I need some advice regarding which distro to choose. I tried installing fedora workstation on my laptop as test and it seemed quite annoying to get the user interface right.
I dont mind the technical differences, in fact i’m looking forward to them as linux is more secure and better designed.
The problem i’m having is that i want the good things from windows desktop. for example; tray icons, being able to control filesystem easily with gui, shortcuts on desktop.
Every distro i have tried or seen has been really basic regarding this out of the box with very little customization options. I prefer not having to download million extensions for every little feature that might stop working at every major update or if developer doesnt feel like continuing.
I also would like to be able to easily backup customization settings so i dont have to do everything again if i need to reinstall. I like being able to easily customize everything so having a lot of settings is good thing for me.
I read somewhere about kde plasma and screenshots seemed promising and downloaded kde fedora. Haven’t installed it yet but am I on the right track for what i’m looking for? Are there other even better choices? I’d like to nail this from the start so I dont have to reinstall later. I really dont want to wade through every possible distro.
Thank you all, you have been big help
Linux Mint is quite popular amongst beginners. But the main thing I want to say is: I recommend you to try the KDE desktop if you’re used to MS Windows. It has a tray, start menu, icons, scortcuts and everything. And it looks kind of familiar to Windows users.
For Mint and Windows users, Cinnamon is a pretty smooth transition too.
I switched from Windows to LMDE and Cinnamon a bit more than a year ago, and I enjoy it.
Yeah as a new penguin Cinnamon Mint has been dirt easy to get used to. I’m thinking about trying other DEs for the fun of it but Mint has worked great out of the box.
I second Mint. (This is aimed at OP, not you, Hendrik). Not because I like it, myself, but because it’s a really easy transition from Windows.
I saw someone recommending Nix. That must have been a troll, because they may as well have suggested starting with Linux From Scratch. Don’t start with Arch, either - not even the EndeavorOS flavor. Arch is my preferred distro, but I’ve been running Linux since the late 90’s and it doesn’t feel like Linux to me if there’s nothing I have to fuss with by hand.
Just start with Mint. It’ll give you a really easy, mostly familiar environment with few surprises and - most importantly - everything will just work out of the box. It’s stable and solid. You can always change later after you get comfortable with The Linux Way - or not! I gave my octogenarian dad a laptop with Mint on it 5 years ago; earlier this year he bought himself a new laptop and - without booting into Windows - installed Mint by himself, with me on the phone for moral support. He’s perfectly happy with it.