BluefoxLongtail

Hello! I'm Bluefox. I'm mostly a C/C++ programmer, but dabble in Java because school makes me. I also have an interest in COBOL, Pascal, and Fortran, but haven't had the time to study them. Been attempting to code or fiddle with code at least since I was 8 or 9, and now I study it. Hoping to do research work with programming in the future.

Lenovo is always a safe bet, but definitely feel free to explore your options since Lenovo's are typically pricier. I use an HP with an Nvidia 16xx card and Intel processor and it runs a dream except for the annoyance of Optimus (running Intel graphics and Nvidia graphics at the same time). I've installed Linux on a lot of laptops, and I've only had issue with two models. The Dell Latitude E6430 ATG (finicky wifi and non-functional fingerprint reader) and the Panasonic Toughbook CF-52 (bluetooth no work).

Generally though anything is fine, especially if made in the last 5 years or so. Linux compatibility is really great these days. The biggest issues I'd be worried about is which wireless card it has, and if you need a fingerprint reader (especially if you get a Dell).

Some wireless cards won't automatically have their drivers installed no matter how hard you try (you have to do manual set up), and as far as I know, Dell fingerprint readers still don't work.

I might be a little late, and this might be a little controversial, but I'll recommend to you what was recommended to me years ago. Ubuntu. Though the interface is different than it was in 2013 (they use a different desktop environment (DE) now), the spirit of ease-of-use is still there. Ubuntu is a rock-solid Debian based distro, which of course, there are a lot of. Ubuntu however (and I'd assume it's derivatives) go a step further for usability. Coming from Windows XP back then, everything just made sense. Software came from a place called Software, updates came from a place called Updates, and LibreOffice (OpenOffice branch; MS Office equivalent) is a pre-installed app. It also makes driver install (at least for Nvidia, not sure about AMD) easy, a single click will switch you from the nouveau (rather poor open source drivers) to nvidia's latest proprietary drivers, in the Software and Updates menu.

Out of the box, Ubuntu is set to handle it's updates semi-automatically (prompting you for permission). It's install process is a breeze compared to some distros, not being a several step process, but simply a boot-from-disk, follow instructions, process (pre-UEFI, it was arguably even simpler; openSuse also has this advantage). If you only have experience with Windows, Ubuntu is the place to go. If you want something that's similar enough to Windows' interface, but has it's own Linux-isms, I'd say your best bets are KDE (and relatedly, Kubuntu, which is Ubuntu with KDE out of the box). Some other people would recommend Cinnamon or MATE, which both have their own versions as well.

But if you want the Ubuntu experience, GNOME is bulky and sometimes annoying, but very charming. It's certainly better than Unity, which was the previous DE, that had a charming interface, but even more bulk than GNOME. I hope whatever you pick, you come to love (or at least not dislike) Linux. If you find that too much of your software doesn't have a Linux version, make sure to give Wine a go. It's not perfect, but it's nearly so for a lot of modern apps. Valve's equivalent to Wine (Proton) is even more effective, especially for games.

(As a side note, after several years of distro hopping on a secondary computer, my daily drivers changed to Arch earlier this year, which is lovely, but very involved.)

It used to be multiple workspaces, but with Windows having that now, it's just the ease of install and use of build tools.

Part of this is the existence of package managers, and part of it is just how well they integrate with the operating system. Using the GNU Compiler Collection on Linux or Linux-like systems is just so much less of a rigamarole compared to getting any usable set-up on Windows.

Another thing I miss when I go to use Windows is the compose key. It's so much better integrated on Linux. Mac's solution to special characters meanwhile is fine. Windows' just isn't.

Finally, and this is the biggest one is little power user customizability tools (yes, I know Microsoft has things made for this, but they aren't installed and/or available out of the box). Customizability of the programs one uses everyday and the overall behaviour of one's computer is an absolute must, but I understand why Microsoft moved Windows away from that model. Most people don't want or need that.

Others have mentioned it too, but Linux just doesn't get in your way like many other OSes do.