Linux

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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).

Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.

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I have used Windows all my life, and I have some questions. (lemmy.world)

submitted 2 days ago by ArchmageAzor@lemmy.world to c/linux@lemmy.ml

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Basically the forced shift to the enshittified Windows 11 in october has me eyeing the fence a lot. But all I know about Linux is 1: it's a cantankerous beast that can smell your fear and lack of computer skills and 2: that's apparently not true any more? Making the change has slowly become a more real possibility for me, though I'm pretty much a fairly casual PC-user, I don't do much more than play games. So I wrote down some questions I had about Linux.

Will my ability to play games be significantly affected compared to Windows?

Can I mod games as freely and as easily as I do on Windows?

If a program has no Linux version, is it unusable, or are there workarounds?

Can Linux run programs that rely on frameworks like .NET or other Windows-specific libraries?

How do OS updates work in Linux? Is there a "Linux Update" program like what Windows has?

How does digital security work on Linux? Is it more vulnerable due to being open source? Is there integrated antivirus software, or will I have to source that myself?

Are GPU drivers reliable on Linux?

Can Linux (in the case of a misconfiguration or serious failure) potentially damage hardware?

And also, what distro might be best for me?

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[–] untakenusername@sh.itjust.works 2 points 19 hours ago

In terms of games, modded minecraft runs perfectly for me and so does steam with proton. Theres probably more user friendly distributions that have some sorta GUI to update the OS, but on my machine a shell command is the only way. In terms of security, unless you copy-paste a malicious command into the shell or download malicious software from an untrusted source, you'll be fine. Package managers are probably the best way to download software. Someone probably offers antivirus for Linux somewhere but I don't use anything like that 🤷‍♂️ . As for what would be the best distro for you, I've never used it but I've heard Mint Linux is a good place to start.