EC videos are always so clear and thorough, so although I've learned to use Linux by trial and error and gone through all the stages presented here, I still learned something new and useful, and enjoyed watching the whole thing. Very much looking forward to the rest of this series, as well as any new videos by EC.
Another fine example of your ability to articulate the intricacies of the computing environment in terms that most lay computer users should find understandable.
In a previous video, you detailed the steps necessary to convert an older Windows laptop with meager resources into a functioning Linux laptop. I followed your instructions and the result was a new Linux laptop. Thanks so much for all your work.
@Mehedi Hasan Some distros do a better job at setting up than others so you could try alternatives on usb and see how they perform. Besides that its basically a separate support process for every machine & distro to optimise graphics, so finding a support thread that is relevant to your hardware is the first step and often possible with a popular distro. In firefox about:config enabling gfx.webrender.all and gfx.x11-egl.force-enable can make a difference. My lowish powered Intel Haswell cpu&graphics laptop plays videos better in Manjaro KDE than Win10.
@Mehedi Hasan My main RU-vid machine is an HP Stream Netbook powered by an Intel(R) Celeron(R) CPU N3060 @ 1.60GHz. Running the Xfce version of Mint, it works very nicely for playing RU-vid videos from the Google Chrome browser.
@Mehedi Hasan It's not a universal thing, just like in windows you will need browser specific, and maybe even graphics card/CPU specific instructions. I would start at the user forum of whatever browser you are using.
Please can I say to other boomers like myself not to be afraid of the change, it’s great fun learning. Christopher's video on the Linux Terminal is possibly the best one on RU-vid, it’s simple, logical and gives the important core instructions.
Hey, I'm a boomer, and I switched to Linux just before Windows 10 came out! I nuked windows completely and broke the installation disks! Not only did I hear about M$'s intentions, but I read the EULA, all 40+ pages, and was like "Hell no!". It didn't take me that long to learn Linux and have a stable worry free system, having no windows to fall back on forced me to get with the program: Best computing decision I ever made!
@@Bob-of-Zoid Was more gradual for me, but I see clearly what you mean. If anyone asked me to get back to Windows, I would really laugh for such an idea :D That would be like going back from a Tesla to Model T. It had it's time, thank you, but it is over.
I have a feeling that a lot of my clients are going to be switching to Linux as the end of life of Windows 10 gets nearer. If they need a primer on Linux I can send them here. Great video as always Chris.
My sense is that even Microsoft has come to realize that Windows as a product for the masses of general computer users is nearing its end of life. Permanently. Their actions seem to support that. Windows 11 can only be installed on severely restricted hardware. Windows 365 PC Cloud available for those who need only the occasional Windows-like experience, accesses through lightweight devices. Or Linux. And how can their exorbitantly overpriced Office suite, including annual rental, compete with Libre Office Which I now use exclusively, excepting occasionally for Office 4.5 from the 90's.
@@KameraShy I'd add that many 'mainstream' users are happy enough just using their smartphones for personal stuff. Microsoft pivoting to online services with a more corporate-oriented focus is a savvy move. Oh, is LibreOffice's compatibility with MS Office documents 100% yet? I remember having a bunch of formatting issues when using it, although admittedly that was pre-DOCX.
Testing linux distro is fun. Lots of different UI to choose from. Currently i am using Fedora 34 on my Raspberry pi 4B. A good introduction to linux for new user.
RaspbianOS is also a good introduction, with lots of tools pre-installed, like Python, Mathematica, Wolfram, Scratch, and other program learning tools, along with dozens (hundreds? thousands?) of educational websites to take you from knowing nothing, to well on your way...
I tried an actual distro on my pi4 (I think it was majaro xfce) and it felt really sluggish, it had some processes taking up 90% of the cpu for a long time so I ended up going back to rasberrypi os, it boots as fast as my main pc that has an ssd and is just silky smooth. really was put off testing other distros
@@Mmmm_tea The official Fedora pi version have the same sluggish problem. I download a modify version. So far so good. Audio is ok for steaming and playback.
