this post was submitted on 15 Apr 2024
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Privacy
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If you want something a little more fresh, I'd maybe avoid Arch as your first go and try openSUSE Tumbleweed. It strikes a balance between bleeding edge and stable (they call it "leading edge" I believe). Everything is tested before release and isn't too stale like Ubuntu/Debian flavors. I personally like KDE for the desktop environment but the installer lets you choose.
If you want to stick with Ubuntu or something similar, I'd recommend Linux Mint. I used it before switching to openSUSE.
Most options should be dual boot friendly but I'd recommend installing Windows first to avoid bootloader issues.
Personally I think a new user will actually have an easier time with Arch, because when they inevitably do need to look up help, it's much easier to find relevant forum posts (not to mention the excellent wiki) for Arch then openSUSE. Their documentation is good, don't get me wrong, but they have a far smaller community. I also found the package ecosystem more confusing than most -- the package manager is very powerful, but at the cost of intuitive functioning.
I do agree that the Arch wiki is amazing. I even consult it from time to time. However, a first time user may struggle with a lot of configuration and tinkering that's required. Many people direct users to the AUR. While also great, it can be a huge risk when things are done without extreme caution.
Also, openSUSE is setup with btrfs and snapper for easy rollbacks in case any updates break anything.