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.
update: my laptop is now up and running mint and is windowsless :) ill probably never shut up about linux :3
It’s somewhat typical these days for linux distributions to offer a live cd/usb image that you can use to boot into the OS before installing it. I’d recommend trying a few distributions like that to figure out basic things like if you prefer KDE, Gnome, or some other desktop environment.
When you find something that you do want to install, consider using a custom partition scheme so that you can have /home on its own partition. This will let you install a different distribution later without overwriting your own data (I still suggest making a backup first though). Often installers will give you an option to use a separate partition for /home without having to manually partition everything.
Finally, If you go down the path of buying a new laptops take a look at Framework laptops since they work well with your typical linux distros and offer official support for both Ubuntu and Fedora. They’re pretty focused on making their laptops easily repairable by anyone, but their prices are somewhat high for the hardware specs you get.
I use Pop_OS with my FW13 and I’ve been pretty happy with it. It’s based on Debian but focused on desktop use so the packages will be relatively up to date, but if not you can follow most Debian guides to setup whatever you need. I personally went with that because their desktop environment (modified Gnome) lets you have both regular floating windows and tiling windows.
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.
Also check Framework laptops. They are modular and have firsthand Linux support. I haven’t owned one, but I admire them.
A lot of people seem to love Arch, but I think that requires a lot of investment in reading docs. Mint seems to be a popular recommendation for beginners, but that appears to be downstream from Ubuntu. I wish I had more and better info for you, but I also use Linux for servers and not on the desktop. But only cause I’m an Apple guy. I’d daily-drive Linux if I had a PC.
I bought my Lenovo Legion a few months back, and the plan all along was to nuke Windows and install Linux Mint on it. Worked like a charm as Mint has done for me for the past 10 years or so.
No compatibility issues, but I chose to install a better wifi driver, but it worked OKish before that too (it was just a bit too slow for my taste).
The Lenovo hotkeys for controlling cooling schema and keyboard lights worked out of the box.
ooh yeah i was looking at lenovo for thinkpads too but i’ll look at legions too.
I don’t see any reason why ThinkPad would be less compatible than Legion.
For reference, I have a variant of this one, only with ISO keyboard and 32GB RAM. I highly recommend it; good screen, good keyboard, nice performance, small and easy for travel, and relatively quiet cooling system. If I had to point at a downside, I wish it had at least one more USB-A port. Plenty of USB-C, though.
