I recently made the switch from Windows to Linux Mint on my laptop, and I've been having a pretty smooth experience so far. However, I must admit that I'm used to the convenience of Windows, where I could simply download an .exe file, install it, and start using the software. Now that I'm on Linux, I'm feeling a bit uncertain about a few things.
Firstly, I'm curious about the system stability in Linux compared to Windows. In Windows, I could sometimes download and run executable files without too much worry. But in Linux, it seems different – there's a package manager, and I'm not entirely sure if it's safe to download and install software from external sources. For instance, I recently had to install AnyDesk from their official website, as it wasn't available in the package manager. Is this practice safe in Linux Mint, or should I stick strictly to the package manager?
Additionally, I had a bit of a scare with a tool called Timeshift. After using it, I encountered a Windows boot manager error, which referred to a "windows\system32" issue. Unfortunately, I can't recall the exact error message. To fix this, I ended up reinstalling linux mint, clearing all partitions, and following a tutorial on partitioning for Linux (you can find it here: link to the tutorial). So, I'm wondering if this error could be related to Timeshift or if it was coincidental.
Speaking of the package manager, I'm keen to know your experiences with software available there. For instance, I'd like to use Discord on my Linux Mint setup. Is downloading and logging into Discord via the package manager safe? Have any of you encountered issues with software from the package manager?
And I want to install Brave browser safe to run these commands in my terminal? https://brave.com/linux/
Moving on to security concerns, do I need to install an antivirus program on Linux Mint? Windows ingrained in me the habit of having an antivirus constantly running, but I've heard that Linux is less prone to viruses. Is it necessary to have an antivirus, or is the built-in security robust enough?
Lastly, let's talk about firewalls. In Windows, there's a built-in firewall, and it seems to work quietly in the background. Does Linux Mint have a similar feature? Do I need to configure anything manually, or is the default firewall configuration good enough for regular usage?
I'd really appreciate it if the experienced members of our community could share their insights and advice on these matters. Transitioning from Windows to Linux Mint has been exciting, but these questions are on my mind as I aim to make Linux my daily driver.
Firstly, I'm curious about the system stability in Linux compared to Windows. In Windows, I could sometimes download and run executable files without too much worry. But in Linux, it seems different – there's a package manager, and I'm not entirely sure if it's safe to download and install software from external sources. For instance, I recently had to install AnyDesk from their official website, as it wasn't available in the package manager. Is this practice safe in Linux Mint, or should I stick strictly to the package manager?
Additionally, I had a bit of a scare with a tool called Timeshift. After using it, I encountered a Windows boot manager error, which referred to a "windows\system32" issue. Unfortunately, I can't recall the exact error message. To fix this, I ended up reinstalling linux mint, clearing all partitions, and following a tutorial on partitioning for Linux (you can find it here: link to the tutorial). So, I'm wondering if this error could be related to Timeshift or if it was coincidental.
Speaking of the package manager, I'm keen to know your experiences with software available there. For instance, I'd like to use Discord on my Linux Mint setup. Is downloading and logging into Discord via the package manager safe? Have any of you encountered issues with software from the package manager?
And I want to install Brave browser safe to run these commands in my terminal? https://brave.com/linux/
Moving on to security concerns, do I need to install an antivirus program on Linux Mint? Windows ingrained in me the habit of having an antivirus constantly running, but I've heard that Linux is less prone to viruses. Is it necessary to have an antivirus, or is the built-in security robust enough?
Lastly, let's talk about firewalls. In Windows, there's a built-in firewall, and it seems to work quietly in the background. Does Linux Mint have a similar feature? Do I need to configure anything manually, or is the default firewall configuration good enough for regular usage?
I'd really appreciate it if the experienced members of our community could share their insights and advice on these matters. Transitioning from Windows to Linux Mint has been exciting, but these questions are on my mind as I aim to make Linux my daily driver.