You can actually install pretty much whatever desktop you want without changing distros. On my laptop I have pop_os as my distro which comes with it's own desktop, but I also installed Cinnamon for when I'm running with just the laptop monitor because I prefer that desktop manager sometimes, and when I'm plugged in at the office I'm hooked up to multiple monitors and use i3wm which is a window manager rather than a desktop manager (no menus or shortcut icons). You can change desktops just by logging out and logging back in under that desktop. When I installed linux for a young friend headed to college I installed linux Cinnamon plus 6 or 7 different desktops so she could play with each and figure out which she liked best.
I've already moved to Linux Mint Cinnamon a few years back but my wife and both daughters are wanting Windows 11. My oldest sister already got the Win11 update on her laptop.
I tried Win 11 three times because once you sign up to the Microsoft bumf it's a pain to get out, When running 11 i had issues playing videos on youtube in HD(couldn't get above 480P) and was completly locked out of facebook(i like the marketplace), To get rid of the microsoft bumf(win 11 updates) i had to reinstall win 10,Linux mint look good to me but i will buy a cheap laptop or desktop to test it out on first.
been testing 20.1 on an older machine.. and so far it's been flawless on the hardware. I have to say I'm impressed.. only one warning.. if updating the xfce version from 19 to 20 make sure you have no desktop customisations which WILL break your fonts.. nobody on the internet seems to have a solution.. look in your .config xfce files and where it says anything about fonts (xml files.. easy enough) make sure it says "empty" rather than any font being defined
Mint is decent. But not the only one. I would strongly advise beginners to take Mint, yes. Was struggling with Ubuntu after they went away from normal desktop, made some startup cluttering and the last drip was piece of garbage called Snap. They became the new Microsoft. Making my choice less, doing some stuff without my permission, making duplicates of unnecessary software take spaceon my disk, making startup of a browser on nvme like on a floppy etc. Now I am free again. My PC just works.
This series might be pretty important in the coming years as i suspect allot of people might want to jump ship considering how horrifc windows 11 is turning out and just generaly how windows has gotten worse over the years.
I kinda like Windows 10. In the end it became a pretty good OS. Windows 11 however forcing you to constantly be online to access your computer is just straight up bullshit. I've always used a local account and I will buy Windows 11 Pro if thats what it takes to do so. I'm never gonna daily drive Linux either for that matter. I'm currently trying to learn as much as I can about Linux. And the more I learn. The less likely it is to be a viable option.
I think you're right MISTER FIAT. In many respects I think Linux is far superior to Windows version 8 onwards (they are horrible), but while Linux is fine on a great deal of hardware it is not as reliable as Windows on the majority. This is perhaps not the the fault of Linux but the hardware manufacturers not making driver info available. Having an abundance of distro's is nice for geeks, but for the general public it can be very offputting and less choice might encourage uptake. Only time will tell...it's a shame Windows 7 (not 10) wasn't the final version of Windows...oh yeah, that didn't work out did it, lol.
I'd love to see this channel test out that windows FX as that will be one I'm sure alot of people will flock to when switching over for the first time as it'll be most familiar.
@@shadowarez1337 You could be right though I haven't even seen it myself. To be honest, almost every Linux distro out there is as close to Windows 10 as Windows 11 is, Ubuntu possibly one of the furthest removed and even that is easy to get used to (even if you don't like it). The biggest issues with moving to Linux isn't the GUI front-end (they aren't massivly removed from one another or Windows), it's the different ways that you go about the same tasks (such as installing software) and Christopher nailed the first one because Windows users are so used to dealing with drive letters and considering them very different entities to one another. Thanks for the heads-up on Windows FX, I'll have to check it out!
@@watsoft70 for me it was wrapping my head around the address changes like /etc /home and getting Linux to be able to read NTFS drives that what threw me for a loop. I kept going through Terminal as it felt like home to me.
