Newish to Linux (Hate Apple Adobe Windows Google Facebook)

JoeBlack

JoeBlack

Member
Joined
Dec 6, 2021
Messages
36
Reaction score
49
Credits
465
Started in Windows. (heard Windows bad linux good in software class in university). Got on Apple (design career), saw it was so much better. Was introduced to FOSS while in Apple land. But Apple and Adobe suck because:

1. Adobe subscription model - like paying a hefty "designers tax". (as if I don't pay enough taxes)
2. If I upgrade JUST ONE version of MacOS, my trusty Adobe suite and programs will stop working.
3. Some of my Adobe software have stopped working. Needed to look to Affinity. (Cheap one time payment. Does 95% of what Adobe software does).
4. Heard that Apple has slavery in its supply chain. For a trillion dollar company to save money by using cheap slave labour, whilst maximising its profits by overcharging on everything... it's kinda low.
5. All that Apple Environmental BS is just positive PR smoke screen to cover up their:
- Intentionally making things un-DIY-repairable
- planned obsolescence
- antagonistic towards older hardware being useful. e.g. preventing installing of older OS's on older phones or desktops
- Not keeping repositories of old software that you've paid for. (Yes, we had to agreed to their updated T&C just to keep using the phone)
6. Google/Facebook really suck at privacy. lol

PROBLEM:
- I would immediately jump onto to G.Linux if Affinity was on it. But alas. Affinity and even Adobe are not on it.
- Using the FOSS Design suite makes it almost impossible to collab with any other designer.
(Getting designers on the Actuallly Amazing Affinity software is hard. Getting designers onto Inkscape, Scribus, Gimp is asking too much.)
- Been looking at CrossOver compatibility layer things... Wine... VirtualBox etc.

IN THE MEANTIME:
- Actually enjoying my PopOS. And how customisable, secure, powerful it is.
- Enjoying my Windows Steam games actually works painlessly.
- Dabbling into RPi, Electronics, Python programming etc
- Want to learn the Linux nitty gritty stuff... Arch Linux, Kali Linux, Cyber Security... becoming full nerd.

BUT:
- Been learning that there's this toxic mindset infiltrating even Linux/FOSS world. Heard that Gnome does diversity hires (instead of focusing on hiring the best) and becoming racist.
- Fighting between Gnome and System 76. Dunno who's the "Good guy" anymore. (Considering going non-Ubuntu? KDE sounds promising?)
- Firefox becoming bad due to sleeping with Google? And other toxic mindset stuff. I've jumped onto Brave.

TL;DR
Adobe subscription sucks. Apple non-backwards compatibility sucks. Apple/Adobe screwing my work apps. Big tech sucks. Linux awesome (but not perfect). Wanting to become full nerd.
 
Last edited:


G'day, & Welcome to Linux.org, Joe

Stay a while and enjoy the laid back atmosphere, while becoming a full nerd in the presence of many other equally laid back Linux enthusiasts

Learning Kali may cost you a few sleepless nights, but to each his own.

JoeBlack said:
I've jumped onto Brave.
Click to expand...
What was it about Brave that attracted you ?....have you tried Chromium?
 
Condobloke said:
What was it about Brave that attracted you ?....have you tried Chromium?
Click to expand...
Apart from this Youtuber named DistroTube saying how stale Firefox is, and how they've staled, and how the original founder of Firefox left and started Brave, and how it's seems to be more cutting edge in how they strives hard to be better, innovative etc. Another Youtuber also said how Firefox has been bought by Google or doing something with google, so cannot really be trusted (like back in the day) anymore (not sure of the details). Plus, there's actually better out there now.

