I'm the Pop_OS hype guy, so that's what I'll recommend. Other great options are ZorinOs and Mint, if you dislike using a new interface.
Start with Mint, it's the one that probably you'd be happier with if you're a new user.
Okay guys a little update..my boyfriend found the post xD but I decided that I’m gonna do it with his help! But thank you all for helping me and giving me very helpful advice :P
Use Ventoy to put a few different distros on a USB drive. Boot them up and try them out! You just want something you vibe with. Most of the suggestions here will be fine.
start with Mint, get your legs under you, after a couple weeks or so if you want to explore try something else. it's as easy as that.
Heyho, maybe give us some more info. Right now I would say watch a video that showcases Ubuntu, Xubuntu, Mint and Fedora.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bHNr1BWilH4&pp=ygUjdWJ1bnR1IHZzIHh1YnVudHUgdnMgbWludCB2cyBmZWRvcmE%3D (covers Ubuntu, Mint and Fedora)
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=sKEb83VRGcE&pp=ygURdWJ1bnR1IHZzIHh1YnVudHU%3D (Covers Ubuntu, Xubuntu, Lubuntu and Kubuntu)
Very short videos but I am sure they help getting an intuition of what suits you best :)
Be aware that you can try them out via a boot usb without installing them to have a closer look before committing.
Heyy sorry for my late response xd. I only use my laptop for school stuff but mostly for video editing. I read from a few other users that mint is probably the best option but I don’t know if the apps I use for my privat stuff are also available on Linux.. but thanks for the help :3
No worries. While the distro matters and some distros have more support than others, whether your software runs on Linux will often be a distro-unrelated question. While some applications don't run natively, many (not all) are executable through a compatibility layer like Wine (which sounds fancy, but comes with little additional effort for you).
Don't be afraid to test a boot usb with liveboot (testing the OS without installing it) and see if you can make your software work - just don't be discouraged if it lags a little as larger liveboots are not intended for larger software installations, I think.
As to the choice between gnome and KDE (desktop environments): Gnome is gonna have more of a ‘macOS’ vibe, while KDE is more of a ‘Windows’ vibe.
im lazy. I use zorin. Its pros are its easy, stable, and out of box. But its pros can be looked as cons. Well maybe not the easy part but its stable because it uses ubuntu lts which means its not using the latest linux kernel stuff. Then out of box can be looked at as great I have any program I need installed right away or it can be looked at as a bunch of bloat. Either way another thing is its not a gaming distro. If gaming is your thing then either use a gaming distro or you will likely want to dual boot one. Speaking of dual boot I recomend not dual booting windows. If you have an older laptop you upgraded from in the last few years then throw linux on the old one and be amazed at how well it runs and how your older machine seems better than your newer one.
Id recommend mint cinnamon. If you have any problems installing it, try Zorin
Instead of a distro, I'll recommend a desktop environment: If you want to feel comfortable coming from windows, use a distro with KDE.
If you don't have specific application support needs, Debian based distros like Ubuntu/Mint (based on Ubuntu) are good for a first-timer. You won't have all the GUI management stuff like you get in Windows. You may find Arch a bit more challenging.
To answer around the question, I'd say the best way to give this gift is to work with them to get you set up! They might already have a favorite distro they want you to try, and working through it both together is a great way to spend time together.
Thats a really good idea :3 thank you! He said that Linux mint is good for new users so maybe I’m gonna do that with his help
Can't go wrong with Mint
I installed zorin onto my son's computer. So far it's been pretty great.
As others have said, Linux Mint would be a good starting point. For UI and UX, it's pretty unaggressive, specially for those coming from Windows, but it still doesn't hide the technical part of the system.
Also its installation is pretty simple and without tricks. And if your boyfriend doesn't care about removing the previous system, you don't even need to tinker with partitions and the sort.
There are many special distributions designed for different purposes, such as gaming or being easy for new users. While I’m aware of their existence, I haven’t personally used them, so there’s not much I can say about them. If my list doesn’t appeal to you, don’t hesitate to look elsewhere. There’s a distro for every purpose and style.
However, Here are a few I can recommend for different kinds of users:
Debian: If stability is important, but you don’t mind the old packages, Debian is a good choice. It also has one of the largest package repositories.
Ubuntu: It offers excellent package availability and plenty of tutorials and forum posts. Many new users have already asked the questions you’ll likely have, making it generally easy to learn.
Fedora: While not as new as Arch, Fedora still offers very fresh packages. It requires very little tinkering when compared to Arch.
Arch: This is for demanding users who want to customise their system. You’re comfortable taking responsibility for your decisions and enjoy reading up on various topics. Having very new packages is important to you. This one is a rolling release distribution, so there are no big annual releases of the next version number. Just install the updates, and you’ll have the latest Arch.
If your doing this for him then why not just ask him to help you choose a distro and show you how it works?
It’s supposed to be a surprise :3 he doesn’t know I wanna do this. Until now I always said no to it that’s why xd
Well I'm not your boyfriend but I'd enjoy the act of sharing my knowledge and exploring distros with my partner much more than her telling me she went online to talk to a bunch of strangers about something I have an interest/knowledge of.
Also be aware that if this is your first time installing a new os you should assume you will lose all the files on your computer in the process, back up what you care about.
No worries haha he also talked with someone here where somebody posted something like “how to get my partner to switch to Linux” 😭I can assure you he won’t mind but yeah doing it together might be fun :) I got a lot of information and I’m sure he will be surprised about me new knowledge xd
For newcomers I would recommend something Luke Linux Mint. Iets stable and very userfriendly.
I think anyone who talks like this "linux is obv way better then windows" should just be brushed off. If he cant give you the actual reasons why you may WANT to switch then I dont think you should switch just as a present.
Fedora with KDE desktop and non foss repo's enabled is a good. Do not start with Arch unless you enjoy troubleshooting and learning and repeating the same steps over and over.
He didn’t say it like that xd I can’t remember his exact words but he had a better explanation for it. He used Linux for like almost 2 years now I think.
I’ll be the sacrificial lamb and say that contrary to what others suggest, do not use Mint. You want a distro that offers the KDE Plasma desktop. I strongly recommend starting with Bazzite if you primarily play games or Fedora KDE if you want more personal control. You could always start with Bazzite and switch to Fedora KDE later if you decide Bazzite is too restrictive.
I mostly use my laptop for school or video editing. But I’m gonna inform myself a bit more but if you say mint isn’t good for that kind of stuff then I will find something else :3 thank you though!
I tried a few distro over the years. They all had issues. Mint was the first one that "just worked" without fucking a round with terminal.
Put it on my parents PCs and they had 0 issues.
Fedora and KDE have more "polish" but in my experience the tradeoff is bug hunting and terminal use. Not something I wanted to get into moving to a new OS.
While this is purely anecdotal, Mint is the only distro I have ever consistently run into major hardware support problems. Others seem to confirm that experience, especially with newer hardware.
In addition to that, I absolutely loathe Cinnamon and Mint does not natively support KDE by design. It’s an awful recommendation for new users because it feels outdated and clanky and they are far more likely to run into compatibility problems than Fedora, which has always worked out of the box for everything I’ve tried, and I have tried it on quite a lot.
My opinions are opinions, but I strongly feel that steering new Linux users toward Mint sets a bad first impression.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
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