I thought I’ll make this thread for all of you out there who have questions but are afraid to ask them. This is your chance!
I’ll try my best to answer any questions here, but I hope others in the community will contribute too!
Is there a way to remove having to enter my password for everything?
Wake computer from Screensaver? Password.
Install something? Password.
Updates (biggest one. Updates should in my opinion just work without, because being up to date is important for security reasons)? Password.I understand sudo needs a password,but all the other stuff I just want off. The frequency is rediculous. I don’t ever leave my house with my computer, and I don’t want to enter a password for my wife everytime she wants to use it.
How can I hide a pinned post without blocking the poster? It bothers me having this at the top of my list all the time, like some reminder on my phone I can’t ack and make go away.
Most third-party Lemmy clients should support this. For instance, if you’re on Sync, you can just swipe it hide the post (assuming you’ve configured it that way).
I’m sorry I don’t know of any way to do that :( does it appear even when you’re browsing your main feed??
No, just at the top of the Linux community. I sort on New by default, looking for anything new Linux related… it’s been slow news in there of late. I’ll check if Voyager supports a method of doing it. Another user suggested Sync client. I’m usually on my desktop browser, though.
Thanks for checking. :)
I just unpinned the post. I figured there may be others bothered by this, and plus its been enough weeks at this point. Thanks for voicing this to me :)
I feel like I’m getting performance below what I’ve been getting on windows for the same games when I’m booting in Linux. Top of the head example is COD WWII, the gameplay and cutscenes stagger a lot but runs fine on windows with the same hardware. I’ve checked that my graphics card is being used by Linux but I just feel like I’m missing some settings that would optimise it.
I’m running Linux mint with a NVIDIA GTX1070. I know there’s some issues with NVIDIA and Linux but would that be the full reason?
I’m running Linux mint
I’d say that’s your main issue. Mint isn’t really optimised for gaming, as it uses an old and non-gaming optimised kernel, and most packages in general are pretty old. When it comes to Linux and gaming, the #1 rule is to try to get the latest kernel and graphics drivers. You could install a more recent and optimised kernel on Mint, but if you do that you risk breaking things, which may especially happen when you do your next OS upgrade. So I’d recommend switching to either a gaming-optimised distro such as Bazzite, or a distro which has the latest packages and is optimised for performance, such as CachyOS (although I wouldn’t recommend it if you’re still very new to Linux, since it’s based on Arch - if you’re new to Linux then Bazzite would be a better option).
The second issue is - which version of Proton are you using? If you’re using the official Proton, I’d recommend using Proton-GE instead, as it includes a lot of extra patches and tweaks not present in the official Proton + uses more up-to-date components like DXVK. You can install Proton-GE easily using ProtonUp-Qt. Once you’ve installed Proton-GE, go to the game’s property in Steam and change the compatibility tool to Proton-GE.
I’m also currently running Linux Mint but want to start gaming on Linux as well. Given what you’ve said it would seem that I need to consider distro hopping.
I have a “working” knowledge of Arch, I say working loosely as I have a home server running Manjaro and kinda maybe know what I’m doing with it and I’m comfortable following guides etc.
Which of the 2 distros you mentioned would you recommend? CachyOS looks great on the surface but Bazzite definitely seems to cater to gaming and it’s website heavily leans that way
I think you’d be fine with either, but in the end it comes down to how “hands-off” you want to be, or how much customisability, flexibility and performance you’re after. Unlike Manjaro, Cachy is closer to Arch, which means things may on rare occasions break or may require manual intervention (you’ll need to keep up with the Arch news). Bazzite on the other hand is the polar opposite, being an immutable distro - updates are atomic (they either work or don’t, and in case an update is no good, you can easily rollback to a previous version from GRUB); but this also means you lose some customisability and flexibility - like you can’t run a custom kernel or mess with the display manager (logon screen) etc, and you’ll need to mostly stick to installing apps via Flatpak or Distrobox.
Overall, if you’re after a console-like experience that just works™, then choose Bazzite. On the other hand, if you’re a hands-on type of person who likes to fine-tune things and is after the best possible performance, choose CachyOS.
