I'm getting a ThinkPad T14s Gen 4 specifically to learn Linux, and I'm keen to dive into the OS as soon as it arrives. I've been researching which distro to try out, but I'm feeling pretty overwhelmed. I've narrowed it down to Ubuntu and Mint, but I'm not sure which one will serve me better as a beginner. I'm leaning towards Mint because of its performance, but I also worry about missing out on Ubuntu's features, even though I can't pinpoint what those are. For someone who's just starting out and eager to learn, what would you recommend?
6 Answers
Don't stress too much! A lot of newbies end up trying several distributions until they find the one that fits. It's completely normal to distro hop! Just grab a few ISOs and see what you like best!
Yep, that's what I did at first! I started with Mint and then explored different distros.
Overall, I'd recommend sticking with Mint for now. It's very stable and easy to navigate. After you get comfortable, you can always test out Ubuntu or even go deeper into other distros down the road. The more you play around, the better you'll get!
Since Mint is based on Ubuntu, you're really not missing out much if you start with it. They're pretty similar, and Mint is known for being user-friendly, especially for new users. If you find you want more later, you can always try another distro like Fedora after getting comfortable!
Ultimately, just choose one and start playing around! Both distros have large communities and plenty of resources. You can always switch it up as you go. Good luck, and have fun learning!
Thanks for the encouragement! I'm excited to start this journey!
I'd say Mint is a solid choice, especially if you're coming from Windows. It's super easy to set up and has a nice Cinnamon version that feels familiar. Ubuntu's good too, but some find it a bit heavy. Either way, you can’t go wrong!
Thanks! I think I might lean towards Mint for a smoother transition.
If you really want to learn the ins and outs, you might want to consider something like Arch later on. It forces you to understand what's going on under the hood since the installation process is more manual. But for starters, Mint or Ubuntu will be way more forgiving!
Arch sounds intense, but I get why it's good for learning. Maybe I'll save that for later!
Haha, I hear you! I'm a bit of a perfectionist too, but you're definitely right!