I use Linux currently and have for many years. It is a wonderful operating system. However, if you wish to switch to Linux, it is in your best interest to understand that enthusiasts will oversell whatever they love, and they will do so without even noticing it.
Gaming on Linux is impressive and it’s getting better every day, but it is still not the same as Windows.
Depending on the games you wish to play, you may feel frustrated at times. Also, barely any peripherals have official Linux support on a software level. I’m talking about fancy keyboards, mice, gamepads, cameras, microphones, headphones, and all kinds of RGB contraptions.
If something doesn’t work, the next recommended steps can range from installing a complicated third-party interface to essentially programming your own. If I read the word “kernel” as part of a solution, chances are that I’m just buying something else instead.
People also forget that even supported games sometimes malfunction, and all tips and fixes will assume you’re running Windows. Besides, not every game is on Steam, and even when they are, some may require the use of external software to install and manage mods. So using Linux for games is awesome, but significantly less so if you are not an advanced user and want more than the defaults for your games.
When it comes to work, you might find yourself restricted to LibreOffice or Microsoft Office Online. It is possible to run Office via Wine, but I’m not sure if that’s a good idea (more on that here). A bit off-topic, but I’ve been trying to purchase a legit license for local Microsoft Office and I don’t think they even sell it anymore. They’re completely focused on the cloud version.
If you like the older windows ui, Linux mint. You don’t need to look any further than that. If you want something fresh and cool, use regular fedora with gnome, if you want a more mac like or windows 11 experience use fedora kde. That’s all you need to know.
Buy a second drive and boot into it for Windows gaming. Do everything else on Linux. Personally I have found this to be the least frustrating, best performing solution with the added benefit of segregating gaming from work/study and vice versa.
I use Linux mint on my old Thinkpad and for the most part it works great. I use Kubuntu on my desktop. Asides from from weird hardware issues I had when initially setting it up, works great as well (Wayland too).
I agree with others: Linux mint, fedora, Ubuntu. Honestly, whatever gives you the least number of issues
Ok folks telling me to just get a Linux Distro.
PC Gaming - Enshrouded, Valheim, BG3, Dragon Age: Origins, and No Man’s Sky, generally Steam platform. Classics like Caesar III, TIE Fighter.
Work - Data Analysis, Lots of word documents, spreadsheets
Internet - Light browsing, podcast listening, music streaming
What distro and why?
I use Linux currently and have for many years. It is a wonderful operating system. However, if you wish to switch to Linux, it is in your best interest to understand that enthusiasts will oversell whatever they love, and they will do so without even noticing it.
Gaming on Linux is impressive and it’s getting better every day, but it is still not the same as Windows.
Depending on the games you wish to play, you may feel frustrated at times. Also, barely any peripherals have official Linux support on a software level. I’m talking about fancy keyboards, mice, gamepads, cameras, microphones, headphones, and all kinds of RGB contraptions.
If something doesn’t work, the next recommended steps can range from installing a complicated third-party interface to essentially programming your own. If I read the word “kernel” as part of a solution, chances are that I’m just buying something else instead.
People also forget that even supported games sometimes malfunction, and all tips and fixes will assume you’re running Windows. Besides, not every game is on Steam, and even when they are, some may require the use of external software to install and manage mods. So using Linux for games is awesome, but significantly less so if you are not an advanced user and want more than the defaults for your games.
When it comes to work, you might find yourself restricted to LibreOffice or Microsoft Office Online. It is possible to run Office via Wine, but I’m not sure if that’s a good idea (more on that here). A bit off-topic, but I’ve been trying to purchase a legit license for local Microsoft Office and I don’t think they even sell it anymore. They’re completely focused on the cloud version.
If you like the older windows ui, Linux mint. You don’t need to look any further than that. If you want something fresh and cool, use regular fedora with gnome, if you want a more mac like or windows 11 experience use fedora kde. That’s all you need to know.
https://distrochooser.de --> find a distro that fits your criteria
https://alternativeto.net --> find alternatives to your windows products
https://protondb.com --> check if your games run on linux
CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
to be fair distrochooser is focused more on power users and spit out pretty generic recommendations.
EndeavourOS
Check your games on ProtonDB. But I stopped letting developers dictate which OS I used 10 years ago. If it doesn’t work on Linux, I don’t buy it.
You just described letting developers dictate which OS you use…
No, I’ve chosen Linux.
I’m letting developers choose whether they want a chance at earning my money or not.
Buy a second drive and boot into it for Windows gaming. Do everything else on Linux. Personally I have found this to be the least frustrating, best performing solution with the added benefit of segregating gaming from work/study and vice versa.
I use Linux mint on my old Thinkpad and for the most part it works great. I use Kubuntu on my desktop. Asides from from weird hardware issues I had when initially setting it up, works great as well (Wayland too).
I agree with others: Linux mint, fedora, Ubuntu. Honestly, whatever gives you the least number of issues
Pop! OS if you’ve got an NVidia card!
Linux mint, easy AF and has a good app store
Get steam as a flatpak from apo store. Try a dual boot.
For internet Firefox is good, try it with unlock
For work use libreoffice or just get ms office
Mint is very easy and user friendly, use cinnamon edition. It looks very similar. I can explain more if needed