Personal experiences with Brave:
- I like all the privacy blocking functionality out of the box without adding a bunch of extensions
- I like that it's syncs multiple browsers on desktop and mobile without sign in. But a code. Much faster than Firefox.
- I like like that you can earn money through web browsing and financially support creators you want.
- I like that it's relatively fast. Faster than Firefox.
- I like this one extension that makes a webpage "text only" in a nice "eBook Reader" kind of way. Nicer than Firefox's
- I like that it has a password manager like firefox's Lockwise.
- I like that it has a Google Meet equivalent. (but a bit more limited. than Google Meet and Whatsapp) - Whatsapp being owned by Facebook now... so... Maybe Brave Talk is the way to go? Slightly more hassle to setup though.
- I like that it has Gnome Extensions.
BUT:
- Hate that it's not readily available on a lot of distro stores. Have to install via a few terminal commands.
- Don't like the DuckDuckGo is struggling for some reason. Not sure if its Brave or DuckDuckGo. So using Ecosia. Things seem ok so far. Was just used to DDG.
- Don't like that there's no dividers in the bookmarks like firefox (no biggie really)

TL;DR
So close enough to Firefox's functionality, only more privacy friendly and intentional, plus a few other neat things.
Now if only it has free VPN like Opera.

Actually glad that I was prompted to explore beyond of Firefox. It was a positive change.
 
Mozilla is ending Lockwise support in a few days. You should switch to KeePassXC. If you don't want to use Apple products because of slave labour then you shouldn't really use any electronic device.
 
Condobloke said:
Learning Kali may cost you a few sleepless nights, but to each his own.
Click to expand...
Great. I didn't expect (ethical) hacking to be as simple as clicking a button and choosing "who" & "where".

Was expecting something like 100 terminals open on 17 screens, green font, matrix falling glyph screensavers. Typing really quickly before the red progress bar reaches 100% with a "Warning 6.2seconds before you're in deep crap", Late at night looking for "The One" (not talking about eHarmony). But alas, I only have a laptop tri-monitor setup + 1 Biggie.
 

Attachments

  • 5936921396969341399.jpg
    5936921396969341399.jpg
    172.9 KB · Views: 344
BoringZombie said:
If you don't want to use Apple products because of slave labour then you shouldn't really use any electronic device.
Click to expand...
You're right. It's just about impossible to buy anything without traces of unethical behaviour. They just seem like the poster boy of "evil mega corp" like how McDonalds is the poster boy of junkfood/fastfood, even though there's much worse.

I've heard that some of the non Apple, lesser known products may even be worse in the ethics department. Can barely verify.

But it's true, that if I upgrade to the next OS (or buy a new Mac), I won't be able to use my Adobe Suite again (without subscribing). I still need it to open legacy files. Affinity seems to works just fine actually if not better. And if I can use Affinity on Linux... even better.
 
Welcome @JoeBlack
1. Don't start with Kali until you actually know and understand the basics and are able to solve most of your own problems or know where to find answers to solve those problems.
2. Don't start with Arch unless you are willing to put in some time to read and learn, once you have an understanding how how Linux works Arch will be easier as well.
BUT:
- Been learning that there's this toxic mindset infiltrating even Linux/FOSS world. Heard that Gnome does diversity hires (instead of focusing on hiring the best) and becoming racist.
Click to expand...
There's toxicity in every community since there are always a few rotten apples everywhere that ruin it for the rest. Be sure to visit this post if you want a read about Linux Gaming. Once you figure out the opensource software you like from the repositories you will not miss the other software so much anymore. However if you are using Microsoft Teams for work there is no way to get around that unless you only use the browser version.
 
Last edited:
Well, I asked you to swing by Member Introductions, and I was treated to a really good rant. :D

I run 70 Linux on this rig, from 4 of the Families, so chances are I will have an opinion on many of the ones you look at.

Enjoy

Wizard
 
JoeBlack said:
Considering going non-Ubuntu? KDE sounds promising?)
Click to expand...
welcome to the forums.. ubuntu is an operating system, KDE is a desktop environment which can be added to most distributions [and is an option in some], as a beginner I would suggest you start with one of the many "packaged" distributions, If you wish to progress to ethical hacking the tools will run in most distributions [this will save you heartache in setting up kali]
as an alternative to system 76 -pop os you may like to look at MX21, Debian based it is put together to run on most machines but still has a leaning towards business use

whatever you decide there will be a learning curve so be prepared.

