KaasKop

CentOS is a server OS, it's aimed at webdevelopers and server and shouldn't be used as a daily driver. (read: https://www.centos.org/about/ "The CentOS Project") also even if it's your intent to use it as a server please do not use it yet, they're completely redesigning it and renaming things now so you'll basically have to learn it all over again in a few months.
 
You should definitely go for Ubuntu or Mint or even Manjaro, most distro's nowadays come with a GUI (except for the odd one out like Arch and server distro's) .
 
Als if you're new to linux read this topic: 
 

Awesome guide!
 
But i'm missing some sort of task manager, like htop.
And maybe give some general directions on where you can find the task manager in most DEs?

Okay, so I have notifications turned on for this subforum, and very frequently, I get the same "what distro for this computer" and "how to learn linux" posts, and I thought I'd write this to try to put some people's minds at ease. Because there is no way I can possibly cover everything, outside links will be plentiful. Please feel free to suggest edits or correct me on any points I make.
 
First off, anyone looking to ditch Windows who has never used Linux before needs to realize that they are immensely different. You don't download you software from websites (for the most part, I'll get to this later). A good portion of the software that you used on Windows will not be available on Linux, however there are plentiful open source alternatives for these. Most of your software will be downloaded directly from your distribution's repositories, either through a software "app store" so to speak or through a command line package manager. Speaking of the command line, you can't be afraid of it. The command line is one of your greatest tools in a Linux system. This is a pretty good guide for getting started.
 
So which distro is right for me?
 
This can be a tough question. Nobody can tell you exactly what distribution is right for you, in the end you will have to distro-hop until you find a home somewhere. I will however, try to give you a general recommendation
 
EDIT:  @Azgoth 2 covered it very well in a comment below
 
For the complete noob:
Most people will point you towards Linux Mint in this case, and I tend to agree. In fact, I ran it on my main PC for a long time. For the most part, it is a very stable distro, it's very easy to set up, and the community is very friendly. It is based on Ubuntu 16.04 as of the version 18 release. Ubuntu, or any of it's flavors, is also a very good place to start. I've also heard that Elementary is good for beginners (especially OSX converts) but I haven't used it. Honorable mentions go to Zorin OS and ChaletOS, I have heard that they are both very Windows-like and are generally pretty stable.
 
For an older computer:
The general consensus here is that Lubuntu and Xubuntu are the best choices for a beginner with a slower computer. Both are low on resource consumption and run great on older hardware. I personally have Xubuntu running on all three of my systems, one of which is as old as me (16 years!). BunsenLabs and ArchBang are good choices if you are slightly more experienced or want a challenge.
 
For anyone else:
Really, just take your pick. Fedora (or offspins like Korora or Chapeau), Manjaro, and Debian are all great choices. If you're brave, give Arch a try. 
 
Desktop Environments explained (link to post below)
https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/593724-a-guide-for-getting-started-with-linux/?do=findComment&comment=7754472
 
 
Installing Software
This varies between distros. Each has their own command line package manager, and graphical front-ends for them. This is a pretty complete list of programs available in Linux, as is this.
 
Debian-based: APT package manager
Debian based distributions such as Ubuntu, Mint, Elementary, BunsenLabs, etc, use the APT package manager. Installing a package is achieved by typing in the terminal 
sudo apt-get install chromium Chromium, the open-source version of Chrome, is being used in the example. "Sudo" grants you temporary root access in order to install the package (after providing your password). 
 
You also have the option to install pre-packaged ".deb" files, which you download from a website and then install with something like gDebi or Qapt (usually included in the distro. Left click the .deb and choose "install with ___"). This is how you would install Google Chrome (the non-open-source version).
 
To remove a program, type 
sudo apt-get remove chromium or
sudo apt-get purge chromium Purge removes all files associated with the package (ie config files), remove only removes the package
 
sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get upgrade These are used to update the repository lists and then upgrade the installed packages
 
EDIT: As of Ubuntu 16.04, you can simply type "sudo apt install ____".
 
Synaptic Package Manager is a good graphical front-end if you wish to avoid the CLI
 
Fedora-based: DNF package manager
I will admit, I have less experience with this than I should, and I'm sorry if there is misinformation. I used Fedora for a few weeks but not as extensively as I would've liked. If someone wants to swoop in here and correct me I'd be very thankful.
 
To install a package:
sudo dnf install chromium To remove a package:
sudo dnf remove chromium To update a package:
sudo dnf check-update sudo dnf upgrade  
DNF mostly uses simple commands, and is pretty easy to pick up. This is a good resource, I actually had to use it to check myself.
 
Arch-based: Pacman package manager
Pacman is one of my favorite package managers, for a couple reasons I won't get into. It's also pretty easy to pick up.
 
