Before you try Linux, set up a few basics first. This quick prep helps avoid driver surprises, data loss, and a messy rollback later.

Linux offers more security, privacy, and freedom from vendors. Modern Linux distros are user-friendly -- even for non-techies. Linux Mint, Zorin OS, MX Linux top beginner distro list. Get more ...

That sets up a potentially daunting decision if you're going in blind (though I enjoy that approach)! But choice should be viewed as a positive element in the Linux world. So my goal here is to ...

Five tools that do the same thing but with completely different workflows.

If you have a phone running Android 15, you can enable a full-blown Linux terminal that includes many of the commands you're used to running on Linux, and I have to say that it's pretty cool. Before ...