Linux questions. Command line, Drive letters,

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SyncroScales

SyncroScales

Distinguished
Jan 1, 2011
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18,690
Hi.

Do Linux users always have to use the command line? It seems Mint and maybe others don't require it, or require it all the time? I also saw that some apps or programs do not need the command line. Is the command line just used to download and update programs through the repositories?

I understand Linux is not using .exe files to install programs.

Does Linux use drive letters? E.G.: C-Drive, D-Drive, E-Drive, etc? If so how many?

How often has the formatting structure changed? E.G.: If I installed Linux and it was formatted with ext4, what are the chances if it being supported for 5 or 10 years? I have been told Linux keeps drivers and other information with each build and doesn't usually abandon it.

Did I read correctly that Windows (and Linux or other operating systems) can have drivers installed to read the different formatting file systems? Where do I get a driver for ext4 for windows Vista or XP? I would need it potentially so my multi-boots and different computers can read the information.

Is exFAT recognized in tablets, phones, Apple Macs and Chrome books too? Is this the best for a multi-OS approach using large external storage?

Thank you.
 
Solution
n0ns3ns3
command line is not a requirement for "user" oriented distros like Mint or Ubunu.
command line is just a more convenient way to do certain tasks and it is unified across different distros and desktop environments. for example, if you want to know what is your storage layout "fdisk -l" command will tell you. guessing where to find the right utility in particular distro with particular desktop environment (gnome, kde, unity, mate, lxde etc.) is too much :)

linux do not use drive letters, it uses mount points. you can read about it in any beginners guide.

The file systems are rarely abandoned. so if you choose EXT4 you can be sure it will be supported for many years. It is gets updated, so you do get performance and stability...
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n0ns3ns3

n0ns3ns3

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May 25, 2016
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command line is not a requirement for "user" oriented distros like Mint or Ubunu.
command line is just a more convenient way to do certain tasks and it is unified across different distros and desktop environments. for example, if you want to know what is your storage layout "fdisk -l" command will tell you. guessing where to find the right utility in particular distro with particular desktop environment (gnome, kde, unity, mate, lxde etc.) is too much :)

linux do not use drive letters, it uses mount points. you can read about it in any beginners guide.

The file systems are rarely abandoned. so if you choose EXT4 you can be sure it will be supported for many years. It is gets updated, so you do get performance and stability improvements alongside new features. not to mention that when (and if) EXT5 is out, you will be able to update to it without loosing date.

Sharing data with windows is usually done through common drive. usually NTFS formatted. you can mount that drive as your documents folder in linux as linux has the ability to read and write from/to windows partitions. it is more tricky to read from windows linux partitions. But linux is feeling best on it's native file systems. so you place your system and home partitions on EXT4 (or whatever your distro is using by default) and use NTFS partition as shared storage between OSes.
 
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Solution
photonboy

photonboy

Titan
Jun 20, 2006
21,567
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Hi,
What you really need to do is install Linux to a secondary drive so you can then fool around with it.

Then you can investigate your questions at your own leisure. If you really want to learn then get a boot for a specific version so you can follow the recommendations and guides.

Dual-booting on a modern computer can be problematic however due to UEFI Secure Mode settings. That's a bit complicated. For now, I would just put Linux on a USB thumb stick and boot right to that.
 
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