So I know we have a few resident experts on Linux. @coralinecastell @delenn13 . However, after a quick search of the threads, either it hasn’t been condensed into one topic, said topic is really old, or I’m too r******* (stupid) to find it.
So, any chance we can maybe get something going for news, how to, etc? or is this going to die in like 3 posts like usual?
Here is a starter video to kick it off:
Thanks for creating this wonderful thread. 
Of course I can gladly contribute! I have several resources when it comes to Linux! However, for now, I’ll be brief because I’m working.
First thing I want to point out is that “Linux” or “GNU” are broad terms. There are many Linux distributions, although a handful are the most recommended when it comes to gaming. I’ll speak of those.
A couple of years ago, Ubuntu would have been my main recommendation, for a few reasons:
Both those points have since changed drastically, and I no longer, personally, recommend Ubuntu to ANYONE who wants to try out a Linux distro for gaming or otherwise. I wrote a brief review about that at AlternativeTo.
Basically, these are the distros I recommend instead:
You can use Distro Test ONLINE, for FREE, to try out any distribution you’d like to check out without having to boot from a live pen-drive or DVD. I love this website, you guys.
Finally, Manjaro is my distro of choice. It’s based on Arch Linux – unlike Ubuntu and Mint, which are Debian-based – and the Arch Wiki and Manjaro Forums are part of my life.
YouTube videos and channels I recommend:
Level1Linux
Chris Titus Tech
Chris Were
Diolinux, in Portuguese
A cool TED Talk with the man himself:
Reddit communities I oftentimes got to:
r/linux
r/linux4noobs
r/linux_gaming
r/ManjaroLinux
r/SteamPlay
Websites, in general:
News
OMG! Ubuntu!
Distro Watch
Linux Magazine
Nix Craft
Resources
It’s FOSS
Gaming On Linux
ProtonDB
Help
Ask Ubuntu
PC Gaming Wiki
Learning Linux
The Linux Foundation Training
Linux Command
Linux Security for Beginners
Great, now I feel like a HUGE nerd! 
EDIT: of course, as always, I’m happy to answer any Linux-related questions to the best of my abilities or redirect you to available resources for further insight. 
You’re welcome. I’m getting news that I may be able to build my new system mid to late August. With that build is going to be an OS change, so looking at a Linux distro is a real possibility.
I do have a few questions.
Of the few you recommend, what are the pros and cons of each? I know you linked a few videos about that, but there may be things that you notice that someone else doesn’t. At the time of this post, I also haven’t watched said videos.
I know you use Manjaro, but for the basic user, which would be the best distro?
With that, are there some that work better for certain tasks? I know my video goes into that a bit, but I’d like your opinion. If anyone else has an opinion, I’d like to hear it as well.
How does Linux fare in terms of DRM software? I know there are some people that really don’t care about DRM. I know my video says that there may be some issues, but doesn’t really go into the extent.
If I wanted to stream, is there support for that and are there any issues?
Lastly, with a certain popular game coming to PC, finally, does Linux have any issues with third party accounts or launchers required for some games? It is probably a dumb question, but sometimes the dumbest questions are the most important to ask.
Hi Py,
First off, thanks for the reply and the questions. Second off, Im currently working and this new printer we’re working with set me up with a Mac computer that has an LG screen and an Dell keyboard with an American layout… it’s kind of a messy chimera, so I apologize for all the inevitable typos and what not.
I’ve only used two distros for a prolonged period of time: Ubuntu and Manjaro. That said, the videos I sent are better resources than my personal opinion. I believe Chris Titus’ video on “How to Choose a Linux Distribution” might be a good initial North.
Manjaro is excellent for the basic user, period. It’s ridiculously easy to set up – ex: it automatically detects your GPU and installs whatever you need to make it run smoothly – comes with Steam pre-installed and gives you a lot of choices regarding what software you want and what software you don’t – like it lets you choose your word processor of choice among many FOSS (free open source software) alternatives, like LibreOffice and OpenOffice.
Finally, Manjaro comes in many flavors – I use KDE – and is highly customizable. It also has an excellent file manager – which ensure you won’t need to even glance at the terminal for all your file needs – and I’ve been updating it via the GUI to report if I run into any errors, instead of updating it via the command line with pacman – which honestly, is what I would prefer, but understand many don’t want to have to rely on the terminal, which is why it’s vital to have a working UI to attract new users.