4 years passed very quickly, I work in fields related to video games development and animation, the lack of empathy of win11 led the company I work to switch 80% to Linux this year-end (only the localization team is half out), predictions indicate a 7% reduction in monthly expenses. A part of the team worked with Linux for 2 years or more at this time. Anticipating the next 3 years with win11 wouldn't be strange that other companies consider the same. Your videos are a constant reference, thank you very much.
So wish this was available back when I first dabbled in Linux, finally getting a distro with hardware support I needed back in 2008. Looking forward to the rest in this series.
There has been no real problem with Linux hardware for more than a decade now, probably even longer than that. Just for the record, there is a lot of older hardware (scanners, printers, etc.) that are no longer supported by Windows because they stopped making drivers back in the days of Windows XP or Windows 7. In most cases, that hardware will still work in Linux. Nobody in the Linux community has ever said that Linux supports ALL hardware, it just happens to support MOST of it. So that's therefore on you to do your research, exactly as you would expect anyone to do when they waste money buying a Windows computer that Microsoft then "rents" back to them, and to find out if what you plan to buy is fully supported by the OS that you going to run on it. Remember, Windows always has the advantage here because it's usually already the "parasite" OS that your computer comes with. If you're going to free yourself from your Microsoft abuser, you need to put in some of the leg work yourself - Google searches should tell you very quickly whether or not Linux supports a particular piece of hardware or computer system.
@@terrydaktyllus1320 We're talking circa 2003 so way more than the past decade (way back in the early days of Google even) 😀 But yeah, finally got away from Windows in 2008 for good and honestly have never looked back.
Once again, you have absolutely demonstrated the clarity and learning value of your presentational methods. I have also been "mucking about" with Linux for years but your distinction of "mountedness" for volumes even gave me an "aha" moment, allowing something to fall into place mentally that I can myself hopefully now use to pass on a knowledgeable enthusiasm for Linux. Thank you! 👍
Maybe a tree analogy would have helped to convey the difference between Windows and Linux? Windows is like multiple trees planted next to each other while Linux is more like trees being planted on another tree.
*DER RÜTTLER:* Yes, everything on Unix-like operating systems is represented by files that exist somewhere in or below the root of the filesystem. This is a crucial concept to understand when learning about Linux, etc.
@@jb888888888 Directories are trees in the computer science sense of the word: each directory either contains files (the leaves) or other directories (branches) that can lead to more files/directories. On Windows you have separate volumes parallel to each other (thus trees next to each other). On Linux you mount volumes somewhere on your root filesystem (thus trees on another tree).
Sir, I believe to have left my beginning days in Linux long behind me, but it’s still a pure joy to listen to your videos for the concise and well thought through information.
Your channel is one of the educational channels about computing on RU-vid. You give thorough explanations without getting too complex. Another excellent video!
@@ExplainingComputers I wonder, Chris, have you ever watched Linus Tech Tips? (Because, in case you haven't, that's the Linus and Luke that people are referring to. And, no, not "the other Linus" we're usually talking about with Linux.) Basically, with the coming of the Steam Deck, there's been talk in gaming circles about Linux and Proton - will everyone be able to play all their games on Linux? - and this lead to them, in their "WAN show" podcast, deciding to do a "Linux challenge". Both of them will attempt to use Linux as their daily driver OS and the first one who gives up will have to do a forfeit (don't know if they've yet decided what that forfeit will be). While Luke has previously used some Linux Mint (but quite a long time ago), Linus is coming at this completely fresh (well, they use some Linux for their servers, but he's never daily driven any Linux). This is generating some buzz, as Linus Tech Tips has 14 million subscribers. It's one of the biggest tech channels out there - with a hardware and gaming focus - and they're going to be having a video series about their "Linux challenge", which'll be viewed by millions of people. It's going to be big exposure for the process of transitioning over to Linux, to a more general "gamer" audience. Yes, Valve's Steam Deck is really generating a buzz around Linux, just exactly as Windows 11 is turning people off. This probably is the best time - Algorithm-wise - to be making content like this, as you'll possibly be getting some "recommendation" hits to your videos for this. It'll be "the year of the Linux desktop" one of these days, I tell you. One of these days. ;D
@@klaxoncow Thanks for this. I do keep an eye on Linus Tech Tips, but had not come across their Linux challenge until it was pointed out yesterday, as there is no video with an associated title on the main channel. Interesting times for Linux indeed! :)
CB's mellifluous voice and confident presentation manner make it impossible to not click EC content; he's tamed a fair chunk of the internet (me included!). Another superior video. Thank you.
