’m kinda finally done with windows, but I have a lot of small, maybe dumb questions.
I guess my first question is whether Linux knowledge in general is interchangeable between distros?
And second, more importantly, what are the good resources for learning basic things? Like if I want to play games I bought on steam, how can I expect that process to be different? If I want to manage files and folders and extensions and such how does that differ if at all from Windows. I’m coming from specifically windows, but I assume for people coming from Mac OS as well what are the do’s and don’ts that you wouldn’t necessarily think of when switching?
Are there any particularly well made and comprehensive instructional/introductory podcasts/YouTube video series/what have you that you would point me towards?
Hey, what really helps is to follow bloggers about Linux with RSS. There are some nice free RSS programs for all the distorts. In those blogs they explain how things work and what is new to Linux. Just reading them will every 2 days will slowly expose you to the world of Linux and its distributions.
there are more, see if your district has blogs available with RSS
My favorite, the most comprehensive course I have seen this this one: https://professionallinuxusersgroup.github.io/course-books/lac/syllabus/
Most knowledge is transferable to most distros. Some distros deviate by using alternate init systems (the part responsible for booting the system and managing services), but most distros use the same underlying suite of software to manage it.
On diference between distros is the package manager, but although the commands may be different, the underlying operations of installing, searching for, and removing software packages are all the same.
I guess my first question is whether Linux knowledge in general is interchangeable between distros?
Most distros are made up of the same components/building-blocks. Hence, learning to interact with the component/building-block on distro X will benefit you whenever you stumble upon it on distro Y.
And second, more importantly, what are the good resources for learning basic things?
“Basic things” is a broad descriptor 😅. I suppose Linux Journey is pretty neat for learning the ropes. But you’re probably best served by resources/documentation that have purposely been created by the maintainers of your chosen distro.
Like if I want to play games I bought on steam, how can I expect that process to be different?
That depends entirely on the game. For some games, it goes as smooth as butter. For others, you need some tweaking before you get there. For yet others, it’s simply unsalvageable. See https://www.protondb.com/ and https://areweanticheatyet.com/ for more details.
If I want to manage files and folders and extensions and such how does that differ if at all from Windows.
Your Linux experience will mostly be dictated by the so-called Desktop Environment. Hence, the above question can only be meaningfully answered after you’ve decided on that.
I’m coming from specifically windows, but I assume for people coming from Mac OS as well what are the do’s and don’ts that you wouldn’t necessarily think of when switching?
Shortlist:
- Don’t download your apps/software/programs/drivers (or what have you) from the internet browser like you’re used to on Windows. Instead, get it from the repositories of your distro. This is commonly accessed from an app store (or something).