Where is best to start as newbie in linux?

[Goldenspot]

I am a windows user for many years but unfortunately you must buy a quick enough laptop today to run windows normally so i decided to turn in linux. I would like to ask what is best to learn as newbie linux user?

[kc1di]

Hello Newbie,
Welcome to the Kubuntu Forums.
This is a good page to learn linux from.
https://linuxjourney.com

There are several good place some free. Just search the web you'll find plenty of info. But there is nothing as good as doing and learning as you go.

[GreyGeek]

Kcid1's link will cover your learning curve from Noob to A+ certification! (In small bites, of course, and at your own pace).

Meanwhile, here is an intro to KDE Plasma 5.26 which doesn't have a talking head. You can set the speed to .75, or .5, or what ever, to slow things down and make it easier to follow. Or, just pause the video.

Kubuntu just released the 22.10 LTS. 22 refers to the year, and .10 refers to the month. However, I recommend that you install the 22.04 LTS (Long Term Service) which was released April 22 and will be supported until the next LTS is released (3 years? Claydoh?)

The Kubuntu 22.04 manual PDF is here.

Being a Linux noob, I strongly advise you not to install packages from sources outside the repository until you get some experience under your belt. Use Discover to add and remove packages, or install muon from the repository and use it. (Open a terminal and enter: sudo apt udpate; sudo apt install muon).

Keep in mind that Kubuntu is not Windows. The file hierarchy is different. The names of executables are different. The counterpart to Windows Office is LibreOffice. For Word, LibreWrite. Keep in mind that in Linux EVERYTHING is a file. Everything! Applications, sockets, executables, printers and other devices, etc. Everything appears as a file somewhere in the Linux file hierarchy. Kcid1's link, 2nd lesson, will explain this

If you have questions or problems don't hesitate to ask here. There is no such thing as a dumb question, and I guarantee that no one on this site will give you a RTFM response, even if they've answered the same question dozens of times. They may just post a link to some response in this forum that answers your question.

Finally, don't worry if you mess up your first, second or third install. Kubuntu (Linux) is free, and practice is a good teacher. You should do a basic install and then, after learning a little, realize that you would do your install differently if you could do it over. You can do it over. Have some USB's ready to act as backup storage for things you don't want to lose and then do a re-install, making the changes you want to make. You might even decide to try a different distro (short for distribution). No harm in that. Not everyone who frequents this forum runs Kubuntu. I don't. I use KDE Neon User Edition because I like to be on the leading (not bleeding) edge of Plasma desktop development.

So, welcome to Kuntuforums and to KDE! You've found a Golden Spot!

[oshunluvr]

However, I recommend that you install the 22.04 LTS (Long Term Service) which was released April 22 and will be supported until the next LTS is released (3 years? Claydoh?)

Three years for Kubuntu support, 5 years for the Ubuntu base.

But really, who doesn't upgrade after 3 years? Oh yeah - lots of people, lol

[oshunluvr]

To add to GreyGeek's excellent post - re. the point about installing and then reinstalling after you break it - you will, we ALL did and sometimes still do, lol. I would highly recommend add in figuring out how to have a separate /home partition right at the get go. Then when you do a reinstall, all your data files and settings, etc. are preserved.

If you're "geeky" enough like I am, I might add partitioning with an extra install partition so you can have two live installations to play with. In other words, install twice or even install two different linux distros so you can review both to see what works for you.