I'm about finished with the terribleness that is Windows 8.1 and am so ready to strip my computer of its license, and instead of reverting back to Windows 7 I dedicated that it might be a good idea to move onto Linux. The reason I have been neglecting doing it earlier is because I haven't the slightest idea where to begin. While I was on campus yesterday waiting for class to start I went to the Linux Foundation website and was dumbfounded by the sheer magnitude of it. I know many people use and enjoy Linux with out issues and without looking back, but I just wondering if there is any preliminary information that I should be aware of before I decide to move forward with it.
I would recommend getting the basics of making CLI commands, it might help you improve your experience with *nix
@avacadoBread
Moving from Windows to Linux may be intimidating at first, but will definitely be worth the time if you're willing to put in the effort to make the change.
Looking at your pc-specs in your profile, you have an ideal setup for linux. Both your CPU and Mobo support VT-d/Directed I/O. This gives you a lot of nice options for virtualization - DMA/Interrupt remapping and I/O device assignment. In other words; with your current hardware you can assign a virtual machine direct access to a PCI device. As such, said PCI device could be a graphics card, a SATA controller, or a USB host etc.
More info on the benefits of virtualization can be found in Zoltans' thread "What if I want everything?"
While you're starting out I wouldn't recommend using any Linux distros that need an accompanying beginners guide just to install. The reason being, and depending on your security/networking and policy needs there often won't be any "hold your hand style documentation" for securing your desktop unless you know what to secure in the first place.
I would start out with some solid distros like Mint, Debian, Fedora, or OpenSUSE just to get a taste and then fire up whatever tickles your fancy in a VM.
While I am not a fan of the newer iterations of Ubuntu, I would suggest it to new linux users. Ubuntu holds your hand more so than just about any other distribution. So if you want something that "just works", but isn't Windows or Mac, then Ubuntu Linux may be for you. I personally prefer OpenSuse. Furthermore, an application called PlayOnLinux is your friend.
Imma have to try all of these. While the idea of something that "just works" is great I would really love to learn to work fluently with whatever OS I choose. With that said I will have to do my homework on these recommendations. Def something that I'll be on after tonight events.
Start slow! Many people are fascinated by the extra things you can do with linux that you can't do with Windows, and the reason why so many tech nerds use linux is because you can do cool stuff with it that you can't do with Windows or other locked in software consoles. But just start by doing the same things that you would do with Windows, find out what applications you like most. There is so much choice in open source and linux, and there is no experienced linux user that has the same install as another one, in linux every system ends up completely unique and user custom, so take your time to let it all seep in, just enjoy the open source experience and the added performance and power.
I would suggest starting off with Ubuntu considering that it nearly installs itself but still retains the unlocked features of most other linux distros, and it is a bit more forgiving if you mess something up. Play around with it a bit then try out a few other distros and find one you like. Linux can be modded and changed to suite your taste, so it is worth learning.
You may even want to play around in a virtual machine first before dedicating to a Hard install. This will give you a safety net so to speak.
That idea comes highly recommended
Even just play around with live CD's to get your head around it, speaking from experience it'll give you a taste of the look and feel of each flavour, it took me a while to shake off the Windows "muscle memory" and won't Bork your system like a full install will in the rare case of things going sideways, so you get close to full capacity of what it can do but the reassurance of the safety net as ProSonicLive mentioned