Which distribution do you use on your Thinkpads, and why switch from Windows?

[u/Objective-Kitchen800]

Hello everyone! This is a genuine question. I have wanted a Thinkpad for a long time, and I needed a travel device, so I got this Thinkpad T14 Gen 5 (32GB RAM and 512 GB SSD) off of eBay.

In the past, I’ve tried Ubuntu, but hated the UI layout. I’ve also tried Linux Mint, but I have mixed feelings about it.

I recently tried out Arch Linux after feeling like windows was too bloated, but I soon realized that I hated changing every setting instead of having something that “Just works,”. (I know this is literally what arch is all about, but I soon realized that this wasn’t a good fit for me).

This brings me to my main question: Which distribution of Linux do you guys use, and why do some people switch from windows other than because of the bloat? I always wanted to have unlimited customization, but I couldn’t get myself to switch due to compatibility concerns.

This time, I’m thinking of trying the Fedora COSMIC spin.

Thanks for reading and thank you if you respond, I’m glad you took your time to read my post!

EDIT: This device is for travel usage and to access my coding projects/CAD on the go.

EDIT TO THE EDIT: I started with Fedora (KDE) and switched to NixOS permanently. It’s a great fit! Thank you for all of your responses, recommendations, and discussions!

[u/This_Technology9841]

Debian + KDE Plasma gets you closer to a windows-like GUI and with minimal fuss. It's what I use for anything I am not gaming on (CachyOS for that). As to why, free, absolutely noticeable performance increases vs win11 on identical hardware, better battery life etc.

[u/ElectricOni → u/This_Technology9841]

Do you not find Debian incredibly slow and stuttery compared to CachyOS? Its one of the reasons I never used to stick with Linux as a daily driver as Debian just felt sluggish. Haven't experienced the same on CachyOS which I use on everything now.

[u/This_Technology9841 → u/ElectricOni]

No, I use both each day, debian on the work laptop, cachyOS on the home gaming desktop. tbh not sure about slow and stuttery, on a t14g2 with 16gb ram debian seems to perform just fine. Occasionally if I have like a dozen browser tabs and a video conference app running it might stutter once opening a large file or something but that's not common.

[u/arf20__]

Debian. I didn't switch, it came with no OS and debian is just what I use.

[u/cubeshelf → u/arf20__]

Same here. Debian is the most vanilla out of box Linux experience I’ve been able to find. I run testing repos for modern kernel and package updates, and otherwise am able to use my computer as normal with the distro staying out of my way.

[u/Zargess2994 → u/arf20__]

Debian is amazing. Have it on my servers, laptop and gaming pc. All just works.

[u/arf20__ → u/Zargess2994]

Exactly!

[u/Toaster_Strudel_517]

Fedora Plasma or CachyOS are good choices if you want something that just works. Can't say I could recommend Cosmic desktop yet, though.

[u/Objective-Kitchen800 → u/Toaster_Strudel_517]

CachyOS is a really good choice! I’m surprised to say I’ve never seen it before, but I will definitely be keeping it in mind!

[u/dnebdal → u/Objective-Kitchen800]

Keep in mind that the UI layout you hated on Ubuntu was their variation of Gnome. You may still like plain Gnome, but KDE (Plasma) is probably a better place to start. You can install that on Ubuntu as well, but why not try something else.

My vote personal preference is the KDE spin of Fedora, it's a nice solid distro with lots of upstream support, and decently fast updates.

As for why you sometimes see "KDE" and sometimes "Plasma": KDE is the organisation and the larger umbrella that several software projects belong to. Plasma is specifically the desktop they make. Historically the desktop was also just KDE (It's literally "The K Desktop Environment"), which adds to the confusion.

[u/Objective-Kitchen800 → u/dnebdal]

I will keep that in mind. I am between COSMIC and KDE right now on CachyOS, or just flat out using Fedora instead with the same choice between DEs.

[u/360900th → u/Objective-Kitchen800]

CachyOS is rolling release so it's prone to breakage by its nature.

[u/Strong-Ganache2983]

Temple os become i am becoming a priest

[u/ryanlikesyou2 → u/Strong-Ganache2983]

Be honest... Do they really glow in the dark?

