So, I’m not that understanding of linux. But I guess I can’t call myself “new” anymore. I’ve been using linux since December. Although to be fair, I’m barely ever home. “Using” linux at this point mostly consists of opening firefox, and watching youtube.
I know “sudo” is “super user” “apt” is some kind of repository command, and then you type “install (program)”
But I’ve really taken to flatpack. I hate hate HATE the terminal. All I ever do is screw things up in there. I don’t know what I’m doing. I just follow commands. “Just copy/paste this exact set of text”. And then I have an error.
It’s kind of like knowing 4x4=16. And all you do is memorize that line, as opposed to knowing that 4x4 is the same as 4+4+4+4. And knowing what 4 is. If you memorized 4x4=16, but get presented with 4x4-2, and you don’t understand the core concept of numbers, you wouldn’t know how to adjust 16 to 14, and know WHY it’s 14. I’m just copy/pasting someone elses instructions.
sudo apt get firefox && -z, -r, -☆, -$, randop, redo, up.
That’s probably complete jibberish in terminal, but it helps you (the experienced linux user) understand how terminal feels/looks to me. If I had a problem, and troubleshooting told me to copy/paste that to solve my problem, I would. That to me looks as legitimate as any other jibberish that would actually work.
Ok. Rant aside, lets start a civil war in here! I’ve been using ZorinOS, and I kind of like it. HOWEVER, I did spend a considerable amount of time tweaking it. It’s finally how I want it, so I’m not messing with it. So I’ve never experienced KDE. I’ve only experienced GNOME. And quite honestly I don’t know what that means. I know it has to do with the desktop environment…but I don’t know what would be different if I used another desktop environment.
But that brings me to a question I was told you just can’t ask the linux community without blood being shed.
What’s better? KDE? Or GNOME?
Learn! Or don’t.
My first toe dip into Linux so many years ago I did the same thing copy paste everything. Then got curious. You may be interested or may not be.
–help https://linuxhandbook.com/help-command/
Man Pages https://itsfoss.com/linux-man-page-guide/
Lemmy community - bite sized learning https://programming.dev/c/linuxupskillchallenge
I’m keying off your terminal comment.
I think Linux is to the point where you can almost use it entirely without the CLI, if your pick the right distro.
If there’s ever going to be a “year of Linux,” users should be ankle to use it without ever having to open a terminal. Some of us prefer it, and live in it, but most people don’t have any interest in it; it should be optional.
you can almost use it entirely without the CLI
The word “almost” is doing some heavy lifting there. Linux is still a “terminal culture”.
I spent 6 hours last night trying to figure out how to make a usb boot drive from ZorinOS.
Step 1 ‐ install BalenaEtcher.
I never figured out step 1. It’s not in the software store.
I downloaded the zip, and then had no idea what to do with it.
I watched a youtube video on what to do with the zip, and in his video he had one file in the zip. I had about 20 files, and a couple folders. And I didn’t have the file he used.
Eventually I found an APPimg file, and it installed Balena Etcher. But it wouldn’t launch after being installed.
Then I heard of some other way, starting with a Z. You can put multiple ISOs on it, and choose at boot.
So I downloaded ReactOS, 3 different versions of Mint, pop_os, and zaphrite os. The only one that booted was pop_os. Which I didn’t much care for, but at least it booted.
Spent 5 hours on that, and still have no idea how to use ZorinOS to make a usb boot disk that actually works.
In windows, you download an exe file for balena etcher, click it, probably go through 12 different screens of install, but then it works.
I know. And you say it well; I, like many long-time Linux users, are so used to the CLI for everything that looking at the desktop today it seems everything is now doable in a GUI.
I do see this; my comment was more that more effort is needed to normalize GUI interfaces for the remaining cases. There’s a GUI package manager (bauk?) that works on multiple distributions; I have my wife on Arch, and I always use that program when I have to install something, just to see if I can avoid opening a shell. It works pretty well for the most part… but EndeavorOS doesn’t install it by default, and I had to drop into a terminal to install it the first time. It’s stuff like that which still needs polishing.
Other areas have made great progress. I almost always use system-config-printer to do printer stuff because the Cups CLI tools are terrible and I use them so rarely I spend more time relearning them; it’s just easier to use the GUI, and it works well.
