My friend was telling me about someone she knew who was thrashing around with some technology. I have seen this happen before, but this time he was rattling my cage with something I had done myself.
The process of learning Linux.
The normal response is "Just install it and use it" but that is way too oversimplified.
I don't use windows. I have a Mac and don't use it either. I would welcome a Mac but I would install Linux on it and be frustrated because the keys are "non standard" and the mouse or trackpad only has one button.
Meh, I'd adapt. Got one gathering dust? I can haz Mac? Oooh! Gimme! K Thx Bai!
:)
While I love new hardware and pretty machines, my newest computer is 5 years old and counting and I don't "need" one. But, thanks for asking!
He got deep into Raspberry Pi and is frustrated by the limitations of the platform. Size/Performance/Add-On Prices. And so forth.
I suggested what I suggest all the time. At this point in history you probably have an "Old Computer" gathering dust in the closet. Many people don't know what to do with it because it has "old data" on it and don't know how to destroy that data.
Use Your Old Computer.
That old computer, unless it is truly old, should be enough to learn on. Let's say 10 years old or newer. i3/i5/i7 with 4GB memory and at least 50GB of disk space. Pretty modest specifications right?
Windows has a lot of "phone home" issues that take up some of that processor. There are also a lot of machines that are at "end of life" according to Microsoft. You can't install Windows 11 on it because of "reasons". Nobody wants ads anywhere, let alone in a start menu that you are forced to use because some dolt decided "It's Betterer!".
Basically "reasons" are something called TPM that is a low level piece of firmware in the computer. I won't go into details, it just flags the computer of not being worthy of upgrade because it doesn't have the latest version.
So with that old computer why not try Linux on that?
There is another way to do this.
Use A Live Version Of Linux.
I'm easing into the bits and bytes of how to go about this because I'm being conversational, why not, it's my blog and I have the space to do so.
But.
A Live Version of Linux is something you probably don't have a lot of experience with if you are a Windows or Mac user.
It basically is a clean and complete version of the operating system that will run on your computer without using the disc drive. A Live Version will allow you to "look around" your computer. If you can't use this computer with this Live Version, you will find out quickly.
Some live distributions even have something called persistence that will allow you to take your computer with you on a USB Stick and create data permanently. Tails is one that is specifically designed for this purpose but I do not recommend this for a learner. Tails is also for the more paranoid of us out there or who are traveling in places where they may lose their computer hardware.
Most of the software you will need to do your daily tasks will be available. Most of the drivers for your older hardware will be available. If you find something missing, it is on you to find a version that works.
However, the one I would recommend is a Distribution of Linux Mint.
Let me unpack that a little. Linux comes as a free download from a group who supports and puts the operating system together so that you can use it, freely. That would be a basic and hopefully not vague description of a "Linux Distribution". We typically call that a "Distro" but that's jargon, even if I do use that word myself.
Linux Mint is a specific Distribution. It's well supported. If it works with your computer, it will be a well prepared software suite. It should talk to your hardware, give you a browser, have an office suite, and look familiar enough for you to at least get your toes wet.
Importantly that this is geared for ease of use. It is designed to be familiar enough to anyone who uses a computer at all to be able to stumble around and do real work on it with very minimal help. It also has a huge library of software that you can explore.
Remember, Linux is Free and Open Source, so you can do what you like with it, generally. Office Productivity, Gaming, Internet, surfing, all the "normal stuff".
Another thing to consider is that there are different looks that you can have with Linux. If you are coming from Mac or Windows, there is one look. Mac looks very similar to the way it has for years and has evolved but kept that look. Windows is more variable from version to version.
Linux has many looks from the old command line, to some that look like Mac, others like Windows. It all depends on how much "shine" and "Eye Candy" you want in your computing experience.
Since this discussion is about basics and getting a look into this thing on old computers, I suggest what I use. It's called XFCE. Everything is "there", and it is one of the quicker software suites. Everything you need to do what you really need to get done and I haven't found much missing.
There is also KDE but since Linux Mint does not have a Distro bundled with it directly, that discussion is for a different time.
