caveat; i’ve used linux in the best from debian to fedora to ubuntu to redhat on servers but this is the first time i want to actually switch to using it on my laptop because win11 is increasingly bad but also because i love it.

i’m just lost as to where to start. i’m currently looking at laptopwithlinux.com, system76.com, and thinkbooks. a lot of them come with specific distros, though i’m much more partial to debian than ubuntu. is it generally able to switch between a different one without too much hassle?

i also have an hp envy; https://browser.geekbench.com/v5/cpu/compare/5818425?baseline=5818425 is it wise to get rid of windows and just install linux on it?

i know some hardware but i’m not an EXPERT (with drivers and such)

any thoughts? hopefully this is an alright community for this question; it was the closest community when searching that i could find that seemed like it fit.

  • kabi@lemm.ee
    3·
    24 hours ago

    i know some hardware but i’m not an EXPERT (with drivers and such)

    You needn’t be. 99% of everything comes with Linux itself, no matter the distro. I guess your machine doesn’t have a(n nvidia) GPU, so no need to think about it. You should forget about fingerprint readers, and some special/niche stuff like audio producing gear or weird controllers you might have to look up if they are supported at all by the company, Linux itself, or a third party.

    I’ll put in the obligatory recommendation for Mint. It’s just slick and does most you’d want, how you’d want. I hear Pop OS (by system76) is great for beginners too, if you are considering buying a laptop of theirs, or just want to try that one out for whatever reason.