Transitioning from Windows to Linux Mint

[T4B]

I recently made the switch from Windows to Linux Mint on my laptop, and I've been having a pretty smooth experience so far. However, I must admit that I'm used to the convenience of Windows, where I could simply download an .exe file, install it, and start using the software. Now that I'm on Linux, I'm feeling a bit uncertain about a few things.

Firstly, I'm curious about the system stability in Linux compared to Windows. In Windows, I could sometimes download and run executable files without too much worry. But in Linux, it seems different – there's a package manager, and I'm not entirely sure if it's safe to download and install software from external sources. For instance, I recently had to install AnyDesk from their official website, as it wasn't available in the package manager. Is this practice safe in Linux Mint, or should I stick strictly to the package manager?


Additionally, I had a bit of a scare with a tool called Timeshift. After using it, I encountered a Windows boot manager error, which referred to a "windows\system32" issue. Unfortunately, I can't recall the exact error message. To fix this, I ended up reinstalling linux mint, clearing all partitions, and following a tutorial on partitioning for Linux (you can find it here: link to the tutorial). So, I'm wondering if this error could be related to Timeshift or if it was coincidental.

Speaking of the package manager, I'm keen to know your experiences with software available there. For instance, I'd like to use Discord on my Linux Mint setup. Is downloading and logging into Discord via the package manager safe? Have any of you encountered issues with software from the package manager?

And I want to install Brave browser safe to run these commands in my terminal? https://brave.com/linux/

Moving on to security concerns, do I need to install an antivirus program on Linux Mint? Windows ingrained in me the habit of having an antivirus constantly running, but I've heard that Linux is less prone to viruses. Is it necessary to have an antivirus, or is the built-in security robust enough?

Lastly, let's talk about firewalls. In Windows, there's a built-in firewall, and it seems to work quietly in the background. Does Linux Mint have a similar feature? Do I need to configure anything manually, or is the default firewall configuration good enough for regular usage?

I'd really appreciate it if the experienced members of our community could share their insights and advice on these matters. Transitioning from Windows to Linux Mint has been exciting, but these questions are on my mind as I aim to make Linux my daily driver.

 

[Deleted member 147986]

You're right to question where you get your software from. From a software store with ten of thousands or however many, it's not obvious. Most of this stuff is maintained by community volunteers. While they do their best, software is too complex and changes too rapidly to completely vet for all issues.

Don't expect third party security audits and verification, but you won't see that anywhere else either as nobody is willing to pay for any of that. Including on Windows, Mac, Android or anywhere.

Security mainly comes down to making smart choices when behind the keyboard. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

For installing packages, the Software Manager that ships with Mint should cover most basic stuff. Transitioning from Windows you're probably going to have to spend some time finding suitable alternatives to what you were using before, but the good news is that there are many good alternatives today.

The "Windows boot manager error" shouldn't occur on a system with Mint as it's only operating system, are you dual booting or intending to?

As for Discord, it seems perfectly normal. Personally I would use a more privacy respecting alternative, but the option is there and works as you would expect it to.

The Brave install, it's probably fine but slightly risky. Any time you use curl or wget or whatever you can never guarantee the contents is not changed in transit. I'd stick to the software store instead as certificates are used to check the contents before installing.

Antivirus is not useless. Many think because Linux has low market share it won't be targeted but malware has become very sophisticated and multi platform these days. I don't have any recommendations here as I don't use one.

Firewalls. Yes Mint has one built in, or rather a frontend for one. Firewall configuration should show up in your menu.

Welcome

 

[z7vl7abxc]

So, I'm wondering if this error could be related to Timeshift or if it was coincidental.

i think that would be hard to tell without knowing the exact error. in general, Timeshift should have nothing to do with windows' files. you mentioned that the error happened after using Timeshift. what did you do with it? create a snapshot or restore your system to a previous state with it?

Speaking of the package manager, I'm keen to know your experiences with software available there. For instance, I'd like to use Discord on my Linux Mint setup. Is downloading and logging into Discord via the package manager safe? Have any of you encountered issues with software from the package manager?

