Part One: Summary

If you have never heard of Linux before, or need a refresher on its rich history, simply view the paragraph below. (You will thank me later. 👍)

A Brief History Of Linux

Hello there, you open source beginner you!

Linux in the beginning was a simple project of a man named Linus Torvalds in his college days. His goal was to create a operating system kernel giving power to the user similar in many ways to a proprietary operating system known as Unix, owned by AT&T, a popular phone and internet company, But for free to the public like another FOSS (Free and Open Source Software) operating system known as Minix or Mini-Unix.

You might be asking to yourself or scrolling trough Wikipedia right now thinking, what is a kernel? Well, in simple terms, A kernel is what lies underneath all your graphical applications and on top of your hardware. It is the middle man that lets your hardware interact with your software, making your computer run your favorite applications. The kernel combined with your applications, and a desktop environment, makes your operating system an operating system.

As he started showing this project to more and more people, they all had opinions and suggestions for this budding kernel that helped him improve upon it. This kernel was going places. He took the advice of others and worked hard until it was ready for the first release.

Finally, in 1991, the source code for the first version of the Linux kernel was released to the public and later adopted in 1992 as one of the biggest members of the GNU Project, with software such as Git later on and the Bash Shell.

Since then, Linux has been employed in many ways.

Linux is the chosen operating system of programmers. Linux the most used operating system on internet servers. Linux is the base of Android, the most popular operating system on mobile devices. And even vending machines and smart TVs run on Linux.

More About Linus

github.com/torvalds

Part Two: Linux Distributions, and Finding One For You

What is a Linux Distribution?

At this point you are probably wondering; "What is a Linux distribution? Where do I get one?" We will get to all of this in this section.

As you know, Linux is simply a kernel. You cannot run anything on just a kernel. You need your software, your desktop, all of that other stuff! But where do you get that? One of the best ways is to download a Linux distribution.

A Linux distribution is an operating system running the Linux kernel underneath the graphical world you know. Linux is open source, meaning anyone can use this kernel and modify it however they like to make something of their own. Because of this, companies, organizations, and even you can use this to make an operating system of your own with the kernel. A Linux distribution.

Where Do I Get One? Which One Do I Pick?

Now that you know what a Linux distribution, or Distro as known by more experienced Linux users is, where do you get one? Like many things today, you turn to the internet!

Every distro today can be found on its website for download, and they all have a lot to offer for different people and use cases. But which one should you get? Lets list a few of the most popular and most used distros of all time.

• Debian
• Ubuntu
• Linux Mint
• Fedora Linux
• Arch Linux
• Manjaro Linux

These are but a handful, and as you will soon find, there are a lot of them. And there are thousands more made by millions of people like you passionate about open source and power to the user.

Lets dive into each of these distros, and see which one is right for you!

Debian

Debian is one of, if not one of the most popular distros of all time.

Debian was released in 1993, only two years after Linux was released for the public to contribute, Making it the granddaddy of almost all Linux distributions, seeing as most are based on Debian, due to its incredible stability a reliability. It is a great choice for beginners, due to almost having to fix problems with your system.

You can download the latest and older versions of Debian at debian.org

Ubuntu

Ubuntu is a very popular distro based on debian, used by many people. It is a very beginner friendly distribution, due to its simple installation and user interface.

Ubuntu was released in 2004 and is named after an African ideology focusing on social allegiances and relations with the community, quite like the open source philosophy. It is based on Debian, which makes it a very stable distribution, hence beginner friendly.

Ubuntu can be downloaded at ubuntu.com

Linux Mint

Linux mint is an extremely popular Linux distribution base on Ubuntu, based on Debian. Debian is truly everywhere.

Linux Mint was released in 2006 and is designed to rival Windows and MacOS in favor of Linux, with its Windows like desktop and software menu it is a great distribution for beginners.

Linux Mint can be downloaded at linuxmint.com

Fedora Linux

Designed by Red Hat, Fedora Linux is a minimalist, developer oriented distribution designed with user productivity in mind; The favorite distribution of Linus himself.