Is there any performance difference between KDE and GNOME?
I’m a disabled gamer with lots of time on my hands. I’m considering dual booting Linux Mint (or something else equally easy to transition to) with Windows 10. My plan would be to entirely swap to Linux, but keep Windows for the few games that require it. However, I have some concerns.
Do I need to worry about certain niche programs I use not being Linux compatible, or do things like Wine make that irrelevant? I’m especially curious about 3rd party game/mod launchers, like GW2Launcher and XIVLauncher, or Overwolf/Curseforge.
What about Windows store apps-- is there any way to use them while in Linux? Sounds like a dumb question, but figured I’d ask just in case. This part isn’t a deal breaker either way.
Thanks in advance for any replies!
Microsoft store apps don’t work in wine.
Guild wars used to work in Linux, idk about two but it seems to.
What you might consider, since you have the time, is using Linux as a main os and run windows in a vm inside it with gpu passthrough.
The idea is that you boot Linux all the time and when you need windows you “turn on” the virtual machine running it which gets direct control over a video card connected to a monitor.
It’s like having two computers with two monitors right next to each other except with only one computer.
The big benefit is that you get damn near 100% compatibility with even games that have windows only anti-cheat because… you’re running windows. It’s also nice to not make a choice to “switch” because windows is always right there when you need it!
The cons are that it takes a little time and learning to set up and you need to make sure your hardware works with it and that you have enough of it to make such a setup work (both onboard and discrete video cards, two monitors or a kvm switch, etc.).
But for a certifried gamer it’s a good move.
The big benefit is that you get damn near 100% compatibility with even games that have windows only anti-cheat because… you’re running windows.
This isn’t necessarily true - most anti-cheat programs detect VMs, and depending on the game, some may prevent you from launching the game (eg games using Vanguard), others may flag you and cause you to get kicked out of the game, or even get you banned (Battleye is pretty notorious for this, from what I hear).
Now there are some tricks you can use, such as editing the XML for your VM to mimic your host machine’s SMBIOS data / vendor strings etc, but it’s a bit of work and can be a hit-or-miss.
Of course, the best option would be to not support games which use invasive anti-cheat in the first place. :)
And if you’re on nVidia, it can be a bit of a pain to get it all going, since you need to patch your GPU’s vBIOS. You can see how much work is involved in setting it all up over here: https://gitlab.com/Mageas/single-gup-passthrough - so not for the faint-hearted. :)
Thanks so much for the info, both of you!
I do in fact have Nvidia… bummer! I’m not too worried about AntiCheats that don’t support Linux since that mostly seems to be for PvP-heavy games, which are not usually a thing I’m into. Ark & Rust were about the only games like that I liked, & I played on PvE servers. But I do think some MMOs use AntiCheats, right? Though for sure not GW2 or FFXIV, which are my current obsessions.
My current plan is, since support for Windows 10 is being dropped in October 2025, maybe I’ll upgrade to Windows 11 so I can keep getting security updates, and then dual-boot to Linux, but have Linux as the main. Like 90% of the time I’ll be in Linux Mint (or whichever one I pick), and then just swap over to Windows briefly if/when I need to.
The VM plan sounded really awesome, but I think the nVidia fix looks beyond my ability. I’m someone who can’t code & only knows like 3 DOS commands, but can set up a Minecraft modpack (without changing any recipes) & upload the files to servers others run, or otherwise handle setting up mods for games in general. I’m saying all that to try and give some idea of my expertise or lack thereof. I’d consider myself a low-end power user, maybe? So given that, does this plan sound reasonable, re the dual booting & mostly swapping to Linux Mint (or whatever distro)?
Yes, I mostly agree with your conclusions. MMOs do generally employ anti-cheat, so I wouldn’t attempt running them in a VM unless you want to take a risk. So dual-booting is an acceptable compromise.
The good news is though that gaming on Wine keeps improving every day. From the games you’ve mentioned, only Rust isn’t compatible with Linux (due to EasyAntiCheat), but the others are gold rated - and GW2 is even platinum rated!
