My PC.
CPU Intel Core i5-6400
DDR4-SDRAM 8GB 2133MHz Correction: 16GB
GPU NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950
SSD 128GB & 2 3.5" SATA3 HDDs 7200rpm 1.0TB each

PC is in use running Windows 10 Home 64b. 22H2

I tried Ubuntu for about 2 months in 2007 and gave up due to the difficulty of operating the OS and the add on software.

Googled today for the best Linux Distro for Windows users. Ubuntu is recommended.

Four months ago, I read on a forum discussing Windows users shifting to Linux, it was said that Mint is the best Linux Distro for Windows users.

Please recommend a Linux Distro for a common Windows user, preferably easy to use and suitable for my hardware of my PC.

Thank you.
DiaNobb

They are both newbie-friendly. But Mint also has the reputation of being friendly to all kinds of hardware. It makes a lot of non-free stuff available such as proprietary drivers and codecs, so that things will "just work". Not everyone approves of that!!

I'm not a big fan of Ubuntu, bit it'll do. The main learning curve is dealing with an unfamiliar desktop environment. With Ubuntu, the default desktop environment is GNOME, which indeed can be very unfamiliar compared to Windows 10.

I think that the XFCE4 desktop environment is closer to Windows in general feel. You can install this desktop environment in Ubuntu or any other popular Linux distribution (you will then have a choice of which desktop environment to use upon log in).

My preference is Debian with XFCE4. Debian's pretty good about support for different desktop environments and window managers. But the nuts and bolts of Debian are just as much a learning curve as Ubuntu or any other popular linux distribution.

Just be aware that Linux just plain does things differently from Windows under the hood, so there's not going to be a "skin" on top that will make it a seamless transition. There's going to be a learning curve.

I'd go with Linux Mint but the real question is about which default desktop environment to recommend. The short list ought to include MATE and Cinnamon, but to expand your horizons you ought to at least look at KDE Plasma.

Agree with this, and I'll second KDE, especially for a new Windows user. Very familiar looking, with a 'start button' etc.

I'd start using a free virtual machine. Then you use any distro you want within windows. It's like running Word or Excel or such. A VM is a software version of a real computer. In fact your system is well suited for that.

1 members found this post helpful.

Usually something like this is needed for migrating Windows users

https://www.linuxliteos.com/manual/

https://linuxmint.com/documentation.php

Mint and Ubuntu. That is like saying Mexican and Puerto Rico to me. They both speak the same language but the culture works differently.
Easy to me usually depends on user effort.
Not the make of the product being used.

I agree that the primary issue here is the desktop environment.

I'd be inclined to recommend Mint Cinnamon, for the reasons hazel cited. The folks over at Going Linux (an excellent website and podcast) by the way, recommend Ubuntu MATE for persons new to Linux.

I also think that the suggestion to try out some distros in a virtual machine is an excellent one. That way, you could do a little window shopping before making a choice.

Thank you, Mr. Hazel.
But Mint...makes a lot of non-free stuff available....
There is no need for me to have a lot of stuff on my PC. I use my PC basically for editing my photographs, sharing images on websites, and communicating with photographers about photography.

Thank you, Isaackou.


"...XFCE4 desktop environment is closer to Windows in general...."
Last summer, I visited a friend and used his PC for emailing a photographer in Russia. His OS was Mint XFCE, a Mint logo at the center of the screen. The icons on the screen like those of Windows. Both Firefox and Google Chrome were installed. I could use YouTube easily.


"...you can install this desktop environment in Ubuntu or any other popular Linux distribution...."
No need for me to install any other distribution or OS since I really do not need any other Linux distribution if Mint or Ubuntu can provide the basic needs of any common PC users.

Then you need to meet the GIMP.

Digikam or Darktable would be relevant too.

Thank you, Mr.Turbocapitalist.

"The short list ought to include MATE and Cinnamon, but to expand your horizons you ought to at least look at KDE Plasma."

Many recommendations given in Google Search refer to Mint Cinnamon and Mate. Will you please provide a little bit more educational information why I ought to lean KDE Plasma?

Thank you, Mr. TBOne.
"I'll second KDE, especially for a new Windows user. Very familiar looking, with a 'start button' etc."
I saw the desktop of Mint Xfce when I visited my friend a few months ago. Google Chrome and Firefox were installed on that PC. It looked almost as Windows desktop. I could use his PC emailing friends and using YouTube. Is KDE Plasma looking more like Windows desktop?

Thank you, Mr. Jefro.
I do not want to use VM for a basic reason: It must use Windows as its host. I want Windows dormant in the machine.