Linux noob looking for guidance
by Seventh Son from LinuxQuestions.org on (#5SPX8)
Hello good people of the Linux world. Pardon the long-winded first post, but I'm trying to provide as much useful info as possible in hopes that those willing to help can respond accordingly.
I am absolutely new to Linux but looking to dive in. I am mostly an experienced Windows user, but I also use a Macbook, mostly for web surfing and emails. I also have some other household Apple devices (ipads mostly).
My current desktop PC is a home-built machine that I made way back in 2008 all from parts ordered on Newegg.com. A friend taught me how to do this and it was such a fun experience. When I built this desktop I originally installed Windows XP Pro for the OS and then upgraded to Windows 7 back in 2011. I've resisted the urge to upgrade to Windows 10. About 4-5 years ago, Microsoft pulled the sneaky move one day and tried to automatically upgrade my machine to Windows 10. I was able to revert back to Windows 7 and also installed some third party app called GWX Control Panel in order to prevent the Windows 10 upgrade, but still have Windows updates regularly installed.
Since my desktop is reaching 14 years old, it's safe to say it's time to upgrade. The computer is becoming slower and bogs down here and there. I mostly use it to run Microsoft Office applications and to store personal files, documents and family photos. (Everything of importance is also backed up on external hard drives). I used to be able to play some decent games on it, but it likely can't run any modern games, since I'm maxed out at 4GB of RAM and the CPU is an old Intel Core2 Duo. I would like to be able to do some video editing with a new machine. With my current machine, it's impossible to do anything with a large video file from a GoPro or from a smartphone.
Because of my previous experience, I guess you could say I'm a bit more advanced than the average person. Maybe so, but I found shopping for and putting together all the hardware components rather easy (and much fun). But I don't have any programming experience, and I'm not particularly savvy when it comes to software or apps.
As I prepare to upgrade to a new computer, my primary concerns have been privacy and security. I've become aware of the privacy and security issues with Microsoft and Apple and would like to go in a different direction. I'm simply tired of these huge corporations that just want to collect as much user data as possible. That said, however, just last week in a moment of weakness I purchased a new all-in-one HP Pavilion desktop from Best Buy. It comes with Windows 11 installed. It's been sitting in the box unopened, and as I read more about Windows 11 and the potential security/privacy risks, I just can't bring myself to open it. This thing is going back to Best Buy. Since this is a Linux forum, I think most of you reading this would agree that keeping the HP machine is not the way to go if I have security/privacy concerns.
So with all this information out of the way, I have a few specific questions for anyone who may want to chime in. In my quest to upgrade to a new computer, what makes the most sense out of the following:
1) Should/can I buy a new Windows-based PC, uninstall Windows and then install some version of Linux? If going this route, is it possible to completely wipe out every trace of Windows? Does this option make sense?
2) I wouldn't mind hand-building another machine like my current one and then install Linux. Is this an option? Though with the chip shortage still in full swing, I don't know how difficult it is to find PC components. I know graphics cards were quite scarce the last time I checked.
3) Are there good reputable online dealers who sell computers with Linux pre-installed? No affiliation, but I came across a small company in Colorado, I believe, called System76 that sells desktops and laptops but with Pop_OS installed. This seems like an attractive option. Has anyone heard of this company? Are there others like them out there?
4) What are my other options?
Again, sorry for this lengthy post, but I wanted to be as detailed as possible.
When I do upgrade to a new machine, I'll probably keep my current PC around just to have as a backup of some sort or something I can experiment on.
Thanks to everyone in advance for your patience in reading my long post and for any suggestions or advice you may have. I'm really looking forward to joining the Linux world.
I am absolutely new to Linux but looking to dive in. I am mostly an experienced Windows user, but I also use a Macbook, mostly for web surfing and emails. I also have some other household Apple devices (ipads mostly).
My current desktop PC is a home-built machine that I made way back in 2008 all from parts ordered on Newegg.com. A friend taught me how to do this and it was such a fun experience. When I built this desktop I originally installed Windows XP Pro for the OS and then upgraded to Windows 7 back in 2011. I've resisted the urge to upgrade to Windows 10. About 4-5 years ago, Microsoft pulled the sneaky move one day and tried to automatically upgrade my machine to Windows 10. I was able to revert back to Windows 7 and also installed some third party app called GWX Control Panel in order to prevent the Windows 10 upgrade, but still have Windows updates regularly installed.
Since my desktop is reaching 14 years old, it's safe to say it's time to upgrade. The computer is becoming slower and bogs down here and there. I mostly use it to run Microsoft Office applications and to store personal files, documents and family photos. (Everything of importance is also backed up on external hard drives). I used to be able to play some decent games on it, but it likely can't run any modern games, since I'm maxed out at 4GB of RAM and the CPU is an old Intel Core2 Duo. I would like to be able to do some video editing with a new machine. With my current machine, it's impossible to do anything with a large video file from a GoPro or from a smartphone.
Because of my previous experience, I guess you could say I'm a bit more advanced than the average person. Maybe so, but I found shopping for and putting together all the hardware components rather easy (and much fun). But I don't have any programming experience, and I'm not particularly savvy when it comes to software or apps.
As I prepare to upgrade to a new computer, my primary concerns have been privacy and security. I've become aware of the privacy and security issues with Microsoft and Apple and would like to go in a different direction. I'm simply tired of these huge corporations that just want to collect as much user data as possible. That said, however, just last week in a moment of weakness I purchased a new all-in-one HP Pavilion desktop from Best Buy. It comes with Windows 11 installed. It's been sitting in the box unopened, and as I read more about Windows 11 and the potential security/privacy risks, I just can't bring myself to open it. This thing is going back to Best Buy. Since this is a Linux forum, I think most of you reading this would agree that keeping the HP machine is not the way to go if I have security/privacy concerns.
So with all this information out of the way, I have a few specific questions for anyone who may want to chime in. In my quest to upgrade to a new computer, what makes the most sense out of the following:
1) Should/can I buy a new Windows-based PC, uninstall Windows and then install some version of Linux? If going this route, is it possible to completely wipe out every trace of Windows? Does this option make sense?
2) I wouldn't mind hand-building another machine like my current one and then install Linux. Is this an option? Though with the chip shortage still in full swing, I don't know how difficult it is to find PC components. I know graphics cards were quite scarce the last time I checked.
3) Are there good reputable online dealers who sell computers with Linux pre-installed? No affiliation, but I came across a small company in Colorado, I believe, called System76 that sells desktops and laptops but with Pop_OS installed. This seems like an attractive option. Has anyone heard of this company? Are there others like them out there?
4) What are my other options?
Again, sorry for this lengthy post, but I wanted to be as detailed as possible.
When I do upgrade to a new machine, I'll probably keep my current PC around just to have as a backup of some sort or something I can experiment on.
Thanks to everyone in advance for your patience in reading my long post and for any suggestions or advice you may have. I'm really looking forward to joining the Linux world.