Bwiz
 
Welcome to the forums, enjoy the trip :)

Enjoyed reading and will consider some of what you have pointed out. For Me as far as browsers go I like vivaldi It's not open source but does do what I need and is good at it.
One thing that drew me to linux in the first place was it gave me choices. With some apps many of them. I can almost always find something in Linux land that works for me and lets me accomplish what I want to do. In the end MS is costly, Apple even more so and both those platforms limit my choices. Apple being the worst But with Linux I have the freedom to choose many many options. Will those options be the same as Windows or Mac NO! But they will do the job well enough for my tastes.
Good Luck on your learning and encounter with linux.
 
brickwizard said:
welcome to the forums.. ubuntu is an operating system, KDE is a desktop environment which can be added to most distributions [and is an option in some], as a beginner I would suggest you start with one of the many "packaged" distributions, If you wish to progress to ethical hacking the tools will run in most distributions [this will save you heartache in setting up kali]
as an alternative to system 76 -pop os you may like to look at MX21, Debian based it is put together to run on most machines but still has a leaning towards business use

whatever you decide there will be a learning curve so be prepared.

Bwiz
Click to expand...
Ahh yes... I've distrohopped at the start, but settled on PopOS on a Clevo based (Metabox) Ryzen laptop. And it just so happens that I can't install, or run any other distro (whether by running off USB or whatever) except PopOS on it.

Distros I've tried:
  • Arch (Not quite... I noticed that it was just command line and gave up. This was really early on! lol)
  • Manjaro
  • MX
  • AntiX
  • Ubuntu
  • Ubuntu Studio
  • Ubuntu Budgie
  • Kubuntu
  • Lubuntu
  • Xubuntu
  • Kylin
  • Deepin
  • Ubuntu Mate
  • Elementary
  • Linux Mint
  • Feren
  • Zorin
  • KDE Neon
  • Garuda
  • LiteOS
  • Puppy
  • Tiny Core
  • Haiku
  • Raspbian (Rpi project)
  • InstantOS (Couldn't get to run)
  • Enso (Couldn't get to run)
  • (This Distro I forgot the name... but it had the worst UI EVER... and the balls to claim that it's the best... it uses Compiz to the max... it happened to be amazingly super lightweight and run smoothly on really old machines despite the many garish visual effects.)
  • Rescuezilla (Just my thumb drive system rescue and backup OS)
But after all that hopping... I realised that a lot of it was just a matter of finding the right repos, DE's, software... to which, Arco Linux seems like something of that kind.

I happen to like the Gnome Extensions collections, particularly gTile. And l setup my quick shortcuts to arrange my windows. Now I can't live without it, so on my Mac, I've setup a WM called Magnet.

Coming from MacOS, I admittedly feel at home with distro that have that Windows/App overview function that Gnome has. I even themed my PopOS to look like Mac at the start to ease me into it Linux.
 
brickwizard said:
whatever you decide there will be a learning curve so be prepared.
Click to expand...
Hence why I'm here now. I'm looking for some wise old mentor type (or some comprehensive step by step training guide)... to take me on some hero's journey to take my linux-ing to the next level.

Tried looking here:

Linux Beginner Tutorials

www.linux.org www.linux.org
Wasn't sure if its in a perfect linear order. Where one piece of knowledge builds on the previous.

My learning has been all adhoc over the past year or two. So I'm somewhat familiar with navigating folders in terminal... and a few commands... etc... Tried a few online guides here and there but they're "kind of" in a linear order until they're not.

I try to follow troubleshooting guides that say type this... and then it doesn't work... or some error comes up that the guide doesn't cover. So I feel like I need to start this "formal training" 101 sorta thing.

like... are these any good?

