Hello world

I say it every year (probably) that there’s never been a better time to get into Linux. It’s never been easier to use, there have never been so many features, it’s never been so smooth to install, it’s never been so much fun – and you hold in your hands the best guide to getting Linux up and running on your PC.

For the 2018 Escape Windows guide we’re going with Linux Mint 19. Any Windows user is going to feel right at home with this version of Linux thanks to its classic Cinnamon desktop: it is so fast, so straightforward, so easy to update and offers so many features from its Software Centre. So go dive in on page 34 now!

For those new to Linux we show you how you can try Linux Mint without even installing anything–you do need an optical disc. Then if you like what you see, get it to install alongside Windows. Linux Mint is now a well-established version of Linux. It has a strong community that ensures help is easy to find, the software is well polished, and it’s been developed for the users. If you try it, we’re sure you’ll love it.

In the rest of the magazine you’ll get a treat of the wide range of topics that open source and Linux covers – from the Roundup of video-editing tools to our Raspberry Pi section for makers. There’s also an interview on developing the Linux graphics stack. In the past Linux has (deservedly) had a bad reputation for graphics support, but recent years have seen that completely reversed, to the point that in this year Linux benefited from a same-day driver release for the Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 range.

So dive in, have fun, tell us how you got on and enjoy!