Need knowledge for Linux, or is it enough just to use it?

Lounge
21

For me personally Linux is about learning, about empowerment of the user. On Windows you are just a consumer, with a consumer mindset (that surely was my case back when I was using it). Linux is a whole different world. It took me a while for example to get the concept of “linux community”, what a distro is, how are they different. I started to appreciate the diversity of it (although still not quite, as I am stuck with Arch :slight_smile:), all the choices it gives you.

I learn every day, by using Linux, by reading docs and forums. I don’t have to though, I think one can very well use Linux without giving it much thought. In fact my relatives I introduced to Linux (Mint) are just using it normally, as they would Windows. It only took a while to explain what a “package” and “package manager” is :sweat_smile: I don’t think they have opened a terminal once.

3 Likes
22

While some Arch-based distros are more focused on ease of use than others, I don’t think any Arch-based distro is “set and forget” type simple for a few reasons.

  • They all require some degree of manual intervention at some point
  • Bleeding edge updates means that some software will be released with bugs, it is the nature of getting things early in the release cycle.
  • If you don’t take care of them, for example, not updating for an extended period of time you will be in a mess.
2 Likes
23

Yes, I really miss the old days when, if you were downloading something and you saw that the speed was 5 kB/s, you said “WOW!” :wink:

Lawrence

1 Like
24

Just downloading a song on Napster in mere 15 minutes! instead of ordering the single through a record store and in a best case scenario waiting only three weeks for it to arrive. :wink:

On topic. It depends on who you are as a person more than anything else. As long as you look for answers to your questions with DuckDuckGo, and then trying to do what ever you are set to do. There is a possibility that you will thrash your system, but with reading up it won’t happen that often. Treat it as a learning process. Just remember to back up! This is my third Linux year, and I’m still learning. :slight_smile:

2 Likes
25

I already had a 64 Kb ISDN phone line.

1 Like
26

Whatever you want, WSL is already evolving quite well. :slight_smile:

1 Like
27

Personally i’ll stick with native Linux. :slightly_smiling_face:

1 Like
28

I also prefer native Linux.

1 Like
29

These days, just use it. It’s an operating system, and unless you are particularly interested in computers qua computers, just learn the commands and applications needed to keep the system updated and working for what you need to accomplish. The good thing about open source applications and systems, is that you can rest assured that you aren’t being spied upon or charged money for using your machine for what you need it to do for you. The computer is a tool; the operating system makes that tool available to you. Yes, just use it.

2 Likes
30

Machine use also means operation, and as we know, what can go wrong will get worse. The reason can be hardware or software dependent. Therefore, in my opinion, a certain level of knowledge is needed to fix it. Of course, this also presupposes a certain interest in the hw / sw direction. Those who have this ability less will find it harder to troubleshoot on their own. However, it has not yet been decided whether it is easier to use Windows, MacOs, or GNU Linux.

2 Likes
31

I was an Arch user 12 years back, so yeah I do know how to read and more importantly copy/paste. Most of Arch issues are solved by going to Forum and then just copy/ pasting. Wanted to try something with easy configurations, so switched to Ubuntu. After years of Xubuntu, I saw Clear Linux ( from Intel) and decided to give it a go. Clear Linux is like a breath of fresh air, so clean and so pure. However, could not install Nvidia drivers cleanly and get CUDA to work so wanted to revert to Ubuntu but saw a new kid, EndavourOS. Tried and to my joy, it was like Ubuntu but maybe little easier and faster. Here are my thoughts.

  1. Download ISO
  2. Create bootable USB
  3. Boot from USB and click Install
  4. As this was a new install so I wanted to try something new and choose the following
    a) Base
    b)KDE desktop
    c) Nvidia drivers
    d) Printing Support
    e) Accessibility tools
    f) Auto login
  5. Once install done, reboot.
  6. On login, open system settings and select Printers
    a) Let the wizard search for my wireless Canon Printer
    b) Printer discovered and test page fired
  7. Saw popup in right side of bottom panel that updates are there. Click it to open Discover and click install update.
  8. All music and Video work flawlessly. Printer works, speaker works.

Highlight:: After a full week of suing Endavour, there was not even a single requirement for me to open console for doing something on the configuration OR maintenance; though I am learning python programming, so use Konsole to run my programs.

To answer your question < In short > , NO you do not need Linux knowledge to run EndavourOS on a desktop for normal usage.

2 Likes
32

That’s the point. No special knowledge is required under normal use in a desktop environment. Today’s Linux distributions are released almost without exception with a desktop environment, with the exception of Arch. When I started using Debian, Ubuntu didn’t even exist, I couldn’t even install X on my machine. It probably didn’t support my hardware either. I had to edit configuration files to install X. However, it was good for me to learn commands, use the terminal. Red Hat was a luckier choice in this regard because the Amaconda installer always managed to install the desktop as well. The same went for Suse.

1 Like
33

Until something goes wrong…then you do.

4 Likes
34

But then you just DuckDuckGo it, check Arch wiki and forums, and as a last resort consult this forum.

