Anyone recommend a current linux distro

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dizzie

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Getting so pissed off with W10 due to all the bullshit that seems to be forced on people. Looking for something that is lightish to run got i5, 8gb, 512 ssd atm but it's from 2014. Preferably something a newbie can use and learn from there. Oh and i'd like to run office by MS as lots of my work craps in excel (if that's possible in some kind of emulator, tho can live without it if I absolutely need to). I won't be gaming on it just for web, films, little bit of torrents, music - kinda day to day use.

Did research but there's so many distro's now it's bewildering and I kinda don't wanna wipe everything and find I need to learn a gazillion lines of command line stuff..
 
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a_skeleton_03

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Ubuntu is one of the most popular options out there for desktop usage. I recommend it myself.
 
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Asshat wormie

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I like mint for that windows feel but what a_skeleton_03 said.
 
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dizzie

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Thanks chaps, I see I can run it from a usb stick to try it out - awesome.
 

wilkxus

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Getting so pissed off with W10 due to all the bullshit that seems to be forced on people. Looking for something that is lightish to run got i5, 8gb, 512 ssd atm but it's from 2014. Preferably something a newbie can use and learn from there. Oh and i'd like to run office by MS as lots of my work craps in excel (if that's possible in some kind of emulator, tho can live without it if I absolutely need to). I won't be gaming on it just for web, films, little bit of torrents, music - kinda day to day use.

Did research but there's so many distro's now it's bewildering and I kinda don't wanna wipe everything and find I need to learn a gazillion lines of command line stuff..
6 Best Linux Distributions for Beginners in 2018

If you like Windows 7 you might gravitate towards distros that feature Mate or Cinnamon desktops. Most distributions let you pick and configure a large variety of flavours of desktop intefaces. Quite often the default can leave you stuck in Gnome or some other weird as shit desktop. Before you tear your eyes out or burn the fresh Linux install, experiment a little with desktops. Just install a bunch and choose which one to play with at the user login screen.

If you get stuck or have any questions feel free to ask away here: Linux OS stuff Thread
 

Lambourne

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I use Mint for one of my secondary boxes and as a relative noob to Linux I've found it to be pretty easy to get the hang of. It's basically Ubuntu but with various non-open source stuff like video card drivers installed already so it's easier to get going. It comes with Transmission (torrent client) installed already too. Desktop is not as smooth as windows but I'm running it on a Conroe from 2006 so that might have something to do with that.
 

ShakyJake

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Yeah, another Mint recommendation here. Mint with the MATE is fantastic if you prefer the classic Windows-like desktop.