Yes, the distinct way of speech with specific pauses and slowdowns at start feels like strange. But when you get to the core, it is brilliant. And I have yet to spot any discrepancies :D The background work is superb. Looks like expert level knowledge over 10K hours. This is quality you don't get from paid courses.
Aloha Chris. I wanted to thank you for help giving me the courage to make the jump to Linux a few years back when Windows 7 support from Microsoft stopped. I made the switch to Linux Mint Cinnamon, and used it up until a few months ago when I made the jump to Manajro. I wanted access to the AUR. I did not stay with Manjaro long though, as I found it troublesome for my workflow. A month ago I switched to EndeavourOS Cinnamon, and I have been very happy with it. Looking forward to the next in the series. When it is finished I plan on sharing it with a few friends who are currently on the fence about making the jump into Linux. Mahalo.
I am so thankful you have begun this. I was thinking about such a series when you asked for input and I don't remember if I responded. I have put this off far too long. Sincerest thanks.
Great to hear that ChatGPT sent you here. :) There is indeed lots of Linux content -- there is a lot of all of my Linux videos on this page: www.explainingcomputers.com/linux_videos.html
Thanks, Chris - this is exactly the content that I need right now. I am beginning the transition from Windows to Linux (well not me but my PC!). Look forward to the next video in the series. 😊😊
My introduction to linux was Raspian on a Pi 3B+. This gave me the confidence to try Mint on an old lap top. I now run Linux Mint Cinnamon as my main OS. I have been very happy with it.
Started out with Mandrake back in the late 90's, but soon switched over to Xandros 2, then Xandros 3. From there went on to MANY other distros. Still had a Windows machine for 'certain' things I needed it for, but soon after learning all I needed too with Linux to get by without Windows, I did the complete switch. I probably couldn't use Windows today it's been so long. Linux has come a LONG way since it's beginnings.
I remember back in 1998, seeing Linux for the first time. My personal opinion was that it was not useful and usable for a mainstream audience... for the moment. I saw that it was the way forward, it just needed time to mature, and develop. This moment happened about a decade ago, in my reckoning. And since then, has become more and more mainstream friendly, too. Really glad, as it shows what people power can generate.
Thank you for giving a plain and clear explanation on Linux systems as i am currently studying computer support technician course and part of the course covers Linux. After watching this video i have got a good idea on what Linux is and which system to download and install.
Great, looking forward to further episodes! Linux would be a 'wise' move for those who are concerned about privacy and security. I've been trying out Ubuntu Touch on a spare smartphone. Promising and slowly 'getting there'. The many Linux Distros are amazing. I installed Kali Linux on an older a ThinkPad T430 as a backup machine - just to experiment with the various tools and to teach myself something about Pen testing. Perhaps the single most amazing thing about Linux is the actual Linux community and the unparalleled generosity of those who provide this software , for the most part, for free. That alone blows my mind!
You know I have done IT work for 30yrs and I still enjoy watching your videos and then explanations you give. In the industry people no longer want to take the time to do that or for that matter to take time to listen about how it works. Thanks the video is appreciated
I migrated to Linux Mint after watching some videos on this channel. And I have NEVER looked back. I will never go back to Windows. If I should absolutely need a windows software I can run Windows in a virtual machine. Thanks Chris for convincing me
Thanks so much for making these videos! This household has been standing on the brink of the world beyond windows for some time now. Your explanations inspire courage to actually make the leap.
I switched over only a few months ago (Debian) after wanting to do so for over a decade; as earlier I didn't have a computer I had full ownership of, or was always limited by things like low storage space of lack of internet. While I've become used to the ways in which information on common GNU/Linux procedures or problems are scattered across the web; I have always tried to find resources such as this, that are well prepared and explanatory, not just screenshots of code to use. So, thank you for the time and effort!
