Can anyone help me to choose a linux distro? Cant figure out which one to pick cause there are tons of them.

[SaugatD]

I want to dual boot linux. I can play games and other daily things in windows and I want linux distro to start programming there. Keep all my work stuff there.
I am using Acer nitro 5. Its a gaming machine so I cant use it for longer period. Battery cant keep up(At work/Study).
I want the distro to be minimal, focus performance. Not after cool looking desktop themes. Less battery consumptions. Wonder if there are apps to use fan control for my device.
Specs : Intel i5 10300h
SSD: 256gB x2
GTX 1650
16gB RAM

 

[Brickwizard]

Welcome
The main problem with minimal installations is that they often do not have the necessary hardware drivers installed, so you will have to do it yourself, as a beginner coming from Microsoft you would be better off using a full distribution for a year or so, untill you get use to it.
Is it just programming you are interested in, or becoming a computer security specialist?

 

[SaugatD]

Welcome
The main problem with minimal installations is that they often do not have the necessary hardware drivers installed, so you will have to do it yourself, as a beginner coming from Microsoft you would be better off using a full distribution for a year or so, untill you get use to it.
Is it just programming you are interested in, or becoming a computer security specialist?

Thank you. I am just a learner now. I'm interested in networking. By full distribution, which would you recommend me for a beginner programmer and beginner linux user? I will prefer if they have windows-like controls and a stable distro.

 

[Brickwizard]

Firstly I do not recommend, many members will jump in with their favourite distributions, but what is right for them is not necessarily right for you or your kit,
what I do suggest is you download 5 or 6 different distributions to run "live" from a pen-drive to see which works best and which YOU like the look and feel of.
Popular builds for newbies are Linux-Mint, Ubuntu, MX-linux, Linux Lite [but can be a problem to install], and Debian stable with driver pack, A little off the wall you could try Parrot HOME [this is the daily desktop version of their security build] Please avoid Kali,& Pop as they can both be a right pain in the butt to set up,
As you have a new machine, if you are planning to install as a dual boot with windows you will need to disable windows quick-start and secure boot [both usually found in the BIOS] and do a cold re-boot before you install.
you can run any of your programming applications on any version of linux

 

[KGIII]

This is the URL I usually toss into questions like this:

Finally, an Answer to What is The Best Linux Distro? • Linux Tips

Finally, an attempt to answer to the age old question: Which Linux distro is the best? Read on to find out which distro is the best Linux distro.

linux-tips.us

But, one note, DistroTest is no longer functional. I haven't yet changed the article.

 

[SaugatD]

Thanks! I will try one or two and then think about dual boot.

 

[Brickwizard]

I will try one or two and then think about dual boot

you have other options, once you decide which you like, you can use a VB/VM, you can make a "LIVE persistent" USB drive on a 32gb good quality pen-drive, or you can use WSL in your win 11 [a form of VM]

 

[kc1di]

This page can also be helpful in choosing a good distro. But it boils down to what you hope to accomplish with your Machine and personal tastes as to the Desktop. Read the section on getting started first. Good luck. and Enjoy the process of learning. Trying several distros live and seeing how that work for a few days is good advise.

 

[forester]

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lubuntu minmal install (mini.iso) -- How2

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