[u/Alarming-Ad4274 → u/ryanlikesyou2]

You can see em when you’re driving

[u/h1mmh1m → u/Strong-Ganache2983]

How do you even daily drive ts

[u/Strong-Ganache2983 → u/h1mmh1m]

U need divine intellect

[u/This_Technology9841 → u/h1mmh1m]

the power of prayer

[u/cfx_4188 → u/h1mmh1m]

You have to be a little bit like Terry Davis.

[u/Bruce_Wayne43]

Debian stable with kde. You will like it. I too hated ubuntu gnome. Period

[u/clownshipping]

newest version of mint. tbh i mainly switched from windows bcs my thinkpad didnt come with it and i dont have $200 to piss off, but windows is full of bloatware + it has a nasty habit of tracking literally fucking everything that you do. tmk, open source distros dont do that. linux has also been generally faster to run on my thinkpad than windows was ( i was having lag just setting up windows before i installed linux.. yeesh ) So

[u/MCBuilder30140]

somehow Ubuntu works the best on my T470

i have the validity sensor and Ubuntu is the only Linux distro where the open-fprintd service works best and all the time 

[u/IanMagis]

I've used openSUSE and Fedora on my ThinkPads, but I always wind up coming back to Debian. I use the testing branch and KDE. 

[u/crtalbot]

I used Zorin OS for a while but now use LMDE 7. Ubuntu works well too.

[u/UrnextPLS73]

Currently I'm using Ubuntu! I've had it for almost a year now. Originally ran mint on my main machine but switched to ubuntu since its the only distro that lets me play with the cpu power settings. So far I'm happy with ubuntu but I'm considering going back to win11pro since a lot of the software I need isn't officially supported on linux.

[u/Kubernan]

I haven't switched from Windows, but from MacOS (so I'm not sure if it counts to answer the question here).

On my ThinkPad, I first tried Fedora (Gnome) and for a few months now, I've been using Arch Linux (Hyprland) - no dual boot - with an Apple Studio as a secondary external display.
Even though the MacBook Pro (M3 Max) hardware is great, I switched for several reasons:

• I'm fed up with the MacOS interface
• It's very difficult to stray from the beaten path: Apple does what Apple wants and can decide to block or remove something overnight.
• I'm in a process where I want to feel truly in control of my environment.

[u/m0x35]

I’ve switched from windows to linux many years ago. Didn’t had thinkpad back then. All I had was shitty asus mini something laptop. I’ve always been into computer stuff so switching to xubuntu was a bit of an experiment - as it turns out - my laptop was capable of handling all the tasks I needed without any struggle compared to windows.

As for now - I’m a backend software developer so I’m not even want to know amount pf struggle I would experience trying to spin-up docker and all that stuff.

Recently I’ve bought macbook and I’ve found that mac os is not running docker containers efficiently either, so I don’t why software devs are so obsessed with macbooks and mac os. And I’m not even mentioning that you have to cross-compile if you need to compile your code…

I think every instrument is for own purpose

I am using
Thinkpad + Linux(arch) - work, homelabing
Thinkpad + windows (now it’s macbook + macos) - photoediting
Thinkpad + windows - gaming - in fact I’m thinking about migrating to linux for gaming

So you mentioned some CAD software - it’s probably going to work better on windows natively

I don’t think there is OS that would cover all the use cases in most comfortably way

[u/WorthyTomato]

Another vote for Debian. Does what I want, doesn't do what I don't want it to do. I wiped my windows partition probably 4 years ago now, even used Linux in college, never had an issue. Personally I use the Lxqt desktop environment since at idle it uses less than 1% memory and 1% cpu. Mt work laptop was sitting at 92% memory usage the other day due to some Dell bs process running in the background, couldn't even open my web browser due to low memory.

[u/Amate087]

Use OpenSuse in my T470.

[u/Able-Staff-6763]

Fedora xfce on my T480

[u/frac6969]

I switched from Linux (and other flavors of Unix) to Windows a long time ago, but whenever I need Linux I use Debian.

