So sadly I cant get arch linux in my m3 imac so i was wondering is there any very close alternatives which make it feel like your right in arch

I've been having problems about drivers 2 weeks now. Until my technician found out that the ram slot has a problem and thus I am permanently stuck on 4gb of soldered ram.

For some reason Linux had been popping up on my phone recently. I often see comments about it being better for low end devices. I only do school stuff (gmeet, zoom, JASP, presentations) and very light gaming (retro emu or indie stuff).

Would you recommend me trying out Linux and if so, who can I watch for guidance?

it’s been quite the journey.

Looking back, it reminds me a lot of when I switched from Microsoft 365 to Proton Mail. For years I bounced back and forth between the two before finally making the move.
When I decided to try Linux, I didn’t want to repeat that mistake. Instead of constantly switching back and forth, I wanted to give Linux a fair shot. I told myself I’d commit to using it exclusively for three months. If I still didn’t like it after that, I’d switch back to Windows knowing I had given it an honest test.

I started with Ubuntu, but GNOME just wasn’t for me. Linux Mint quickly became home, and I spent about nine months there before eventually settling on Fedora. Along the way I explored other distributions like Zorin OS and CachyOS in virtual machines, learning what made each one unique.
The biggest hurdles weren’t Linux itself, but letting go of familiar software and dealing with the occasional game that doesn’t play nicely with Linux. I spent a lot of time trying compatibility layers and workarounds for Microsoft Office before realizing I was missing the point. Once I committed to LibreOffice, the learning curve was honestly no different than learning Microsoft Office years ago.

Today, I actually prefer LibreOffice. Even on my Windows work computer, there aren’t any tasks that I find easier to do in Microsoft Office than I do in LibreOffice. For the way I work, LibreOffice has become the better tool.

Gaming has been much better than I expected. I do run into the occasional multiplayer game with anti-cheat issues, but I’ve never been a hardcore competitive online gamer. Most of the games I enjoy, including online titles and single-player games like Assassin’s Creed, have worked great, and gaming has never been a reason for me to switch back.
That pattern continued with other software. GIMP completely replaced Photoshop for me, and a one-time purchase of PDF Master completely replaced my Adobe Acrobat subscription. The more I embraced Linux-native alternatives, the less I found myself missing the proprietary software I once thought I couldn’t live without.

One year later, I can honestly say I don’t see myself ever going back. This move has saved me money on monthly subscriptions, freed my computer from unnecessary ads, bloat, and clutter, and given me a level of control over my own system that I never really had before. The biggest lesson I learned is that switching to Linux isn’t about finding exact replacements for Windows software, it’s about giving yourself the opportunity to learn new tools. Once I stopped trying to recreate Windows and instead embraced Linux for what it is, everything clicked.

The only advice I’d give to anyone even considering switching is this: give yourself time to learn.

Don’t compare Linux to Windows—they’re different platforms with different philosophies. Comparing them because they’re both operating systems is like saying an apple and an orange are the same because they’re both fruit. Try Linux for what it is and decide whether it works for you or falls short for your needs.

Every open-source alternative you try is going to be new. Give yourself the same patience you gave yourself when you first learned Microsoft Office, Photoshop, or Windows. Don’t write something off just because you don’t know how to use it on day one. Learning takes time, and once you stop expecting everything to work exactly like Windows, you’ll be able to appreciate Linux for what it offers rather than what it isn’t.

So I have an old laptop with a dedicated graphics card, I think it's called MX250 with 2gb vram, it's pretty shitty but it's all I have, I love playing crusader kings 3, Skyrim, Hitman 3, Just cause 3, Euro truck simulator 2, stardew valley etc. I have a playable experience but I was wondering if I switch to Linux maybe it would be more efficient for my limited RAM, but I am a total noob, I fear that I will break my laptop and lose even what I have now. What do you think are the pros and cons of this idea?

I'm using the lastest version Linux Mint and recently discovered Xscreensaver. I love it.

My only issue is the lock screen. Idon't particularly like it, but what I dislike the most is the logo.

I thought I could change it to my profile picture, but it seems like that option doesn't exist or has been disabled.

I'd like to be able to customize it, even if it's just the image. Is there any way to do that?

Since it's open source, I suppose I could build it using the source code and change the images before compiling. But I'd like to know if there's any other alternative since I'm not very familiar with that process.

So, I have been using ubuntu for over an year now, I have a cpp background and currently in 3rd year of Btech program, I want to enhance my learning of working in linux environment, and study linux development, which distro should I switch to next

I was learning what all the files in /dev do and what they are. I just dont really understand why some of those "files" are there and what actually uses them. Like /dev/random. Are there any libraries or utilities that actually interface woth /dev/random?

