Switching to Linux, what do I need to know?

[Picky Peep]

I'm considering to switch to Linux Mint from Windows 10 since (IMO) Linux Mint has a cleaner design and Windows 10 doesn't have support for some of my drivers. 

I just want a basic user guide about some crucial things I should know about using Linux Mint or Linux in general.

 

I also wanted to know if Linux Mint has support for drivers on my laptop and if I could play games like LoL on it.

I have an HP laptop (http://support.hp.com/us-en/product/HP-Pavilion-dv6-2000-Entertainment-Notebook-PC-series/4011364/model/4011365/solutions?cc=us〈=en) which (to be frank) is a stupid design from every corner.

[Sauron]

-> you don't need to download programs manually; you can get all you need from the command line using "sudo apt-get install xxxxx" in the case of mint

-> don't use the root account

-> you can play lol through a program called wine, but don't expect it to be as seamless as it is on windows. There are native games too (dota 2 for example) but lol isn't one of them.

-> we can't know how good driver support is on that specicif laptop, especially since the page you linked doesn't list specs as far as I could see. Generally it's pretty good, but your mileage may vary. Doesn't cost anything to try.

[1Scotty1]

Linux for gaming is a big NO... nuff said

[Nineshadow]

Learn to use the terminal.

 

Also, install a dropdown terminal. It's awesome. If you use Gnome, there's a gnome extension for that. Otherwise, guake or yakuake I think.

[soup]

Learn to use the terminal.

 

 

EH?? One of the big "selling points" about Mint/Ubuntu etc was that you didn't need to use the terminal at all.

[Chaddie]

use KDE.

[Nineshadow]

EH?? One of the big "selling points" about Mint/Ubuntu etc was that you didn't need to use the terminal at all.

You can, but it's a really powerful tool.

[Picky Peep]

Linux for gaming is a big NO... nuff said

 

I'm just playing LoL...

[Picky Peep]

especially since the page you linked doesn't list specs as far as I could see.

 

That's HP in a nut shell.

This link might be more informative tough, http://support.hp.com/us-en/drivers/selfservice/HP-Pavilion-dv6-2000-Entertainment-Notebook-PC-series/4011364/model/4011365#Z7_3054ICK0KGTE30AQO5O3KA30R1

[sirtoby]

Don't work from the root account.

Programs or drivers (if you have to install any) come in three variants: 1: .deb All you have to do is install it.; 2: from the ubuntu/mint repositories via the console(look up apt get in the ubuntu wiki); 3: Uncompiled. This comes in a compressed archive. It often has a script that compiles and installs it, but sometimes you have to do it by yourself entirely. There also is the software center which work just like the app store, in that you can install programs very easy. it doesn't have a lot of programs available though but it covers the essentials.

Making LoL work seems to require some work but you should be able to make it run. I just had a look ant there are tutorials that tell you exactly what to do.

The console is nothing that you'll need every day, especially with Linux Mint. Most tutorials tell you exactly what to enter into it. If you have a problem, just google. 

[jtdemille]

DO NOTE THIS: Linux Mint isn't your only option. Other options (such as openSUSE, Fedora, Debian) might not be as user-friendly, but you should take a look at them. One thing to keep in mind: If using SUSE or Fedora, you're looking for an RPM file, not DEB, and the package manager for Fedora is "dnf" (ex: "dnf install x"), while with openSUSE the package manager is "zypper". Ubuntu is based off of Debian, and Mint is based on Ubuntu, so it should be similar between them

[DigitalHermit]

sudo wisely...