You can use ProtonDB to check the game compatibility, and the user reports are usually helpful to see if they’ve encountered any issues or had to employ any tweaks to get it going. But do keep an eye out on this space, as Wine/Proton keeps improving constantly, so you never know, maybe some day even Rust might work!
Edit: Actually, reading the reviews for Rust, looks like you can actually get it to work if you connect to a server that doesn’t use anti-cheat!
Oh wow, nice! I especially appreciate the ProtonDB link-- I’d known about Proton, but not ProtonDB. :) And that’s awesome, re GW2 especially!
I’m thinking I’m going to try Pop!OS… I was reading reviews etc. of various gaming/newbie Linux stuff on [https://itsfoss.com/](It’s Foss) and they’re a big fan, and Pop seems pretty readymade for gaming stuff. I plan to put it on a flash drive & test it before dual booting to it, and if I’m not a fan, Linux Mint it is! I tried that once before, years ago.
Good looking out! I don’t game and set mine up a long time ago so those newer systems are beyond my knowledge.
How do I enable DNS over HTTPS or DNS over TLS for all connections in NetworkManager in Debian 12?
It is easy to configure custom DNS servers for all connections via a new .conf file in /etc/NetworkManager/conf.d with a servers=8.8.8.8 entry in the [global-dns-domain-*] section.
How can I configure NetworkManager to use DNS over HTTPS or DNS over TLS via a conf file?
NetworkManager doesn’t support DoH, DoT or other recent protocols like DoQ and DoH3. You’ll need to set up a local DNS resolver / proxy which can handle those protocols. You could use dnsproxy for this. Once you set it up, you can just use “127.0.0.1” as your DNS server in NetworkManager.
Btw, if possible I’d recommend sticking to DoH3 (DNS-over-HTTP/3) or DoQ (DNS-over-QUIC) - they perform better than DoT and vanilla DoH, and are more reliable as well.
I use Kali Linux for cybersecurity work and learning in a VM on my Windows computer. If I ever moved completely over to Linux, what should I do, can I use Kali as my complete desktop?
No never! Do not use Kali as main OS choose Debian, Fedora, RHEL (not designed for this use case) or Arch system
Kali is a very bad choice as a desktop or daily driver. It’s intended to be used as a toolkit for security work and so it doesn’t prioritize the needs of normal desktop use in either package management, defaults or patch updates.
If you ever switched to Linux, pick a distribution you can live with and run kali in a vm like you’re doing now.
Think of it this way: you wouldn’t move into a shoot house, mechanics garage or escape room, would you?
Ok, it just seems funny to need to use a Kali VM when I’d already be on Linux, but no big deal I guess.
I used it as an installed desktop environment at a workbench in a non security context for a year. It was a pain in the butt in like a million ways.
Even when I used the tools kali ships with regularly I either dual booted or ran it inside a vm.
If you wanna understand why every time someone asks about using kali as a daily driver even on their own forums, a bunch of people pop up and say it’s a bad idea, give it a shot sometime.
Do I get new puzzles every week if I lived in a escape room?
Guess you mean replicate your existing install from the VM.
- Backup your /home from the VM
- Save the output of
dpkg -lto a text file and work with that, or use something like apt-clone https://packages.debian.org/search?keywords=apt-clone
From there, install Kali Linux, and restore the relevant parts.
NixOS. I don’t get what it really is or does? It’s a Linux distribution but with ceavets or something
It’s a distribution completely centered around the Nix package manager. This basically allows you to program how your system should look using one programming language. If you want an identical system, just copy that file and you’re set.
I remember that thr kernel didn’t had performance flags set and used, making NixOS not a nice Gaming platform.
Is this true? Can I fix it for myself easily?
Easily? I’ve heard it’s really time consuming to get it exactly how you like it but the same could be said about a lot of distros.
Instead of installing packages through a package manager one at a time and configuring your system by digging into individual config files, NixOS has you write a single config file with all your settings and programs declared. This lets you more easily configure your system and have a completely reproducible system by just copying your nix files to another nixos machine and rebuilding.
It’s also an immutable distribution, so the base system files are only modified when rebuilding the whole system from your config, but during runtime it’s read only for security and stability.