Mister Fiat is bang on the money. We learned to live with win10. win 11 is the last straw. I'm 'techy' enough to adopt Linux, but my wife isn't. So it is encouraging to see Linux distros stepping up to the mark for casual users. 3 years of further development before win10 eol, and I'm sure I can make it painless for her. Great job on this and all your videos.
Your channel is one of the most informative and useful in all of RU-vid. Thank you for your content and the education you so clearly and expertly provide. Whenever I need a bit of encouragement in my quest to learn about technology I watch your channel. It helps every time.
Although Windows, by default, mounts each drive (or each drive's volume) as a unique drive letter, you can configure any drive to be mounted Linux style (you can have Windows mount a drive to any location you choose, via Disk Management -- which requires administrator rights). Although it is a simple process, it is not as simple as connecting the dots. You kind of need to know the Windows procedure. Once your USB drive (for example) is plugged in: You must first tell Windows (via Disk Management) to remove the drive letter. You then tell Windows (via Disk Management) to mount the drive via an NTFS mount point. That mount point must be an empty directory. Once mounted, that mount point (that directory) becomes an NTFS junction (pointing to some cryptic target, which I do not understand). But once set, your USB drive will now sit in the directory of your choice. When you go to that directory, you will be on your USB drive. This might be handy for someone that is running out of drive letters, or... this might be handy for someone that does not want to remember several drive letters, and would rather have directories that have meaningful names, where each directory is a different USB drive. Cheers!
This was also useful to me running Windows Media Center on Windows 7. I didn't want all the recorded videos to be stored on the boot partition in case I had to re-install Windows. Making the "C:\Users\Public\Recorded TV" folder a shortcut to the video storage area didn't work, so I simply mounted my big (4GB) hard drive partition on top of "C:\Users\Public\Recorded TV".
Thanks for another easy to understand video, looking forward to more. Years ago I replaced my Windows 7 computer with a new machine. I took out the HDD in the old computer and replaced it with a new drive, in case I needed to go back to windows 7. I loaded different distributions on the new HDD to learn about Linux. I could keep my daily usage on the new windows machine and not worry about breaking the old computer as I was learning how to use the different distributions of Linux. : )
I wish I had this video 15 years ago. Like always well thought out. It took me a couple tries to understand drives coming from windows. Thanks for sharing!
Excellent overview. As a Linux "enthusiast" (nut). as well as a Raspberry Pi "enthusiast" (nut), (and a nut, er.. eccentric, in general), I always enjoy this kind of excursion as they usually include some nuggets of info that I can add to my limited body of "knowledge". This is the case here. Looking forward to the next installment. Thanks, Chris.
Excellent! You are an absolute expert in describing things at a level that clears up questions and doesn't generate more. This video was a good initial topic to cover as it is one of the most confusing aspects of Linux for the Windows user should they need to move from the file explorer to the command line. Looking forward to each presentation in the series.
Top notch graphics. Always a pleasant viewing experience. Well done Mr. Barnett. Be sure to give Mr. Scissors a raise. Your attention to detail pays off.
You wouldn't like the way Linus Torvalds (the father of Linux) originally pronounced it then... He changed the way he pronounce it to ease communication with developers etc. and he has explicitly stated that there are many ways to correctly pronounce it.
Using Linux the first time is a survival guide. Using Linux for longer-term is a guide to thriving on your computing experience, *especially on older hardware.*
To be improved on Linux distribution: --> add shortcuts on the desktop easily --> visualise the path of folders inside the graphical interface itself and --> allow the final user to move back and forth from a folders patch with the mouse click --> add lines of scripts for the terminal in order to install various key software like antivirus & firewall after OS install --> ease and stabilise the Microsoft Office 2013, 2016, 2019, 365 installation with Wine and/or Crossover --> add the possibility of addons for word like MathType that allows to add maths fonction into a word document (this would invite lost of teachers to quit Windows 10 !) Progress have been done but more step by step tutorials are required and more utilities that one can find in the Windows world.