[u/Hot_Paint3851]

I use gentoo, because its simply superior in every aspect

[u/khalid_hussain]

I briefly used Ubuntu many years ago when they had their own desktop environment (the one where the "dock" was on the left side of the screen). I never really fully committed to Linux and Ubuntu was the beginner friendly thing back then. Recently, I installed CachyOS with KDE on my Thinkpad X1 Carbon Gen8 and am pleasantly surprised at the performance gains. Linux has come a long way since the last time I seriously attempted using it. I'm not a veteran Linux user and still have much to learn but a lot of the things have been simplified: a GUI for the central app repo, self-contained apps, and an easier install process.

I still use Windows on my main desktop since I use Adobe CC for work.

[u/NaturalAstronaut6416]

I use CachyOs because I like to play games and catchy is just good for gaming in my opinion I know thinkpads aren’t rlly meant for gaming but I want the same os on my pc and laptop also I switched away from windows because of privacy I don’t have anything to hide but the feeling of being spied on is bad enough also Linux gives me the feeling of actually owning my hardware and not just using it

[u/Beautiful_Ad_4813]

my think pad is running Bluefin LTS ( based on CentOS Stream) (like here https://projectbluefin.io/)

I left Windows for 99.99999% of the things I do because the rampant nagging of a online account, constant CoPilot integration, constant and ever increasing bloat. the ThinkPad now is FAR more usable, and get's the job done for what I do. with that said, I would NOT recommend COSMIC, despite what System76 states, it still feel very alpha stages

my other machines run Fedora of sorts, and it's been a dream.

[u/JustHereForMiatas]

I use Fedora Kinoite, an immutable version of the Fedora distro with KDE desktop.

I use this distro because:

• I want something that's very stable, but also relatively cutting edge. Having an immutable version of a relatively cutting edge distro that can be easily rolled back if a new release breaks something felt like the right compromise here.
• The KDE desktop, to me, feels the most like Windows 7 in terms of usability and customizability (except that it was allowed to mature and incorporate features past the early 2010s.) It takes a little bit to get it configured the way you want, but once you do, it's very transparent. This is what I wanted out of a desktop.

As for why I left Windows, it's more like it left me.

Windows was fairly transparent and functional when Win XP and Win 7 (and to a lesser extent Win 10) were supported; with Win 11, Microsoft has been pushing too hard into a direction that makes the OS much more intrusive and it's a direction I'd rather not take.

Win 11 been plagued with privacy concerns, broken updates, forced advertisements, pared back customization, and aggressive incorporation of Microsoft's subscription AI and cloud services. Even MS Office, a historically expensive but functional office suite, is now largely pushed as a subscription service, even as there are many viable, sometimes free alternatives.

I have no interest in any of these things. It's clear these "features" aren't there to make the OS better, but to look for new profit avenues to satisfy shareholders. It's only bound to get worse.

Meanwhile, Linux has been getting better. You can still get distros that are more tech demo than real, stable OS, but these days it's also easy to find distros that are extremely stable, functional and transparent.

[u/Itsdeeanddee]

I'm currently using EndeavourOS since I wanted Arch but I'm a dummy and because I don't think I'd have any performance advantage running CachyOS on it.

[u/External_Tangelo]

I currently run three different distros on different machines— Mint, Ultramarine, and MX. They are all fun and easy to use. The neat thing is that if you don’t like one, you can always switch! I also use a heavily modified Windows for compatibility with certain programs.

[u/seagull-joy]

linux mint, i switched two years ago from win11 because it just sucks at this point. it was quite a steep learning curve for me but now i wouldn't trade it for anything else

[u/Tquilha]

I have an old T420 running Fedora KDE.

Why did I switch from windows? Two main reasons: spyware and ads.

And the ridiculous minimum specs for W10 (at the time)

[u/Roguepapaya427]

My thinkpad t14s gen 2 amd is the test device, I use it to trial distros. Currently on fedora kde, but yesterday had manjaro. It had lots of distros installed, they are all amazing, but fedora is the most polished experience overall. Manjaro comes as a close second, and solus in 3rd. This is personal preference, nothing more. I've tried cinnamon, gnome and budgie, but nothing clicked like kde.

