[[You can also actually have it record your steps and then have it do the same procedure on a folder full of images. ]]
I have many custom actions I’ve created- love them- such a time saver- I got to usign gimp- but only when i don’t want to reboot to windows- it’[s ok- and will do in a pinch- but i much prefer photoshop
[[One can run linux without ever having to type a command. There might be an occasion you need to do it to fix something or do something out of the ordinary but that’s usually a matter of copy/paste the code from a website. No more scary than having to go into windows registry to make a change.]]
I’ve run into a few things I needed to do via command line- the worst part is trying to find the solution in the linux forums- they talk way over my head- my brain is fried when i get done finding the answer- but yes, it’s usually no more than pasting code once you do manage to find the right solution-
Linux mint actually has something similar to Deja Dupe now- called timeshift- I gotta look into it- i used to use something similar- but got out of the habit of it-
[[Now that I found a good backup program called, Déjà Dup, I can swap linux versions in a couple hours and be up and running with the new version without losing anything, including program configurations.]]
I’m just gonna stick with mint0- good enough for me- but wouldn’t you just run your restore file and have it restore the os too? I thought the backup woudl backup everything, files, programs and the os, no?
The time shift works! Just like the restore feature in windows. But you need to go set it to automatically do an image mirror copy based on how often you want it to. This needs to be done right away with a clean system. You have to do the same with auto restore intervals in windows also.
Now here is something cool about Linux. At boot you can choose to go into repair mode and rebuild your GRUB, Cool stuff there...
I just back up the Home folder as it contains all your config files as well as regular files like docs and pics etc. In a file manager, you might not see them until you change it to view hidden files as all the conf file folders start with a dot
.mozilla
etc
If going from one version of ubuntu based OS to another, it brings all your settings back like nothing has changed as far as each program is concerned. You do have to reinstall any programs that don’t come with the new OS by default.
That’s when I use the command line for most as it’s faster; as long as I know the package name and most of them are single words.
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install gimp
Every “Software Center” I’ve used was laggy so I tend to use Synaptic if I don’t know the package name or I’m searching. Only problem with is that it lists all kinds of stuff like software libraries that programmers use. There are some cool little utility programs that you won’t find in the software center though. You can also repair broken packages on the rare occasion it happens and can manage software repositories.
I have no experience outside of ubuntu based linux so I don’t know if backing up and restoring the Home folder would work if going from ubuntu based to something else.
There’s really no need to back up the entire HDD or partition of the HDD, at least with ubuntu based. Of course you might want a list of installed programs and reinstalling them takes time but it’s a whole lot less to back up and for most people, it would fit on a thumb drive.
Some people create a partition specifically for the Home folder so they can swap versions without having to back anything up. It’s different when installing because you have to tell the installation where your custom home folder is. I’ve never done it but it would be faster as my Home folder is close to 100gb.
That first backup with Deja Dup is slow, as is restoring it but after the first backup, subsequent backups aren’t too bad.