I used Ubuntu once a few years ago but had compatability issues so I went back to windows. Not a great programmer but I’d like to learn. I’m not looking to do much gaming beyond DOOM2 and factorio. Mostly looking for privacy and a way to get back into programming (I have this pipe dream of learning Assembly). I’m not to particular on UI, I can use whatever.
Edit: https://distrochooser.de for anyone who stumbles upon this post with the same question
Decide, 1st, on the point of your installing Linux on it:
IF you want the most-fundamental-understanding,
THEN you want the book “How Linux Works”, the most-recent edition of that, and maybe you want a Debian/Ubuntu in order to guarantee that any problem you encounter will already have been encountered by somebody else, while you are getting competent in the fundamentals… There are 2 Linux System Administration books to consider, after you work through that one, 1 is from OReilly, the other … I can’t remember who published it, but it has several authors, & a cartoon on the front cover, and it is huge, and it is the one you want.
Neither of those books are cheap, but try comparing them with a university-year of a course, and the competence you can earn through those 2 books is at least that level.
You also are going to need, around the time you get partway through the 2nd book, a book on Linux Security.
IF you are just a crazy hack-at-things person who likes technical toys, then maybe Void is more likely to be fun for you…
Linux From Scratch is how you get the every-last-step-of-the-way understanding, but I haven’t done that one yet, because I want to keep using my computer for things like writing, and LFS might make me avoid my machine ( I spent years burnt-out from geekery, several times, and am leery of getting myself that way, again, but LFS really is the way to get truly-competent as a sysadmin. ).
You will need the same books listed above, though.
Do well!
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