Linux

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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).

Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.

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Hello, I’m going to be getting a new computer soon and have thought about linux. Questions inside (lemmy.world)

submitted 1 year ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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With the new computer and the newer Microsoft Windows updates they have really jam packed their OS with bloat and spyware. That being said I have no idea what I’m doing with Linux, need help with where to start.? What are some general tips? I understand there’s a lot of prebuilt Linux distributions or something what are some first timer friendly ones? Really any help is appreciated because the biggest barrier to entry is the perceived difficulty of actually doing it.

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

You could set it up so that your root is on one drive and your home directory is on another

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (3 children)

But doesn't APT or Pacman install to root folders? Like when I say I want just the OS on the SSD I really mean it.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

Usually each distro decides which packages go in / and which in /usr based on how critical, more or less, a package is to the system. It's often not very easy to configure these choices because it affects other distro decisions, including filesystem structure and paths, and boot sequence. Beware that "just the OS" on a typical distribution is usually a lot less functionality than you get with "just" Windows NT.

There's also /usr/local for packages you install on your own, apart from the distro package manager, and /opt, for closed source binary only packages or for anything else that doesn't want to conform to the bin, lib, include, share schema.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

Yeah, they’re installing software.

Everything below / is the OS. There isn’t an analog to C:\Windows in *nix-like operating systems.

The closest thing to a pure separation would be an immutable distro like Silverblue or MicroOS.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

What are you trying to separate from the OS files? If it's just personal documents and stuff like that, I don't see why you can't just keep those in your home directory. Or are you saying you want your installed programs separate from the Linux kernel? Then you can just put the boot partition on one drive and have the root partition on the other (including home). I guess I'm just a little confused as to what it is you're trying to separate here. What do you mean when you say "separate from the OS"?