See title. I’m considering to shift to Linux and maybe e/OS (coming from Macintosh and iPhone). I don’t know where to begin, so have an infodump (please do not sudo rm -rf /* this post, just redirect me elsewhere if that’s needed). TL:DR; below.
I’m a “beginner” in the sense that I haven’t worked with Linux before. I’m a casual user in that I mostly use my laptop for browsing, mail, gaming. I want to learn to get away from Big Tech, though, and hopefully manage to selfhost someday.
I want to take my privacy more seriously, though, and I’m familiar with some FOSS software (LibreOffice, GIMP, VLC, Signal, etc.). I’m also not a digibete à la “grandma doesn’t know what the red X” does, or not knowing how to troubleshoot using wikis. Compared to the median Linux user, I have a lot to learn, though.
I know some basics (what is a terminal, what’s a kernel), but not what a shell is, nor how to configurate an IP address. So I think I’m comparable to an average Sally on this. I’m open to learning more about all that though!
Did a bit of research and currently, I’m considering to choose between Fedora and OpenSUSE, but I’m open to other suggestions. I’ve heard Mint is good for beginners, but the GUI seems more Windows-oriented, and Mint also contains proprietary elements, and I’m not exactly a fan of stuff being locked down. I like MacOS-like interfaces, but customisation of the interface is also a big thing for me, but I presume this shouldn’t be an issue.
So, my questions are:
1) When Linux users talk about distrohopping - how do ye do that, converting from one OS to another?
I see it mentioned often and it sounds like it’s really easy to do from one Linux distro to another. Just straight up plug in a USB stick with the new distro, have a menu say “Do you want to replace this distro with this, or just run parallel”, and then follow?
2) How do I make the transition from Macintosh to a Linux OS?
For preparation, I could put everything from iCloud onto the device itself, and then back it up, but how do I do the actual steps?
3) What distro should I start with?
OpenSUSE Tumbleweed, Fedora Linux, or something else?
My priorities are that:
a) it’s privacy friendly and has good security (regular-ish updates too),
b) it’s friendly for the level of beginner that I am,
c) its interface is highly customisable (a Mac look with a twist would be my ideal)
d) it works with gaming, and still adheres to FOSS principles
4) For phones, what would be the best option?
I mostly care about privacy, independence from big tech, and ethics. I know GrapheneOS would be the best, but they only work on Google Pixels, and I strongly dislike the idea of depending on Google. Fairphone with e/OS is one I’ve my eyes on currently; would that work?
5) Keeping devices & laptop question
My laptop is 9 years old (phone is 5 years old). Should I keep them both, or would it be more worthwhile to switch over to new devices? If so, would a laptop from Slimbook or Starlab be a good option? I wholly oppose American stuff, prefer European the and like, the rest I’m indifferent about.
TL:DR; buncha questions about starting with linux, see boldened questions.
If you’re on an M-series chip, Apple silicon as opposed to the older intel based Macs, your only viable option is Asahi Linux, which is specifically made to run on Apple silicon. If you would like to try this out, I have no promises that you won’t brick your machine. I highly recommend you watch some tutorials and read some documentation about the Asahi install process to see if it is something you’re willing to attempt.
So, the other poster is correct. You need a new non-Apple device if you intend to use Linux freely like the rest of us.
There’s good news though. Linux runs wonderfully on older hardware. Depending on what level of gaming you intend to do, you could get a decent used gaming laptop with a discrete GPU, or even a Thinkpad with integrated graphics for fairly cheap. Carefully consider your hardware choices based on your needs. If you take this route, the world is your oyster, and I highly recommend doing some distro-hopping in your first year.
Linux mint is a great place to start. As far as I am aware the only proprietary software involved is multimedia codecs and Nvidia drivers, but you would want those on any distribution, because the user experience without them is severely lacking.
Fedora is great, but it won’t install the multimedia codecs for you like Linux mint will. You’ll need to start learning how to use the terminal straight away. I consider Fedora to be an intermediate level distribution, unlike Linux Mint or Ubuntu which are very beginner friendly. Fortunately there are plenty of step by step guides and support forum posts to help you through things if you’re willing to do the work.
Arch based distros like CachyOS, EndeavourOS and the like, will challenge you. But that challenge will teach you a lot. I would say after getting comfortable in something like Linux Mint after a few months, give EndeavourOS a try if you want to develop your knowledge.
That brings me to an important point. Back up your files. With either a secondary SSD, or an external HDD/SSD, literally drag and drop the files you can’t bear to lose. Linux is very easy to wipe and reinstall, and hopping from distro to distro until you find your home can be a lot of fun, but having a safe backup so that you can do so without any worry of losing data, is extremely important.
Hmm. I run an Intel-based Max, so I should then have more viable options, I guess.
I definitely will back up my files - I have an external SSD, so I’ll use that!
Debian has specific installers for Macs, for example.
Also worth noting: you don’t need to get ride of MacOS to try linux! You don’t even need to make any permanent changes to your computer. You can also just boot from a USB and see how you like it. This is different from adding the distro to your computer with a USB. Because when you’re just booting from a USB it doesn’t make any permanent changes to your hardware; it literally just runs linux off your USB. Files won’t even be saved between sessions (unless you really tinker around with it, but even then the files will only be saved on your USB). This is a low risk way to play around and check out how well different distros work on your Mac.
I suggest trying Ubuntu. It’s super beginner friendly and has great documentation which should guide you through booting from your USB. I put Ubuntu on my Mac back in the day and it worked great but the speakers didn’t work because the drivers weren’t open source. You should boot Ubuntu from a USB and play around with some sound sources to see what I mean. Since this will likely be the biggest problem you face with Mac its worth checking out before making permanent changes
Oh well that’s great news. I would still do a little legwork, like searching “DistroOfChoice on Intel Mac” just to make sure you don’t run into any unforeseen issues.