To install a package:
sudo pacman -S chromium (the capital S is important.)
To remove a package:
sudo pacman -R chromium or
sudo pacman -Rs chromium same deal as APT, -R removes the program, -Rs removes dependencies & configs
To update packages:
sudo pacman -Syu  
Arch also has the Yaourt and Pacaur (Pacaur is preferred by most users) package managers for the Arch User Repository, but I won't get into that. The commands however, are all the same as pacman (ie -S, -R, -Syu). Octopi and Pamac are popular graphical front-ends for pacman
 
Coming soon eventually: openSUSE: Zypper package manager
I finally got around to giving OpenSUSE a shot, and I'm really loving it! The commands are super simple.
 
To install a package:
sudo zypper in chromium To remove a package:
sudo zypper rm chromium To update packages:
sudo zypper up  
 
Eww, Linux is ugly!
You're damn right it is. However, with a little work, your OSX buddies will be jealous of your desktop for once. I'll just recommend you a few popular themes to get you started.
 
GTK Themes:
Arc (my fav)
Numix
Paper
 
Icon Themes:
Numix
Moka
Paper
 
Obviously there are TONS of themes out there, these are just the most popular and (imo) best looking. You'll most likely find the option to change your themes in your distro's settings menu, otherwise you could edit the configuration files manually.
 
How do I install Linux on my PC?
First, make sure that secure boot is turned off in your BIOS/UEFI. Next, go to the website of the distro you're going to use, and either direct download or torrent (torrenting isn't bad!) the .ISO file for the OS. Once that's done, either burn it to a CD using the build-in burner in WIndows (not recommended), or use a tool like Rufus, Universal USB Installer, or Unetbootin to burn the ISO to a USB drive. Now reboot the PC, press whatever key your PC requires to change the boot device, and select your USB drive (If you have a UEFI mobo, it can be a crapshoot whether or not you should boot it as UEFI or BIOS. Try both.). Select the "Live" option if there is one, since it gives you a chance to play around with it before installing. Once you're convinced you want to install the OS, fire up the installer (should be an icon on the home screen) and follow it's instructions. Reboot when it's done, and you're good to go!
 
How do I dual boot Linux and Windows on my PC?
https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/593724-a-guide-for-getting-started-with-linux/?do=findComment&comment=7862971
 
 
I'm having trouble with graphics drivers
Usually, there will be an "additional drivers" menu somewhere within your distro's settings menu's, usually you can select the Nvidia or AMD driver from there. If not, you're gonna have a rough time. This may help you on the Nvidia side, while AMD drivers can really be a crapshoot from what I've heard (don't own an AMD card, can't testify). If anyone has a good guide for getting them working, I'll link it.
 
 I NEED this piece of Windows software
You're in luck. There just so happens to be a program called Wine (and by extension, PlayOnLinux) that runs a "compatability layer" that allows some Windows programs to, albeit not always perfectly, run in a Linux environment. Nice, right?
 
I broke my system!
It happens, don't worry. Most likely, it's a simple fix, and you'll be able to recover your data. Your best bet is a Google search first, and if you come up empty come post in the forum here or in the Linux Helpdesk on the Tek Syndicate forums. Their Linux community is very active, sometimes you'll get a better/quicker answer over there. 
 
My laptop gets worse battery life in Linux than in Windows:
This is most likely the fault of unoptimized hardware, and affects just about everyone. The solution to this is to install a package called TLP. To install it, you'll want to run (assuming Debian base)
sudo apt-get install tlp and then 
tlp start You should get the output "TLP started in (bat/AC) mode".  Depending on the laptop, this could increase your battery life by a few minutes or a few hours in my experience.
 
How do I check my RAM & CPU usage? Where's Task Manager?
One of the most popular task manager applications is a command line script called HTOP. It looks like this:

You run it in the terminal by simply typing
htop in the terminal (it may or may not be installed already). Your distro/DE of choice may also have their own graphical Task Manager installed, you can usually find it by searching for "task manager" in the search bar or in the Administration folder of the main menu. In my case, Manjaro Cinnamon, HTOP is the pre-installed task manager, and I can actually click on an icon to launch a terminal with it running.
 
(this file) that I downloaded won't run! What should I do?
 This could be one of two very likely things. First, you probably want to make it executable. You can do this by typing 
chmod +x (your file) in the console. Now try running it again. The other thing that may be wrong is that you're missing dependencies. In Debian/Ubuntu, you can run 
sudo apt-get -f install just as an example. Some distros will handle this in different ways. If that doesn't work, try googling problems with that specific package on your distro. In many cases these are well documented and you can find a very simple answer.
 
