Suggestions for Linux version

[Acadia]

After a many years hiatus, I've started to once again dabble with Linux.  All of the easier versions (Ubuntu, Mint, etc.) are loaded with tons of stuff, Thunderbird, LibreOffice, etc., gigs of stuff that I would not be using, at least not at first.  I am looking for a "stripped down" version to start, with a browser being the only beginning absolute requirement.  Would prefer a Linux version for beginners.

 

Any ideas?

Thanks, Acadia

[V.T. Eric Layton]

Hello, Acadia. Nice to see you back here again.

 

I don't have any suggestions for you, but I'm sure others will. Stay tuned...

[Hedon James]

15 hours ago, Acadia said:

After a many years hiatus, I've started to once again dabble with Linux.  All of the easier versions (Ubuntu, Mint, etc.) are loaded with tons of stuff, Thunderbird, LibreOffice, etc., gigs of stuff that I would not be using, at least not at first.  I am looking for a "stripped down" version to start, with a browser being the only beginning absolute requirement.  Would prefer a Linux version for beginners.

 

Any ideas?

Thanks, Acadia

Need more info regarding what you're trying to accomplish.  What are you coming FROM?  What do you like, or dislike about that OS?  What problem are you trying to solve?

 

In the absence of that information, based on nothing more than the 2 requirements you mention....minimalist, and beginner-friendly, you may want to consider TinyCore. 

http://tinycorelinux.net/

or DamnSmall Linux:

http://www.damnsmalllinux.org/

(Note:  DSL appears to be dormant, or perhaps on hiatus, but is perhaps suitable for you to "dip your toes" in)

 

Both distros meet both your requirements, but you'll most likely switch/upgrade to something else once you know more.  With that being said, I'd recommend you try anything and everything you find to be remotely interesting.  Create a LiveUSB, or install in a Virtual Machine (VM) to decide what interests you most.

 

I think a version of Arch, or an Arch derivative would suit your minimalist requirement; but anything "beginner friendly" will probably require a Calamares type installer.  We have MANY Arch users on here, and they'll offer good advice on the direction for you to look, if interested in Arch distros.

Edited July 23, 2022 by Hedon James

[abarbarian]

If you want to try out some Live Distros easily and quickly then Ventoy may be of help

 

https://forums.scotsnewsletter.com/index.php?/topic/79474-linux-fringe-distros/&do=findComment&comment=468578

 

Or if you would like to try out Arch. Then Archcraft may be the ticket,

 

https://archcraft.io/

 

Quote

Archcraft is just another Linux distribution, made on top of Arch Linux. It uses window managers and lightweight applications, which makes it super fast. With pre-configured settings, Archcraft provides you the best out of the box window manager experience.

 

 

The selection of WM's included with Archcraft is impressive though they do not include the wonderful Window Maker.

 

[Acadia]

Thanks for the suggestions.  To answer some of Hedon Jame's questions, I am a Windows person who is not having any problems.  I just want a safer way of surfing around the net.  The past several weeks I've been experimenting with Linux Mint Cinnamon inside of both VirtualBox and VMWare's Workstation Player.  I like the Player so much that I am thinking of trialing the expensive Workstation Pro.  I really feel secure surfing around in Linux which is inside of a VM.  Mint Cinnamon is just fine, I like its ease of use in updating and the firewall,  but it has so much more that I am not using, at least for now.  But come to think of it, isn't Windows the same way?

 

So long story made short, at least for now, I just want an easy to use Distro with a browser and little else.

Thanks again, Acadia

[raymac46]

You could take a look at EndeavourOS which is based on Arch but uses the Calamares installer. You have quite a few options as to what software to install. Another possibility is antiX which is pretty lightweight. If you want to try an Arch install the archfi scripts are pretty helpful.

I know Manjaro isn't a really popular distro here but Manjaro's Xfce install is pretty lightweight.

[V.T. Eric Layton]

Personally, for what you're saying you want, Acadia, I would just install Ubuntu or Mint and go from there. They're both simple and easy to install. They are geared toward ex-Windows users, so the desktop and utilities will not be too extreme, as with other Linuxes. The browser that comes with both of them is Firefox (I do NOT recommend Chrome due to insecurities and privacy issue caused by Google data collection).

 

It's all opinions, though... install two or three or 10 Linuxes and find the one that's best for you.

 

 

 

 

.

[Acadia]

15 minutes ago, V.T. Eric Layton said:

Eric said: "It's all opinions, though... install two or three or 10 Linuxes and find the one that's best for you."

 

Yeah, that's going to be the nice thing about using a VM, I will be able to have a bunch, all at the same time to play with.

Thanks, Acadia

 

 

.

 

Edited July 23, 2022 by Acadia
"

[raymac46]

I would agree with Eric that Linux Mint or Ubuntu would be good starter distros, but they have quite  a bit of software you say you don't need. The lighter distros often based on Arch allow more of a choice. For instance Manjaro Xfce does not have an office suite as standard.

[securitybreach]

Just install LinuxMint and remove the packages you do not want.

[V.T. Eric Layton]

Or just install Linux Mint and leave it alone. You might find that you want all those packages, eventually.

[Acadia]

I'm still listening people, keep the suggestions coming, thank.  Been reading a lot of good reviews about MX Linux.  Don't know how good it might be for beginners, but a lot of positive articles.

Acadia

[wa4chq]

I'm thinking anything now is way lot better than years ago....kinda plug and play whereas doing something like Slack back in the day was a chore.  Like others have mentioned, just do the full load.  You can ignore anything you aren't using and if your want, just delete it....

[V.T. Eric Layton]

Slackware is still a chore, but not as bad as that masochist distro... Gentoo.

