Beginning Linux - where would you start?

[avid_d]

Ventoy works on a Mac but I found that not all distros work with Ventoy (some of the atomic distros for instance).

For a single distro installation just download and instal Balena Etcher, then use that to instal the distro onto the usb drive.

[avid_d]

Immediate correction - apologies, I just remembered that I had to use a Windows machine to make a Ventoy stick not my MacBook.

[havran]

Immediate correction - apologies, I just remembered that I had to use a Windows machine to make a Ventoy stick not my MacBook.

I'm only on PC and have no Mac hardware, but it would be interesting to learn what the most common process involving ISO on USB would be for Mac users.

[avid_d]

I'm only on PC and have no Mac hardware, but it would be interesting to learn what the most common process involving ISO on USB would be for Mac users.

I have had no issues at all using balenaEtcher on my M3 MacBook to create the ISO on a usb stick so I have not tried anything else.

I could not find any application for MacOS which allows one to create a Ventoy like multi boot usb stick, hence my having to use a Windows PC to create a Ventoy stick. Once I created the Ventoy stick, my MacBook had no issues seeing the stick and allowing me to grab downloaded iso files to drop onto the stick.

[havran]

I'm only on PC and have no Mac hardware, but it would be interesting to learn what the most common process involving ISO on USB would be for Mac users.

I have had no issues at all using balenaEtcher on my M3 MacBook to create the ISO on a usb stick so I have not tried anything else.

I could not find any application for MacOS which allows one to create a Ventoy like multi boot usb stick, hence my having to use a Windows PC to create a Ventoy stick. Once I created the Ventoy stick, my MacBook had no issues seeing the stick and allowing me to grab downloaded iso files to drop onto the stick.

So, for people who only have Macs, they should use BalenaEtcher?

[BertKoor]

At this point, I hope some Mac users could advise how to put a distro's ISO onto a USB stick.

Right-click on the ISO file? For me it had the option to burn it to dvd-rom. Any other removable drive (usb memory stick) should work as well.
Otherwise ask online (google, duckfuckgo, chatgpt)

[avid_d]

So, for people who only have Macs, they should use BalenaEtcher?

All I can say is that I have had no issues with balenaEtcher and it is really easy to use:

1.Download and instal balenaEtcher to your Mac
2. FInd and download your chosen Linux distro to your Mac
3. Connect your usb stick
4 Open balenaEtcher
5. Within the balenaEtcher GUI simply select your downloaded Linux distro and your intended usb stick drive then hit Go.

[AsPeeXXXVIII]

If it can be used for audio, fine. But main purpose, basic usage. Web, play movies perhaps mail? Stuff like that.

Any immutable distro can be used for all of this.

Why (only) immutable distros?

My bad, I meant mutable distros. Immutable distros are generally trickier to set up for stuff their advertised use cases don't cover, hence they're best avoided if you want your system to be multi-purpose.

[audiojunkie]

If it can be used for audio, fine. But main purpose, basic usage. Web, play movies perhaps mail? Stuff like that.

Any immutable distro can be used for all of this.

Why (only) immutable distros?

My bad, I meant mutable distros. Immutable distros are generally trickier to set up for stuff their advertised use cases don't cover, hence they're best avoided if you want your system to be multi-purpose.

Immutable distros shouldn’t be any different than any other distro as far as purpose flexibility goes. They do require a greater learning curve above and beyond the normal Linux distro, but it isn’t too bad. Understanding of how the cloud native technologies (ie containers, etc) work in cases such as a DAW, yabridge and WINE, for example isn’t too difficult. Symbolic links aren’t that difficult. Rpm-OStree isn’t that difficult. Toolbx isn’t that difficult. It’s just that it’s all added on top of what a normal Linux user would need to learn beyond what is required for a normal Linux distro. But if you understand then new things, these next generation Linux systems, with atomic upgrades, immutable core OSes, and containerized software provide some nice benefits over standard, generic distros, and they are just as flexible.

[Tiles]

They’re not really “just as flexible” in practice, it’s a different paradigm with extra layers that can make real-world setups, especially audio, more complex to manage and troubleshoot.

[uOpt]

Audio is special, in that you install one piece of program code that is used by another piece of program code. Plugins.

That creates extra work for any scheme of running programs that tries to isolate them from each other. We do the opposite.

So a standard distribution with no Snaps and not immutable can be smoother sailing.

[DrGonzo]

Immediate correction - apologies, I just remembered that I had to use a Windows machine to make a Ventoy stick not my MacBook.

I'm only on PC and have no Mac hardware, but it would be interesting to learn what the most common process involving ISO on USB would be for Mac users.

I have a vague memory you can write some simple commands in the Terminal to format + make it bootable.

[DrGonzo]

Again, slightly OT but curious to just get your input on this. I'm not paranoid when it comes to computers calling home and tracking you, but I feel last couple of years have gone batshit crazy when it comes to privacy. I'm not aiming to be a ghost on the net, but I don't want to be screaming HERE TAKE ALL MY DETAILS either.

I always felt Linux valued privacy and user control. Is this still the case?

/Carl

[audiojunkie]

Again, slightly OT but curious to just get your input on this. I'm not paranoid when it comes to computers calling home and tracking you, but I feel last couple of years have gone batshit crazy when it comes to privacy. I'm not aiming to be a ghost on the net, but I don't want to be screaming HERE TAKE ALL MY DETAILS either.

I always felt Linux valued privacy and user control. Is this still the case?

/Carl

Absolutely

[Tiles]

Again, slightly OT but curious to just get your input on this. I'm not paranoid when it comes to computers calling home and tracking you, but I feel last couple of years have gone batshit crazy when it comes to privacy. I'm not aiming to be a ghost on the net, but I don't want to be screaming HERE TAKE ALL MY DETAILS either.

I always felt Linux valued privacy and user control. Is this still the case?

/Carl

Short version: yes, Linux is still more privacy-friendly.

The catch is that most tracking today doesn’t come from the OS anymore, it comes from the browser and the websites you use. And partly also from software itself. If you’re on Google Chrome and logged into Google, Linux won’t really save you. That’s the part most people overlook.

Using Mozilla Firefox or the Chromium-based Brave with addons like uBlock Origin or Ghostery already cuts out a lot of tracking. On the next level, you can run Pi-hole, which blocks ads and tracking at the network level and can also reduce telemetry from Windows and macOS.

Linux gives you control, but the browser is where privacy is mostly decided now. The OS matters far less.

At the paranoid end, telemetry is not equal telemetry. Crash reports for example are something good for both, user and developer.