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switching from windows to linux, can you give some advice? (sopuli.xyz)

submitted 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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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

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

As others have said, Linux Mint, Kubuntu, and Fedora are probably going to be your big three, though I would include openSUSE. All three are very well established and mostly stable (not Debian stable, but they all strike a good balance between stability and not running 2-year old releases!). All 4 of these will have extensive support communities, the SUSE is mainly popular in Europe if that matters. All of them are relatively user friendly for new users, too.

Personally, I prefer Fedora, but that’s mainly because most of my professional work is in Red Hat and it’s related distros. Finding a distro that suits you is part of learning Linux. Pick one and use it for awhile. Like others have said, separate out your home directory to its own partition so you can easily reinstall and keep your files. Distro-hopping is a time-honored tradition in the community! It’s unlikely that any distro will be “perfect” for you out of the box. You’ll have to make it your own, and that’s the beauty of it all: You can!