Linux Mint. Easy to set up, reasonably easy to use, and used by enough people that a quick internet search should probably turn up results of people who have run into similar issues if you ever have a problem.
this post was submitted on 19 Mar 2025
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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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Also has an interface that clicks easier with people used to Windows.
The best advice I can give you is to switch to Linux is don't right away. Switch the applications you use to open source or Linux compatible alternatives that also run on windows. Then after you get used to those on windows then make the switch.
I would also recommend not dual booting at first since it's too easy to jump ship at the slightest issue vs sticking with it to figure out the issue just like you would with a problem on windows. It's a real thing I have experienced it in reverse as a long time Linux user that tried Windows 11 i kept jumping back to Linux every time I ran into issues that caused frustration.
I dual booted and I rarely ever used windows when i was starting, mostly because windows takes a while to reboot.
This is some very solid advise.
Here’s a nice pic that make you feel less “lost” about how some popular distributions relate to each other:
A bit more useful, puts the different parent distros to scale:
High-res source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Linux_distributions?wprov=sfla1
This picture definitely explains why I was so confused about all of the different versions. Dang, also fascinating to see that so many people put so much work into this operating system, making their own versions for their own needs. Thank you, this one also goes on the research pile.
Thank you, this is going to make organising my research in preparation a lot easier. It also answered some questions I got by reading other peoples comments.
Probably Linux Mint. If you have a hardware support issue on Mint, Fedora.
A few people have been recommending Mint. I wasn’t aware it could possibly have hardware support issues, I’ll be sure to look into that beforehand. Thank you for the alternative recommendation. I’ll look into that as well.
You can always try the live USB without/before installing. It's a great way to start getting comfortable or try out several different distros with minimal effort and risk.
I second Linux mint. It's my daily driver and I love it. I first switched my laptop which wasn't much daily driver to mint and when I got used to it I switched my main desktop.
Sounds like Linux Mint would be a good start for you
Since you are already familiar with the Steam Deck, I would go with a distro (that's Linux-speak for version) that uses KDE Plasma, as that's the desktop environment used by Steam OS. My recommendation therefore is Bazzite or Aurora. Both OSs are developed by the same team using the same core technology. Bazzite is more "gamer focused" (a.k.a. they are pre-installing steam) while Aurora targets more of a developer audience. But I would argue that the differences are, at the end of the day, mainly cosmetic. Aurora is still pretty noob friendly and you could still develop on Bazzite.
Both systems are "Atomic" which basically means that a system update can't screw up your system. And if you screw something up, then you can "rebase" the system which reinstalls the OS but keeps all your data and installed apps*. It uses flatpak with flathub as its appstore so you have the same apps available as on the Steam Deck.
Now for the downsides: Some apps are a bit harder to install. Mainly apps that need deeper system access such as vpn apps can take a couple more steps to install here than on other distros. There is also no live system. Many distros have a "live mode" where you can test the system before installing. This allows you to check if your hardware is supported. Aurora and bazzite don't have that.
Lastly the userbase is growing, but other disros such as Mint are still more popular. You therefore might find less specific documentation and tutorials on the internet for it than with other options.
*Technically it's more complicated than that, there are edgecases of apps that don't survive a rebase, but don't worry about that.
Linux Mint DE will be the easiest transition.
You get my standard reply that I use zorin which is an ubuntu based distro that tries to give the look of feel of windows and has a lot of default installed things like wine/playonlinux, libreoffice, app for disc burning, rdp client, basically most everything I would want for day to day use. It is not necessarily the best gaming distro and its certainly not bleeding edge. Its a great install and get to doing things right away distro to me which is what I want.
I don’t mind if things aren’t the newest of the new. In my experience that usually means there are more tutorials and fewer bugs. A distro that feels like windows a bit is tempting as a newbie and might make my switch easier, thank you for that consideration. I also like the idea of getting to work right out of the box. I’m definitely adding Zorin to the research pile, thank you.
I personally prefer Debian based distros just because of the number of apps in the software repo. Probably consider Ubuntu or Mint in your case. My wife and I have used Linux pretty exclusively for over 20 years. Easy of use is not that much of an issue once your setup. My wife and her dad are not technical and they have few issues.
Installing, and fixing issues is more technical but it is for Windows too especially if you do not get it preinstalled. You presumably have some stratagy for Windows support. Linux same, have a stratgey for it.
I like it and think I’ll be able to get used to it with practice. It reminds me weirdly of windows XP in how easily I can get everything to work the way I want.
xubuntu may be easier to switch for an xp user. Xfce is more malleable than all other desktop environments + ubuntu communities are active and less snobbish.
fedora also was surprisingly easy.
now i'm on arch and i asked myself countless times : Why are you doing this to yourself?
I recommend dual booting Windows and Linux until you're comfortable switching entirely. Sometimes you need to go back for just one task.
Always back up your files before installing a new OS. Data loss is always possible during installation, and more likely if you don't know what you're doing.
The Grub boot manager (included and installed by default with Linux Mint and some other distros) makes it easy to pick which OS to boot each time when turning the computer on.
Check out Lutris for non-Steam Windows games. It uses Wine, but is a lot more user friendly to set up and use.
I'd go basic debian . Install flatpak and flathub to get any packages that are too far out of date or might get so. Any derivative or ubuntu derivative just sees like unnecessary extra dependencies to me.
Debian gives i think a wider choice of desktop environment than any of the derivatives on install, but I think they're all much of a muchness really. Most of the DEs have the "Click something, window opens" feature.
https://distrosea.com/ After following some of the recommendations here, you can look into this website to gets first look and feel for the distro before downloading the live USB.
This is basically the holy grail for finding how to do things or troubleshooting once you have the basics down: https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Main_page
A large amount of information is transferrable to other distros, particularly if they use systemd.
I would also spend some time getting comfortable with the command line. There are a million tutorials, guides, and free courses on this topic. Find a shell and terminal emulator you like. I'm using Fish and Kitty these days.
Going against the grain, maybe consider EndeavourOS for a distro? https://endeavouros.com/