I have tried to learn Linux for ages, and have experimented with installing Arch and Ubuntu. Usually something goes wrong when I try to set up a desktop environment after installing Arch in VirtualBox. KDE gave me a problem where I couldn’t log in after getting to the point where my username was displayed in a similar format to how it is for Windows. My end use case is to help keep my workflow more organized than haphazardly throwing files somewhere on my desktop or in a folder nested somewhere that I’ll just inevitably lose :(
Somehow after all this time, I feel like I actually understand less about my computer and what I need to understand regarding its facets. Is it an unrealistic goal to want to eventually run a computer with coreboot and a more cybersecurity heavy emphasis? I’m still a noob at this and any advice would be appreciated!
@gronjo45 The big question here is; what do you mean by “learn linux”?
If you really want to learn and understand what you’re doing, here’s a solution that will not leave you empty handed. No matter if you decide to call it quits half way through, you still have a great deal more knowledge than you’d get from simply installing a distro that does all the hard work for you.
No one ever listens when I say it but I’ll say it again; follow the #gentoo handbook cover to cover doing a stage3 install. When you encounter something you don’t understand, go read about it, usually links are included. Once you’ve gotten to any graphical environment, wipe it and start again. Repeat this process until you only reference the handbook to verify you’re doing it correctly.
I would also advise doing this on metal, as the VM approach will likely give you no hardware problems to solve along the way. You’ll never learn how to fix what never breaks. ;)
Installing something that just works, or where you only need to click next in the installer only gets you a working system. It offers you absolutely nothing in the way of knowledge or understanding. What good to you is a working linux system if you know nothing about it? The method I propose will ensure you have all the basic skills and knowledge you need to be a (mostly) self sufficient linux user.
If you do take my advice and have any questions along the way, feel free to send me a direct message. I’d be happy to help.
One word: Mint
It’s pretty streamlined, more reliable than some newer trendy Ubuntu spin offs, and still powered at it’s core by the same old kernal that even the “advanced” distros use.
I applaud you for trying Arch, and if you can figure it out while learning Linux in general that’s a great achievement, but it’s overly complicated and I personally wouldn’t reccemend it to anyone starting out (or even a most experienced users unless they had a particular need for it’s features).
If you continuously get issues across all distros in VMs a live environment might also be worth checking out (live being booted off external media without an install).
Ultimately, though if Linux does mess with your workflow, then use what works best for you. Sure I like Linux, but if it breaks what you need and Windows or Mac doesn’t then use what works best for you. But, there’s a saying “the more the island of my knowledge grows the greater the shore of my ignorance”. The more you learn the more that you realized how little you know. It’s always the case for anybody who’s either not an extreme expert or a narcissistic, but it’s also a great motivator to keep learning.
I have hosed so many installs over the past 20 or so years that it’s impossible for me to guess a number. It’s part of the learning process. Just keep at it and you’ll get there.
If you want to use the Arch ecosystem but have trouble getting there, start with Manjaro. It handles the hardware extremely well. I install it for my friends and rellies because I like the Arch tools, but I don’t want the cutting edge issues of pure Arch. I haven’t had very many issues to fix with it on over a dozen installs running for as long as 5 or 6 years now.
I second this. Manjaro has enabled me to be far more successful in my Linux endeavors. The Arch package system and Arch User Repository are amazing and I’ve been able to get so many pieces of software running without too many headaches.
Arch is a bad distro for newbies. Go find an ISO for Kubuntu and install that. The install wizard is idiot-proof. I use KDE-based distros like Kubuntu even though I’m a fairly advanced user so don’t view it as some kind of failure. There’s no virtue in using more complicated stuff. Get comfortable with the easier distros first.
Start with Ubuntu, eventually switch to Debian, then give Arch a shot.
Keep it simple, Ubuntu/Mint/PopOS, play around with it for at least a few months before trying an arch install
I’d recommend MX Linux, which is a Debian based distribution that has dominated distrowatch.com for a long time for good reason. They have a bunch of management tools, newest Firefox… You might try just using it in VMWare Player (free) virtualization first, which has better 3D support than Virtualbox. I’m currently using MX Linux KDE Beta and it’s solid as they’re only tweaking some of their tools after the latest Debian release. And they have a good forum community for help. And Debian is the base from which Ubuntu and other distributions are built, and kind of the foundational Linux version which makes it a good place to learn Linux.
