I've come to the conclusion that, while I am still using #Windows 11 out of inertia, it's time to contemplate an exit plan towards #Linux . The switch won't be any time soon (I have too much other stuff on my plate for the foreseeable future), but I do want to avoid paying further license fees to #Microsoft .

Major areas of concern:

- My #Steam library. I am by no means a heavy gamer, but I want to check if the major games I enjoy are known to work on Linux.
- Migrating away from #GoogleDrive towards #NextCloud is going to be a major chore, but it's something I can start in advance.
- I am a very heavy user of Notepad++ for my #TeXLaTeX typesetting, so I need a replacement whose user experience comes close (and no, neither vim nor emacs count).

As for what distribution to choose... I dunno. Lots of people at my place of work use #Debian , so maybe that would be a good idea?

@juergen_hubert Welcome to Linux! For a complete beginner, I'd recommend Mint or Zorin; if you've got some experience, Debian and many others might work. Feel free to try as many as you like before committing!

For gaming, just in case you didn't know, even if a game isn't natively built for Linux, Steam has some amazing compatibility layers you can use that make it super easy to run Windows games. I love playing Fields of Mistria, and with just a click of a checkbox I now have it running on Linux!

I've come to the conclusion that, while I am still using #Windows 11 out of inertia, it's time to contemplate an exit plan towards #Linux . The switch won't be any time soon (I have too much other stuff on my plate for the foreseeable future), but I do want to avoid paying further license fees to #Microsoft .

Major areas of concern:

- My #Steam library. I am by no means a heavy gamer, but I want to check if the major games I enjoy are known to work on Linux.
- Migrating away from #GoogleDrive towards #NextCloud is going to be a major chore, but it's something I can start in advance.
- I am a very heavy user of Notepad++ for my #TeXLaTeX typesetting, so I need a replacement whose user experience comes close (and no, neither vim nor emacs count).

As for what distribution to choose... I dunno. Lots of people at my place of work use #Debian , so maybe that would be a good idea?

@negativeprimes

I do have _some_ experience with Linux, from prior places of work and other places, although I am not a heavy user.

@juergen_hubert Nice! Then it really depends what you're comfortable with. How much do you want to poke under the hood of your system VS just wanting things to work?

Oh, Ubuntu and its variations are also very beginner friendly. My kids use Kubuntu for games and school and have had virtually no issues.

There's also a difference in Linux between the OS and the Desktop Environment that you use to interact with the OS, so if you like the interface your Debian colleagues are using, you can ask them what it is and use it with other versions of Linux.

Gotta run now, will be back!

I've come to the conclusion that, while I am still using #Windows 11 out of inertia, it's time to contemplate an exit plan towards #Linux . The switch won't be any time soon (I have too much other stuff on my plate for the foreseeable future), but I do want to avoid paying further license fees to #Microsoft .

Major areas of concern:

- My #Steam library. I am by no means a heavy gamer, but I want to check if the major games I enjoy are known to work on Linux.
- Migrating away from #GoogleDrive towards #NextCloud is going to be a major chore, but it's something I can start in advance.
- I am a very heavy user of Notepad++ for my #TeXLaTeX typesetting, so I need a replacement whose user experience comes close (and no, neither vim nor emacs count).

As for what distribution to choose... I dunno. Lots of people at my place of work use #Debian , so maybe that would be a good idea?

@juergen_hubert Which Steam games are you wanting to confirm work on Linux?

@juergen_hubert For Nextcloud (+remote file sharing/syncyng): It is actually very simple and effective to backup your files/folders to NextCloud and/or sync your local files/folders with your other devices via Nextcloud instance using locally installed NextCloud Files Desktop client(s)..
https://nextcloud.com/install/#desktop-files
#nextcloud

@theron29 @juergen_hubert Please keep in mind: Nextcloud is not a backup solution.

@lnklnx

My favorites are currently Horizon Zero Drawn/Forbidden West.

Beyond, the Elder Scolls/Fallout games are also important.

@juergen_hubert Okay, sorry for the delay (had to reinstall several of these).

Here is Horizon: Zero Dawn running on Debian 13:

Horizon Zero Dawn

Store page

Linux Gameplay Clips (pt.lnklnx.com)

I'll record the others I own later (I don't own Forbidden West yet, but it's on my wishlist!)