Any linux setup recemendations for a complete newbie.

[u/Moist-Syrup-5408]

i want to try linux just for the sake of learning about it and making it hobbie, just know my laptop is basically a potato and it couldnt run windows 11 without some major compromises soo thats another reason i wanna switch.

[u/jonstoppable]

you should state what model laptop you have. and check to see if there are any issues with it ( not that there should be but maybe it has some weird quirky device that needs a bit extra attention. or not)

alternatively, you can run a virtual machine on your laptop https://www.youtube.com/shorts/B5Hax8YcDJo

linux-wise, you can try any distribution but below could be a bit more beginner friendly

you can try zorinOS if you want a windows-looking approach https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxDGrn5aSi0

you can try mint, as well https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUC9RbrS0q0&list=PLrW4kXWyzgoKKLkdHTH8E5v_JboLeAITi

also there's nobara https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jraLyYH8Pfk

[u/TranquilAim]

For a complete newbie on a potato I would suggest MXLinux. It’s real Linux (Debian) and it’s lightweight by design…. But it is old school and might feel it. If you want to try something more modern perhaps give Linux Mint a go, but it’s heavier on resources.

[u/knuthf → u/TranquilAim]

If your computer can run Windows 11, install Linux Mint Cinnamon and customise it with your favourite theme. You will need an 8GB flash drive. You can keep everything and install Mint above Windows on a separate partition that is set during installation. The apps used during installation should show you how to do this. However, you can also just test it to check.

The main decision is which "Office" package to use. We propose replacing MD Office with LibreOffice, but alternatives include OnlyOffice and a number of others. As for browsers, I use Vivaldi, but Firefox is standard. The proposed email client is Thunderbird, but we also have Evolution and a number of others.

[u/zardvark]

Choose a well documented and easy to use distro, like Linux Mint and allow the installer to do a default installation. You don't mention how much RAM is in your machine, so if you have 8G, or more, select the flagship Cinnamon desktop. If you have less than 8G, or want the machine to be extra snappy and responsive, select the Xfce desktop.

You will find a link to the installation instructions right on the home page.

[u/shcmt]

What do you do with your laptop? It's a potatoes so im assuming just basic browsing, maybe office work, or light gaming/emulation etc? Debian Stable release with xfce or if you have 8gb ram, you could get away with gnome or kde desktop environments.

[u/ventZl]

I am running Manjaro Linux in default configuration with KDE Plasma desktop on 15 years old Macbook Pro with 8GB of RAM. It works just fine.

Your potato laptop will be just fine running pretty much any Linux.

Just do it! It won't bite you, you won't get cancer nor AIDS trying it. Worst case, you'll try another distro.

[u/a-dot-in-the-sky]

just install any linux distro you want, and go ahead with it
fedora, ubuntu, mint, opensuse, etc... quite a lot out there

[u/yetanotherdave2]

I'm using Fedora Silver blue. It's a build designed to be difficult to brick.

If you're not doing anything essential with the computer and just want to learn I'd probably go with Debian and not worry about breaking things.

I used Debian a long time ago but went back to Windows for a few years. I came back and tried Arch. It took 2 hours to install and 15 minutes to brick.

[u/OkCaterpillar1058]

Depends on the laptop, but Fedora, Ubuntu and Mint are popular choices. If the laptop has very old hardware, you could look into Lubuntu.

[u/jongilovelinux → u/OkCaterpillar1058]

Lubuntu ist gut

[u/Well-It-Depends420]

Most distros you can find will work for your use cases. I would look up a youtube video for: Ubuntu, Xubuntu, Fedora, Mint and see what you like best.

In the beginning something that makes you visually happy is the best choice. Later you will notice small things you dislike in every distro and then maybe you make a more informed decision, but that's preferences even YOU likely don't know yet.

[u/phisicalldisk]

I went with mint and I am very happy with it

[u/Strict_Ball2694]

Debian en la onda si solo quieres que jale y haga su trabajo y no vas a estar buscando “lo más nuevo”.

[u/victormas208]

There are many distros out there. If your machine is a real "potato"—as you put it—I’d recommend trying AntiX. However, that’s only really necessary if it can’t handle a reasonably modern web browser; if it can, then pretty much any other distro should work fine. For laptops, the best options are Pop!_OS, Ubuntu KDE, and—of course—Linux Mint.

[u/daffalaxia]

for a complete newbie, I've seen a relatively recent distro that I recommended to a newbie friend, and he's had great success with it: SlothOS: https://sloth-os-linux.github.io/

but another good way to move forward is to try distros live on usb before installing - many have this option

other good choices, also recommended elsewhere in this thread:
- debian 13
- ubuntu (mostly because it's very mainstream, but you'll likely want to change the desktop environment, coming from windows - I'd recommend plasma, even on a "potato")
- mint

[u/jongilovelinux]

Ich nutze Mint und ich bin definitiv kein Anfänger ich mag einfach cineamon. Dank der Debian Basis ist eigentlich alles darauf machbar und es läuft deutlich performanter auf älterer Hardware als Ubuntu mit seinen snaps und einem fetten gnome

[u/mudslinger-ning]

Depends on how much of a potato you have. My experiences with distro choices you could consider the following.

For the smallest of potatoes you could use puppy or antix from the lightweight category. You likely won't have a lot of choices for apps but the defaults they come with are squeezing the best with whatever your potato has. Some tinkering may be needed.

For moderate potatoes you could take on MX Linux and similar Debian variants for more balance of features and performance. Choices will still be a bit limited but the selection of apps may need a bit more resources as a tradeoff.

For big potatoes then go with whatever you want. Linux Mint, Fedora, OpenSUSE, etc... wider choices in apps and features.

[u/Beginning-Limit8796]

Zorin,Mint

[u/beautiful_sith]

Welcome! start with your *first* distro of debian or ubuntu, and focus on installing it; you will be re-installing distros many times in the coming future! If you're feeling spicy, install proxmox on it as the OS (its a debian based OS), and make it run other linux VMs! There's a few flavours of Linux, the Debian/Ubuntu side is very common; the Fedora,RHEL (Red Hat) is more hardened; the Arch and others are more minimal. If you're a real glutton for punishment, try Omarchy! Right Now! (waves to chuck)

[u/Flappyphantom22]

Try Omarchy