I am looking to switch one of my PCs to some flavor of Linux since it can only run WIN10 (CPU keeps it from going to 11). I do use the PC for some gaming so looking for a distro that is easy to work with as I am still kinda a Linux noob. Some people were recommending Mint to use. Something that would help setup Windows based games using WINE or whatever would be nice.
Barry Davis Jr
SysOp
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Barry Davis wrote to All <=-

@MSGID: <68476A37.2951.fidolinux@bbs.mozysswamp.org>
I am looking to switch one of my PCs to some flavor of Linux since it
can only run WIN10 (CPU keeps it from going to 11). I do use the PC for some gaming so looking for a distro that is easy to work with as I am still kinda a Linux noob. Some people were recommending Mint to use. Something that would help setup Windows based games using WINE or
whatever would be nice. Barry Davis Jr

Distro choice isn't as imporant as you think. When I started using
Linux, I didn't even choose a distro. I just started using it and it
worked for me.

If whatever you choose works, hardware wise and software wise, then
thats it. They mostly have the same software anyway.

But if it helps, someone I know wanted to move to Linux, and I put
Linux Mint on his machines.

Are you wanting to move completely, or dual boot? When I moved to
Linux, I ran a dual boot setup, where I used Windows where I had to,
and Linux for everything else. Eventually I stopped using Windows
completely.


... BoraxMan
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But if it helps, someone I know wanted to move to Linux, and I put
Linux Mint on his machines.

Mint is a good choice.

... Reward for a job well done: More work

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Hello Barry!

09 Jun 2025 16:52, Barry Davis wrote to All:

I am looking to switch one of my PCs to some flavor of Linux since it
can only run WIN10 (CPU keeps it from going to 11). I do use the PC for some
gaming so looking for a distro that is easy to work with as I am still kinda a
Linux noob. Some people were recommending Mint to use. Something that would
help setup Windows based games using WINE or whatever would be nice.

take the harddisk out, install a empty harddisk, then reinstall windows 11

windows is just stupid software at times

google is your friend on this, even old computers like nitendo gameboy runs windows

want linux ?, then i can say gentoo or freebsd so you never need precompiled problems anymore :)

if want precompiled, then gentoo also support binhost

stay away from ubuntu and debian, why ?, its non default pkgs, so original software is changed, makes asking for help lots harder then if it was original software that was not tempted with


Regards Benny

... too late to die young :)

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Hello Barry!

09 Jun 25 16:52, Barry Davis wrote to All:

I am looking to switch one of my PCs to some flavor of Linux since it
can only
run WIN10 (CPU keeps it from going to 11). I do use the PC for some gaming so
looking for a distro that is easy to work with as I am still kinda a Linux
noob. Some people were recommending Mint to use.

Generally, I would recommend using something that you know a couple of other people using it, too. Having an easy way to get support eases things a lot in my experience.

That said, I have mainly been deploying MX Linux for "easy to use desktops" over the past years. For gaming, it might be worth looking at the Lutris game manager that is supposed to make a gamer's life under Linux easier.


Regards,
Gerrit

... 9:17PM up 186 days, 3:24, 10 users, load averages: 0.68, 0.88, 0.79

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Re: Switching from Windows
By: Barry Davis to All on Mon Jun 09 2025 04:52 pm

I am looking to switch one of my PCs to some flavor of Linux since it can only run WIN10 (CPU keeps it from going to 11). I do use the PC for some gaming so looking for a distro that is easy to work with as I am still kinda a Linux noob. Some people were recommending Mint to use. Something that would help setup Windows based games using WINE or whatever would be nice. Barry Davis Jr
SysOp
KrAABY Gamer BBS

Hi there.

If your target is mainly gaming, any recent mainstream distribution will work for you since you can install Steam for Linux on most recent ones.

There are also launchers and game managers for platforms such as Gog and Epic. Check Lutris and Heroic Games Launcher. Those manage Wine and compatibility layers automatically.

If more than 90% of your computer use is gaming you can dive deep in and install something like Bazzite, which has all the tooling in place already. It is not a "regular" distribution so don't use it as a way to learn Linux, but as an out of the box Linux solution for games t works very well.


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Hello Barry!

09 Jun 25, Barry Davis wrote to All:

I do use the PC for some gaming so looking for a distro that is easy

"gaming" has a wide range of requirements. From minesweeper to 3D accelerated FPS your mileage may vary, especaially with WINE.

Some commercial platforms like gog.com or steam support Linux. Some games don't have support, some have native support, some have ready to use WINE setups and are ready to play after hitting the install button.

to work with as I am still kinda a Linux noob. Some people were recommending Mint to use.

First thing for noobs: Well, there is one linux only, basically.
But the details differ. ;-)

Mint is a distribution. A distributor sets up a collection of linux software into a "ready to use" release. The first visible difference is the desktop environment. If you choose Mint or Ubuntu does not matter after you started your browser. A firefox is a firefox in both of them.

At the moment Mint is the one with the most page hits on distrowatch.com. Well, today that's the list of AI web crawler botnet leeches - but within the top 11 there are still all commonly known casual distributions.

For example MX Linux was on top for some time. Many of those distributions do offer a live-system on usb stick. You can test them without installing to get a look and feel and choose the one you like at best.

I think the best linux gaming support of today is from valve aka steam. The Steam Deck operates on a Linux based OS with the help of proton. See "linux proton gaming" at your search engine for more details. The "playable" counter on protondb.com is at approx. 20.000.

Something that would help setup Windows
based games using WINE or whatever would be nice.

distrowatch.com have a filter and you could search in the distribution category "gaming" along with other favorites like desktop interface or language.

Linux distributions like Batocera.linux or Lakka are front-end solutions for retro-gaming. You need to add the games but the main configuration is prepared. Anyhow there can be a lot of tinkering to understand those systems because they support a wide range of emulators each with their own setup logics.

I know some 70+ years old people that are fine with Ubuntu for their daily internet use. The most important step when switching from windows to linux is just to start and do it. ;-)

Regards

Kai

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