Hi. I'm Ed and have come over to Linux only a few weeks ago. I got tired of the same endless problems with Windows, especially with their security issues and the eventual aggravating sluggishness of Windows OS's, so I decided to try out Linux. I've been distro-hopping with the most popular distros and it looks like Mint is my top favorite for user-friendliness for newbies like myself. I hope to learn from this forum and hopefully be a help, myself. - Ed

Howdy and Welcome.

Hello and welcome

Hi there, WheelingfeelingEd!
Great that you performed an evaluation of the potential candidates + that you ended up choosing Mint => a promising padawan

Thanks to you all for your warm welcome! Like I said, I'm a newbie to Linux and know I have a lot to learn. I'd always used Windows OS's before, and since Microsoft does it all for you, I never had to learn to use the terminal,for one thing. But I already know the great advantages of Linux over Windoze in many areas, and for the first time since I've owned computers, I have been able to relax regarding security issues, with all the great, malware-free apps in the repositories, for one thing, and no need to worry about viruses because of the built-in strong resistance to viruses in the Linux OS's themselves. Plus no need to change hardware to have the next Linux upgrade, like you have to do with Windows. Anyways for me, Linux is the way to go! -Ed

Welcome to the club Ed ;-)