Great video Chris! Please cover security in Linux and discuss firewall and AV options (and perhaps the circumstances in which they may be needed, particularly AV software). Thanks.
@@ExplainingComputers On the topic of security, perhaps an idea for a future episode....making a TRUE random number generator wich writes to xlsx-format??
As I long time Linux user myself I couldn't have explained it to a newbie as well as you did, Chris! I always create a separate /home partition though so my settings and data don't get lost (fingers crossed) if I change distros or do an upgrade. I hope this video encourages more people to give Linux a try. Linux Mint Cinnamon is bang-on for a first timer to try, I wouldn't recommend vanilla Ubuntu though to anybody. Looking forward to the next video!
I have decided that, unless MS removes the useless and HW vendor favoring restrictions on 11, I'm moving to Linux when 10 support ends. So, this is very useful and very helpful. THANKS Chris. Well done.
Probably a good idea to start a soft move already. I decided the same, and currently using only software that are Linux compatible. I don't think I will move to Win 11 even if they remove the arbitrary limitation. Linux is maturing fast.
Well done, Christopher. A pleasant and non-controversial survey of popular distributions and an introduction to the mess that is the Linux File System Standard. Thanks in particular for the mention of PCLinuxOS, my distro of choice. I would love to hear your thoughts on systemd vs. non-systemd distributions.
This is exactly the video I needed to encourage me to try out Linux and 'start' the process. Before I'd keep seeing websites say "Just do it!" And I kept thinking there's no way it's that easy! Seeing EC in action showed me yes, it is that straightforward
lol, isitched and had to switch back while linux is great, it is not perfect in terms of hardware support, windows is not perfect either, but gives me less problems there, so, well, happy that some can stay on linux all the time
@@arch1107 I had problems but I could solved them.I had problems with some games, printer and even with keyboards but I could solve them all and I'm not an expert or anything I just look stuff up.
@@hungariancuman2835 you had my same experience then, but eventually i had hardware problems that i couldn't solve and i realized that i was fighting a fight that i never had on windows, not with hardware, not like this so for peace of mind and avoid hassle, i had to put linux as plan b, instead of being my plan a i guess that all depends on the type of problems one encounter, and if there is or isn't a solution different to just buy new hardware
@@arch1107 I love Linux but I'm not pushing it I know its not for everyone but it's in a better and better state now. I had so many problems with windows that I don't want to go back to it just thinking about it makes me a bit angry it was so bad.My main problem is solved by Linux and the other things are just minor.
Great video, Easy, Linux 101 or tutorials #1! I've been using Linux for years. Someone watching you vid should be able to be up and running in no time. Maybe you could show them how to set up firewall (security)next. I apologize you probably will. I've watched your vids for years always informative. Thank you for what you do. Looking forward to the next vid. Any one wanting to learn I will send your way.
the way Linux handles drives kept it from being a daily driver for the longest time, I used two previous operating systems that were designed in the 80s that JUST mount valid drives automatically they both either assigned a drive letter or a drive name, its good that most linux distros are auto mounting now and putting it front and center in some cases, though I still miss the drive letters!
Windows drive letters used to annoy the hell out of me since it assign drive letters according to the sequence that the device is plugged in. On a standard Windows install, it is usually A, C, D and then whatever was plugged in next instead of the Linux way of showing the partition name, so E, F etc. can be anything.
You're not alone. Old habits die hard. I switched to Linux 4-5 years back when I couldn't see any usefulness in all the telemetry etc. that Microsoft suddenly installed without notice. I sometimes miss the paradigm of storage volumes represented by separate device icons each with their own directory structures inside their own root directory separate from everything else. The Unix/Linux way of representing the system and it's drives is far superior in many ways for power users though.
Drive letters are a legacy thing that are just being dragged around by microsoft. Does anyone still use floppy drives A and B? Linux and Unix have had their file system arrangement for a long time and it has stood the test of time.
