this post was submitted on 10 Nov 2024
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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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I was hoping someone could give a recommendation for a noob friendly distro that works well on my laptop, an HP Envy x360 Convertible 15m-es0xxx, i7 16 GB RAM. Thanks for your help and I apologize if these questions aren't allowed here

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[–] BananaTrifleViolin 41 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (4 children)

I'd recommend Linux Mint generally for noobs. It's popular and has lots of tips and advice available online, easy to find. It's easy to install, and as it's an Ubuntu derivative you get a lot of the benefits of the big user base without the downsides of Canonical (such as Snap being forced on you). I used to use Mint, and it's a good stable daily driver.

In terms of your specs, you should have no problem with running it as laptop, but as a 2-in-1 device you may find some specialised drivers don't work out of the box. The most common is finger print readers, but also some of the switching between Desktop and Tablet mode can be tricky. Having said that, I own a Toshiba Satellite 2-in-1, and I installed Linux without issue. I don't and never have really used it as an actual Tablet though; it ended up being a gimmick too far for me - they're just too heavy and cumbersome as a tablet, and even the touch screen (which works fine in linux) is just a bit pointless for me. However I have KDE on my Toshiba now and it works well as a 2-in-1 for me at least.

The best thing to do is flash a USB stick with Linux, for example Mint, and try it out to see how it works with your hardware "out of the box". Linux Mint has a few spins for desktop environments: Cinnamon, XFCE and Mate. None of them are really designed to be Touch based interfaces to be honest. Cinnamon is the main/high end DE and it is ok with Touch interface.

I would say KDE and Gnome are better DEs for touch screen and convertible devices; I personally prefer KDE but both support Touch well - they just have different design ethos. Both can be installed in Mint, although as they're not "main" DEs for the distro you sometimes get some minor janky integration of the Mint tools in the KDE or Gnome desktop (e.g. sometimes the task tray icons for Cinnamon based tools just aren't as well integrated into the system themes of KDE & Gnome). You also can end up with duplicate apps in your app menus (cinnamon tools sitting alongside native KDE/Gnome tools which can be a little irritating). But the system works fine and a lot of these things can be tidied up if it bothers you.

But Mint is very Noob friendly, and I think it's a good way to get into the Linux world. Pretty much everything can be done via the GUI, and it has opted for a default Windows-like feel which can really help with getting used to it. Cinnamon is also still pretty flexible for creating some other interfaces to experiment. Gnome is far removed from that windows feel and is also pretty rigid in it's design philosophy - it's kinda "take it or leave it"; personally I don't like it. You can push it do other things though with extensions, so there is still potential to experiment. KDE does a good job of a default Windows feel but with more design flair/slicker feel, but it also has a huge range of options for making pretty much any interface you like. One reason I left Mint is because I wanted a distro which is built around KDE rather than me installing it separately (I'm on OpenSuSE Tumbleweed now).

So overall, I'd recommend Mint, and use the Cinnamon version. Flash a USB and try it out (note it will be slower/feel sluggish compared to a native install, but should give a feel for how it handles your hardware). If you install it, I'd also recommend a dual-boot setup rather than ditching Windows completely if you're completely new to Linux. Another option is install on a portable SSD attached via USB, and don't touch your actual hard drive. That way you can get a reasonable feel of an actual Linux system without messing up your laptop. It'll still be slower than a true native install but generally faster than a live-USB stick (you can of course also partition and install a full install on a USB stick itself rather than an SSD for the same effect).

EDIT: Just worth saying; if you decide to install Linux, be very careful where you install it. Double and triple check, as the last thing you want to do is accidentally wipe your windows install!

[–] TurnpikeRangers 9 points 1 month ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 month ago

I second Mint and I would add Pop!_OS by computer seller System76. They are both based on Ubuntu/Debian soif you ever need guides or downloads, anything for Ubuntu or Debian will work on Mint and Pop!_OS.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago

Mint is great in general. I have used everything from a stage 1 gentoo installation to arch to nixos and everything in between on bare metal. I’ve been using Linux since 1999 so I guess you could say I’m an advanced user. I’m running mint on my laptop because it just works and it’s not missing anything I need.

[–] TurnpikeRangers 1 points 1 month ago

I'm not sure if you'll see this at this point but I'm running into a problem installing Mint and I was hoping you could offer some ideas.

When I get to the "Installation type" screen, I don't have any options for how to partition. Anything I click on this screen crashes the installer. I've disabled secure boot but I can't find any advice online for this specific problem for my laptop. Do you have any ideas?

[–] TurnpikeRangers 1 points 1 month ago

Also potentially stupid fix: could it be the USB stick I'm using? I'm using a PNY 64 GB USB 3.2 Type C, do you think a regular Type A would be better?