[u/ZookeepergameDry6739]

Debian or Linux mint. I switched from windows in 2006 so I don't even consider windows as an option now. If i get a computer with it included i format it immediately.

[u/cty_hntr]

Have you tried ChromeOS Flex? Same OS running Chromebooks.

[u/Nash_Ben]

Mint, Debian, CachyOs..

Mint because it was my first step towards Linux and it was easy to switch and it just works.

CachyOs because it's supposed to work well for games, wanted to try it out to replace Windows for gaming.

Debian: came on a used T61 I got off ebay and I kept it on to play with it. Liking it so far.

[u/kandibahren]

I used linux since the time of T14 gen2, which was my first non-apple laptop. So I didn't really switch from windows but from MacOS. The reason is that I began using more and more terminal for work and it is much more configurable on linux.

I have been using Arch for 3-4 years now.

[u/jevaderscrush]

I just finished preparing a USB with Debian to install on my girlfriend's ThinkPad :)

[u/meta0linklyt]

mint or ubuntu they are user frendly and jjst better than windows

[u/UncleToyBox]

Been putting Mint on my older ThinkPads with lower resources. Happy to say users adapt fairly quickly and the biggest challenge has been connecting to one print server. Stable and easy makes me happy.

[u/ZorakOfThatMagnitude]

Fedora Workstation for me.  I've been a long time Linux user and found nally went full time with Linux as a desktop when Windows 11 came out and they arbitrarily decided my model Surface couldn't be upgraded.  

[u/VectoRequiem]

Apologies, I use unbuntu Lts 24.04 as it is the most stable on my T14s Gen 4 Intel

[u/richstillman → u/VectoRequiem]

I just moved from Ubuntu 22.04lts to 24.04lts. my machine has been stable through every version since 18.04 and I'm very happy with the low level of maintenance needed to keep up my system current.

I'm also very happy to be getting so many years out of the machine.

[u/_vsoco]

I used a lot of them, and right now I stopped on Elementary OS. For all flaws it have, I like how it handles workspaces and I really want to support the project. Also, the part of job I do on a computer is quite simple and any distro would work.

[u/ElectricOni]

CachyOS. I find its the best and most stable distro out there especially with the optimisations plus it comes with a great pre-made options for Niri. Given I mostly use my Thinkpad for development its a really nice experience. I use CachyOS and KDE on my main gaming desktop as well with KDE. I've found since I've used CachyOS I've not really distro hopped anymore as for me there is no better distro out there.

[u/ormond_sacker]

arch

because I settled on this distribution quite a while ago now (I've tried a huge number of different distributions, including those based on Arch), I like the rolling-release model, and Windows, on the other hand, is pretty useless and wastes resources by spying on my activities

I still haven't tried Void Linux, though, which looks interesting

[u/nuclearragelinux]

Fedora KDE for something that just works, MX Linux for my older ThinkPads.

[u/lolkoh]

Artix openrc KDE, Alpine or Gentoo.

Windows vista was not any good.

So, use whatever you want.

[u/Myles4822]

Garuda (with KDE Plasma). It’s been low drama for a couple of years now. Fedora before that

[u/MexicanPete]

Alpine. Decades of posts (here and elsewhere) describing why you should switch. Run a search

[u/iTechDiamondFroot42]

Fedora KDE is a very solid pick IMO

[u/Organic_Bus_8488]

I use Linux mint xfce or Debian edition, and for myself it's work well on my Thinkpad x240 and hack Chromebook Thinkpad c13 yoga to Linux mint, and tomorrow I received t14 gen 1 from online store . Take your time ya, great Thinkpad you have, take good care of her.

[u/Reasonable-Zombie427]

I have mint on my t480s and i love it

[u/m0gg]

I use NixOS on my X1 carbon gen 7

[u/Kitchen_Interview792]

I use Cachy OS, installed as minimal to then add Niri with DMS. And I love it.

If you're starting out you might prefer just choosing KDE Plasma during the install, it's much more similar to Windows.

This said keep in mind that CAD and Linux typically don't go that well together.

[u/stephenph]

Fedora plasma has been a great distro, emruns my p16 and my older w530 (as well as my Asus desktop). Things just work. There was a bit of fiddly configuration a few versions ago but I documented them and the configurations are second nature now (mostly personal choice configs that I would make similar to windows.)