Useful Resources:
Arch Wiki: even if you don't run Arch, you will find that the Arch Wiki is a great resource  Man pages: Accessed through the command line by typing "man sudo", or whatever you want to know about. Linux is one place where it's uncool not to read the manual. Your distro's website: a lot of distro's have  a wiki or a forum on their website, both of which are great resources if you can't find information elsewhere Here: A lot of the time, your question could've been asked and answered here before. Try the search bar in the top right of the website.  
For now, I think that covers the basics. Again, edits are welcome, and I will be adding more information to this thread if it comes to my mind. Cheers, good luck on your journey into open-source!
 
 
Note to those scared about trying Linux for the first time: I have only been using Linux since February 2016. I had never used it before, minus one time I installed Ubuntu with Wubi (look that up, it's actually pretty neat) on my laptop and then immediately deleted it when I was 8. I am pretty advanced with computers, as teenagers go at least, so I had an idea of what I was doing, and I wasn't afraid to learn. The whole key using Linux, in my experience, is to not be afraid to learn, not be afraid to experiment, and to google the hell out of everything!!! Good luck!

Do not dedicate an entire 64gb drive to FreeNAS, run it off of an USB3.0 stick and plug it into an USB 3.0 port.
 
FreeNAS will NOT use any space on that drive for anything besides itself, so do what they tell you and run it off of an USB.
I've placed a freenas in a semi-big company (20-50 employees) and I dont feel any lag or hiccups.
 
Also install FreeNAS in an VM before using it to get an feeling of how to use it.

What are your temps?
 
Keep an eye on your temperatures next time you play a game, use MSI Afterburner.

Torrents aren't bad. They are just like any other download. People just use them to pirate so everyone runs when they hear torrent. I suggest Xubuntu 

https://www.reddit.com/r/paidforwinrar
These people

I am an experienced user, currently studying software development, and already finished off one course which was mainly hardware and software so ye....
 
And you can install linux using the usb 3.0 port since I just did, I literally installed Manjaro linux about half an hour ago through an USB 3.0 port.
 
As you can see i HAD to do this because otherwise Windows didn't want to make the partition and yes I deleted and made a new partition many times even trying it trough DISKAPRT in the CMD. (Shift+F10)
 
So eventually this worked: http://druss.co/2014/07/fixed-setup-was-unable-to-create-a-new-system-partition-or-locate-an-existing-system-partition-during-installing-windows-8-18-7-vista-etc-from-usb/

It might be that Windows just done fucked up when you turned it off so suddenly, grab an USB throw a Linux live USB on there(like ubuntu or something) and check if your HDD(and everything else) is still detected, if so it might be that the boot section of windows is corrupt and you'll need to install Windows.
 
But for the love of god, this is why they invented a shutdown button, even pressing the power button once send a signal to the OS to turn the PC off.

This type of installation is called persistence mode, here's a tutorial:
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/LiveUsbPendrivePersistent

This type of installation is called persistence mode, here's a tutorial:
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/LiveUsbPendrivePersistent

Manual.

I think you're looking for this: https://ninite.com/

This.
I have multiple websites running and host an teamspeak server off of it at the same time and so far no trouble. (Rpi 2)
Did have to buy a heatsink to combat the heat tho.

By default yes it will do that.
We have an extra category called "SteamOS + Linux" these are the games we can install and if we want to see all of our games we have to select "Games".
As you can see in the screnshot I can see GTA IV but not install it.
 

By default yes it will do that.
We have an extra category called "SteamOS + Linux" these are the games we can install and if we want to see all of our games we have to select "Games".
As you can see in the screnshot I can see GTA IV but not install it.
 

There's a dutch site: tweakers.net (already set to smartphone for ya.) I love this site, you can really adjust what you want.
In the left pane you just select what you want and it shows the phone's that have it.
Use google to translate the site. (right click anywhere and select "Translate to english" if you're on chrome)

power options > change plan settings > change advanced power settings > hard disk > turn off hard disk after > bingo!

https://www.reddit.com/r/thedivision/comments/49niwd/my_pc_hangs_forever_every_time_i_quit_the_division/d0t8zo8
There you go!
Same problem as you have, the first comment has the solution.

The result of my frustration.
 

You may need to 'debug' it.

What is the velocity of an unladen swallow?

Distro: Arch Linux
DTE: XFCE desktop
Terminal: Terminator Terminal
Conky - Gotham clock and lunatico-rings (without the rings for some reason)
i5 4670k @4.4GHz
Radeon 7970
8GB Corsair Vengeance RAM
This has taken me a few days as it's my first major linux installation (I have briefly installed and played with things like Ubuntu) but I never really learned to use them to their full extent, I ran into quite a few problems but all is working now.
Also any suggestions for software I should install would be great
Thanks