So I’m building a new computer before the end of the year and lemmy is obviously pushing me towards Linux.

I am not computer savvy, I have a family member that will help me set up my PC, but I do not want to be calling/messaging them every day when I want to open a program.

Basically my question comes down to: can I operate a Linux PC these days without needing to troubleshoot or type code.

I use my computer about once a week for a few hours I would say, so any time spent troubleshooting is time wasted.

Thanks!

EDIT: since a lot of people are asking what programs I typically use, I’ll just list my most used programs.

Word, Excel, ect(I’m fine with alternatives)

Spotify

Gimp (would have been a make or break, so I’m glad it’s supported)

Brave browser (browser is a browser)

Steam

Discord

I would say that while I could figure out how the kernels work, I’m at a point with computers these days where I don’t have the time. My priorities fall with a seamless daily experience. If I have the time to figure something out I can, but ideally my day to day usage being unbotherd is what I’m after.

A lot of the comments so far have been helpful! I’m definitely going to give Linux a fair shot with my new build, probably start with Mint.

  • data1701d (He/Him)English
    5•4 months ago

    Most of that sounds pretty easy to pull off. I have a few thoughts, though:

    • What games do you run in Steam?
    • Just a bit of a warning: Discord is annoying about updates, at least with the Debian version. I can’t remember what the Flatpak does.
    • For MS Office, most distros should come with LibreOffice. If you have problems with LibreOffice, then Google Docs should be fine.
    • You’ll have to run Spotify from the browser, but I imagine that won’t be a problem, as you’re probably not an audiophile
    • Run GIMP as a Flatpak, as distro versions tend to have weird bugs with the resynthesizer plugin.
      • @Infernal_pizzaEnglish
        2•4 months ago

        It’s on Arch and Debian as well which means it’s on basically every distro

    • @Peasley
      1•4 months ago

      Re: Discord

      You can edit a text file to get it to stop checking for updates. IDK if this is viable on Debian but on Fedora it was never more than 1 update behind so I never had an issue in years

      I think it’s on the Archwiki, but it applies to any Linux

      • data1701d (He/Him)English
        2•4 months ago

        I added an apt repo someone had created. I’ve checked how it works, and it’s just a CI routine pulling the latest Discord package for the website and throwing it in a repo.

        • @Peasley
          1•4 months ago

          That sounds like another good solution!