how do I install programs from outside the "discover store"? I can get the Plex app through the built in app store, but the Plex media server app isn't on there so I have to download it from the website, which gives me a .rpm file.
Installing from Discover (or to be more precise, your distribution's software repositories, for which Discover is a frontend) is usually best practice. Programs you find online are less likely to work on your distro (especially something as technologically unusual as Bazzite). That said, from what I could find online the command to install an RPM file on that distro is sudo rpm-ostree install <path/to/package.rpm>
. I have never used boxbuddy or any kind of distro container, but I imagine it would as simple as opening the terminal for one of your distros and entering the appropriate command for that distro to install your package.
Also, outside of the built in discover store, what's the best way to install programs?
Generally, Flatpak packages are safe to install, and any Flatpak repos you enable will show up in Discover. Flathub contains the majority of Flatpak packages in existence, though it might be enabled by default on Bazzite.
What are some cool programs in general to check out? My main use case is gaming, I don't program or do any work on my PC but I'd like to explore just for the sake of exploring!
Just look around in Discover and you'll find lots of gems. As a retro gamer, I've found RetroArch indispensable, as a frontend for all my emulators and then some. Lutris is nice if you want all of your games to be centralized under one launcher. There are lots of fun time-wasting open-source games too.
Also, what's a good way to familiarize myself with using the terminal? I've used the terminal on Windows quite a bit in the past, but only for basic things like unlocking a bootloader on Android and sending a ROM to it, back when I cared enough to root my phones. How would I, for example, pull a program off of github and compile it myself if needed? There's a program on github called gHub GUI by ysph that I'd like to check out, would be nice to be able to configure my mouse since piper doesn't seem to recognize my mouse.
You can just ease into it, or read any number of Linux courses online. Following tutorials on Linux will be as easy as following tutorials on Windows. You can learn about programs with either man <command>
, info <command>
, or <command> --help
.
Most projects include README files instructing you on how to compile and/or install them; the exact process depends on the program. But generally, if you see files named "configure" and "Makefile", the process is to install dependencies, then cd into the source code folder and run ./configure; make; sudo make install
.
What are some general best practices that differ from Windows? I don't really know how to narrow this question down, apologies for it being so vague.
Discover should be the first place you go to install programs. Don't install programs from random websites unless you absolutely have to. They probably won't work.
A lot of the programs you are used to from Windows will not be available for Linux. They might be compatible with Wine or Proton, but try to find alternatives to them before you try that. There is a KDE app and a GNOME app for most of the basic uses, and https://alternativeto.net/ is a decent resource for finding Linux-friendly alternatives to just about anything.
You probably don't need an antivirus - there are viruses for Linux, but they are extremely rare, and the anti-malware programs that are available for Linux will only detect and remove Windows viruses.
Don't have any comments on your other issues, because I don't have experience with the software you're using (I rarely if ever buy "gaming" hardware).
I'm pretty sure it's supposed to be a mix between Starfleet and Vau N'Akat dress.