It has done the trick so far. :wink:

1 Like
35

But…isn’t that the process of acquiring knowledge? By using your system, troubleshooting problems as they arise and searching for solutions you are growing your knowledge of Linux and applying it.

I guess it depends what the intent of the question is.

If the question is “Do you need prior knowledge of Linux to use EOS?” I would argue that the answer is “No”. EOS gets you up and running with a graphical installer and drops you into a DE environment that generally works.(Unless you choose deepin :wink:)

If the question is “Can you keep an EOS system running without learning about Linux?”, I would argue the answer is also “No”. Arch-based distros will need manual intervention, things will go wrong at some point and to some degree. There are also things that some people want to do that require configuration beyond what is “simple” or enabled in a GUI.

I am not saying that you need to be an expert to use EOS. However, you do need to be willing and able to to learn things if you want to keep it going long-term and have an optimal experience.

Let me give you a real-world example.

My wife uses Linux every day. She has little to know knowledge of Linux. She uses here applications and installs her updates and all is well. She has no desire to learn about Linux in any way. She just wants to use her applications.

This works for one reason. The reason is that if anything doesn’t work, she calls me and I fix it. If she needs to setup something that is beyond her knowledge, she calls me and I do it for her. This probably happens once per month or so.

However, if I wasn’t around she would quickly become frustrated and want to run something else. It isn’t that she isn’t capable of digging in, doing the research and solving the problems, it is that she doesn’t want to. She doesn’t care how it works, it isn’t important to her.

I would argue that what is required to run an Arch-based distro successfully over a period of time is a willingness to troubleshoot and learn. If you don’t have that(or someone to solve the problems for you), you are better off using a Linux distro that is more hands off.

6 Likes
36

For the most part, using a computer is similar to driving a car or riding a bicycle. Yes, if you are a mechanic you are in a better position to do self-repairs should things go wrong, but generally, car drivers and bicycle riders get along quite well without knowing the details “under the hood.” There was a time, going back 15 or more years ago, when one did need considerable computer knowledge to successfully run Linux, but those days are mostly gone, particularly for desktop/laptop systems. The main difference, for the end user, between running Linux or Windows/MacOS, is that there aren’t as many professional “mechanics” available to fix your system (for a price) should things go awry. As a Linux user, you should at least learn how to do backup/restore operations and system installations, as well as apply security updates on your own. Learn package management well enough to install applications you need. Over the last ten years, desktop Linux has become orders of magnitude more “user friendly”, so knowing the intricacies of its workings - though always a plus - isn’t necessary for everyday use. One just has to be able to do a bit of self-help when errors occur.

6 Likes
37

Well said.

1 Like
38

Dear dalto,

That is EXACTLY the situation in my house! The only difference is that I don’t really have much “computer knowledge” either, certainly not like you do.

But, in almost all cases, I have been able to get answers to any problems she or I might have from the various forums (and books that I have read) and fix whatever situation that has come up.

And when I get an answer to a particular question, I create a PDF document of the question and answer and save it to my computer.

That’s why I was so horrified when I accidentally permanently deleted my Documents last week on both my main computer and my four backup drives.

The computer repair shop was unable to retrieve my lost data; fortunately, in the safe deposit box at my bank, I have a backup drive with the Documents on it. Normally I update that drive once every three months but, due to Covid-19, it has not been updated since December 31, 2019. So I have lost about six months’ worth of data but I think that I’ll be able to “remember” and “recover” much of it.

To get back on track in this thread, what I do is “knowledge” of course. You DO need at least some “computer” (specifically Linux) knowledge to use a GNU/Linux distro, especially sophisticated ones, but I believe that that comes with time.

Even my wife knows how to “do” a few things on her computer other than using the programs she uses (after I show her once).

Now if only I could get her to access this forum once a week or more, she would be able “solve” most of her problems on her own!

Lawrence

3 Likes
39

Well, my wife asks me to Change Car Tyre when they go flat, I’m not a mechanic. My point is that we know certain basic things that are easy to do, maintaining a computer is like that.
My 12 year old son uses a basic Dell Inspiron Laptop that we bought last year as part of EOFY sale. He wanted to look cool to his friends so he had asked me to install Ubuntu in dual boot. Though it started for a trivial reason, now he always uses Ubuntu instead of Windows 10.
In last one year he has not asked me to do ANY maintenance, I mean ANY. He’s on the Ubuntu 18.04 LTS and is super happy with it. Currently he’s planning to upgrade to 20.04.1,1st maintenance release , before jumping in. He’s in grade 7 and does all his school work on it, today’s generation is well aware and they like to read.
If a preteen can handle Linux Laptop, we certainly can try :wink:
He has seen me working on EOS and thinks that Gnome on Ubuntu looks way better, thats what Linux is about : Choices.

3 Likes
40

i have setup my wife here pc, pamac notifier does not ask password and she can update it by her self.
As on today if something is broke in house i have to fix. I’m lazy pfffff :slight_smile:

3 Likes