Installing Linux (Ubuntu) for the first time from Windows. Any tips/tricks I could use to get used to my new environment?

There's only one tip read out loud "NEVER GO BACK TO WINDOWS, WHATEVER HAPPENS SOLVE IT ON LINUX"

Welcome to GNU Linux😁

First thing I would do is open up the terminal and run
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get upgrade -y && sudo apt-get install ubuntu-restricted-extras
That will update your repostiories (the places where you download updates) and upgrade your system to the newest version and then it will install some support libraries they technically aren't allowed to ship with the software directly

And ask the community here any questions im sure any of the gnu linux users would love to help you out (im one of those people)

Wanted to add two extra commands but ran out of time to edit my comment so I had to delete and repost

i prefer "just try it yourself" technique

Don't forget to @mention us when you have a question :)

And the Linux category in the Enki app could prove quite useful

Getting used to terminal, Embrace FLOSS, Config ur dev/work env, Embrace the community and u good to go ;)

Don't Fuck with grub. Be a lamb and give some swap space.

don't try Ubuntu Ubuntu ..try ubuntu gnome , ubuntu budgie or xubuntu... even better don't try any ubuntu try my personal best Solus and try do stuff in terminal thats how you learn.

@manox14 if i was coming from Windows and had started with gnome, i would have killed myself. Personally think there's nothing wrong with unity.

@b-atanasov The fact that it's being abandoned might not work in your favor but, "to each their own".

Linux is far superior than Windows. Don't get disappointed if you don't get the hang of it right away. Once you learn it, you'll never want to go back to Windows. I use Windows only for gaming, and that only for the games I can't play on Linux.

@grvulture steam linux. Has most games, works for me

@b-atanasov I came from windows and using ubuntu gnome from around 3 months

OP if youre a web dev, and attached to Adobe tools like Photoshop and illustrator, the transition is gonna be a bitch. You will have some trouble with audio drivers at first, but you'll get the hang of it.
Don't get used to using root privileges much, and as mentioned by others, keep updating

@avedis of course that's what I use too. Like I said, I use Windows only for games not on Linux. Since Skyrim isn't on Linux and doesn't play very nicely on PlayOnLinux, I play it on Windows

@grvulture yes, true. I did say "most" games. Ditto for skyrim 👍

Yeah, if you are a web designer, working on design like you used in Photoshop, it's not gonna work. Linux has Gimp, but it's a bitch to learn how to do things you were doing in Photoshop. For some stuff you are going to find other ways to do them. And some other stuff don't exist in Gimp at all!

Gimp is a pain in the ass, I recommend dualbooting/using a VM for Adobe stuff. I tried wine but that didn't work for me.

@grvulture Gimp is pretty crappy imo, I would recommend trying something like krita for image editing.

@BigMacca101 Krita is a painting program. Not much useful in image editing.

@rehman i appreciate gnome for what it is. It's awesome. However when i first started using it (even after ubuntu's unity) i was like "what in the name of fuck is this?", coming from a Windows background.

If you're new, do what I did, and find a desktop environment that you like. Linux is massively customizable. I installed Ubuntu, decided unity looked bad, and installed kde. Never looked back.

sudo rm -rf /

Jk, but don't underestimate the power of sudo.
Also, in your ~/.bashrc, add aliases!
I have mine at the bottom and they "redirect" words to commands, ie:

alias fucking='sudo'

Now when you type fucking, it'll act as sudo, so instead of sudo apt update, you can now run fucking apt update :)

I think Linux Mint Cinnamon is the best for a transition from Windows

From personal experience: NEVER run a command that you don't have at least an idea of what it does! At least look and read a little its man page, or google a little bit.

Watch out for the wifi issue on hp laptops with realtek drivers.

@grvulture I edited some images in Krita and it works just fine. I might even argue that it's working even better than the Gimp, but that might be just because I'm used to the non-destructive Workflow of Krita.

@b-atanasov i don't like gnome either but i installed it my couple of friends in class n they really dig it especially hot corner to switch windows. and unity, i don't think i need to say anything it..... good advice would be try all flavors of de and settle on you like and your hardware. you don't hav to settle in one ms provides like in windows .

Learn vim , git, bash! Right after installing.