Fedora Linux was once known as Fedora Core, was renamed to Fedora as of Core 7. It is based off of Red Hat Linux, A popular distribution most used by large companies.

Fedora can be downloaded at getfedora.org

Arch Linux

Arch Linux is a minimalist, rolling release distribution geared towards more experienced Linux users.

Arch Linux was released in 2006 and is one of the most popular distributions to date. It would be wise to not try this distribution if you are a Linux beginner. It is one of the hardest distributions to install. Due to having no official graphical installer, all installation is done through a terminal emulator at the users own risk. (No pressure.)

Due to the low amount of base packages, a full Arch system can be a fast and lightweight distribution.

Arch Linux can be downloaded at archlinux.org

Manjaro Linux

Manjaro Linux is a Arch based distribution geared toward making Arch Linux more accessible for beginners and advanced users alike.

Manjaro was released in 2010 and is a great option if you want Arch but none of the beginner adverse setbacks. Manjaro is very feature rich and customizable. This is the distribution that I use as of writing this article.

Manjaro Linux can be downloaded at manjaro.org

Part Three: Installation Methods

There are many was in which you can install Linux. There is never just one way to go about anything, and there are a lot of amazing options in which I will walk you through in this section of the article.

Before we walk through the installation process, you need to think about how you want to go about it. Here are some of the most popular ways.

1. Clean Installation

A clean install is a process in which your computer is wiped entirely and Linux is freshly installed.

If you plan on ditching your current operating system, this could be for you. If you just want to get your feet wet and avoid deleting your current operating system, you do not want to install Linux in this way.

2. Dual Booting

Dual booting is a method in which you keep some of your computers disk space for another operating system, allowing you to switch between the two, or even more, with ease. A more technical term for this process would be creating multiple partitions, as you are splitting your disk storage between operating systems.

If you want to keep your current operating system, or just want a fallback in case problems occur with another operating system.

3. External Booting

External booting is the process of booting an operating system from a external storage device, such as a disc or even a USB dongle. With this method, you could safely use your Linux installation on any computer or laptop you plug your device into during boot time. But to achieve this, you need to do some tweaking, making this not ideal for beginners.

This method would be best if you are always on the move, or need your software and files but often have no computer handy.

Part Four: Installation (The Good Stuff)

So, now that you have picked your installation method, it is time to get to work!

Creating System Partitions (For Dual Booting)

If you chose dual booting as your installation option, then you need to make a separate partition. A partition is a segment of your computer storage's memory reserved for a specific operating system. We will need to create one for Linux.

Creating A New Partition (Windows)

To create a separate partition, follow these instructions.

1. Press you Windows key to enter your search menu
2. Type 'Disk Management' into search
3. Select your main drive, OS C:
4. Click the actions tab in the toolbar
5. Select shrink partition. Depending on how much storage you want to give to Linux, you can shrink your C: drive by any amount you want. But I recommend no more than half of the drive and no less than 10GB.

Downloading A Distibution

Pick Your Distribution

If you have not already, now would be a good time to download a distibution.

It does not have to be one above, but if you are a beginner I would stick to one of these novice options. Do not be put off by these beginner distros though. Albeit geared toward beginners, these distros will give you the tools you need to do anything you want!

Once you have picked a distribution, you can follow the steps below For tutorial purposes, I will use Ubuntu as an example for installation.

What You Will Need

To install a Linux distribution on your chosen device, you will need these things:

1. Head To Your Chosen Distributions Website

The first thing that you want to do after reaching your website is to download the latest version of the distribution. The download option will be right out in the open, as seen in the top left corner in Ubuntu's case.

2. Download The Distribution

Once the download prompt appears, you will see that the distribution files will be in the .iso format this is the most popular format for operating system files.

Simply start the download process and sit back for a bit, it could take a while. Depending on your internet speed, it could take up to an hour. Most distribution installers are about 3GB in size. Once that is finished, head to the next step.

