I'm considering dual-booting my laptop, but I'm a bit unsure about which operating system (OS) to choose. I have an ISO of the latest CentOS that I tried to install on VirtualBox, but I ran into an error that mentioned my CPU didn't match the x86 64-bit version, despite my system having x86 64 architecture. I suspect it might be a limitation of VirtualBox. Now I'm thinking about installing it directly through dual boot. Since I'm also learning cloud computing, what other OS options would you recommend? For reference, I have a mid-spec Asus TUF F15 laptop with a GTX 1650, 4 cores, 12 GB of RAM, and an i5 10th gen processor.
4 Answers
OpenIndiana could be a solid choice given your hardware specs. It works well on mid-range machines.
Consider CachyOS; it's lightweight, easy to use, and based on Arch, making setup simpler. It includes the Arch User Repository, which has a wealth of software available. Most importantly, it's a good fit for your hardware, plus it comes pre-installed with essentials like a browser and package manager so you can get started quickly.
You might want to try out Fedora or Linux Mint. Both are user-friendly and offer great support for cloud computing tasks.
If you're looking for something more popular and widely supported, consider Ubuntu or Pop!_OS. They have large communities and extensive documentation, which will be helpful as you navigate learning cloud computing. Plus, CentOS is typically geared towards enterprises, so you might find it a bit more complex than necessary.
I just started using CachyOS myself, and it's been smooth! I had a little hiccup during installation, but it was easy to fix. I'm enjoying the ability to use yay for software installation instead of searching endlessly.