How to be good at linux

1,556	уникальных посетителей
125	добавили в избранное

This guide is only for Arch and Ubuntu. Any derivatives like Manjaro, Mint, PopOS, etc should also work.

If your Distro is not here, you run into any problems or have any more additions to this guide, Leave a comment and I will add it. Any help is more than welcome 🙂

If you are not a Linux user, check out my other guide on How to choose the right Distro Install it and then come back to optimize it for gaming 🙂

Multilib is required by Steam, So if you are running Steam you can skip this step, If you can not find Steam in your repositories this is your issue.

Having the right GPU drivers is imporant, else games won’t run properly.

If you have a GTX9xx or newer you need driver version 430. If you have a GTX 8xx or lower you need driver version 418 and if you have a GTX5xx or lower you need driver version 390. Pick the right driver version. If you even have an older card, manually check which driver you need: https://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx?lang=en-us

If you have an AMD card you just need the newest version.

If you use Gnome or GDM you might need to disable Wayland, This is not always the case, But I include it here just in case, If your System won’t reboot you can try this

Installing the newest kernel is generally the easiest kernel switch, There are other kernels available, I will include them later.

To install the newest kernel

This is the default in Arch, no need to do anything, the newest kernel will be present.

Now ukuu is installed, in this program you can select the newest stable kernel click install and when you reboot the new kernel is used. Do not remove your old kernel. If anything goes wrong you can select which kernel to boot in the grub screen at startup and remove the kernel that gives you trouble.

Gamemode [github.com] puts all your hardware in performance mode, it fixes some common problems and it just sounds cool 😛

Nvidia users might want to enable all options listed here to improve performance in games

Force Full Composition Pipeline avoids screen tearing by letting the GPU do all the scaling.
Triple Buffer avoids stuttering gameplay It allows for a stream of data instead of chunks of data.
IndirectGLXProtocol forces the game to directly communicate with the Nvidia drivers.
Coolbits enables your card to be overclocked which gamemode will make use of.

Try this one with risk, It will be sure to crash GNOME, I am not sure about other DEs

just add it to the end of the file

If you run into any problems, just hit CTRL ALT F3 to switch to a different tty login, run the command to edit the file again and put a # in front of the options that are giving you trouble and reboot

Alternatively you can just completely remove the file with the following command and reboot

Try this one with risk, It will be sure to crash GNOME, I am not sure about other DEs

just add it to the end of the file

Alternatively you can just completely remove the file with the following command

Libstrangle [gitlab.com] is a tool that helps you control framerates but also vsync settings. This is especially handy for games that do not support these features, You would like to half your framerate to make it run better save some power or just give your hardware a break.

If you run Arch it will be in the AUR, for other distros you have to run the following commands

Libstrangle can be used in multiple ways depending on what you want to achieve.

To use libstrangle you can simply type strangle and then the amount of frames you want to run. There are some examples below, But the features you will probably use are Vsync which you use by using the -v option, the rules for OpenGL and Vulkan are different, Here is what each number does for the different apis.

OpenGL 0 Force off, 1 Force on, n — Sync to refresh rate
Vulkan 0 Force off, 1 Mailbox mode, 2 Traditional vsync, 3 Adaptive vsync

You can also limit the game depending on the power state of your device, Set it to 60 while charging and on 30 while discharging for example. You do this by adding a second number right after a colon. in example, strangle 60:30. There are more features but they are not that commonly used, you can check the gitlab link above or simply type strangle -h for more information.

To limit the framerate of supertuxkart to 30 simply run

To Force enable vsync on 60 fps for an OpenGL Steam game set the launch option to

To set the framerate of a vulkan game on Steam to 120 fps but 60 on battery power with adaptive vsync set this as your launch command

Mangohud [github.com] is a monitoring tool for Vulkan and OpenGL applications. It can show CPU and GPU usage, temps, But also framerates, frametimes and a lot more.

If you are on Arch you can find it in the AUR, If you are on Fedora you can find it in your repos.

For other distros execute the following commands.

To configure it with a GUI you can check out GOverlay below. For a manual configuration you can edit

If you want exactly my configuration you can just copy this into it without the need for GOverlay.

You can tweak all the little things you want here. You can also create different configurations per game by adding a MangoHud.conf file to the game directory.

To use it for any game change its launch option to

To use it with non Steam games use the following command

Some games might need the 32 bit version, try this if the normal command fails.

VKBasalt [github.com] is a post processing layer for Vulkan which enables you to enhance graphics further. It only works with Vulkan, This includes all Proton games.

If you are on Arch, it will be in the AUR, Just look for Basalt using your package manager.

If you are on a different distro you need to manually build it.

/.config/vkBasalt && cp /usr/share/vkBasalt/vkBasalt.conf.example

You can tweak all the little things you want here. You can also create different configurations per game by adding a vkBasalt.conf file to the game directory.

To use VKBasalt for any particular game enter this as a launch option.

You can also start non Steam games this way by typing the following command

GOverlay [github.com] is a Graphical User Interface for managing MangoHud and VKBasalt

If you are on a Arch based distro you can find it in the AUR, just install it with your favorite package manager. You can also find it in your repos if you are on Fedora.

Читайте также: Books and broken windows

If you are on a different Linux distro you can install it manually.

First install Lazarus and git with your package manager, it should be in your repositories, and maybe it is already installed. I will list the installation method for Debian based systems, change the first command if you are on a different distro.

xpad works great, is the default on modern Linux distros and supports a wide range of controllers, But if you are like me and you only Xbox One controllers then using xpadneo is much better.

