Hello all,

I tried Linux few times ago for the first time, but at the same time I liked the experience and not.

Liked because feel it super customisable and felt if I have more knowledge about it I can do a good things and transform this in a great daily-driver (and nobody are spying me). And I didn’t like because I broke the OS multiple times since I was literally doing things I didn’t know - like delete things just because why not and because im dumb

I backed to windows because I need a specific proprietary software and because I feel it is kind a releaf for know how Windows works. However, my brain during this time is still thinking on Linux. “Lets go, you are capable to do it”

And, this time I catch my oldy-old laptop (has more than 10/15 years) and just created a bootable pen-iso with LMDE. Put it, install it and even with this laptop is more slow than a turtle, Im loving the experience. Why? Because of the first time I understand what I NEVER DO on Linux.

And because I feel , with more time and knowledge, I can make an excellent OS for my purposes. I’m understanding this is ultra customisable and I can do a lot of automation’s to work with my linux I can make this my daily driver. And this is the first time I feel this with Linux and dont want break this special thing with me and the beautiful penguin.

However, since I almost know nothing , I’m afraid to do things wrong and get a malware, spyware or break security measures of OS. I install a .deb file, but at the same time I’m afraid to install it lol. Yeah, this is dumb, but dont know. My brain is overwhelmed .

I saw the XZ backdoor and think if this happens, what I need to do, or precautions I need to make. I see a video about antivirus/scan system (like ClamAV) but dont know nothing about it. Dont know if this helps me or not.

Can you elucidate me? Can you put some calm on my brain to understand the good measures i need to make on my Linux experience?

And if you know how can i get more knowledge and understanding about the Linux System, I appreciate any advice’s , tips , tutorials , and so on …

Thank you and wish you a lovely day.

by very-dumb-linux-user-who-wants-achieve-great-things-with-it

  • data1701d (He/Him)English
    4·
    6 hours ago

    Honestly, just play with Linux in a VM for a while.

    For your sanity, I have several recommendations:

    • Linux has a central location to install apps called package repositories. Those packages are well-tested and tend to be extremely safe, so try to install from there first.
    • Sometimes, apps aren’t available from the main package repository, so you have to source them from elsewhere. To avoid some of the fear, you can try using a thing called Flathub. I won’t go into all the intricacies of how it works or why it exists, but suffice it to say, some of the apps there have a verification checkmark.
    • Also, when installing an app, research it online and find the Git(hub/lab/ea) repository. Start by checking if it’s under an open source license like GPL, BSD, or MIT. Although not a sure thing (like the XZ incident, which was an isolated incident), half the time if it’s under one of those FOSS licenses means the app is legit. In addition, check to make sure the source code is actually there- repos with just an executable file and a readme telling you to buy something are red flags.
    • Finally, don’t go running random commands online without first researching what it does (with manpages or the like).

    I would recommend Googling the following and reading about these:

    • Linux directory structure
    • Linux package managers