Questions for my attempt to try Linux

[whm1974]

If I found a way to stop it from happening, then it can't require much techie chops on the Linux side of things On the Windows side I remember making some registry modifications according to suggestions I found on the Internet. I'm a bit annoyed with myself for not noting down the solution, but given that I tried several things it may have been a combination of those things that did the trick.

If I remember right, I finally fixed the issue by setting something om Linux without having to do anything with Windows at all. The other solution is just use two computers.

@tinpanally You can get refurbished computers for cheap and if you look around you can get decent specs as well. Use that for leaning Linux.

 

[skyking]

this article has the answer to fix it from either angle.
good stuff
https://superuser.com/questions/1336303/how-can-i-stop-linux-from-changing-windowss-clock

I really like the second answer, having windows accept utc in the bios. cleaner IMO.

 

[Senex]

I know, these must get boring, another Windows user trying on Linux to see if it fits their daily needs.
Ok, let's get some things out of the way that I use Windows for that I don't plan on using Linux for. I'll be booting to the Win10 ssd when needed both out of convenience and familiarity with workflow.

- Gaming (but willing to try Linux setups, Wine, etc)
- Video Editing (I'm too familiar with the software I use on Windows to edit my film projects)
- Audio and image editing (I do this a lot as well in software I'm already too familiar with, but willing to try new things)

So Linux is simply what my wife and I want to use as our daily computer which means browsing, bill paying, productivity, email, etc. There is a long list of Windows software that we like (small programs, greeting card software, media library organizers, etc) and are hoping it's all usable through Linux and if not we'll find something similar. The cloud of not knowing what Microsoft mines from our computer in daily use bothers us too much. We don't keep a "smart" home although we do keep a very tech-y home so the argument that "you're probably giving away info elsewhere" doesn't work with us.

Tech/gear-wise:
- We have a SAMBA share with our Rpi2 on our home network that we'd like to keep using
- We have printers and a scanner (rather old that works with irfanview only because it has no Win10 drivers) that we need to keep using
- a Logitech wireless F710 game controller and a 360 controller for games

There's my background info. Questions...

1. What can we replace OneNote and OneDrive with that also is accessible via our Android phones? We need to be able to read, edit and create notes on phones, computer, notebooks without problems.
2. We like being able to read and manipulate Word and Excel documents from various places as well (different devices at home and out). Without using Office365 or Google Docs does this have a solution?
3. I at first felt like Mint was the best choice for me because I didn't like the Amazon integration on Ubuntu (I know it's gone now), don't like the data collection I've heard about on Ubuntu, and I hate how much Ubuntu looks like Apple to me (the dock, the fonts, etc). And the more I read, the more people tell me Ubuntu is actually a rather bad recommendation for someone new to Minux. Obviously as a new Linux person who's decent enough at more complex computing functions, is there one I should choose of those two or maybe something else? Obviously readily available support is important to me.
4. Any further things you think we may not be considering enough or haven't though of, please feel free. We want to learn. That's the whole point here. We know it's a process and are expecting that.



Thanks!!!

For Linux alternates to M$ software, the go-to info source is http://www.linuxrsp.ru/win-lin-soft/table-eng.html
...when it's up and running. It's down as much as it's up, so you may have to keep trying, and I advise printing it all out when you reach it.

I believe WINE will allow use of Word and Excel on Linux (https://www.winehq.org/) , and AbiWord has some Word compatibility.

As a XP Pro fan looking to become Linux fluent, I tried over twenty Linux distros the last couple years, and found only four usable. Those are MX Linux, TAILS, Linux Mint and AntiX. Only these connected to the internet automatically, without me having to try (and fail) to configure 'internet connection'. This is my bottom rung absolute minimum requirement to test drive a distro. Of these four, MX Linux is my first choice, due to ease and intuitiveness of use. TAILS is second choice. Linux Mint and AntiX are both third place, being pretty much equal (not that easy to figure out but still usable).

I have been using MX Linux for about a year now. Figuring out how to use it was no problem, as I read its user manual (https://mxlinux.org/manuals/).
The hardest part of Linux is figuring out how to use the various apps, which is mostly trial and error. As such you are basically starting from scratch, so patience and tenacity is required.