3. Creating Installation Media (Downloading Burner Software)

Burner software is an application that handles placing installation files, or burning them, onto your storage device. This creates what is called installation media. I recommend using Balena Etcher. You can download it from here balena.io/etcher. It is open source software, so it will be free to download. (I'm not going to make you have to buy anything in this tutorial. 😉)

Another popular application is Rufus. However, this software is only compatible with Windows, so Etcher is your best bet if you are on a Macintosh or something else.

The next thing you want to do is open your burner software. I will use Etcher as an example.

Grab your storage device and insert it into your computer through the USB port. You will want to select Flash from file as your burn option, and then select your file.

What you will want to do next is select your device in which you want to burn the ISO file to. Make sure you select the correct device when choosing. I choose my USB stick, but it applies to whatever you chose. (I have already installed Manjaro on it, so don't be confused by the name of my USB stick.)

All you need to do next is click Flash! and it will start the burning for you. It will only take about one minute to finish this process.

Installing Linux On Your Device

Alright, please attempt to contain your excitement. (If you are like me, your attempt was futile.) It is time to install Linux!

What Is Your BIOS?

First, you need to restart you computer and enter your BIOS settings. But first, what is BIOS?

BIOS ("by-oss") stands for Basic Input and Output System. It is a system that tells your computer how to boot. Your BIOS settings can be configured by the user to change the way your computer boots, toggle security features, and change the computers date and time. This can be managed through your BIOS Setup Utility, which is software to manage these settings made by your CPU manufacturer. The way to access this software is by spamming your BIOS entry key at boot time. This could be any key on your keyboard, but is almost always F2 or F12.

So now that we have that aside, its time to enter your BIOS settings. Just restart your computer and spam F2 or F12. If none of those keys work, you can find the key either online on your CPU manufacturer's website or in your computer's manual if you have it on you.

Before you go wild, you need to be careful. BIOS settings are very powerful, If you toggle some wrong options or mess with the wrong items, you can put your computers health and security at risk. So follow my instructions closely, and nothing could go wrong.

(I would have added pictures, but this step varies so much between computer hardware that pictures would not be applicable for most people.)

Into The Belly Of The Beast (BIOS Settings)

Now that you are in your BIOS, you need to turn off a setting called secure boot. What is that?

Secure boot is a boot protocol that keeps your computer safe from hackers placing a malicious USB into your computer and using the BIOS settings to boot the USB to gain access to your operating system. It achieves this by making a list of operating systems the computer is allowed to boot.

Now I know that sounds like something you would want to keep, but unfortunately, most Linux distributions are not on the secure boot list. This is mostly because the list is comprised of only the most popular operating systems, Including Windows, MacOS, and thankfully Ubuntu. So if you chose Ubuntu, you do not have to follow this step. The thing is though, is that it is actually not a necessary feature if you have a BIOS Utility password. If it is a secure and complex password, a hacker could not get into the BIOS in the first place, making secure boot unnecessary. You can find the setting to toggle it off under either BOOT or SECURITY depending on your BIOS software.

Once that is taken care of, you need to change your computers boot order. Your boot order is a list in your BIOS that tells your computer what storage devices when and if they can boot. The device at the top of the list will always be your main storage drive.

The point of changing the boot order is to put your storage device with your Linux distribution installer on the top of the list, allowing your computer to boot the device to install Linux on your computer. To change the boot order, you need to find the list. It is almost always on the main page in your BIOS. But if you cannot find it there, try looking under BOOT or SECURITY. Once you find it, put your Linux device on top of the list, and exit your BIOS. Make sure that secure boot is off before you leave if you did not choose Ubuntu, or you will be met with a invalid boot option error, and will boot back into your regular operating system.

If all went well, you are on the Linux installation screen! Well done! You deserve some applause!

I hope you enjoyed this article and I will see you another time. Thank you for your time!