For Bluetooth to work with xpad and the Xbox One controllers you need to disable ertm (This is not needed for xpadneo)

create the config file

Add the following line to the document and save and exit with CTRL + X.

xpadneo [atar-axis.github.io] supports Xbox One controllers wired and over bluetooth, It enables Force Feedback even the vibration inside the triggers, It supports battery level indication, It also fixes the mapping in many many games that where previously unplayable with a Xbox One controller on Linux.

Your Linux distribution should now be optimized for gaming, Have fun 🙂

If you have run into any problems, Have any suggestions or additions or you are missing your favorite distro, Please let me know, and i will do my best make this guide complete.

Источник

A Beginners Guide to Linux

Linux offers a different take on desktop computing than Windows and macOS

The Linux operating system offers a rich mix of features and security that make it a great free and (mostly) open-source alternative to macOS and Microsoft Windows. Because it’s different «under the hood,» consider some of the big-picture aspects of Linux and how it compares to the other desktop operating systems before you take the plunge.

What Is Linux?

Linux powers a variety of computer systems from light bulbs to guns, laptops to large computer centers. Linux powers everything from your phone to your smart refrigerator.

In desktop computing, Linux provides an alternative to commercial operating systems such as Windows and macOS.

Linux sources from some of the earliest computer operating systems from the 1960s and 1970s, and so it retains its root philosophies of strong user-level security, customization, and system stability.

Why Use Linux Instead of Windows or macOS?

There are many reasons why you would use Linux instead of Windows or macOS and here are just a few of them:

Which Linux Distribution Should You Use?

The Linux kernel is like an engine. A distribution is an actual vehicle that houses the engine.

So which Linux distribution should you choose? Linux supports several hundred distributions, each optimized for some specific use case:

Linux Mint: Requires low computer expertise, easy to install, easy to use and has a familiar-looking desktop for Windows users.
Debian: For those seeking a truly free Linux distribution with no proprietary drivers, firmware or software, then Debian is for you.
Ubuntu: A modern Linux distribution that is easy to install and easy to use.
openSUSE: A stable and powerful Linux distribution. Not as easy to install as Mint and Ubuntu but a good alternative nonetheless.
Fedora: The most up-to-date Linux distribution with all new concepts incorporated at the earliest possible opportunity.
Mageia: Rose from the ashes of the formerly great Mandriva Linux. Easy to install and easy to use.
CentOS: As with Fedora, CentOS is based on the commercial Linux distribution, Red Hat Linux. Unlike Fedora, it is built for stability.
Manjaro: Based on Arch Linux, Manjaro provides a great balance between ease of use and up to date software.
LXLE: Based on the lightweight Lubuntu distribution this provides a fully-featured Linux distribution for older hardware.
Arch: A rolling release distribution, meaning that you don’t have to install new versions of the operating system at any point because it updates itself. More difficult for the new user to get to grips with but very powerful.
Elementary: Linux for people who like a Mac-style interface.

How to Run Linux From a DVD or USB

A live Linux DVD or USB lets you run Linux without installing it to your hard drive. This basically lets you test drive Linux before committing to it and is also good for the occasional user.

Most distributions use a live loader to both test and install the distribution. Ubuntu Linux, a common choice for new Linux hobbyists, offers an excellent live environment.

How to Install Linux

Each Linux distribution relies upon a different installer, which is a program that guides you through configuring Linux. In most cases, you’re free to install Linux as the new operating system on a computer or as a separate OS that doesn’t overwrite Windows.

What Is a Desktop Environment?

A display manager logs you in while a window manager governs windows, panel, menus, dash interfaces and core applications. Many of these items are bundled together to make a desktop environment.

Some Linux distributions ship with just one desktop environment (although others are available in the software repositories), while others offer different versions of the distribution fine-tuned for different desktop environments.

Common desktop environments include Cinnamon, GNOME, Unity, KDE, Enlightenment, XFCE, LXDE and MATE.

Cinnamon is a more conventional desktop environment that looks much like Windows 7, with a panel at the bottom, a menu, system tray icons, and quick launch icons.

GNOME and Unity are fairly similar. They are modern desktop environments that use the concept of launcher icons and a dashboard-style display for picking applications. There are also core applications that integrate well with the overall theme of the desktop environment.

KDE is a classic-style desktop environment with many custom features and a core set of applications that are all highly customizable.

Enlightenment, XFCE, LXDE, and MATE are lightweight desktop environments with panels and menus.

Are There Any Decent Office Suites for Linux?

For personal use and for small- to medium-sized businesses, LibreOffice presents a strong alternative to Microsoft Office, for free.

LibreOffice comes with a word processor with the majority of the features you expect from a word processor. It also features a decent spreadsheet tool that is full-featured and includes a basic programming engine, although it isn’t compatible with Excel VBA.

Other tools include the presentation, maths, database, and drawing packages which are all good.

How to Install Software Using Linux

Linux does not install software the same way that Windows does. A package manager accesses repositories that archive various software applications that work on a given distribution. The package management tool provides a mechanism to search for software, install software, keep the software up to date, and remove the software.

Each distribution provides its own graphical tool. There are common command-line tools used by many different distributions.

For example, Ubuntu, Linux Mint, and Debian all use the apt-get package manager. Fedora and CentOS use the yum package manager. Arch and Manjaro use Pacman.

The Linux Command Line

Given its long heritage and the diversity of approach of modern desktop environments, a lot of Linux still works from a shell session. In the macOS world, these sessions are called the terminal; in Windows, the Command Prompt.

Although the graphical user interface of modern Linux DEs can do just about everything, much online education about Linux relies on the shell because it’s not tied to the peculiarities of a given distribution or window manager. People new to Linux can get away with rarely or never working from the shell, but people who grow to love Linux often go to the shell first because of how easy it is to type one command instead of clicking through many different menus.

Источник