Greetings from Bulgaria

[Neon Black]

Hi there, another newcomer I have limited experience with Linux (I "manage" one openSUSE appliance and have used Kali for some security tests), but I think of myself as reasonably experienced in IT as a whole. However, I've always used Windows desktops both at home and at work and I must say it's an OS family I feel comfortable with and actually find to be pretty good most of the time... please don't throw rocks at me!

However, it was about time I learned a thing or two about Linux and since I've read or heard from multiple sources that Mint was one of the most user-friendly distros, I chose it for my main OS on a new laptop. My first impressions are... contradictory. After the dust settled, I can say that Mint looks great, runs smoothly and I will definately get the hang of it, but I fully understood the people who say Linux is not for newbies. My hardware was new, I've installed Mint on the bare metal, no other OS, virtualizations, etc. and it sure gave me some troubles. Wi-fi didn't work at all, sound didn't work at all, after that there were problems with the updates, problems with the Firefox browser and all in all I messed with Mint like 3 full days before getting my environment as I want it to be. After reading and configuring and more reading and some tries and failures I am already on the right track, but if I have to recommend Linux to a not tech-savvy person - no way. However, I now happy and started some online courses, so wish me luck And thanks for Mint, now it is great

[all41]

Hello and welcome Neon Black.

The upside is that you didn't throw in the towel--you hung in there like a boss,
and learned some 'under the hood' things about Linux and Mint in the process.
The learning curve seems steeper than it really is in the beginning, but it levels out rather
quickly as you go along.
Glad you made a go of it

icon_smile_thumbsup.gif

[JerryF]

Welcome, Neon Black!

I too was a die-hard Windows guy for decades. When I delved into Linux, it was Ubuntu Unity. That turned me off. Stayed with Windows. I read more on other Linux distributions. Tried Linux Lite, Puppy Linux, Damn Small Linux, and Mint. Fortunately, Lite and Mint recognized my hardware without issue. Lite was ok, but Mint was better.

I always ask newbies: when you downloaded the ISO, did you verify it? One download that I had wasn't good and realized from the start that it was acting funny.

[Neon Black]

Thank you for the warm welcome people, really appreciated

@all41, I am also very glad I endured the initial frustration. Truth be told, I was expecting that Mint will not be out-of-the-box solution that will happily sing chores after you click "OK-Next" a few times. And you are right - I did learn quite a few things from the experience.

@JerryF, my job is connected with IT Security, so I always download from official sources and verify my files if possible. Your concern is absolutely on point, I've seen first hand what havoc can cause random downloads from random sources - not only "this is not working like it should" but "all my files are now encrypted"

[catweazel]

Welcome aboard!

[kc1di]

Hello Neon Black and Welcome to Linux Mint Forums,
Great to have you here and you'll be helping other soon. Learn all you can

[lsemmens]

Welcome, Neon Black. It is frustrating when things do not work "out of the box", but extremely satisfying when you get them to work as you want them. I tried various distros over the years always returning to Windows because of issues with hardware. By the time I was well and truly sick of Windwoes I had several items that had been developed for M$ Orifice that I could see no real reason to move camps. Along came Windows 10 and Patch Tuesday in January.......Guess what? The change over to Linux and Libre Office were not quite as painful as in the past.

[WharfRat]

Hello Neon Black

Welcome to Linux Mint and the Linux Mint forum