Linux Mint is a GREAT baby's first Linux distro, specifically with the Cinammon desktop/interface. It's really easy to switch over from Win10, and I even got my wife (who has quite literally said computers run on magic) in to the habit of being able to handle dual-booting for the few things she absolutely needed Windows for (mostly a couple of very specific work things).
Mint+Cinnamon is great if you want a just-works OS running Linux and from there you can branch out in to more specific stuff like Arch (fast AF, but I hope you like building packages). Mint's installer is also a portable version of the operating system, so you can test it out before or even while you install it (though it does run a little slower off a DVD or flash drive).
One of my friends swears by OpenSUSE, and I can't stand it for some reason I can't quite put my finger on.
DistroWatch is a good place to get started if you want to compare different flavors of Linux. https://distrowatch.com/
From there it looks like ZorinOS might be worth looking in to, they just had several driver updates, including 3000-series nVidia cards, Playstation controllers, and a few other things.
I second the heads up on Linux Mint, it is a great place to start and is very civilized these days. I am running KDE plasma as the desktop environment as opposed to cinnamon though.
KDE allows complete flexibility to build your own work flow and the application launcher is like the windows start button should have been. It's very intuitive and user friendly and instantly finds anything you could want on the system.
With KDE you could have 12 task bars distributed on every edge of 3 monitors, all different. You could have a start button 1/2 the size of the screen right in the middle of it. It is totally customizable and reconfigurable with global themes that put anything else I have seen to shame with respect to the sheer volume of them and how radically they change the look of the entire system.
Qwant or Yandex (whatever) how to install KDE plasma as a desktop environment after the install of Linux Mint Cinnamon and you will be one smiling motherfucker.
Linux Mint is a GREAT baby's first Linux distro, specifically with the Cinammon desktop/interface. It's really easy to switch over from Win10, and I even got my wife (who has quite literally said computers run on magic) in to the habit of being able to handle dual-booting for the few things she absolutely needed Windows for (mostly a couple of very specific work things).
Mint+Cinnamon is great if you want a just-works OS running Linux and from there you can branch out in to more specific stuff like Arch (fast AF, but I hope you like building packages). Mint's installer is also a portable version of the operating system, so you can test it out before or even while you install it (though it does run a little slower off a DVD or flash drive).
One of my friends swears by OpenSUSE, and I can't stand it for some reason I can't quite put my finger on.
DistroWatch is a good place to get started if you want to compare different flavors of Linux. https://distrowatch.com/
From there it looks like ZorinOS might be worth looking in to, they just had several driver updates, including 3000-series nVidia cards, Playstation controllers, and a few other things.
This is good info, thanks! I am dead serious about the switch so now I have a good place to start from.
I second the heads up on Linux Mint, it is a great place to start and is very civilized these days. I am running KDE plasma as the desktop environment as opposed to cinnamon though.
KDE allows complete flexibility to build your own work flow and the application launcher is like the windows start button should have been. It's very intuitive and user friendly and instantly finds anything you could want on the system.
With KDE you could have 12 task bars distributed on every edge of 3 monitors, all different. You could have a start button 1/2 the size of the screen right in the middle of it. It is totally customizable and reconfigurable with global themes that put anything else I have seen to shame with respect to the sheer volume of them and how radically they change the look of the entire system.
Qwant or Yandex (whatever) how to install KDE plasma as a desktop environment after the install of Linux Mint Cinnamon and you will be one smiling motherfucker.
Plasma looking like windows 7
Plasma goodness
more goodness
Windows is ugly as sin compared to plasma