@ZXDunny, I disagree. Linux is fine for everyday use. There are several ifs and buts though. First, in the case of Kumaki, there is certain software that is needed, and there may not be a good way to use that other than Windows. Second for Kumaki is that there will be a learning curve, so things won't be exactly the same as what she is used to. If someone has needs that can be met by a particular distro is another thing to consider. There are plenty of situations where Linux is and has been reliable and in use for long periods, and some of these are by average users. It comes down to if they can do what they need to do with what they have and don't need to mess around with figuring out what will work and how to do things. Since Kumaki doesn't have the support of an IT department things should be taken a bit slower. DrHAX doesn't need to take it so slow, plus he is willing to learn on his own.
@Kumaki, in my PM I mentioned some options for laptops that are popular with some people for installing Linux. I think you will probably be safe with most. Decide if you are trying to save money or have things be as easy as possible for you. Installing most distros will be extremely simple, and I always install my own, however there are some companies that will sell you a laptop with Linux installed. Some have more options for what distro you get, but most seem to be pushing Ubuntu. I still feel that Mint, which tries to be user friendly from what I understand, will be a better choice for you. I have no personal hands on experience with Mint, so keep that in mind when considering my recommendation of it.
I don't know if you use your devices on public wifi. If so there are many steps you should probably take, especially if doing things with your line of work. Make sure to read and fully understand what ElPoco said as a start. There are other things that should probably be added. I say your safest bet is not to use public wifi for now, especially not for anything work related. This can be revisited later.
Hello I had a long post explaining everything but that got wiped out due to my internet resetting... <_<
basically I keep on coming back to linux after i'm forced to use windows... Every year I seem to swap back and forth due me needing to use something windows then getting sick of its shit and going to back to linux. However i've been using ubuntu for quite awhile.. but i'm not a fan of the privacy issues that OS has.
I have some experience with linux back with ubuntu 8.10 and rebuilding early 2000's laptops and hacking in wi-fi using parts I gained from my middle school's computer club.
I've dealt with Ubuntu, Mint, Some variations of Ubuntu, Puppy(Stuck on a flashdrive so I could reboot school computers and do my homework on one OS.), Vine, Debian PPC (used with a mac mini I got for 5 bucks. I created this computer to go into a antique magneto box to use along side a USB typerwriter for a class final project to show and explain steampunk. I got put into the school paper for that one.)
I'm familiar some aspects of using linux, however the more complex stuff like compiling your own stuff is something that interests me But I don't have the slightest clue where to start.
I'd like to hear your suggestions for a distro.
If you suggest one you use tell me why you're suggesting it and what programs you like to use with it
Or if you any of you have any crazy ideas spew them out too. I'm curious to get to know more about linux.
See if something else will work for you when you need Windows. If not, dual boot and use Windows for the things you need from it, then go back to Linux for everything else. If you really don't like Windows but still feel you need it that is your best option. I don't know what capacity your HDD(s) are, so that could be a problem, especially if you need a lot of storage for whatever.
For you I recommend something like Debian, Fedora, Arch, Slackware or Gentoo. The first two should be rather straight forward, with Debian being a bit more conservative and Fedora being more bleeding edge. The other 3, as far as I understand (extremely limited experience with Arch on my part) probably require a bit more on your part. You will need to learn and do more on your own. Gentoo might give you an install that is a bit more optimized, which may be better if using older hardware. It also isn't as simple to install since you are making all the decisions yourself, and will require you to follow some instructions and have a basic understanding of what you are doing. Slackware is extremely simple, but seems to be the opposite of Gentoo in some ways. With Slackware it pretty much gives you the option to install everything that is a part of the distro, which is highly recommended with a few exceptions, or to go and choose each thing individually. Some things will be different from what you are used to, but once you figure out the basics it is very easy, just not as convenient as some other distros (mainly talking about repos and dependency handling and such, but there are options for those as well). If you want to learn go with Slackware, Gentoo, or (probably) Arch.
I think your attitude and interests would be better served by choosing one of the distros I mentioned for you. There is nothing wrong with Ubuntu or Mint, but you probably don't need your hand held quite as much, and it may benefit you to try out different things. If you want to take baby steps go with Debian. If you want to jump in head first go with something a bit different. You can always pick something else later. There are so many options now that I don't think we can really cover most of them here, so my list takes you to some of the upstream distros. There are probably some really good options I overlooked, and you should probably try those out as well. Do a little reading if you want to learn some more about them.
I can't recall much software that is distro specific. I like KDE, and one of the first things I install is yakuake. You might need something a bit lighter, so Xfce, which you are probably familiar with, is good. The Xfce terminal can be set up as a drop down terminal (like yakuake or guake or tilda), not that you need one, but they are helpful sometimes. LibreOffice is LibreOffice... There are other options, but I used OpenOffice for a while, then switched to LibreOffice. When I am not busy or lazy I use Xchat for irc, but that is mostly because it is usually there, I am familiar with it, and it is what I have already used. I want to try using irssi more. (If you start messing with IRC, join the community channels if you don't already.) You probably already have preferences for web browsers. As I have said a lot recently, I usually default to old Opera and FF. I have been trying to stick with Pale Moon as of recently instead of FF, and there are others that are based on FF that are worth considering. There are also a few out there inspired by Opera 12 if that is your thing. It might be easier if you give a list of what you frequently do so that people can make specific suggestions. If you have Ubuntu or something installed right now look through the repo and give some things a try.