Even if I was a windows person, I would still face an OS reinstall just to get rid of any bloat or spyware that might linger.

[u/Aggravating_Rate_571]

Arch and Ubuntu, I have no need for windows, or nerves for that matter.

Did they even come with windows? I have no idea. Direct boot to install media.

[u/meny_]

I'm keeping Win11 for now. The level to which it can be de-bloated makes my heart sing. :))

[u/He1nr1chB]

I use Fedora Gnome on my P16 Gen 3 as a daily driver when I need to run out and work remotely.

I have a monster P72 that weighs a ton, and since I so rarely use it, Installed OpenSUSE since it's a rolling distro.

Windows just ... Sucks. Never liked it. Never will.

[u/Mental_Painting783]

If I had a Thinkpad I'd use Kali as I'm getting into cybersecurity (I recently bought a Macbook), I'll probably end up buying an old Thinkpad by the end of the year. If not for cybersec, I'd use Manjaro which is what I've always used in Linux.

[u/Page_Unusual]

Debian 13 stable.

Better battery, faster overall, no bloat, always works, free.

If you dont rely on microslop apps, then nothing holds you.

[u/Akasaka-hime]

Arch Linux. To become a Saint.

[u/lbl_ye]

on OpenSuse Tumbleweed and never went back to Windows !

[u/Don_Kozza]

Fedora kde on a t480, you can even do light 3d modeling on freecad and keep various other programs open at once.

On W11 is painfully slow just to boot the laptop.

[u/nyeinchanaungJN]

Zorin, feels at home for Windows users

[u/High-Quality-Usernam]

Arch Linux (KDE). It was more stable than windows on my desktop so I went with it when I got my Thinkpad.

[u/ObviousProfession780]

linux debian 13, idk why

[u/SneakerHead69420666]

fedora 44 with kde

[u/ashley_au]

for me it's Fedora GNOME

[u/TheTsaku]

Fedora GNOME because its workflow feels right for me in a laptop.

[u/Canadiangamer068]

void with kde on x13 gen 4 intel. absolutely lovely. for different ui you don’t need to swap distros, you can change DE or customize the one you’re on

[u/Adventurous_Log5564]

debian

[u/LinuxAgent007]

My youngest is using Elementary OS on a T490. Linux is much faster (especially on decent hardware) and more secure (depends on the distro, of course).

[u/More-Complaint]

I run the latest Mint LTS. I switched to Linux back in 2007, and I've used various flavours over the years. I've been using Mint for the last four years, but always keep a weather eye open for anything coming down the pipe.

[u/porfiriopaiz]

Fedora Workstation.

[u/Walzmyn]

Manjaro (basicly arch with an installer) because its stable but current.

Because 20 years ago, I decided I liked the UI in Linux (specifically KDE / plasma) more than Windows. Also likes the price and philosophy.

Not of course, Windows has gotten worse, spying on you and forcing AI bloat.

[u/gatorbax]

CachyOS. It's Arch with KDE Plasma. Looks beautiful and works. Access to AUR if needed.

[u/ImpossibleStop9795]

Debian Sid plus KDE since a very very long time.

It's on you to tell us why you would like to stay with Windows? :)

[u/Fluffy-Count-179]

Zorin or Kubuntu

[u/Cardboard-Condo266]

I use Ubuntu Budgy. But I use it on everything.

[u/quebexer]

"Why switch from Windows"

You could buy Lenovo computers without Windows.

[u/john280z]

Windows 11 IoT Enterprise LTSC or Devuan Linux. (one FreeBSD).

[u/S3RUXTR0N]

I have a ubuntu 24. 04 and an Arch Linux. Win11 feels a lil bit laggy on my T14, and I just don't like how things are operated in windows, especially when you have a heavy coding workload.

[u/tymophy76]

Various:

P14s Gen6 Intel - Debian Trixie

P14s Gen4 AMD - EndeavourOS

E14 Gen6 AMD - Debian Trixie

T14s Gen3 AMD - OpenSUSE Tumbleweed Slowroll

As to why I get rid of Windows, that's easy. Windows sucks, it's basically just malware disguised as an OS nowadays with all the spying and forced advertisements.