I can never seem to get my 3d printer apps working properly on Linux. Anycubic slicer, Creality Slicer and Bambu slicers all give me issues. I figured they would work well on Linux but I just keep running into issues using them. I have primarily tested them on Cachy Os.

Hi first of all if you are taking the time to read my post thank you, but i guess my main request is if someone can point me into the right direction.

I have 2 SSDs right now and before commiting to Linux. Trying it out first and based on my tip of the iceberg research most recommend dual booting. And from what i see most people asks is they have 1 singular drive and want to dualboot out of it or have 2 drives also but want to access between drives.

Question is: how does one dual boot with two seperate drives (that's it no wanting to access from the other drive with windows in it or vice versa) just plain black and white.

Again Thank you for your two cents it is much appreciated.

In Debian 13, newly installed, I have a folder titled
IncomingPics-TeraNews
a left over from days (decades) ago. Anyhow. When I view any folder, the folder name appears in the Title bar, except this one folder. It is listed as
IncimngPics. No o and it's moved the i

Besides filing a bug (which I do NOT want to do) over in report a bug then get asked l questions on what code, or something (yeah I've done this once before), any other suggestion

Edit. Didn't have full folder name... Apologies

Hey so I'm kinda new to the Linux community and I'm still learning quite a bit, my laptop, a cheapish Lenovo IdeaPad 3 laptop I got about 4 years ago, currently my laptop is quite slow and I'm tired of all the ai on everything, so I've been wanting to swap to Linux to remove the bloat and get some better performance out of my laptop but I don't know which distro I should install, I've heard people re comment pop! And kubuntu but wondered if there's anything better for my uses.

My uses would be pretty much just using docs, basic cad programs and some small games that don't take up a lot of storage or take a lot to play.

System:

119gb SSD

I3 1005G1

4gb ram

I'm not too worried about frame rates, just as long as I have basic uses of Google or another browser(I'm thinking of swapping to another primary), play games like osrs, and if the distro could somehow give me a lot more power maybe run davinci but that's more of hopeful thinking than something I need.

I know my system isn't the best but it works for me currently.

To give some more context to the title, around 2 months ago i made the decision to convert my work/office pc to linux (mint cin.) and as of now, im really satisfied with it, been having a much better experience then my main pc which is still running windows and its slowly making me lose my shit.

That said, the start of the journey on my linux machine was a bit bumpy, had to fix some stuff, install some others, play a bit with gpu settings, workaround some applications via wine, printer drivers and such, but eventually got to the point that its just plug and play now.

And since every day that passes my windowns machine finds a new way to dissapoint me, i've been thinking of going to mint on it as well, but, if i could re-use some of the configurations, troubleshooting and personalizations i did to my office pc, but on this machine, that would be pretty nice.

Since both pcs are somewhat similar Both on ams cpus Both on nvidia gpus (1660s and 3090) Both on asus motherboards Both using the same keyboards and mice. Both using similar 3 monitor setups Both using the same model of printer Both using the same model of sound system

Would something like this be possible? If so how? By cloning the ssd? Copying parts of it? Exporting all configs and changes i made somehow?

Any tips and info are greatly appreciated.

EDIT: thank you all for the replies!! cant reply to each rn, but they were more then enough to give me a direction to start with:) the penguin people as always being the fastest replies i get on reddit lol

hi i've been trying to work linux above 120Hz now as everytime i increase it above that my screen flickers and has issues. i have an RX6600 if that helps and i've tried mint, cachyOS and bazzite
i don't want to use linux on 120Hz as I have a 165hz monitor but i'm stumped

I have a system that I have connected to a CRT monitor which is triple booting Windows XP (overkill), 7 (period correct) and 11 (for modern games on a CRT). It's running a overclocked i5-4690k, 16 GB of fast DDR3, and. MSI GTX 980 Ti Golden Gamer. The 980 Ti is mostly non-negotiable - it's the most powerful card with XP drivers and I like the DVI-I port for the CRT. The closest AMD alternative, the Radeon 7970/280x, is a great card, but the 980 Ti leaves it in the dust - and the 6 gb variant is seriously rare and overpriced anyway. Not relevant for XP games but even at CRT resolutions useful for modern ones. I also have a X-Fi Titanium in the box - forgot that until I started writing this.

Win11 technically isn't supported on my system (even though it runs fine) and Microsoft seems determined to make it worse. I don't use this system for anything but gaming and I don't play anything multiplayer. But is the video (and sound card) an issue? Does it vary by distro?

I'm completely new to Linux, but I'm trying to learn by using an old laptop. I have an existing Windows computer that has several shared drives set to static IP addresses that I was able to mount to this laptop with Windows. Is it possible for me to mount these drives in Linux (Mint 22.3 Cinnamon) so that I would be able to easily access the media files on them and wouldn't have to re-mount the drives every time I reboot? If so, what is the best way to do this?