@@tbone9900 the other operating system I used before microsoft stuff was amiga workbench in the late 90s (though it dates back to the 80s and has some unix roots afaik) it had drive names such as df0 for the first floppy drive, hd0 for the hard drive incrementing the number but it also had a command "assign" so you could do something like "assign system: hd0:" then you could access the drive under system: or its device name hd0: that is what really got me hooked on driver "letters" the Microsoft version was inferior but still kept me in the habit
Microsoft did some fantastic Linux advertising with Windows 11. I even heard a luddite political commentator I listen to saying he has to learn how to use it!
Awesome stuff. I have a friend thinking of leaving windows and I wanna make sure her transition is as smooth as possible. This video will help a lot. Thanks a lot!
It's interesting. You try one and you can say immediately "nope, i can't work with it". The others "if i have to, then maybe". And the third "that's nice, i can stick with it".
I choose Kubuntu for my HP laptop because it knew the keyboard mappings for volume control 'out of the box', you know what Im saying? sometimes a glass slipper just fits!
i hope you can eventually take a look at kde, lxde and other desktop environments, gnome is decent, but there are better nicer ones i always heard that debian is too complex for beginners, right now mint is my beginners recommended distro
@@arch1107 i did take a look at all the linux desktops Kde was good but too unstable on 13 year old hardware Xfce 4.16 is horrible compared to 4.14 Lxde doesnt have enough apps for it Patheon performs terribly on xorg(hope they move to wayland soon) Again its mostly my horrible hardware and i will move to kde once i get a better pc
Once 2025 drops, millions of computers will no longer be supported by Windows. I hope more people would try out Linux before dumping their perfectly capable hardware away.
@@Kanbei11 Someone should tell Greta Thunberg about the tons of e-waste that exist only because planned obsolescence makes more money for manufacturers.
As a full time Linux user, I still watch EC's videos just because of entertainment. Outstanding educational content for new users. Keep up the great work!
Natural Language (the ones we communicate with) are usually very informal and assumes knowledge about concepts that might not be same as other natural languages due to various reasons. On the other hand, machines and programming languages are very formal, predefined and shares concepts with usually the things they're inspired from. But that doesn't mean everything natural language is different that you would be unable to comprehend them, for example english shares stuff with spanish and other romance languages, but not with something like korean. Also many programming languages uses english keywords so it seems familiar. I suggest you to try Symbolic and Non-english programming (if possible). BTW, Have a nice day. :]
I too very much favour the Oxford comma, especially in technology writing where lists can have complex compound terms, even though it is frowned on by UK copy editors! :)
@@ExplainingComputers _et al:_ According to the OED, the Oxford comma is purely a matter of personal preference for British English, and compulsory for American English. Full stops do indeed go inside quotes, so Warren Gibson is correct. Another one is -ize versus -ise, where the rules for this are the same as for the Oxford comma. :-)
@@cdl0 The "z" spellings are easier for me -- I've published a lot of books that end up on the business shelves, where "organization" is more commonly used than "organisation" (very different to in economics publishing). And most of my book sales have been in the United States, so for a couple of decades no desk or copy editor has even attempted to argue for "s" based spellings. :)
Very nice. Great recommendations for starter distros. I'd say Sparky Linux is another good one. Mint 20.2 Cinnamon is my daily driver right now. I use Cinnamon on all distros, even if they don't offer it on their website. Works nice on Sparky, MX, Zorin, PopOS, and Xubuntu.
Brilliant idea for a series, and a nice video. Only mistake I picked up was "Init system takes over once the bootloader has finished". Bootloader -> Linux Kernel -> Init System. Init takes over once the kernel has control of the harware, and starts it. However it wouldn't have fitted so nicely onto that ace slide you did.
