Sorry if this isn’t the right place to ask this, I couldn’t find a linux-no-stupid-questions community lol.
I’m migrating again to linux, and working on Linux Mint for now to avoid a huge change due to my upcoming program for school soon where I won’t have extra time to fiddle with things. So I’m trying to get everything set up, and download my most used applications, but I’m trying to figure out - should I be downloading the official software if it’s available, or is it better to find a FOSS alternative instead? I plan to go with the apps that come with it like the libre office instead of Microsoft, obviously, but I was looking at Discord and there is what appears to be an official looking option in the software manager app, and below it a FOSS WebCord option. Or, if this one isn’t the official, I could always go to the discord site and get it from them if they have it available.
Does it matter which option I go with? Is it better to go with official software if possible? Or is it better to go with FOSS for more control/privacy?
Please NEVER stop asking questions. As other have said, there really are no stupid questions.
If someone else acts like it’s a stupid question, then it’s their issue and not yours. NOTHING is easy until you understand it. The only way to understand it is to ask questions.
I’ve told numerous folks at work that before they do something if they have a question then let me know, because I’d rather answer a question then spend an hour or more fixing something broken.
I ask a LOT of questions. So many questions that when I first started in IT I had a lead that got used to me being in the office 2 hours before him so he knew I’d have a million questions and before he’d even go to his desk he’d stop by mine and ask if I had questions, which I always did.
Please please please please please ASK QUESTIONS.
I have been in IT for 12 years now, I have been on Linux for 16. Before this post I literally was in another thread and asked about BTRFS. I looked it up and it wasn’t making sense to me, so I asked a question. You can NEVER know EVERYTHING. And when you start to get comfortable that’s when something new comes out or you start digging deeper and have more.
It’s a matter of ideology.
This being said I think for you installing “official” apps via flatpak might be the best compromise. You gets apps that don’t need tinkering with and “just work” while those apps are isolated from the rest of your system via flatpak isolation.
If you are going into a period low fiddle time this might be your best bet ^
That makes sense. I still have windows installed as a backup but I’d really like to get through the program with Linux only. I’ve been going through the software manager first and then on to the official apps from their site if there was no options
Yah. I would strongly recommend https://flathub.org versions of “official” apps over ones you download from the developers sites.
For those people who are new to Linux it’s important to know Linux isn’t like windows. Installing applications from debs or rpms that you get from directly from developers’ sites is often the worst way to install them. Native package managers and flatpak are the ways to go.
A lot of FOSS alternatives are just as good or better than official, but it’s not as simple as just choosing the FOSS alternative always, as there will always be times where the official is better. Best way to find out is to read the GitHub or app description for why the FOSS alternative exists, and if the project has been around long enough to have the features you want.
Be careful with custom Discord clients as I’ve heard they are against TOS. I don’t think people get banned very often for it but it is something to keep in mind. WebCord is based on the browser version so it MIGHT be fine, but I don’t know enough about it.
For discord it will be better to install both official and webcord, in fact I use both, on the official client you have Krisp noise reduction and you don’t risk a ban, but there are downsides to it for example the screensharing on wayland is broken and sometimes you get the annoying window “A new update is available download the .deb on our site” and you can’t use discord for weeks with the official client.
For Discord specifically install the Flatpak option for your distro if you have it.
You can try out WebCord on the side too if you want, you have the freedom to install both.
I love OSS and use all kinds of software extensively, but personally, I’m not the type of person to completely eliminate everything proprietary out of principle. If it genuinely improves my experience, I’ll almost certainly switch. Otherwise it’s a toss-up
I would transition to Linux slowly and use the official apps at first. Try it for a semester to keep things stable and simple, and then next semester you can gradually replace a few apps with FOSS alternatives and evaluate how well they work.