I’ve been confidently using Manjaro for around 2 months now and haven’t run into a single OS-related issue so far. Of course, anyone might run into a myriad of issues, but if it’s my personal opinion that you seek, I can say first-hand that I’m Lovin’ It 
.
One thing you might want to consider when updating your PC is whether you’re going with NVidia or AMD. I have much to say on the subject but, long-story short, it’s better to pair Linux up with AMD than NVidia. I can offer you more on that after you get back to me with your initial GPU thoughts – and once I’m at my own PC with my precious tech resources read the last bit in Gollum.
All the distros I recommended will serve you well for gaming as well as productivity – working, etc. Beyond that, I once again refer to the aforementioned videos.
Never done it, can’t say. However: Steam doesn’t let you stream or watch other people’s stream’s through its native “watch” feature or whatever it’s called. Been there, tried that. Had to dual-boot into Windows to watch a friend’s gameplay. Found these for you, let me know if it’s what you had in mind:
https://www.maartenbaert.be/simplescreenrecorder/
http://gnome-twitch.vinszent.com/
this keyboard is giving me an aneurysm I swear why the heck can’t you ctrl + c on a Mac someone please accidentally make Tim Cook slip on a banana peel and fracture his pelvis I beg you
Absolutely. I can’t play Ubisoft games, for example. I believe one or two Ass Creed games run on Linux but I’ve never bothered enough to try. Please consult https://www.protondb.com/ for all your “what runs and what doesn’t” needs.
Most often than not, a game will not run on Linux simply because of the launcher. Several games being built on Unity, it would literally be a flick of a switch to port them to Linux, but big AAA devs don’t bother.
Hope I could answer you well, for now! Good luck building your PC and count on me if you have any questions or would like to set up a dual-boot together – I wouldn’t recommend going full Linux if you’re completely unfamiliar with it.
Radeon RX 5700XT AIB model either Sapphire or XFX.
Currently use OBS actually.
It’s command + c. If you don’t have the Command key you’re probably hosed. Mac doesn’t do compatibility.
Yeah i’ve been meaning to start with Linux very soon or at least testing out things maybe on virtual machine, though been busy with other things it’s on my to do list for sure, so I will be defo watching this thread. Manjaro sounds pretty interesting for gaming especially. And distrotest link is useful.
I think though I might start with linux mint lol.
I’ve heard puppylinux reccomended purely because of the advantages of something lightweight if you want to use from a usb, and carry something around with you. Not sure its good for games though lol honestly just like the idea of it being cute and smol like a puppy.
I often have come across arguments about which distro is best 
I’m hoping to kindle some discussion and maybe get some other people to weigh in on it. We’ll see.
People who might contribute:
@kovec, @Rhyagelle, @Bekk, @chraffx, @svin83, @iselisemor534, @bittamer, @nassi
Yes, I’m aware several of these folk haven’t posted here since c. 200 BC, but a girl can dream.
I just ctrl+f’d ‘Linux’
Feel free to use the ‘Linux’ tag on OP.
If this is a general Linux thread, I have some advice for those wishing to get into it for gaming purposes. Avoid Ubuntu now. Steam will be dropping it for another OS due to Ubuntu suspending support for 32-bit packages in its archives. I also have another reason for honestly suggesting another OS, and it is the declining stability of Ubuntu.
I’ve been using it since the early 2000s (and various other flavors of it) and post 14.04 it really started to fall down hill. I really noticed the decline once they introduced snap packages, which are heinous.
Not sure which OS Steam will go to, but for other reasons as to why I am starting to dislike Ubuntu post 12.04 LTS, I’d suggest checking out other OSes. However, if you are absolutely brand new to the scene, check out the second portion.
Other distros to check out:
For newbs:
Lastly, I have tons of tricks and tips I could share, but not sure how I’d go about starting that up. Seems just random info, really. 
I like how both of us started with the same advice LOL I’m 100% with you on the post-14.04 bit.
F Canonical.
We’re recommending similar distros too, which is nice. I never tried Zorin or Mageia though. Any personal thoughts on those?
