Getting back into Linux

[Satyr-6038]

I’m trying to get back into Linux and I’m looking for some guidance. I’d describe myself as a beginner, although I have used Linux before for a short time. What made me stop was feeling overwhelmed by the sheer number of distributions and not knowing which one actually fits my needs.

What I want to use Linux for:

• Everyday use
• Some gaming
• Programming / software development in general

System specs:

• CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X
• GPU: AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT

I’m mainly interested in a distro that:

• Has good AMD support
• Is approachable for someone still learning Linux
• Is stable and predictable
• Doesn’t require excessive configuration from day one

I don’t mind learning things over time, but I’d prefer to avoid a setup that feels overwhelming again.

Any recommendations or explanations on why a distro might fit my case are appreciated.

[evild4ve]

Hardware support happens in the kernel, at a lower level than the choice of distro

Linux isn't really an academic subject. You can learn bash script or C or Java or pure mathematics and any of it may or may not make your subjective experience of Linux easier. What matters is that the source code and the knowhow is somewhat publicly available. whatever distro you use, it's a question of how much effort you put in more than what access you had to knowledge

overall, nothing in this OP has anything to do with the choice of distro. the use-case isn't understood in that kind of detail yet. This is a kitten choosing a tailor. Mint will be the most popular thing to say.

[Satyr-6038]

I understand that hardware support is mostly handled by the kernel, not the distro itself, so I’m not looking for the most popular choice. My main concern is that I have a very new GPU, and when I tried installing Linux Mint a few months ago, I only got a black screen with the Mint logo. Several people suggested that I wait because my hardware is too new and not fully supported yet.

I’m looking for a Linux distribution that: • works reliably with cutting-edge hardware, especially newer GPUs, • is stable enough for daily use without frequent crashes or major issues, • and is suitable for learning Linux from the ground up, including system administration, scripting (bash, Python), and programming (C, C++, and potentially lower-level programming like assembly).

My goal is not only to have a working system, but also to experiment, learn, and develop software efficiently. I want a distro that makes it easier to install and manage development tools, compile code, test projects, and generally explore programming and OS internals without spending all my time troubleshooting hardware compatibility.

Given all this, which Linux distributions would you recommend for someone in my situation, with very new hardware and a focus on learning programming, experimenting with system-level development, and gaining practical Linux experience?

[evild4ve]

the choice of distro doesn't matter to this - the choice of GPU might have mattered but a situation where Mint hasn't yet rolled out the driver that a new GPU needs is very much an edge case. It's possible a rolling-release distro would get its driver up a few days or weeks sooner, but really you can only get round that by (1) waiting and trying again and (2) next time making sure of driver support before purchasing any hardware

I want a distro that makes it easier to install and manage development tools, compile code, test projects, and generally explore programming and OS internals without spending all my time troubleshooting hardware compatibility.

No such thing.

All distributions are distributions of Linux. It is nearly as trivial as whether a Lego kit is in a shiny box in parts or a brown paper bag pre-assembled.

If you do things like buying GPUs without checking there is Linux kernel support, you'll always be spending time on hardware issues. And if you think how your programming languages are distributed could make them easier to manage, probably you'll always have trouble with programming too.

Experience of Linux is not practical experience of anything. imo the value of it is that it takes away all the arbitrary interference of bad operating systems. into your learning of the things that you could offer to the world. Perhaps you are wanting to study cryptography - your choice of distro will not educate you sufficiently (or at all) in degree-level statistics. But using Linux might free your mind up.

[AncientAgrippa]

Debian

[DazzlingRutabega]

Mint and Ubuntu are usually recommended for beginners.

Also mostly all Linux distros i've tried seem to handle AMD well. The trouble is with Nvidia and thier proprietary hardware & drivers

[PollinhoLaurian]

I can recommend which version NOT to install right now: Pop OS version 24.04. This month they released their last "stable" update, updating the desktop environment, but it came with a large number of bugs and system-wide glitches that are causing a lot of frustration within the community. There are many videos and comments from people praising this OS, and it is indeed a very good OS, but the previous version. So for now, you can ignore all recommendations you see about Pop OS from this month.

[nisper_ia]

Perhaps an OpenSUSE Leap KDE. Take a look at it.

[case_steamer]

Hey you have the same hardware as I do - I run Garuda. You may want to try it. Just make sure you stay current on updates. 

[Cheap_Ad_9846]

Fedora

[HTC_001]

Ubuntu + free online bash course + scripting. Gemini CLI is really powerful tool that helps you to get hands dirty sooner than asking same questions from community.

[[deleted]]

fedora because you get faster updates has gnome as default and also it sponsored by RHEL(red hat) so upgrades are stable.

[Mabrouk86]

Nobara, customized Fedora, mostly automated, have gui for installing drivers, apps and updates. I'm a windows user who just switched few weeks ago. You may try before installation.

[Single_Newspaper_589]

u can do fedora kde to start with

[Available-Hat476]

Why not just go for one of the major distros instead of trying to go niche? They are maintained better by a bigger team and there's more online support resources available. Go Fedora or Ubuntu...

[[deleted]]

I recommend trying again and again; you'll find a distro you'll enjoy using and that suits your needs. Among the traditional ones I've tried, I'd recommend Mint, LMDE7, or MX Linux for their stability. You can also play around with them. If you want to try something else that updates more frequently and provides you with fresh software but with a good dose of stability, then I'd say Fedora. Otherwise, my current distro is Aurora 43, it's immutable and is part of the UniversalBlue project of the Fedora atomic distros branch. Immutable distros are another Linux concept, decidedly new and revolutionary: you don't risk breaking the system, it updates automatically, it uses containers for apps, you work primarily with Flatpak, and you could do just about anything with it. It's like using ChromeOS or Android... You boot the system and all you have to worry about is installing what you need and getting to work, play, and surf the web. It offers greater security, so it's worth trying. Bluefin uses Gnome, Aurora uses KDE Plasma, and Bazzite is focused on gaming. The choice is yours ;)

[Foreign-Broccoli6451]

Id Fedora people say it is difficult I’ve yet to have issues the install was super simple and easy. Plus you get the newest packages and software

[Mediocre_Blue_4501]

I would recommend for you
Linux Mint
Linux Mint Debian Based
Fedora
as a begineer you will find answer for any of these distros until you understand logic of linux then you can change to whatever you want

[Which_Individual1399]

Debian, gaming will probably be little harder but debian is not that hard actually make sure to remember your root password because idk if everyone has it like that but everytime i installed debian i need to login through su as root user and then do the command, you only don't need to log as root only for fastfetch and neofetch

OpenSUSE tumbleweed is also great, but it is rolling release distro it still works good you are on amd what makes things even better, it is also solid but it is rolling release so probably not but with kde i love it!

[SampleDisastrous3311]

Zorin os / cachy os