XFCE looks familiar and is designed to be fast and "light". It also is a bit dated in the default look but can be dressed up greatly. I have seen it modified to look like Windows 7 and otherwise to look like a Mac. I use it lightly modified and have for about 20 years as such. It looks "Comfortable to me".
The general process is for you to grab a large downloaded file called an ISO and place it on a suitable USB stick with specific software, then start your computer (or Boot it) from that.
In order to boot my computer from a USB stick, I have to hit "F12" when I turn the computer on, but there are other keys to hit at power up such as enter or "F1".
While that is a list of the general process, you need a few things.
A USB Stick that is clear of data and of a reasonable size of 8GB or more.
The file that you downloaded. That is something that ends with a .ISO extension and will be fairly large. This page is for the current download list of sites that have the current version of Linux Mint XFCE. You will need to choose the location of one that is appropriate for where you live.
The link here will start the download directly. The file was called linuxmint-22.3-xfce-64bit.iso and was 2.8 GB.
Finally a piece of software to get all that data onto that USB Stick correctly. The software will write out to the USB Stick in a way to create it as a "Bootable Drive". In other words, it will make it so that you can run that USB Stick as your computer's operating system and not disturb what sits on the hard drive currently.
I tested the process on a machine that I would prefer it not destroy the data, and it did not harm my installed software - it was live.
But you do have to get software.
Linux Mint suggests a program called "Etcher" but there are others such as "unetbootin". Both are free, and will run on Windows/Mac/Linux. Pick one.
Etcher will burn or copy any ISO to either a USB Stick or a DVD/CD. I haven't used a DVD or a CD in years, so stick with the USB Stick.
unetbootin is a little more specific. If you have an ISO it will burn or copy the file out to your USB Stick. If you don't have the ISO, it will fetch one from a list for you and burn it to the USB Stick.
Slightly different, both work on Windows/Mac/Linux.
Once it is on your stick, boot from that stick and wait for your operating system to show up. Mine took a little bit longer than expected because my laptop battery was dead. I think the battery needs to be replaced.
Linux Mint has some documentation on how to do the entire process, and while it is complete, it is implying that you are going to install on the actual hard drive. In my case I'm not going quite that far.
At this point, you have burned your USB Stick, and booted from it. You should see the Linux Mint Desktop with the green LM Logo in the middle. You are now in a Live Linux session. Poke around and familiarize yourself with what you have been presented with.
At the lower left is your start menu of applications to explore. The only icon on the desktop at this point was an icon to "Install To Computer". If you are happy with the way everything works, go for it. The steps to install are not too complex. This will erase your hard drive and place a fresh copy of Linux Mint on your hardware.
It does look like Windows 7 doesn't it? I rather like what they did with the default look of XFCE which can be a bit too much like Windows XP sometimes.
During the time that I install any copy of Linux I do a few things.
I create a swap partition equal to the size of my memory. This will allow me to hibernate the computer. There may or may not be extra steps to enable this, different distributions will enable hibernate, others do not.
I always encrypt the hard drive. Always. Using a complex password. If someone breaks in and steals your computer, they will not steal your data. Up yours, thief!
I set the computer up to log in as myself directly once the encryption password has been given. In an environment where more than one person are using the computer, this is not for the best. Linux assumes more than one will be able to use the computer if you set it up later for it. This all is a part of the installation process but can be added later.
At any case, Linux Mint will allow you to get exposed to Linux as a rule. It is based on Ubuntu or Debian depending on the version. As such there is a huge amount of help available on the subject.
Debian is known to be one of the most stable versions of Linux available. It is what I use, but for someone getting exposed to Linux, it is a bit advanced.
Ubuntu is not my first choice because it is subject to Corporate Realities. They come along with some things like Snap, which adds complexities to the operating system and slow it down.
Whichever Linux you have, it is compatible with your goals and has a lot of opportunities for learning.
Now, if someone would make an affordable Linux Phone and show me how to get my sports stats off of my sport watch, I would be very interested. The integration is the problem there, and I am way too active not to have them.
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