Zorin seems to be “Ubuntu-based”. Mageia is a fork of Madriva Linux… huh.
Personally, I’m sticking with Arch-based distros for now. Pacman is my life and I was getting allergic to ppas… 
Why don’t you recommend Manjaro or Pop!_OS to newbies? I don’t think I can get behind you on that sentiment.
They’re stable and operate a lot like Windows but are Linux inside, so they are very good for beginners. Zorin is probably a bit better compared to Mageia.
The last I tried to install them, the installation methods would overwhelm a newb just come from Windows (I tried to get a few newbs into Manjaro, did not work out so well haha). I’m thinking GUI installations that guide the user all the way, so the easiest are the ones that hand hold very well.
Cool, thanks a lot! Will look into them.
Out of curiosity, when was this? Manjaro received several overhauls to its installation GUI. I installed it 2 months ago and it was easy as pie. See one recent change:
I don’t know, about a year and a half ago I think. The actual install of the OS, not anything on the OS once it has already been installed. I don’t think it is confusing, but apparently it was.
I’ve been using Mint with Cinnamon exclusively since they started forcing Windows 10 on us. I don’t claim to know much, but I’ll try to help when I can 
Alright, so 75% of the new system is built (just need graphics card), and needs a test so I was looking through the links and stuff.
I have only dabbled in Ubuntu 16.04.?? LTS years ago.
After having gotten accustomed to windows, going back Linux has the memories of Ubuntu (which was just screwing around with it). Since I’m going to try to do something legit, I’d like something that doesn’t require a shedload of user customization.
I found the LTT video very helpful for someone who, at this time, just wants to use it and have it run.\
I was disappointed in the L1 video. It was basically a talking head video and I was hoping for more of actually using it. Rather it was a discussion of rather technical stuff that I quite honestly don’t give a shit about. I did not find it very helpful. He started losing me when there were terms I barely understood starting flying.
Same goes for Chris Titus Tech. He tried, and unfortunately, didn’t quite make it there. He had some good points, but I think the problem is I felt he never fully answered the question the title of the video posed: How to choose the distro. Again, it seemed like a discussion on the technical items of the distros. One good point he made was that Linux has many technical people behind it that don’t know how to dumb stuff down. Unfortunately, I feel he fell into that trap. He was doing okay to start and then was throwing terms that if I wasn’t semi familiar with technical terms I would have no idea what they meant.
I didn’t watch the last three. Third wasn’t watched because it seemed like it was going to be more of the same and I didn’t feel like listening to an hour of stuff I either don’t understand or don’t care about. He also led of with “it’s a ramble”. tab was closed shortly thereafter. Fourth wasn’t watched because I don’t know the language. Last wasn’t watched because I didn’t feel like it.
I tried viewing the Linux for Noobs Reddit and… they could really use a FAQ. I was hoping for more, but it was a technical thread.
Seeing all this is actually discouraging, especially to your basic user that just wants shit to work without them having to go in and fix stuff.
LTT did good in this regard, yes they were throwing some jargon around, but they had the “I literally have no idea wtf you’re saying, what does that mean” side there too. That’s important.
I do think this is still Linux’s greatest downfall. There is lot’s of technicality and people either don’t know how or are unwilling to dumb it down.
I don’t really want to say this way, but someone really needs to put the information in stupid so it’s easy to understand.
Anyway, I’m probably going to install either Linux Mint or Pop!_OS, as I’m looking for the user experience with the least amount of hiccups until I get enough into it that I’m ready to nose around and tweak things.
Oh and the Distro Test ran like ass on my machine, I think I’ll get a better experience downloading it and trying it. (Linux mint had the entire taskbar cut off).
I am sorry. I have been avoiding this topic because I just don’t have the time to do it justice. But I am gonna just throw out what I use and between the videos you can see why I like it. I see @Pylinaer is getting discouraged… Read all of this before you start clicking links…I am NOT a whiz at this. I am still dabbling in it. Most everything works right out of the box because of the Driver Support : Huge Driver support.
"We firmly believe that Linux should not only be stable, but should also reflect the times in terms of ease of use and beauty, Thus you will find that Makulu Distro builds are always stunning out of the box and also feature packed.