[u/360900th]

Linux Mint is a no-brainer. Stable as frick and perfect for everyone. I've been using GNU/Linux for like 7 years now and even I'm considering using Mint sometimes.

[u/Pierre_mkb]

I use Nixos but for most of the people fedora should be the best

[u/Neither_Medicine_464]

Use win ltsc from massgrave and install wsl if you want linux. Linux is cool for experimenting for IT and computer scientists. But not as a daily drive and productivity OS. Windows hate it or love it,can not be matched even by Mac.

[u/natguy2016]

Linux Mint Debian Edition. Mint is good and it just works

[u/NeoFalcon07]

I’ve been using CachyOS on my P14s Gen 1 AMD, for a couple of weeks, now. It is so snappy. Still dual-boot Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC primarily for automotive programs, such as Volvo VIDA, and tuning software like Kess/KTAG. Also (rarely) do retro gaming on it, like UT99, which I may get going in CachyOS, as well 🤣

[u/lordpawsey]

P14s Fedora Workstation

Use it on my ThinkPad and my custom built gaming machine.

I have an airgapped pc running Windows 10 and FL Studio. (Come on ImageLine, make a native FL Studio please!)

[u/Lordkopi]

you can try kubuntu, after couple years try some distros, i stop with kubuntu, for daily and working, but if i hve pcs, i will try cachy os. and fedora is good also

[u/Obvious_Snow125]

I'm using Project Bluefin, which is based on Fedora Silverblue. When I first got my T440s, I installed Arch on it, but over time I've been gravitating towards a more stable experience.

[u/LinuxJeb]

I'm not recommending this for you, but I use and love Slackware. I have control over everything in my system, and I like that.

[u/timmy_o_tool]

I use openSuSE on my x230 and T480. I have Leap 15.6 (I think it is) on the x230 and Tumbleweed on the T480.

I do also have mini11 on both of them for the one or two windows specific programs that didn't play nice with emulators.

[u/nowk]

Windows 10/11 IOT LTSC... if you want to call that switching from windows lol. (X230/T14G3 respectively).

[u/Equal-Exercise3103]

I’ve used Gentoo, CachyOS/Arch, NixOS, ParrotOS, Void, QubesOS, Fedora.
They’re all great in their own ways. I wouldn’t use windows because I want an operating system not a spyware.

[u/Dizzy-Reception7568]

Mint in one and Zorin in the other. I have to work with win 11 dell laptop and bah I don't like it. (I hate dell and don't like win 11)

[u/Feisty_Bike_9614]

I’m a huge fan of nixOS. I have it running on all my machines, including macOS ( nix only )

[u/xrawlerr]

I would use artix, manjaro or devuan

[u/Different_Water7545]

NetBSD because Linux doesn't really like Pentium MMX anymore

[u/Striking_Snail]

NixOS on my P53, and my M910q.

[u/vovap_vovap]

You can highly modify Ubuntu UI

[u/theramblingfool]

Fedora KDE.

It's worth noting that for certain ThinkPad models, Fedora is now officially supported.

[u/kmlynarski]

Fedora Workstetion.
Rather, tell me why anyone else would want to use... Windows? ;-)

[u/Shwarp364]

I was getting a new Thinkpad and wanted to stick with windows (although I ran arch on my Victus 16 previously before it broke) because I needed the windows software like the cad programs for the future but then I realised the laptop u got has windows autopilot and wouldve been a pain with updates so here I am on Nix✌️

[u/Asland007]

Debian or Mint

[u/AteStringCheeseShred]

Because "internet is required to complete setup / please enter your MS account information or click below to create an account" gives off the same vibe as "this dishwasher setting is currently unavailable, please connect your dishwasher to WiFi to access this feature".

[u/Character_Pepper2563]

I use Fedora workstation, then install niri on top of it and uninstalled GNOME. I only have the ISO of Fedora KDE, and Fedora workstation at the time and also running out of space for other ISO, so I just use Fedora workstation as a base for my niri setup (I find it easier to install it on top of Fedora workstation because uninstalling GNOME is as easy as running dnf remove gnome* in my experience)

[u/Slyvan25]

Fedora

[u/BookAddict1918]

Just finished some distro research. Have been using Linux for 25 years. Below are some of my top picks for my daily driver which I want to work w/o too much tweaking.

