Getting Help for Linux

If you’re a newcomer to Linux, or you are considering making the move to Linux, one question you’ll most certainly ask is, “Is there help for Linux?” Other questions might be, “how good is Linux help,” and, “How can I get help for Linux?”

The answers to those questions are, yes, excellent, and that’s what this article is about.

I typically recommend Fedora and Linux Mint for new users and especially for anyone migrating to Linux from Windows, so I’ll cover those two distributions in this article. Most distributions have excellent documentation as does most of the open source software available to run on Linux. But these are the two I know the best so they’re the ones I’ll cover.

The Fedora Project Docs page is the starting point for all of Fedora’s documentation. Linux Mint also has a Documentation page that, while structured much more simply, also provides documentation that’s more than sufficient for beginners and experienced users. Fedora’s documentation is available in over 60 languages, and while Linux Mint supports over 100 languages, their web page for translations says that not all languages are fully supported yet. Both distros are recruiting translators to help.

I think the Linux Mint documentation is less complex and easier to navigate because they have fewer options than Fedora. Linux Mint has three Editions to choose from, while Fedora has six Editions, five Atomic desktops, a “multitude” of spins and labs, as well as ARM and MAC images. The maze of links on the Fedora documentation page might be impenetrable unless you already know where you’re going but I’ll show you the secret doors.

Installation

Unless you have a Linux geek for a friend who’ll do it for you, the first thing you’re going to do is install Linux on your computer. You’ll need to know how to download the Linux images from the Internet, create a bootable USB memory stick with them, and use that to install the distro you’ve chosen onto your computer.

Fedora

The Fedora Getting Started documentation that covers downloading and copying any of the several ISO images to a USB memory stick is quite good and offers at least a couple options for performing some of the steps involved. However, there’s not a single word in any of the Fedora documentation I can find about how to actually perform an installation.

Fortunately the Fedora installation is easy, and Jim Hall, one of our editors and a frequent contributor to Both.org has written an excellent article about how to install the Fedora Xfce spin, which is what I usually recommend to people moving to Fedora. These instructions will also work for the other spins and most of the Fedora Editions.

The Fedora 43 installation has been simplified to be as easy as the Linux Mint installation. It’s now a matter of a few sequential steps that require some easy choices and a bit of data entry. Once that’s done, the installation quickly proceeds through completion. Each of those steps is self-documenting on-screen, so there’s really no need for additional documentation. Jim’s article gives an excellent preview of what you’ll need to do and the choices you can make. For most new Linux users it’s all about taking the defaults and entering a passphrase if you choose to encrypt your storage drive.

Linux Mint

The Linux Mint Installation Guide is a complete guide to getting started, including choosing which of the three Editions works best for you. The primary difference is the desktop, Cinnamon, Mate, or Xfce. You can read the Installation guide to determine the differences.

The Guide also guides you through downloading the ISO image, creating a bootable Live USB drive with the ISO, and performing the installation. It also covers subjects like multi-booting with other operating systems, installing the notorious NVIDIA video drivers, multimedia codecs, creating system snapshots, disk partitioning, and more.

I suggest you read the entire document before performing the installation, so you’ll know what to expect before you start.

Like all of the Linux Mint documents, the Installation Guide is available in HTML for on-line viewing, and PDF and ePUB for download.

Applications

All of the open source applications you’ll be likely to use have excellent documentation, either as part of the application or on-line. I’ve used this documentation frequently and have usually found an answer to my questions.

You can usually press the F1 key to view the documentation, or use the Help item on the app’s menu bar. Some applications, like LibreOffice, even have printed documentation which costs money but is very reasonable. The same documentation is also available in PDF for free downloading.

When the documentation doesn’t have the information I need, I can go on-line to it’s web site. Most Linux distributions and open source applications have a web site where you can ask questions or join a list where you can participate in discussions and ask questions.

Final thoughts

I find the Linux Mint documentation easy to navigate and well-done. It’s clear and concise, with everything a new user needs to know. The Installation guide does provide some advanced information but it’s all aimed at helping new users get started.

The Fedora documentation is a little more difficult to navigate and spreads information around different pages. But it tends to be more technical and provides guidance for far more advanced options and potential problems than does the Linux Mint documentation.

Both of these distributions have lots of documentation available in one form or another. And the open source applications that I use all have excellent documentation available at the push of a button — usually F1.