Right out of the gate, let me make a disclaimer here.

This is NOT an advertisement nor am I “recruiting” Linux users.

Indeed, if you’re satisfied with Windows, or any other “non-Linux OS”, and have absolutely no reason to switch . . . fine.  You’re likely better off sticking with what you’re comfortable with.How to Make the Switch to Linux

However . . . if, like I was about 3 years ago, you are seriously angry with Microsoft’s practices (a discussion of why I was angry with Microsoft is NOT pertinent to this article . . . don’t want to turn this into a Microsoft bashing exchange) or otherwise want to experiment and have the motivation to try Linux, here’s what you might expect to encounter during the transition.

(Note:  I am writing this from a Windows user perspective . . . was a Windows user from the days of 3.11 up through XP.   What the transition would be like from any other OS, say MAC, I have absolutely no idea.)

First of all, the common perception is that Linux is not user friendly.  Depending on what you’re switching from, that may be true and it may not.  If you are a refugee from Windows, I think it’s true (at least it was for me).

If you’re used to manipulating Windows files, there’s a substantial difference in the way some file operations in Linux behave.  I’ll give some specific examples in a second.

OTOH, there ARE some similar behaviors, so it’s not ALL different.

Let me interject here that there are many flavors of Linux (Linux calls them “Distributions” . . . but they all have a common kernel, based on Unix . . . and so are the MAC OS’s based on Unix, but there are substantial differences in MAC OS’s and Linux, enough to consider a switch from MAC OS’s to Linux as a “transition”, though easier in some ways than the transition from Windows to Linux.)

There is Red Hat Linux, openSuse Linux, Fedora, Mint, Ubuntu (which also has more subdivisions, like “Kubuntu”, “Edubuntu”, and more) and other distributions I’ve left out.  Suffice it to say, there are many Linux distributions.  Some are heavy on Command Line Interfaces, and others have a desktop (e.g. “GNOME”, “KDE”, “XFCE” and more) that can offer a GUI similar to Windows.

For novices (like I was) making the transition, Ubuntu is one of the easier distributions to master, and the GNOME desktop will ease you into the transition also . . . though Linux Mint is giving Ubuntu a run for it’s money as far as ease of transition from Windows.

If you’re going to try the transition, I would recommend starting off with either Ubuntu or Mint, and the GNOME desktop.  (GNOME is the default desktop with Mint, and used to be with Ubuntu, but Ubuntu recently switched to a desktop called “Unity”, and Unity has gotten some bad reviews.  So now I might try Mint for the transition.)

I used Ubuntu, but that was in the days when Ubuntu came with the GNOME desktop (Version 8.10 is what I started with . . . I think it’s up to 11.x now)

OK . . . let’s get into some of the details.

The first intimidating effort is the Command Line Interface (“CLI”).  Linux relies on that much more heavily than Windows, but you can ease that transition by using the GNOME desktop GUI a little.

When I first started out, I was about 80% GUI and 20% CLI.  Now I’m at least 80% CLI (if not more) and about 20% GUI.  There are some significant advantages to using the CLI in Linux.  Many Linux programs do NOT have a GUI and can only be run in a CLI.  So, by learning to use the CLI (Linux calls that the “Terminal”) you have a lot more options.

Nevertheless, the CLI can be intimidating, unless of course you’re used to using it in Windows, and I don’t think many are because the point-and-click of the Windows GUI is so easy for many.

Now let’s get to those file manipulations I spoke of.

There are two major differences which make the adjustment to Linux difficult when it comes to file manipulations . . . identification of executables and installation of downloads (which Linux calls “packages”).

Let me stop right here and mention another essential part of a successful transition:  THE LINGO.  You’ll notice I’ve said, “Which Linux calls . . .” a lot already.  Switching from Windows, you’re going to notice a lot of these “different” terms.  So right off the bat, you’re going to want to use the University of Google a lot and find out what these terms mean.  For example, another one is “TSR” and “daemon”.  Windows calls programs, like your firewall, that run in the background “Terminate and Stay Resident” (TSR).  Linux calls them “daemons”.  (There actually are some small differences between TSR and daemon, but the beginner does not need to know what they are.)

If you don’t know what these terms mean, if you only have a vague idea, you could be headed down a road that will lead to substantial errors and difficulties.  So, to make the transition smoother, you would be wise to get these terms defined precisely right at the beginning.

This leads me to another problem you might have in the transition if you are making it from Windows.  As best you can (it’s not entirely possible if you’ve been using Windows for any length of time), STOP thinking in terms of Windows.

What I mean is that if you constantly ask “What would this be in Windows”, you’re setting yourself up for confusion.  For example, the Windows directory “C/Documents and Settings” is similar to the Linux folders “/bin” or “home/usr/bin”, but not precisely.  That “not precisely” part is what’s going to confuse you.  So drop the Windows mind-set as best you can.

Someone who’s first use of an OS is Linux, IOW Linux is the OS they learn on, will find Linux much easier to understand than someone who started out on Windows and is trying to make a transition to Linux.

OK, let me get back to file manipulations and then I’ll be done . . . though this is not a comprehensive guide to transitions . . . just a heads-up about the most difficult stuff.  I’m leaving a lot of things out.

In Windows, an executable can easily be identified by the .exe extension.  In Linux, there is NO .exe extension (Indeed, few file types have extensions in Linux . . . executables are identified in other ways . . . you’ll learn.)

So, for example, whereas most download installations can be performed in Windows by simply double clicking on a “setup.exe”, that’s not the way it works in Linux.

Which leads me to the second file manipulation caution I have:  Downloads and installations.  If you remember, I said these are called “packages” in Linux.

These packages come in many formats, from those called “RPMS”, Binaries, Source files in tarballs (lingo again) to many others.

For a novice the best thing to use, if available, is a “.deb” package.  You can double click on a .deb and it will install itself.  Actually, the best thing for a novice to use is the “Synaptic Package Manager”, which comes by default in the Ubuntu distribution.

There’s a lot I’m leaving out, but I don’t want to make this so lengthy that it will put you to sleep.  This should get you started if you want to try.

Two more cautions, and I’ll close.

First, Linux IS NOT IMMUNE to infections, though since it doesn’t have as large a part of the market as Windows, there is not as much malware written for Linux as there is for Windows.  BUT, there are some Linux vulnerabilities and there IS Linux malware in the wild.  Despite what some Linux users may arrogantly proclaim, Linux distributions can, AND HAVE gotten infected.  Security best practices are still needed with Linux.

Second, give your try more than a few days.  Ideally, you’ll want to give it about a month if you’re serious.

After about two weeks I was so frustrated I was about to go back to Windows.  But I hung in there and persevered, and after about a month I was comfortable enough that all thoughts about going back to Windows were gone.  Now I’m a 100% ‘nix kinda’ guy and glad I got over the two week hump.  Hang in there if you’re serious about it and expect some frustrations.