[wa4chq]

4 minutes ago, V.T. Eric Layton said:

Slackware is still a chore, but not as bad as that masochist distro... Gentoo.

I've not tried Gentoo but I have done Slack since my early daze with it and now slack aint' nothing like slack back in the daze

[wa4chq]

should my emoji thing be wearing a mask?

 

[V.T. Eric Layton]

No, Slack ain't like that first nine disk set back in the day, but it's definitely NOT a "beginner's" distro.

[V.T. Eric Layton]

40 minutes ago, wa4chq said:

should my emoji thing be wearing a mask?

 

Nah... it would interfere with your party favor.

[wa4chq]

Hold on, gotta take the mask off (not like the emojo)...now I can hear....what did you say?

[abarbarian]

13 hours ago, Acadia said:

I'm still listening people, keep the suggestions coming, thank.  Been reading a lot of good reviews about MX Linux.  Don't know how good it might be for beginners, but a lot of positive articles.

Acadia

 

There are some MX users here and some threads dedicated to MX. Here are a couple.

 

https://forums.scotsnewsletter.com/index.php?/topic/97159-mx-21-“wildflower”-released/

 

https://forums.scotsnewsletter.com/index.php?/topic/97360-mx-linux-21-xfce-vs-windows-10/

 

I personally like MX and use i ton my backup pc. Always reliable and has not borked on me in the years I have been using it.

[Acadia]

And the winner is ..... Linux Mint Cinnamon.  Am using Mint inside of VMWare Workstation Pro which I am trialing  If everything continues to go this smooth, I will probably purchase the VMWare (ouch!).  The only thing that I added to Mint, so far, is FireJail.  Glad to see that AppArmor was already there.

Thanks everyone, Acadia

[Hedon James]

1 hour ago, Acadia said:

And the winner is ..... Linux Mint Cinnamon.  Am using Mint inside of VMWare Workstation Pro which I am trialing  If everything continues to go this smooth, I will probably purchase the VMWare (ouch!).  The only thing that I added to Mint, so far, is FireJail.  Glad to see that AppArmor was already there.

Thanks everyone, Acadia

Excellent....Mint is a fine distro, and also quite popular with a large user base.  That will come in handy with any troubleshooting (if needed).  But be prepared to switch to another distro in the future.....not because Mint is lacking in anything, or because it isn't a "good" choice (because it IS a good choice)............but simply out of curiousity!  I think you're gonna like Mint....A LOT....but at some point, eventually get curious enough to see what other options are available for you?!  LOL!

 

In the meantime, welcome to the Linux Guild!  Congrats, and happy computing! 

[abarbarian]

On 8/4/2022 at 12:33 PM, Acadia said:

And the winner is ..... Linux Mint Cinnamon.  Am using Mint inside of VMWare Workstation Pro which I am trialing  If everything continues to go this smooth, I will probably purchase the VMWare (ouch!).  The only thing that I added to Mint, so far, is FireJail.  Glad to see that AppArmor was already there.

Thanks everyone, Acadia

 

Happy Penguining , now you are a linux user all your computing worries will be over.

 

If you have any great Firejail tips maybe you could post them on the thread we have running here.

 

https://forums.scotsnewsletter.com/index.php?/topic/76690-firejail/

 

[Acadia]

Ok, first real question, its about Apparmor.  Downloading and installing Firejail was easy, and terminal command shows that it is protecting Firefox.

 

Apparmor came already installed on Mint, as was Firefox.  But AA does not appear to be protecting Firefox.  Upon searching the Internet, I found that Apparmor is enabled, but not for Firefox, it can slow Firefox down.  There were instructions for enabling it anyway, including downloading and installing some utilities, profiles, whatever, it was all over my head.  I did them all, successful installs, but AA still not protecting Firefox, "Command not found" or something like that.

 

My question: if the Mint people included AA but felt it best to leave it unabled for Firefox, should I just forget about it and trust them?

 

Thanks, Acadia

[raymac46]

I just go with the defaults and I have not had any security issues. That said, if you're worried you could use firejail or just install FF as a flatpack and remove the .deb. There are security experts here who would know more.

[securitybreach]

I wouldn't worry about enabling it for Firefox. Firefox by itself is pretty secure already. As long as you keep it up to date, you should be fine. Besides disk encryption, I really do not use any extra security applications besides the ones that come with the kernel already (iptables).

[securitybreach]

Oh and I know that some distros use them but I wouldn't rely on snap or flatpak packages as they are 3rd party and not coming from the distro's repos. Plus Snap frequently has security issues: https://duckduckgo.com/?q=snap+package+vulnerabilities&t=ffab&ia=web

[abarbarian]

6 hours ago, Acadia said:

Ok, first real question, its about Apparmor.  Downloading and installing Firejail was easy, and terminal command shows that it is protecting Firefox.

 

Apparmor came already installed on Mint, as was Firefox.  But AA does not appear to be protecting Firefox.  Upon searching the Internet, I found that Apparmor is enabled, but not for Firefox, it can slow Firefox down.  There were instructions for enabling it anyway, including downloading and installing some utilities, profiles, whatever, it was all over my head.  I did them all, successful installs, but AA still not protecting Firefox, "Command not found" or something like that.

 

My question: if the Mint people included AA but felt it best to leave it unabled for Firefox, should I just forget about it and trust them?

 

Thanks, Acadia

 

https://forums.scotsnewsletter.com/index.php?/topic/76690-firejail/&do=findComment&comment=419000

 

This post has details of how to set up FF brand new ever time it is started through FireJail or how to set it up through Firejail and keep your settings.

 

[Acadia]

Perhaps I should not have even mentioned Firefail because I am not having any problems with it.  Even created an icon on the desktop which, when double clicked, opens up Firefox automatically contained inside of Firejail.

Thanks everyone,

Acadia