[Zeetah]

I'm a very long time Windows user and am very very frustrated with Microsoft's shenanigans in the last few releases of Windows.

I'm contemplating trying Linux but: 1. I don't know which distribution to start with. 2. I'm not thrilled about having to learn how to use Linux because I'd prefer to spend my time using the computer. 3. Fear, uncertainty, doubt alert: I've read about problems with power management or GPU drivers or audio or ... and I'm concerned about the time sink of going down the path of trying Linux and then having to go back to Windows.

So, I resort to using Windows but then doing registry hacks to disable or change things I don't like.

What would lower the bar enough for me to try Linux would be to use a performant Virtual box or similar VM, get it running well enough to know that Linux will work for me and then reuse or recreate that as the native/host OS. I don't want to use WSL because I don't want to get stuck in yet another Microsoft 'thing' with it's considerations.

[cpburns2009]

I've used Linux as my primary OS for the past 15 years. I haven't had any more driver or hardware issues with Linux than with Windows for the past 10 years.

I've never had problems with Nvidia cards or Intel's integrated GPUs. Just make sure to stick to the proprietary drivers which can be installed through the OS package manager.

Your best choice for Linux is to choose one of the popular distributions. I'd recommend either Ubuntu or Fedora. The choice of distribution is largely arbitrary. Ubuntu is owned by Canonical, a UK company. Fedora is now owned by Oracle, a US company. I gravitate towards Ubuntu because I primarily use Ubuntu Server at my day job.

The next step is choosing the desktop environment: KDE or Gnome. KDE resembles Windows while Gnome resembles Mac. I prefer KDE personally.

Fedora with Gnome: https://fedoraproject.org/workstation/

Fedora with KDE: https://fedoraproject.org/spins/kde/

Ubuntu with Gnome: https://ubuntu.com/download/desktop

Ubuntu with KDE: https://kubuntu.org/getkubuntu/

[akimbostrawman]

>I don't know which distribution to start with

try distrochooser.de as long as you use one of the more popular (ubuntu, fedora, popos) there isn't a wrong answer. You can always just flash multiple Distros on USBs (or Ventoy for multiple distros on one USB) and test them out in live mode without committing to any. Keep in mind you may need to disable secure boot in uefibios.

>I'm not thrilled about having to learn how to use Linux because I'd prefer to spend my time using the computer

People seem to think knowing windows is somehow a natural born skill. A OS is a tool and like any other and you need to understand the basics to properly use it, the better you can the more efficient you are with it.

>I've read about problems with power management or GPU drivers or audio

Issues exist but can be mitigated like on windows with research. "Does distro X / linux support hardware Y". For GPUs I generally would recommend AMD over Nvidia unless there are special requirements like Cuda.

>What would lower the bar enough for me to try Linux would be to use a performant Virtual box or similar VM, get it running well enough to know that Linux will work for me

A VM is a bad way to figure out compatibility for any OS. VM experience isn't comparable to bare metal.

[taylodl]

Ubuntu is a good start.

The problem you may have is you won't have access to any of the Microsoft Office software - which may not be a big deal for you.

Honestly, if the available software works for you then Ubuntu is a great distro for a novice Linux user. It's the most "It Just Works" distro out there.

[wruza]

I have a long history using desktop linux and I deal with desktop linuxes on daily basis, and I’m far from being a noob, and I hate them. Just don’t. The issues, all of them are true and very likely. And you’ll find 10x more that weren’t worth mentioning in comparison.

If you want that linux cli experience, install msys2, put it in path, and that is the only linux you need. Rename few tools that name-clash with cmd commands.

Seriously, you’ll be very disappointed and ask why on earth you decided to spent so much (hard) time listening to nerds on the internet.