I think the next tool we’ll see (and need) is a GUI that will fetch install packages from source. For most Go and Rust end-user GUI programs, this could absolutely be done since both have a canonical methodology for installing or building software:
go installandcargo.cargo buildputs artifacts in a predictable location, andgo installinstalls them in a determinable one. The same is true for a lot of languages, e.g.pipx. There’s a supply-chain security concern, but if well-written this could be reduced by the tool. A really nice tool would be able to pull containers as well, like a sort of Flatpack-light.That said: my octogenarian father bought a used laptop about 6 months ago and called me, cross-country, to help him install Linux on it (it had some version of Windows on it). I helped him create a Mint flash drive on his old computer and walked through the GUI install with him over the phone, and he’s only called me once for help with it since, and that was to get the printer working; we solved it with GUI tools. He doesn’t install software; he’s running KDE and everything he’s wanted to do there’s been a KDE program for, already installed. But I don’t imagine he’s the common case.
I’m drifting. In any case: you’re right, there are still a lot of gaps, but I think many of those actually do have GUI solutions, they’re simply not used by distributions. It’d be interesting to see a distribution that tries to eliminate all of these cases by choosing software - like bauk - and installing it by default.
Step 1 ‐ install BalenaEtcher.
FWIW, perhaps you should reconsider if you should even use balenaEtcher.
I never figured out step 1. It’s not in the software store.
Unfortunately, this does happen at times. Therefore, it’s a good idea to be aware of alternatives. One such example would be Fedora Media Writer that you may install as a flatpak. Though, the most popular is probably Ventoy.
Eventually I found an APPimg file, and it installed Balena Etcher. But it wouldn’t launch after being installed.
Unfortunately, AppImages aren’t as reliable as one might expect. Assuming that your distro supports it OOTB, you’re still often required to explicitly allow it to be run as an executable. Which is a good thing for the sake of secure defaults*. Granting it is simply done by:
- Right-clicking the AppImage you wish to execute
- Go into “Properties”
- Turn the switch ON that’s found to the right of “Executable as Program”
You can put multiple ISOs on it, and choose at boot.
FWIW, the aforementioned Ventoy does just that.
What’s better? KDE? Or GNOME?
This is very much just personal taste and can even change from device to device; i.e. some folk swear by GNOME on their laptops but they also happen to swear by KDE Plasma on the desktop.
At the end of the day, you’d have to test it out for yourself to see which one you like better and under what circumstances.
And, finally, avoid giving too much credence to the exaggerated caricatures that are often presented in the online discourse.
Yes!
This is what the community will likely tell you: Gnome is more for “I just want it to work and stay out of my way” and KDE is for “I want it to behave in some crazy fashion, and I CAN MAKE IT HAPPEN!”
I find the opposite.
I get Gnome, and I add tweaks, extensions, desktop wallpaper thingies, task bar nonsense, etc. I get KDE, and I just use it as is.
So clearly, the correct answer is: XFCE! Mwah hah hah!
What’s better? KDE? Or GNOME?
Cinnamon.
Nah just kidding. What happens is that you use enough different OSes and DEs for enough time and you start to see through the matrix. You realize they’re all just visual wrappers for the underlying systems that do the real work, and the DEs don’t really matter. All the major ones are good enough. And when they don’t work, that’s when you use command line. Then eventually, after doing that enough times, you say “fuck it all, get this GUI out of my way” and just start using CLI for everything.
mfw playing doom per CLI
KDE is the “bleeding edge” and looks nice, but because it’s the bleeding edge it also is prone to breaking.
Gnome is less good looking, but in my experience at least, has been much more stable and something I don’t even have to worry about. It just works.
So depending on what I am using the system for, I have used and will probably continue to use both.
Imo GNOME looks way better than KDE. It’s all about personal preference.
I love KDE because I can customize it to do crazy shit but that also means it gets buggy at times. If I want something that looks nice out of the box and Just Works™ then I go with cinnamon. I really dislike GNOME, particularly the application icons. They look bad and I find it much more difficult to customize than cinnamon or KDE.
I like this reply, because even though it’s an opinion, it’s a self realized opinion. It’s not trying to push opinions as facts. It gives insight to this persons taste, which if everybody did this, you’d get an idea of who likes what, and why. That would give you an idea of how different things are percieved.
I feel like the sidelined family members on family fued.
“Good answer! Good answer!”
KdOME is best!
/s
…see, I see the /s, but without that, I’d have legitimately thought that was another option.