Is wine still the “most windows” distro?
wine is not a distribution. It is a program that allows running windows applications on Linux, and is available on most distributions.
[interview question]
Assuming a user is a root, can this user create a file that couldn’t be read or deleted by other roots? …by the same user?
There is only one root user. Other users may have root access though. Any user can create files only readable by them, but root user can override all of them, change password of any user etc. For a user having root access, they can do all sorts of things root user does
I think the POSIX standard only has one root user, however many users can have root privileges.
So it’s probably a trick question, however any user even without privilege can make create a file which others can’t, read even the root itself I think not sure though.
What’s the difference between /bin and /usr/bin and /usr/local/bin from an architectural point of view? And how does sbin relate to this?
Is explicit sync a good enough solution to make wayland gaming with nvidia a reality(+ remove window flickering like some people claim it will)? It’s the last obstacle I find now trying to move my main pc to linux, and I don’t really want to use x11.
Pd. Lesson learned, next time I’ll get an AMD gpu.
If you really want to switch there isn’t really any reason to not use X.
If you really want to use Wayland I guess it will take a while longer. It’s not really 100% foolproof even if you get AMD. The vast majority of apps on Linux are designed for X and XWayland isn’t completely ready either.
Question about moving from Ubuntu to Debian - Package updates and security updates…
On Ubuntu, I seem to get notifications almost every week about new package updates. (Through the apt UI)
On Debian, I don’t see this.
I can run
apt updateandapt upgradeOn Ubuntu, I see this pull a bunch of package data from various package repo URLs.
On Debian, I only see this pulling package data from two or three repo URLs at debian.org
Mainly I am concerned about security updates and bug fixes. Do I need to manually add other repo sources to the apt config files? Or does debian update those repos regularly?
I installed Debian today. I’m terrified to do anything. Is there a single button backup/restore I can depend on when I ultimately fuck this up?
timeshift is pretty good, but bootable btrfs snapshots are even better
Why are debian-based systems still so popular for desktop usage? The lack of package updates creates a lot of unnecessary issues which were already fixed by the devs.
Newer (not bleeding edge) packages have verifiably less issues, e.g. when comparing the packages of a Debian and Fedora distro.
That’s why I don’t recommend Mint
Debian desktop user here, and I would happily switch to RHEL on the desktop.
I fully agree, outdated packages can be very annoying (running a netbook with disabled WIFI sleep mode right now, and no, backported kernel/firmware don’t solve my problem.)
For some years, I used Fedora (and I still love the community and have high respect for it).
Fedora simply does not work for me:
- Updated packages can/did break compatibility for stuff I need to get stuff done. Fine if Linux is your hobby, not acceptable if you need to deliver something
- In the industry, many times not the last recent packages of development environments are used (if you are lucky, you are only a few months or years behind), so having the most recent packages in Fedora helps me exactly zero
- With Debians 2 years release cycle (and more years of support), I can upgrade to the next version when it is appropriate for me (= 1-2 days when there is a slow week and the worst bugs have been found already)
- My setup/desktop is heavily customized and fully automated via IaC, no motivation to tweak this stuff constantly (rolling) or every 6-12 months (Fedora)
- From time to time I have to use software packages from 3rd parties, with Fedora, I might be one update way from breaking this software packages because of version incompatibilities (yes, I might pin a version of something to use a 3rd party software, but this might break Fedora updates (direct and transitive dependencies)
- I once had a cheap netbook for travel with an infamous chip set bug concerning sleep modes, which would be triggered by some kernels. You can imagine how it is to run Fedora, when you get often Kernel updates and the bug will be triggered or not after double digit numbers of minutes of work.
Of course, I could now start playing around with containerizing everything I need for work somehow and run something like Silverblue, perhaps I might do it someday, but then I would again need to update my IaC every 6-12months, would have to take care of overlays AND containers etc…
When people go ‘rolling’ or ‘Fedora’, they simply choose a different set of problems. I am happy we have choice and I can choose the trouble I have to life with.
On a more positive note: This also shows how far Linux has come along, I always play around with the latest/BETA Fedora Gnome/KDE images in a VM, and seriously don’t feel I am missing anything in Debian stable.
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