Discord is an interesting example because it appears to be a flatpak package. without going too deep into it, flatpak packages are a bit different from regular linux mint packages. some info about flatpak here: https://itsfoss.com/flatpak-guide/

part of the reason i mention that is sometimes the flatpak is not created by the same people that create the regular package or program so it never hurts to check out the description on flathub: https://flathub.org/apps/com.discordapp.Discord

Lastly, let's talk about firewalls. In Windows, there's a built-in firewall, and it seems to work quietly in the background. Does Linux Mint have a similar feature? Do I need to configure anything manually, or is the default firewall configuration good enough for regular usage?

there should be a firewall program called ufw that comes pre-installed in linux mint. i don't believe it on or active by default. as mentioned, there should be a program listed as Firewall Configuration in the menu. you should be able to use that to turn ufw on and get an idea about its use: https://itsfoss.com/set-up-firewall-gufw/

 

[Brickwizard]

The brave browser should be in the Mint repositories [software manager]
Linux has its own AV, again in the mint software manager called Clam AV, like most of us I don't bother, [I use to to give protection to the other members of my family using windows, but many now use Mac [and are still scared to try linux]
Firewall configuration tool can be found in the menu under all applications
downloading applications..
Yes you can trust the repositories, whichever package manager you are using
Yes, it is normally safe to download applications and drivers direct from the developer's website, BUT those versions in the distribution software managers are, generally, tested to work within that distribution
Yes, it is normally considered safe to use recognised hosting companies for some downloads [GitHub for example]
NO its not considered safe to download from unofficial third party sites

 

[KGIII]

and I'm not entirely sure if it's safe to download and install software from external sources.

I'll touch on this...

This is generally safe assuming you get the software from the official sources (or sometimes third-party sources recommended by the official project page). Outside of that, it can be risky.

Personally, I'd say do due diligence and ensure it's the right source for the files and you should be good to go. You should prefer what's in your default repositories when you can.

 

[Deleted member 147986]

sometimes the flatpak is not created by the same people that create the regular package or program

This is the biggest problem with flatpak, you don't know who you're getting your software from. They really need to address this issue among others.

 

[Deleted member 147986]

I'll touch on this...

This is generally safe assuming you get the software from the official sources (or sometimes third-party sources recommended by the official project page). Outside of that, it can be risky.

Personally, I'd say do due diligence and ensure it's the right source for the files and you should be good to go. You should prefer what's in your default repositories when you can.

Stick to the default repositories unless you absolutely cannot for some reason. Once you start executing commands in a shell you read on a website somewhere security goes out the window. It's probably fine for something like Wine or Brave, but that's still probably and not ideal.

 

[Deleted member 147986]

To elaborate on my previous statement about flatpak, many people seem to see flatpak as the next innovation since sliced bread to hold up as a beacon of innovation.

Meanwhile flatpak offers no attribution at all. Was it made by the developers? Was it made by someone just wanting to make it easier? Or was it made by someone who spreads malware for a living? You can't tell.

The hype train needs to stop and people need to face the facts around this form of distribution before it's reputation is forever tarnished.

 

[bob466]

Linux Mint Cinnamon is very user friendly and reliable...please don't take notice of people on youtube...you don't need to create partitions...I have only one created by the installer...works great.

When you move to Linux...forget everything windowz. The Software Manager in Mint is very safe to install software from...you can use the Terminal to install software too.

The Brave browser can be installed from that website...open a Terminal and enter each command one at a time and hit enter...that's the way I install it...as I do.

Linux is very safe... so you don't need antivirus software. Timeshift is easy to set up use and use. Linux Mint Cinnamon has a built in firewall...go to System Settings and go down to Administration and double click Firewall...enter your password...then turn it on...that's it.

Also...the Update Manager tells you when updates are available...install everything as it's very important to keep your system up to date...remember updates for Linux are always safe and will never contain spyware or damage your system like windowz.

When you switch to Linux...there's some learning to be done but it's not hard and in no time you'll relies it so much better...good luck.

