I'm looking for recommendations on a Linux distribution that would be friendly for someone who's not very technical and is trying to transition away from Windows. I've been able to manage things in Windows, but I want to switch primarily because I find Windows intrusive. Ideally, the Linux distro should be user-friendly, with a supportive community where I can ask even the simplest questions. My laptop is an HP Aero 13 with a Ryzen 8840U, and I want something stable that works well on this hardware. I also do some gaming. On Windows, I use NTFS compression with compact GUI, and I'm considering Btrfs for Linux. It's important that it doesn't corrupt my USB or external SSD drives when I disconnect them. I plan to set up a shared partition between Windows and Linux using NTFS for my data.
3 Answers
You might also want to consider OpenSUSE, as it comes with Btrfs configured out of the box, making it a good option if you want to experiment with that file system!
For a non-technical first-time user, I'd recommend checking out Linux Mint, Ubuntu, Zorin OS, or Pop!_OS. Each of these is designed to be user-friendly and has a great community to help with questions. Since you're considering Btrfs, Fedora might be your best bet as it can handle that pretty well! Just make sure to take it slow when you're learning the commands to avoid any mishaps.
Is it worth trying the immutable desktop feature that Pop!_OS offers? I want to ensure I have a stable experience.
If you're new, I think Zorin is a great choice to start with. It's very intuitive and has a nice look to it that eases the transition from Windows. Give it a try!
Just a heads up, be cautious with commands that you don't fully understand, especially those that can alter or delete data. For example, running `rm -rf $HOME` can be devastating even without root access!