 
Welcome to the forums @JoeBlack !! It looks like you're jumping right in, in no time you'll feel right at home with Linux. I switched over a few months back as well and learned a ton. No limit, go as far as you want, there will always be something to learn.
 
You will find your own way to learn, but as an old fellah , I found that I learn best by breaking and having to fix,

one reason most of the distributions didn't work ottb for you is they do not contain the latest drivers [it takes time for the development treams to back engineer drivers for new kit, then a bit longer for the distributions to include them ]

did you try the latest MX21 With AHS . its only been out a couple of weeks and is packed with the latest available drivers

Bwiz
 
brickwizard said:
You will find your own way to learn, but as an old fellah , I found that I learn best by breaking and having to fix,

one reason most of the distributions didn't work ottb for you is they do not contain the latest drivers [it takes time for the development treams to back engineer drivers for new kit, then a bit longer for the distributions to include them ]

did you try the latest MX21 With AHS . its only been out a couple of weeks and is packed with the latest available drivers

Bwiz
Click to expand...
Ahh.. MX... notice it's always #1 on Distrowatch (if that's any reliable indicator of its popularity?) - What's the reason that it's #1? Is it actually the most popular for a reason?

I kinda got tired of distrohopping, and just settled for something that has most of what I wanted out of the box.
an easy to setup WM. Standard Notes. Windows/App Overview. An App Store that loads quickly. Easily tweakable. Lots of easy addons through extensions. (I'm sure there's an distro that does all this better too)
 
Last edited:
JoeBlack said:
Ahh.. MX... notice it's always #1 on Distrowatch (if that's any reliable indicator of its popularity?) - What's the reason that it's #1? Is it actually the most popular for a reason?
Click to expand...
Distrowatch rates most popular on how many people visit the the Distributions link on their website. So based on how many people these links:

DistroWatch.com: Arch Linux

News and feature lists of Linux and BSD distributions.
distrowatch.com distrowatch.com

DistroWatch.com: MX Linux

News and feature lists of Linux and BSD distributions.
distrowatch.com distrowatch.com

DistroWatch.com: Linux Mint

News and feature lists of Linux and BSD distributions.
distrowatch.com distrowatch.com
etc...
So Distrowatch numbers aren't based on actual usage data but url visits.
 
JoeBlack said:
Ahh.. MX... notice it's always #1 on Distrowatch
Click to expand...
It has been for around 2 years before that it was Mint for several years,
 
Hence why I'm here now. I'm looking for some wise old mentor type (or some comprehensive step by step training guide)... to take me on some hero's journey to take my linux-ing to the next level.
Click to expand...
Depending on which distro you go with (Pop OS) which is based on Debian and Ubuntu learn the Package Management System well and that will help you to run your Linux os well.

Once you know the Package Management System you'll be less likely to be intimidated by it.

The Debian Administrators Handbook is a Great resource!
debian-handbook.info

About this project

Written by two Debian developers — Raphaël Hertzog and Roland Mas — the Debian Administrator's Handbook started as a translation of their French best-seller known as Cahier de l'admin Debian (published by Eyrolles). It's a fantastic resource for all users of a Debian-based distribution...
debian-handbook.info debian-handbook.info

Welcome aboard!
 
wizardfromoz said:
Joe this one starts today my time, may be another day for you

https://www.edx.org/course/introduction-to-linux

EdX usually charges but they partner with the Linux Foundation with free stuff.

I did this one 6 or 7 years ago and found it quite good.
Click to expand...
Thanks heaps for that! I've already started the course now.

Will read that Debian manual next.

brickwizard said:
I found that I learn best by breaking and having to fix,
Click to expand...
Friggin' hell... I've broken a lot of things. Sometimes troubleshooting is like a fun puzzle. (I've got a troubleshooting notepad dedicated to Linux)

Other problems can make you pull your hair out. As you can see.... I have none left.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Members online

Total: 524 (members: 2, guests: 522)

Latest posts

Top