Don't make these 7 mistakes when you're starting out on Linux!

Video Description

Wanna get your own Linux server? Visit https://www.linode.com/linuxexperiment for a 100$ credit ! Get your Linux desktop or laptop here: https://slimbook.es/en/ Today, we're going to cover a few mistakes that people make when moving to Linux for the first time. You're all happy about making the switch, you want to do everything at once, discover this whole new world of computing, and then you ruin it all by making THESE beginner mistakes. 👏 SUPPORT THE CHANNEL: Get access to an exclusive weekly podcast, vote on the next topics I cover, and get your name in the credits: YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5UAwBUum7CPN5buc-_N1Fw/join Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thelinuxexperiment Or, you can donate whatever you want: https://paypal.me/thelinuxexp?locale.x=fr_FR 🏆 FOLLOW ME ELSEWHERE: Join us on our new Discord server: https://discord.gg/xK7ukavWmQ Twitter : http://twitter.com/thelinuxEXP My Gaming on Linux Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaw_Lz7oifDb-PZCAcZ07kw Follow me on ODYSEE: https://odysee.com/@TheLinuxExperiment:e Or join ODYSEE: https://odysee.com/$/invite/@TheLinuxExperiment:e 📷 GEAR I USE: Sony Alpha A6600 Mirrorless Camera: https://amzn.to/30zKyn7 Sigma 56mm Fixed Prime Lens: https://amzn.to/3aRvK5l Logitech MX Master 3 Mouse: https://amzn.to/3BVI0Od Bluetooth Space Grey Mac Keyboard: https://amzn.to/3jcJETZ Logitech Brio 4K Webcam: https://amzn.to/3jgeTh9 LG Curved Ultrawide Monitor: https://amzn.to/3pcTVDH Logitech White Speakers: https://amzn.to/3n6wSb0 Xbox Controller: https://amzn.to/3BWmIA3 *Amazon Links are affiliate codes and generate small commissions to support the channel* 00:00 Intro 01:33 Thinking Linux is Windows/macOS 03:29 Getting stuck on distros 05:27 Getting stuck on defaults 7:08 Not using the Live USB 08:20 Expecting previous software to work 09:56 Following CLI tutorials without thinking 11:34 Giving up too easily ## Trying to apply existing concepts to Linux The first mistake that people make is generally trying to apply concepts from other operating systems to their Linux experience. All of these pre-existing concepts are different on Linux: if you're moving to another system, you have to be willing to accept that things don't work in the exact same way, and be willing to learn how things work. Your pre-existing knowledge won't be totally useless, but it won't immediately give you superpowers. ## Getting stuck on distros instead of desktops The second mistake people make is getting hung up on distributions. A distribution is just a specific way to package a kernel, some system tools, some programs, and a desktop. While distributions will serve different purposes, what users ultimately tend to settle on is a look and feel, and that has nothing to do with the distro. What users should really look for, is desktop environments: if you find that a distribution looks really pleasing to the eye, find out what desktop environment it uses: KDE, GNOME, Pantheon, Cinnamon, XFCE... Then, you pick a distro that's beginner friendly, like Linux Mint, Kubuntu, Zorin OS, or Fedora, and you install the desktop environment that you want, and you change the theme and layout to match what you liked. ### Thinking you're stuck with the defaults This goes nicely with mistake number 3. I often get comments from people telling me "I used distribution X", or "I used this desktop", but then I couldn't do THAT thing, and so I installed another distribution. That all comes from the fact that proprietary OSes that people are used to, generally aren't customizable out of the box: you're pretty much stuck with the default, unless you're willing to use third party tools. ### Installing without testing The 4th mistake beginners make is installing Linux without trying it out. There is a reason why Linux has Live-USB sessions: you can use them to try and make sure that all your peripherals and all your computer's components work well. ### Trying to stick to your programs 5the mistake is expecting to keep all your programs. Linux doesn't run windows or mac applications. It can run some windows apps, with Wine, but it's hit or miss, apart from a lot of Games, these tend to work really well. ### Following command line tutorials blindly The 6th mistake people generally make is following tutorials online, blindly, without trying to understand what they do. Most tutorials for Linux are written using the command line, even though you could do the same thing graphically in most cases. This is for convenience purposes, for the tutorial's writer, so they don't have to make graphical tutorials for every desktop environment there is. As practical as it may be for the tutorial's writer, it also means that beginners will just blindly copy/paste terminal commands without understanding what they do. When you're thinking about following a tutorial, try and look up the commands, and see what they actually do to your system.