Linux Mint
I love Linux Mint as my favorite Linux distribution. There is only one Windows, but there are a lot of different Linux distributions. It means that they all look different and the controls are in different places, but underneath it is just the same Linux.
Linux Mint looks a lot like Windows. So it is easy to get used to. Besides it is a very stable distribution. New software is getting tested intensively for quite some time before it gets into the Linux Mint LTS version. (Long Time Support) It is supported for years and every two years a new version comes out. And every version is for free. It does not cost you anything.
Besides with the Operating System you get a lot of free software on the same DVD or USB stick. Among others you get GIMP that is like Photoshop. LibreOffice, that is like MSOffice, Darktable that is like Lightroom, Thunderbird that is like Outlook and Firefox, that is like Edge. And much, much more. Within Linux Mint there is a way to install software directly. You need not go a manufacturer’s website, it is all available within the distribution. With the same app you can download all the software.
Try it out
You can try it out without installing it. When you download the ISO (a self-starting program) and put that on a USB stick with a program called Rufus. (See the links below)
You can make the computer start up from USB by making changes in de startup order. Most computers have a key (mostly the DEL or ENTER key) that you need to press on start up and then you can choose from what the computer will boot. It should not boot up from Windows, but from the USB stick.
It will start up Linux Mint and you can try it out. It loads itself into the memory of the computer and you can have a look. You can even install programs into memory so you can play with them. It is a bit slow because everything works in memory. That will change once you installed it on your harddisk or SSD. You can get an idea of the look and feel. You can change backgrounds, icons and see if you like it. You can start the applications and have a look.
And when you don’t want to quite Windows? And still want to use Linux? You can! When installing Linux you get the choice to give it the whole disk (Windows disappears then) or to make a dual-boot system with Windows. Both are available then. When you start up the computer you get a menu that lets you choose. If you don’t make a choice it starts up Linux and otherwise you choose Windows and go there. You can use either system for as long as you want to.
This may sound weird or difficult. But really you can find a lot of ‘ how to’s’ on the internet that explain these things step by step.
You can find the exact way to do it on the internet. There are many sites that explain in detail how to do this.
To download Linux Mint:
To download Rufus:
More information about Linux Mint:
Have fun!