 

[Condobloke]

Follow @Brickwizard's advice above and you will not go wrong

 

[Deleted member 147986]

Follow @Brickwizard's advice above and you will not go wrong

Force of nature once understanding of the paragraph is attained.

 

[z7vl7abxc]

The brave browser should be in the Mint repositories [software manager]

the only one i see listed is also a flatpak: https://flathub.org/apps/com.brave.Browser

from that flathub page:

NOTE: This package is not verified by, affiliated with, or supported by Brave Software.

for the record, i'm not against flatpaks. i have used a few, but also prefer packages from the distribution or original developer and wanted to share that the source for that one (like discord) is someone else.

 

[KGIII]

the only one i see listed is also a flatpak: https://flathub.org/apps/com.brave.Browser

As far as I can see, Brave it not yet in the official repositories for Mint.

I installed to test with and used these instructions in a newly minted Mint install just at the start of this month.

Installing Brave on Linux | Brave

The Brave browser is a fast, private and secure web browser for PC, Mac and mobile. Download now to enjoy a faster ad-free browsing experience that saves data and battery life by blocking tracking software.

brave.com

 

[Deleted member 147986]

Currently Brave only shows up as flatpak in the Mint Software Manager. Should work fine for a single user system.

 

[bob466]

This is the best place to install Brave from...https://brave.com/ I've always installed it from here.

 

[Deleted member 147986]

Running curl as root to download and execute code is a massive security problem, but it's your system so do as you please.

 

[MikeWalsh]

I've been building portable apps for the Puppy community for a while now. Brave is amongst the selection of browsers I've given the 'portable' treatment to. I use the releases from their Github page:-

Releases · brave/brave-browser

Brave browser for Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, Windows. - brave/brave-browser

github.com

.....usually the linux x86_64 .zip package. This is basically just the browser directory itself. I then use this to fashion the portable version, making use of a couple of scripts to tie everything together, and also add Menu entries that function regrdless of where you happen to run it from.

A few months back, one of our Puppy devs contributed an updater for it, that scans for, finds and installs the latest 'stable' build from Github. This IS Brave's 'official' repo. And it works great.

My point being, it's perfectly possible to use stuff from outside the official repos quite safely.......if you know what you're doing. And don't forget; Puppy runs AS root.....all the time. Where the hell is the point in just being a 'user', along for the ride on your own system? Linux gives you the total freedom to do just exactly what you want with your system. As a "user", you're hardly in control....but then, sudo's a bit of a joke TBH.

(I never saw the sense in disabling the root user, then giving the ability to wreak havoc as the administrator - via "sudo" - to any Tom, Dick or Harry who happens along! And the funniest part of all this? That Linux users have been brain-washed into believing this is for their own safety....)

Sheesh.


Mike.

 

[Deleted member 147986]

Choice should always remain in the hands of the user.

However running code you've never seen as root is up there in the dumbest thing you can do.

 

[T4B]

The "Windows boot manager error" shouldn't occur on a system with Mint as it's only operating system, are you dual booting or intending to?

installed mint using erase all option in the installer then I restored my first snapshot after 3 days and it kept showing me that system32 error.

 

[z7vl7abxc]

i think it makes a lot of sense to want to be confident in your backup program. while i've had good luck with Timeshift, i can understand your concern if the first time you tried to use it to restore things didn't go as planned. this is a page that describes how to use Timeshift. it has some other suggestions of similar programs: https://github.com/linuxmint/timeshift#readme

Timeshift is similar to applications like rsnapshot, BackInTime and TimeVault but with different goals. It is designed to protect only system files and settings. User files such as documents, pictures and music are excluded. This ensures that your files remain unchanged when you restore your system to an earlier date. If you need a tool to back up your documents and files please take a look at the excellent BackInTime application which is more configurable and provides options for saving user files.

i've not used any of those programs, but that might give you an idea of ones to search for if you are looking for alternatives.

there are other options that show up if you search for "backup" (without the quotes) in the Software Manager.