recommend for a lifelong windows user to try out Linux?

Try out, what of Linux?

• Windows Subsystem for Linux 2 - you get the full command line 🔧, and can kind of run some desktops. Thanks to HyperX, it runs in a "sister" VM to Windows, so zero performance penalty (compared to Windows). Easiest, fastest, not necessarily the best.
• Cygwin - no Linux kernel, just userland software, that is command line, some desktop, some software. Quick to start 🐇, but somewhat limited.
• OSBoxes - pick any distro, download a preinstalled image, fire it up in either VirtualBox or VMware. Great for a quick first contact. Great to mess things up and not care 💥, including if you try to manually rebuild the kernel and it refuses to boot. Hardware is partially emulated, so not 100% like the real thing, but it comes really close. But look at the beautiful desktops! Pretty pictures! 🤩 (this is what most people think they want, judging by most distro reviews and comparisons).
• Android - it's Linux, it lacks most of the userland but it can be added (see Termux), and you're likely to find a cheap smartphone/tablet to mess with.
• Cloud virtual private server / Bare hardware hosting - if you're going to mess up a system, why mess up your own? Rent a cheap option, and mess it up.
• THE MAXIMUM GAMING PERFORMANCE 🚀 - ...try some of the previous ones first, you'll need the experience. Then look into how to dual-boot, or better yet, get a second PC and install your favorite Linux distro (which you'll know which one it is by now) as the only OS. Tweak, fix, patch, etc. until your eyes bleed out, and you get those extra 2 fps you never knew you needed to make your life complete!
• ROCK SOLID WORKHORSE 💪 - try all the above, then pick two distros: dual boot, mess the partitions, recover them, go into one distro, login as root and delete half the files at random, shut down the computer, power it up and recover the messed up distro from the second working one without reinstalling, reboot again into the first distro, "upgrade" it to the second one without reinstalling, clean it up so it looks like it was freshly installed... then delete it, reinstall, and see what you should have backed up in order not to lose stuff, make your backup, delete the distro, recover from backup. Practice until you lose zero data in the process, now automate the process. Finally, install and fully customize Gentoo. After that... whatever you pick, you'll be fine 🙂

If you want to check out some linux distributions, I would suggest you use Ventoy. You can then copy the ISO's to your USB drive and boot from them without having to reformat your usb drive all the time. It's a really cool tool and I can highly recommend it. I always carry ventoy with me for work with rescue disks, clonezilla, etc.

Personally I would recommend either Ubuntu or Kubuntu (Ubuntu with KDE - it's what I use). It's a one of the most popular distributions and well-documented and supported.

If you want to have a look at what's available, check out https://distrowatch.com/

Edit: If you're not ready to install on your own hardware, try playing around with Virtual Machines - like Virtualbox.

I've been on Linux for about a year and a half. So just passing the newbie phase I guess.

My advice is to dive right in. Don't know what that file does? Delete it. Punch in cd /; rm -rf, try to us ethe find command, think you understand the find command. Then avoid the find command like your creepy uncle. Open up vim, have no idea what vim is, and restart your computer because there's a snowballs chance in hell of figuring it out once you're already in vim. Fuck the install of your first distro beyond recognition, download a new one and do it again. That last one isn't advice, it's going to happen so you might as well embrace it.

Just try shit. Say: I wonder how I.... And then figure it out. Look into what all the symbols on the bash scripts do. Be curious and brave and remember that as long as you back up the important shit you may fuck something badly enough that it's not worth fixing but a reinstall doesn't take very long and it gives you a chance to try another distro anyway.

I'm telling you when the terminal "clicks" it's such a good feeling. When you write a short bash script that works the first time without looking for help it feels GOOD. But nothing as good as peeling back layer after layer of abstraction and seeing there right in front of you all the shit Microsoft keeps from you. Sure most of an s trace is total fucking jibberish and probably always will be because I don't have myself enough to learn C but just look at all the stuff my computer does! Boy, look at it go.

Bottom Line is that you can read all the books and how to guides in the world but none of them will do more to carry you forward into the perplexing and frustrating world of computers like a wild-eyed sense of curiosity and a bottle full of Xanax

Honestly, depends what helps you learn the best. I would recommend at first use Linux Mint, it's ubuntu without the bullshit, will look familiar to you and use that as a way to learn more. Or Pop_OS if you want something a little bit more different from the windows interface. I would also recommend YT channels like The Linux Experiment, DistroTube and Chris Tech Tips. I will also recommend the Arch wiki (even though Linux Mint is not based on Arch it can still be helpful), install tldr for short descriptions of terminal commands, use man for long descriptions, and so on.

In general the best way is fuck around and find out (keep regular backups). Don't be scared of messing around or fixing stuff, it can be easy and of it isn't an OS reinstall will take about 15 minutes anyways so you're good.

Also depends on what you wanna do. If you justbwant to browse the web and use a few common programs you can just install Linux Mint and remember to install programs via the package manager (app store) and you're generally good. Gaming? Use Steam (enable the proton compatibility mode) whenever possible, lutris should be able to handle the rest. And lastly also look at AlternativeTo when you find programs that aren't available or you don't like.

Just start with a beginner distro and work from there. Check guides and get in the habit to read documentation, you'll be fine.

I'd run some linux on a live USB. Try some of the FOSS software we use like Libre Office, Krita, Kdenlive. Check out the software app. Im a big KDE fan if it isnt obvious enough. Make your windows stuff more portable or interoperable. Get passwords into a database like KeePass, check out Markdown document making. Find out what Linux has for you and your computer interests.

Approach it more like a hobby than like anything else. Test out true waters with a virtual machine (Google is your friend) and YouTube/any other guides. If it's not for you, so be it.

If it piques your interest, keep going on down the rabbit hole, and continue exploring. And even then, if you get the feeling you know enough, or are satisfied, you will at least have a workable environment to your liking or have the knowledge to change it so.