@gilkesisking I don't use initramfs systems, I specifically compile support for that out of kernels. I prefer to have nfsroot compiled in. Either way the initramfs is only loaded into memory by the bootloader, so that it's memory address can be passed to the kernel for the kernel to execute the contents, after it has taken control of the hardware. bootloader stage1 loaded by BIOS/UEFI (from disk boot record(s)) -> bootloader stage1 loads bootloader stage 2 (think lilo/grub menu system, that's what stage2 provides) -> bootloader stage2 loads kernel and associated dependencies (initramfs) -> bootloader stage2 execs the kernel base load address. -> Kernel start (read in commandline arguments) -> hardware discovery + driver/firmware load -> call to init (either in initramfs (for rc exec to load anything required to access the rootfs, or maybe as an install/rescue system)), or on the rootfs. If extra drivers/firmware was required from an initramfs, pivot root to rootfs in the VFS. But all of that rather misses the point of the series, which is to make Linux understandable to normal (what ever normal is) people. So far the minor mistake I got is utterly irrelevant to 'normal people'. So I should shut up.
Thanks for the video Christoper i'm looking forward to the next videos, I like the look of Linux Mint Cinnamon but feel i need more info before making the change.
I'm transitioning from Windows to Linux using Oracle Virtualbox. The transition is fairly straightforward but the applications represent another hurdle. Linux has just about every application has and this road, like a distrobution has its snags. The first breakthrough in ANY contecx, whether choosing a distro or application, is using a well defined manual that explains the terminology with examples. I do this for a hobby because at 71 years old it reminds me of learning DOS when I was 30 years old. For sure, there is nothing new in this world except change. No one ask for this free information but if I had a do-over I would focus on cyber security with a heavy background in Linux. Don't get bogged down with applications, unless you need it, but focus on cyberspace. BTW, I watch Explaining Computers each Sunday night in Birmingham Al and really give a thumbs up with each episode. Thanks everyone. Jesus is "my Lord".
Excellent video. When my son started with the RPi first release, we started experimenting with Linux distros. If someone so desires, they can install a distro and not even have to use the terminal. With that being said, they should still learn how to use a terminal because it makes everything that much better. And yes, that is my plug for your video on to use the Linux terminal - the best instructional video on Linux terminals thus far. Keep up the excellent work!
Back in the day, my favorite Linux distro was Red Hat. But then they went all "enterprise" on us and stopped doing distros that the average person could deal with. I guess Ubuntu would count as my go-to distro now, since they seem to have great support, at least so far.
As a long time Linux user, I'm not a fan of Zorin OS as they paywall a lot of features found on other distros for free, so that feels scummy to me. I'd rather seem them go the route of donate what you can/feel comfortable to in order to help fund their project. Also I've become of a fan of rolling release distros like Manjaro(I daily it with MATE DE), and Solus W/Budgie DE, as they are a good balance of having the latest, and greatest, and stability, as they vet software in their main repros before releasing it, plus unless something goes royally wrong, it's install it once, and forget it long as you keep it updated.
@@CommodoreFan64 Zorin OS paid features can easily be installed manually so the only thing you are really paying for is perhaps configuration convenience, a few extra layouts and support. Personally I'd rather start with a minimal install and add the software I want rather than the usual of uninstalling crap I have no use for (Linux distros are becoming a lot like Windows in this respect). I like the idea of a rolling distro but don't like any of the ones that offer it, so would personally stick to using an Ubuntu LTS derivative. It's just horses for courses and each person wants something different from a distro...mind you, I'm stuck on Windows myself unless I want to live with slow software rendering. :(
@@64kernel You will only do yourself a disservice by going Linux. Browse the web and basic stuff is all it's good for if you are not tech savvy enough to sit hours figuring stuff out. It's not worth it!
You are The Man. I thought many times in migrate some users to Linux, but they want always the basic tasks that are "simple" and easy to achieve in Windows: create/manage MS-Office documents and PDFs, configure a multifunction printer too for normal tasks in a office environment, transfer photos and music from/to their Mobile Phones, connect to wi-fi networks, make video meetings with Skype/Zoom/Webex/Teams, etc. My fears come imaginate them calling me constantly for help by a strange and difficult OS to live with.
The closest thing you can get to having drive letters in Linux is making a folder under the root directory labeled as a single letter and then mounting a drive to there