With the new computer and the newer Microsoft Windows updates they have really jam packed their OS with bloat and spyware. That being said I have no idea what I’m doing with Linux, need help with where to start.? What are some general tips? I understand there’s a lot of prebuilt Linux distributions or something what are some first timer friendly ones? Really any help is appreciated because the biggest barrier to entry is the perceived difficulty of actually doing it.
I can’t believe no one mentioned this yet. I hope OP reads this comment. The first step is to make sure this new computer you want to buy is compatible with Linux. Otherwise your experience will be very frustrating, no matter what distro you choose. That is, if you can install any distros at all. Ask the vendor if this machine is compatible with Linux.
What? Compatible with Linux? How would it not be? Linux runs on so much more than windows.
There is some obscure/proprietary hardware that doesn’t play nicely with linux. Fingerprint readers may not work on laptops, for example. I’ve had trouble with a trackpad in the past.
BT/WiFi cards and other specific hardware disagree.
Agree to that, especially for video cards and Wi-Fi. These two can be hard to deal with… If your laptop is Wi-Fi only and you don’t have a USB/Ethernet adaptor you may not be able to connect to the net at all