this post was submitted on 11 Feb 2026
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Privacy
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I hear ya, getting into it can be messy. And having a VM on the side is a good choice.
My current idea of a solid setup to manage long term:
*A main machine that has a bare-bones, lightweight Distro on it. Just the stuff you need to work + a VM program to run:
VM1: a copy of your main OS, test stuff out here first if you think it’s risky.
VM2: big tech corp spy software IF you need it. (Keep that sucker offline)
(And make backups/snapshots of your installation every once in a while).
If you have it: second machine: this one is for degoogling ect, save your social media stuff here before you take it out back.
If you have it: 3rd machine to run as a personal server (working on that myself)
This can all be old gear. In the process of getting to know Linux better and better (which is an ongoing process for all of us) you’ll get more and more fluent.
You got this! Don’t give up!