Linux is the third most popular operating system for desktop and laptop computers, after Microsoft and Apple. Applications that run on both Microsoft and Apple are likely to have a Linux version as well. This includes popular web browsers such as Firefox and Chrome.
Linux software has been written from the ground up to be free for anyone to use. Yes, believe it or not, there are a lot of us who like to give software away. Why pay for software when so much is free of cost and hassle?
There are many distributions of Linux, appealing to different user groups. For many years, Ubuntu has been the most popular distribution for desktops and laptops.
However, there are many who feel that Ubuntu has lost it's way. As a result, Linux Mint has become the upcoming favorite. Linux Mint endeavors to do everything that Ubuntu does (minus some undesireable parts) and also adds some new useful stuff.
Some desktop managers provide a lot of graphical effects. The XFCE desktop manager bucks this trend and keeps the graphics simple. At the same time, XFCE provides a fair amount of customizability so that you can lay out the screen in the way that suits you. As a result, XFCE has become the favorite desktop manager for people who appreciate this combination.
Power off the computer. Make sure that all disks are removed from your computer, except for the target drive. Insert the thumbdrive with the Linux Mint installation software and boot into it. This is explained in the Linux Mint installation notes. You should come up with a "live" Linux Mint software set. Test that the software works with your hardware. Then continue on to installation to your target disk, as explained in the Linux Mint installation notes.
The installation has a number of options. Avoid encryption unless you truly need it.
For the type of installation,
you may choose the first option "Erase disk and install Linux Mint".
For better longterm convenience, it is better to
choose "Something else" so that you can customize it...
Specifically it is better to have at least the following partitions:
EFI partition: 1GB (1000MB) (used for booting; 1GB is way more than enough).
Type is efi.
Mount point should be /boot/efi .
It should be marked to be formatted.
Root partition: 50GB (50000MB) (typical usage will be about 25GB or less).
Type is ext4.
Mount point should be / .
It should be marked to be formatted.
Swap partition: 40GB (40000MB) (more than enough).
Type is swap.
No mount point.
It should be marked to be formatted.
/home partition: remainder of disk, but not more than the backup media can handle.
Having a separate home partition can greatly ease upgrades should the upgrade require a complete reinstall of system software.
Type is ext4.
Mount point should be /home .
It should be marked to be formatted (for initial installation).
Further on in the installation process, I recommend that you do NOT enable the System Snapshots feature (aka Timeshift). This feature is NOT intended to do backups of your data, only of system files. And it uses a lot of room, typically on the root partition. Instead, I recommend using the MBU backup system.
Following are what I consider to be must have applications. I favor applications that are simple to use, with some exceptions.
firefox (web browser) - installed by default.
I recommend the following configuration changes:
Edit : Settings : General : Startup : Open previous windows and tabs : checked
Right click at top of window, then: Menu bar : checked
chrome (web browser): install from Google. There are times when Chrome works better than Firefox. Using Firefox, do a Google search for "install chrome" and follow the instructions.
atril (PDF file viewer)
Run this via: LM Menu : Office : Atril Document Viewer
I prefer this to evince, the default PDF file viewer.
Configure the toolbar by right clicking on the toolbar, selecting Toolbar, and then dragging icons to or from the popup window.
asunder (extract music files from compact disks)
Run this via: LM Menu: Multimedia : Asunder CD Ripper
Insert CD, wait about ten seconds, ensure information is correct, press RIP button at lower right. CD will be ejected when done.
audacious (play music files that are on your computer)
Run this via: LM Menu : Multimedia : Audacious
To play entire folder: File : (select the folder) : Open
To play single file: File : (select the file)
audacity (audio editing)
Run this via: LM Menu : Multimedia : Audacity
vlc (play audio and movies)
Run this via: LM Menu : Multimedia: VLC Media Player
This is the most capable media player of them all.
gimp (image editing program)
Run this via: LM Menu : Graphics : GNU Image Manipulation Program
This program has quite a learning curve, but is also highly capable.
skanlite (scan images from printer/scanner/copier)
Run this via: LM Menu : Graphics : Skanlite
simple-scan (scan documents from printer/scanner/copier)
Run this via: LM Menu : Graphics : Document Scanner
xfburn (CD/DVD writing tool)
Run this via: LM Menu : Multimedia : Xfburn
zoom (video conferencing) (install from zoom website)
Run this via: LM Menu : Internet : Zoom
meld (file merging tool)
Run this via: LM Menu : Development : Meld
Make at least one and preferably two MBU backups. Test the backup drives to make sure they actually boot and that your home directory files appear to be intact. Then boot the main disk again and redo any backups that were booted so they are clean.
Do a "new" installation of Linux Mint on another drive... or on your main drive if you are feeling confident about your backups. Boot up your new installation. The home directory will be almost empty. Do not start any unnecessary applications!
From here, some more advanced Linux skills are required. Basically the idea is to compare the files in the old home directory with the new home directory, copy over all the missing stuff, and possibly merge some of the (hopefully few) files that are in common. You might want to have a Linux expert do this part.