Operating System Woes

[Disentomb]

I've been attempting to get Debian 12 up and running on the new PC I built and man going from Windows to Linux distro feels like a slog due to my inexperience. It's had me thinking that maybe I'd be better off just having dual boots and easing into Ubuntu or Debian while I have JF set up on the Windows side.

I spent a decent amount of time trying to get remote in capabilities and figure out why I couldn't install UFW and I think it's because Debian has a built in firewall that has more up to date iplibraries? I basically slogged through google until I found some documentation about it. All this is just in service to getting JF up and maybe running a server for Minecraft or whatever other game.

I'm curious about other's experiences, I've read around that some of y'all just strip down Windows and run fine like that. I want to learn Linux stuff to get away from Windows but I felt like every step I had to look up instructions or explanations for things I was already looking up to do.  I'm feeling a little overwhelmed but I've heard so many good things about stability and ease of use of Linux distros once things are all set.

Let me know your woes and any advice for a first timer

[TheDreadPirate]

...but I felt like every step I had to look up instructions or explanations for things I was already looking up to do.  I'm feeling a little overwhelmed but I've heard so many good things about stability and ease of use of Linux distros once things are all set.

This is the norm.  There is no one Youtube video or blog you can read to seamlessly transition your into Linux.  It will take time and effort.  And you will frequently have to research the steps to do things you took for granted in Windows.

Lucky for me I'm a professional Linux sysadmin so I was able to take what I learned early on at work and bring it home.

Dual booting, as you said, is probably the best option.  Or, if you have an old PC, RPi, or some other secondary device you don't use a lot, use that as your learning platform.

Regarding Jellyfin, if you're still having trouble getting it up and running, there is not a lot that needs to be done once the OS is installed.  I'd be happy to help you over in the troubleshooting sub-forum.

[pcm]

I'm a professional windows hater ... So, moving away from windows and working with Linux is just in my blood. And with Window-11 turning into a total spyware, moving away from M$-Windows is the only reasonable and sane choice. 

In all seriousness, it is a bit of a steep learning curve. But, distros like Mint or Ubuntu make it a lot less overwhelming. It's a mindset change and you have to be mentally ready to type out commands into the terminal to get intermediate to advanced things done, like setting up a media-server or a minecraft-server.

Or, if you have an old PC, RPi, or some other secondary device you don't use a lot, use that as your learning platform.

I second this sentiment.

Why don't you start off your linux journey with Ubuntu or Mint instead of Debian ?

A lot of things just work out-of-the-box in those two distros for most hardware. Debian is great, but it does require a bit of configuration to get it going.

Mint and Ubuntu are the most beginner friendly and have the best packaging support of all other distros (except maybe Fedora ?)

Getting jellyfin up and running is a breeze in either of these distros it's really a one-liner in the terminal.

Code:

curl https://repo.jellyfin.org/install-debuntu.sh | sudo bash

I'd don't remember if the script also opens up the default jellyfin port in the ufw or not, but if it doesn't, opening a port is a very simple task too.

Code:

sudo ufw allow 8096

I've read around that some of y'all just strip down Windows and run fine like that.

That'll take time. You can use that time to turn off all the bloated ad & spyware ... until the next windows update rolls around and turns everything back on again. Or you can use that time to figure out how to get jellyfin and your minecraft server up and running on Mint or Ubuntu.

[Disentomb]

Thank you,

Ubuntu seems to be a lot more intuitive for me, I've got the OS up and running no problem and got remoting to work with minor frustration!

Appreciate the responses.

[bitmap]

I was a Linux newbie many years back and felt like you...overwhelmed. It gets better because you learn more of the basics fairly easily (there's a real short Linux Bible pocketbook that's awesome) and then you'll be amazed at how simple things become.

Then, if you're like me, you try to do more and more and end up breaking something. Ubuntu Server is my choice, but I also minimize it when I install to get rid of most of the unnecessary packages. I second the idea of a learning platform...I started with a Raspberry Pi and learned very quickly while learning Docker at the same time.

And don't forget, when you get stuck, there are plenty of Linux folks around to help out. Even here.