As someone who grew up using windows, is there a series of tutorials or videos y’all recommend to learn Linux? I find myself running into issues, trying to find solutions online, and not even understanding the instructions. I’m sure most of this comes from not knowing bash (which I’ve started to learn using https://labex.io/linuxjourney).
Background: I’m a very competent windows user. I’ve built my own PC, etc. I mostly use it for gaming and Internet now but want to start self hosting some things. Oh, and I’m running bazzite.
Anyway, just trying to get out from Microsoft’s thumb.
Cheers.
Edit: thanks for the replies everyone. I haven’t had a chance to read through them all yet; the whole family is suddenly sick.
You can instead try a distro that just works on most hardware, like Linux Mint or other easy-to-use distros suggested in this thread. That way you can slowly learn how to use Linux if you want, while using Linux, so you can later use a more finicky distro more suited to what you want.
For years I used Ubuntu, but when GNOME 3 came out I changed to Xubuntu, and then when Snap came out I changed to Mint Xfce. I’ve used several 2nd-hand desktops and laptops over the decades, so brand-new hardware might be more problem-prone.
I started off trying Slackware, SUSE, and Mandrake; but struggled too much with them so I stayed with Windows. Ubuntu just worked for me, so it allowed me to easily ditch Windows. Years later, I had update problems when I tested MX Linux and Debian, but instead of trying to fix it, I personally found it easier to just look for a distro better suited to the way I want to use my computer.
I see that OP has already gone off to do other things, but I agree with this. Ubuntu is fine for bare functionality like running a server, but as a beginner (or a very tired expert) Mint or Pop! is where you want to go for the long-term. Literally damn near straight out of the box functionality.
Kids these days have it easy. Back in my day, we had to git clone source code from random github pages we stumbled across in chatrooms. It was like delving into the darkest part of the hidden library, knocking thrice upon the door, and pleading for mercy and wisdom from the Greybeards.