Hello Billy, yes, it is perfectly possible to run Ubuntu and Windows in parallel, back in the time when I was beginning with Linux, this was my goto strategy, as I wanted to have a working backup Windows system in case I needed anything. Originally I wanted to try Linux just for a month, a little while back, the third year of my one month trial period has passed. :D In the end, I booted the Windows instance like once or twice when I needed to compile some programs for Windows users, so I eventually deleted it, as a VM has been more than enough to satisfy my needs. Though, if you do have things you can do only from Windows, then having a real windows installation is something I definitely recommend, doing any serious work in a VM is rather inconvenient. I see many recommendations in this thread regarding terminals, console environments etc. My personal, subjective advice though, would be to just go with a standard GUI system like Ubuntu Mate. Linux is an indefinitely flexible system, unlike Windows or MacOS, which you see in one consistent, ubiquitous form, you will see Linux developed and distributed in countless shapes, forms and variations. As you may already know, the term Linux in fact doesn't name the whole operating system, Linux is just an OS kernel developed by Linus Torvalds, but while this component is crucial and very complex part of an OS, a complete system embraces far more than that, kernel is something you actually don't even get to see as an user, because everything you communicate with (the desktop environment, mouse, keyboard, audio, etc.) are just additions on top of this core element. I like to use an analogy of Linux kernel being an organic heart. Heart is a crucial part for every animal, but it's not the only-one and in-fact, you usually won't even get to see the heart of a living creature, what you see and interact with are body, limbs, some humans have brains, etc. It's similar with Linux. Developers take the core, surround it with software, shell and functionality they want, and release the package as something you can install on your hardware (computer, mobile phone etc.) That's why it's called linux distribution. And it's also the source of the flexibility. You will see distributions reminding Windows / mac, not in graphical design, but in the philosophy of a full-GUI system. But there are also distributions without GUI, that use just terminal, there are distributions you can access only remotely through a web browser, there are distributions specialized for running on USB keys, in sandboxes, in computational clusters etc. etc. etc. This ecosystem is something you'll likely as a member of Linux community get to love after some time. However, making use of it requires some knowledge I myself did not have when coming to the open platform, so while I did have an idea what is it capable of, even as a developer, I was by no means prepared to handle the full power of the Linux world. A stable GUI system provides more than enough opportunities for one to familiarize themselves with the concepts of Linux terminal, filesystem, package management, individual components that make up the OS, everything at a calm pace and, importantly, on a route where nothing breaks, and most of the things don't require reading through a pile of books and manpages (man is a short version of manual, in case you wondered) to setup. That's just my personal take Best regards Rastislav Dňa 5. 10. 2023 o 8:53 Linux for blind general discussion napísal(a): > Hi Rastislav, This is so helpful indeed and the linkswill come in really handy. Is it possible for me to tun Linux with windows on the same computer system?, Billy > > Sent from Mail for Windows > > From: Linux for blind general discussion > Sent: 04 October 2023 16:10 > To: blinux-list@xxxxxxxxxx > Subject: Re: Intro. > > Hello, > > since you're new to Linux, I would recommend going with Ubuntu Mate. It > will provide you with the most stable while still uptodate experience, > so you can fully focus on discovering the open platform. > > Though, I would recommend to wait a week, Ubuntu 23.10 is scheduled to > be released on 12th October, shipping the latest atspi packages and > other things. > > > If this is the choice you decide to take, you may also be interested in > some of my related projects, namely: > > https://github.com/RastislavKish/umai > > > for setting up accessibility on UM, > > https://github.com/RastislavKish/mlock > > > for fixing one annoying bug with focus if it appears on your machine, and: > > https://github.com/RastislavKish/mtg > > > for turning off your monitor. > > > Regarding umai and support for UM 23.10, it should be prepared by the > date of the distro's release, see the project's readme for an uptodate > list of supported UM versions. > > > Have a lot of fun, and the best experience! > > > Best regards > > > Rastislav > > > Dňa 4. 10. 2023 o 13:18 Linux for blind general discussion napísal(a): >> Hi guys, so glad to be joining this group. I know nothing about Linux platform but would like to try Linux for myself. The problem is I wouldn’t know which version to try out first and that is one reason for joining this group. I am a blind pensioner living in Scotland UK. IF you could provide me with help/advice on which version of Linux would be best for me I would appreciate it indeed, Billy >> >> Sent from Mail for Windows >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Blinux-list mailing list >> Blinux-list@xxxxxxxxxx >> https://listman.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/blinux-list > _______________________________________________ > Blinux-list mailing list > Blinux-list@xxxxxxxxxx > https://listman.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/blinux-list > > _______________________________________________ > Blinux-list mailing list > Blinux-list@xxxxxxxxxx > https://listman.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/blinux-list _______________________________________________ Blinux-list mailing list Blinux-list@xxxxxxxxxx https://listman.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/blinux-list