Unlike many other Distro developers out there, We don’t simply download a Ubuntu, mint or Debian iso and slap some themes on and out comes a release. We have our own Base that we spent nearly 2 years developing
We hope your time with Makulu is an enjoyable one, and please remember that should you need assistance, guidance or want to provide feedback, you can do so Via the Forums or even pop into our live Chat room. We always like hearing from users.
Features
Hybrid Based Release
LinDoz, Flash & Core Editions
Steam Pre Installed
Wine Pre Installed
Unique Look and Feel
Extremely Fast and Stable
Lots of Preloaded Themes, software and games.
Very flexible on theming
Social Integration"
http://www.makululinux.com/wp/about-us/
At the moment it has 3 different Makulu Distro builds.
I am using Core…Because I like the looks of it.
http://www.makululinux.com/wp/core/
But they also have a Distro called Flash…because it is FAST!!!
http://www.makululinux.com/wp/flash/
They are working on a newer Lindoz…
“MakuluLinux LinDoz Is not designed to be a Clone of Windows, it is merely familiar territory for both Windows and Linux users, the themes aren’t replicas of windows, but mere similar designs. It doesn’t matter which environment you come from, when you log into LinDoz you get a familiar sense of belonging. We added just enough to make windows users feel comfortable, yet pushing them to explore the linux world, Linux users will feel instantly at home feeling comfortable with the terminal and rest of the tools and software, yet maybe enjoy the windows like themes and icon sets.”
http://www.makululinux.com/wp/lindoz/
http://www.makululinux.com/wp/2019/08/19/lindoz-desktop-manager/
A lot of help:
http://www.makululinux.com/wp/newwiki/toc/
SourceForge:
Here’s a PDF of Linux Commands. I have more books/pdfs; some are over $30.00 which I got for free. I just got to find them. On another drive.
Linux-Commands-Cheat-Sheet.pdf (95.1 KB)
Like I said before I am not an expert. But I think having a lot of the stuff already set up for you is a plus. So you can start dabbling right out of the box.
I hope this helps you, @Pylinaer 
EDIT: Added PDF of Linux commands. Which I might have use a few times…but with this distro you really don’t need to use a lot of commands.
Off topic, but this thread reminded me about how Steam Play (Proton) doesn’t work on Mac.
And it probably will never work on Mac.
On a more related note, this is a nice thread. Linux (and even Mac) users will definitely be happy (plus, it’s very rewarding to dig through the trove of information that you guys provide)
Thank you.
Providing an update. I tried out Pop_OS for a bit and really don’t like the menu. Don’t like the access mechanic and it’s a bit Too MAC-y for me. @delenn13, I’ll go ahead and try Makulu Core even though Makulu Core screams MAC to my face just looking at the layout. Unfortunately, Lindoz is unavailable, which is the one I’d like to try.
Have downloaded Linux Mint and Manjaro as well, we’ll see how it goes.
Results are in!:
| Distro | Website | Download | USB Write | Boot-up | Initial Usage thoughts | Final thought |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pop_OS | Excellent | Very good. but need to know gfx | Results in a few “errors” that would scare people | Shedload of text | I really don’t like where the applications are | Pop Shop is nice, having to click “activities” to open apps is annoying. |
| Linux Mint | Is this the 2000s? | A mirror page? really? | Results in a few “errors” that would scare people | Good | Layout is nice enough. Semi-familiar territory for Win users | This is probably going to be the one I try. |
| Manjaro | Excellent | Uses external site, wants you to check validity, has convoluded process to do so, requires program download. BAD | Immediate, no hiccups | FAILS BOOT | NULL | If it’s so simple why the fuck does it fail boot (tried multiple times and images) |
| Makulu (Core) | Oh look a page of updates?! | Okay, but Lindoz is unavailable | Results in a few “errors” that would scare people | Shedload of text | Could probably get used too. looks mac-y | it doesn’t get anymore MAC without going MAC |
I am glad to see you are trying stuff out. I tried about 7 or 8 before I decided. Everyone uses their PC for different things and in different ways. You have to decide for yourself what you want.
I settled for the “mac-y” look of Makulu Core as a joke to rib my BIL and I ended up liking it. So I kept it. 