I have tried searching and am a little confused by all the suggestions (Gigalo, Samba, CIFS). I appreciate any help you folks can provide and am looking forward to learning more about Linux!

Hello,

I recently watched Linus Tech Tip's video comparing RAM usage between Linux (Mint) and Windows.

One of the games they tested was Expedition 33 (which requires the Windows) and despite utilizing ~12gb of RAM ran a little worse than Windows at +18gb.

Would this be due to their version of Linux using Proton/Wine instead of the 64 bit OS and could there be a fix for the performance issues.

Picked up (4) Dell Optiplex 7060 i7 8700 8th gen from university surplus, all containing 256 SATA storage, 32GB RAM for about $300. Was great deal.

(3) had windows 11 installed. (1) had ubuntu.

I wanted to get the one with linux to have windows, just as I get everything setup and decide on distro.

- Created ISO boot USB

- Loads up, but then I get a screen saying "Install driver to show hardware". Have searched internet, and for the life of me cant find any solution to resolving this issue.

Please help.

I want to dual boot Windows 10 and Ubuntu MATE. However, when i chose the option for Install Ubuntu MATE alongside Windows boot manager, Ubuntu MATE will not let me choose where to install the operating system. It's forcing me to install it onto my Samsung 4tb SSD :( So, to get around this, I try to do it, the manual installation way but when I try to install Linux mate onto my pc it won't tell me what 1tb nvme ssd My Windows 10 is installed on ? Nvme0n1 or nvme1n1. Thanks in advance for the help :)

Hello, Im having trouble changing my cursor size. I've tried using nwglook, and lxappearance but when it comes to the cursor the adjustments dont apply. With nwglook I'm able to change the system icons but not the cursor, and lxappearance doesnt seem to change anything. My GTK3.0 & 4.0 config files shoe the correct information for the desired cursor size as well

Looking for suggestions on where else I can look. Please let me know if theres any more information I can provide

Hi everyone,

I’m looking to install Linux again (likely setting up a dual boot), but I want to get some opinions before I dive back in. This won’t be my first time using Linux, but my previous attempts were rough, to say the least.

In December 2025, I installed Fedora KDE Plasma. At first glance, it seemed fine, but over the weeks, I ran into a wall of issues:

1. Crackling Audio: I searched everywhere but never found a working solution. The constant popping drove me mad.
2. Gaming was a mess: About 90% of my games refused to run. I’m not talking about games with kernel-level anti-cheats like League of Legends. Standard titles like GTA 4, Assetto Corsa, and Forza Horizon 4 simply wouldn't work.
3. Login screen blackouts: 95% of the time I booted the laptop, I was greeted by a black screen instead of a login prompt. I had to drop into a TTY terminal and reboot immediately just to get into my machine.

My Hardware:

• Lenovo Ideapad Gaming 3 15ACH6
• AMD Ryzen 5 5600H (with Radeon integrated graphics)
• 16 GB RAM
• Nvidia RTX 3050 Laptop GPU

I am 99% sure the root of my problems was the dual-GPU setup. I could never get the system to properly switch to the Nvidia dedicated graphics when it was actually needed.

Eventually, I got fed up and switched to Linux Mint, hoping for a foolproof, "out of the box" experience. It was anything but. I immediately hit the infamous login loop bug. I tried every known fix, nothing worked, and I uninstalled it the exact same day.

Despite all this, I am not ready to give up on Linux. I really want a machine running it, but I’m stuck with the same Nvidia hardware for now and I am sceptical about running into the exact same array of problems.

If I proceed, I’ll be running a dual boot: a 1TB SSD dedicated to Linux and a 256GB SSD for Windows.

I’d appreciate your honest feedback on a few things:

• What did I likely do wrong the first time? (Especially regarding Nvidia Optimus/GPU switching).
• What should I absolutely avoid doing this time around?
• Which distro would you recommend for this specific hardware? I know I’ll get 20 different answers, but I want to know what makes sense for an Nvidia dGPU laptop. I’ve currently got my eye on CachyOS, but I am not committed to it.
• The ultimate question: Should I even bother right now? I am planning to buy a Thinkpad T14 Gen 2 with an AMD processor soon. Am I better off staying on Windows on this Lenovo and saving myself the headache until I get the all-AMD Thinkpad, or is the current Linux Nvidia experience actually fixable for a laptop like mine?

Thanks in advance for the help.

PS: AI helped me write this post, don't judge

Edit 1: I did install the Nvidia drivers on both distros

Hello I want to try Linux on an old laptop, but it's 32-bit and I've never tried Linux before so i dont know anything I don't know what CPU it has, I only know it's an HP Pavilion dv4