Need reccomendations for distro. Old laptop from like '10 (shipped with windows 8, not even 8.1), touchscreen needed so no Mint unfortunately. No linux experience whatsoever beyond using tails and I know what the terminal is but have NO clue how to use it.
Need a daily driver for light tasks (just gimp, handbrake, internet, qbittorrent, and libreoffice type stuff, no games), would prefer security and privacy, but idk if Whonix can run on my old machine and with my nonexistent linux exp idk if it is a good one for me yet, may need exp with something else first? Idk, y’all tell me!
Was reccomended Fedora, has touch support and supposedly good for the light tasks and will run in my old laptop, but figured I’d ask what y’all think because you guys seem knowledgeable.
It is my only computer besides my phone so I can’t afford the time to fuck around lol.
Tails and Whonix is definitely overkill. And given your description of nonexisten linux experience, it’s not recommended. But it’s not the usual daily-driver distro anyway.
Fedora is nice. Fedora has a leaning on FOSS projects, which if you need to install a proprietary software, you’d have to enable additional repository. It’s not always inherently privacy-respecting, but it has great defaults, then everything else is depends on what users install and configure.
But do expect a changing workflow from Windows, because Linux is simply different. So whatever distro you pick, it definitely require time for you to get used to it.
If you ever have used Photoshop then moved to GIMP, it require you to change how you work with it. For example, in PS you can edit individual RGBA channel independently, while in GIMP you’d have to decompose each channel into layers, edit, then recompose them into single channel. Things are different. You wouldn’t get used in a day.
I’d suggest dualbooting Linux & Windows for several months, so you can explore Linux while you can still use Windows as needed. And by exploring Linux, you can also read/watch online resources to see how people use it or see people’s review.
If you go with Fedora, bear in mind that the installer is different from other popular distros. Confirm/next/back button is at the top, mind you. See the documentation while installing. Just giving you a notice because some people complaining that the installer is hard. But once it’s installed, it typical GNOME experience and best for touch gestures as you need (if you go with the main Fedora Workstation download).
Good to know, I suppose I may start with Fedora (or maybe something else if you or anyone here have a reccomendation), and possibly consider Whonix when I have more experience and/or hardware it’ll run on.
I typically rely on FOSS projects myself as I am poor as hell lol. I do use Veracrypt, that may be my only one. I could switch to LUKS but I don’t know if they support hidden containers like VC and I don’t believe they do. Might keep one VC for windows compatability and switch the other to LUKS. I definitely expect a bit of learning involved, I more meant I don’t want to try 5 different distros before nailing down a good one, maybe 2 max. That and hopefully it won’t shit the bed so hard that I can only use my phone for a time to try and fix it haha.
Might go with the dual booting, that is a good idea.
And thanks for the heads up, in any case whatever I go with I will 100% be looking up “how to install X” and watching a tutorial haha, I know most will be “use etcher or rufus and slap that hoe in” but still I like to be prepared.