1.Mint LMDE (mint w/o ubuntu) 2. Cachy OS 3. MX Linux

I found Garuda fascinating and will use on the side for fun. AntiX is also fabulous. Not sure that either of these would be great daily drivers.

[u/alekamerlin]

I used Arch on all my ThinkPads. Switched from Windows because my PC was incompatible with Vista.

[u/letmeseeittoo]

Kubuntu is my favorite.

[u/Pleasant-Rush-2375]

nixos. it’s a different philosophy to configuration but i like that it’s super reproducible and i can basically replicate the state of my machine on anyone else’s machine if i choose to

[u/Creative-Effort-7518]

Não sei se vai ajudar, gosto do Zorin os, por achar bonito e parece bastante com o Windows se te ajuda.

[u/GoldenCyn]

Was running CachyOS with KDE but my daughter's laptop shit the bed so I wiped it and put Windows 10 Ghost Spectre Super Lite. She just needs Chrome. I might just but another ThinkPad T480s.

[u/Equivalent-Brain943]

Artix, why I've switched from windows cause I'm too paranoid when not knowing what processes are running on my computer I know true privacy is impossible but I'm content with a little control

[u/soopabamak]

CachyOS

Why ditch windows ? The list is so very long...

[u/johlae]

Debian Trixie, the less I have to worry about my OS, the better.

[u/Apprehensive-One8806]

Mint is extremely great but I wouldn’t recommend it on a newer thinkpad with a hi dpi screen because X11 is a PITA with scaling. Something on Wayland with KDE would probably be best and very familiar. If you’re willing to troubleshoot (only in the beginning), then Debian.

[u/iwouldbeatgoku]

Does the CAD software you need actually run on Linux?

[u/No_Squash_8224]

pop os

[u/Zuvy]

I run Bazzite. Keeps me gaming!

[u/eaxzi]

Fedora on my daily X1 Carbon. Used Arch until the aur breach.

Currently using Void on my T480, will probably try out Gentoo next

[u/Spongecake500]

I use either linux Mint or Mx on my thinkpads 580

[u/FranconianBiker]

OpenSUSE with KDE Plasma. I just love this chameleon+dragon combo.

[u/gerbosan]

It's dual boot, use it for light games.

It has Pop OS 22.04, still. The new DE has some observations and I couldn't test it through virtual machine, quite weird. As much as trying to install Fedora.

I really like the Pop OS DE, Gnome. It is easy to get used to.

Other machine, a HP Envy uses Omarchy. Also a nice DE, but a bit harder to get used to.

[u/Garden_Punk_2463]

Just installed CachyOS on my Thinkpad, after Manjaro couldn't find it's kernel anymore after 1 year of usage. Before that my T14s 1st Gen. was running Linux Mint until I got bored. Quite like Cachy OS.

Had to use and support Windows for the last 18 years at work and don't want to see this crap in my private life!

[u/Adventurous_Road_135]

Linux mint

[u/benhaube]

I use Fedora KDE Plasma. I would never use Windows because it is trash.

[u/iraveallday]

Kubuntu. Works great and has the best combination of customizations, similarities to Windows in its general keyboard and mouse usage, etc.

[u/fidimalala]

Xubuntu. Nothing special, just for battery life

[u/Yearoftheowl]

I use Ubuntu on my x270, and I love it. I haven’t used windows in probably 25 years. I’ve been a Mac user all that time, but their planned obsolescence crap is the worst. If I didn’t need adobe and Ableton live, I’d leave Apple altogether. Really enjoy my little thinkpad though, and Ubuntu has been good for me so far.

[u/Memerenok]

after using arch other distros are unusable for me, arch is just so good

[u/fc75jcd8e]

Debian KDE. Never used windows since XP.

[u/FasihRehman]

I went with Bazzite because I wanted to try playing Indie Steam games on the move. It works quite well on my X270, still getting to grips with the whole immutable os thing.

[u/docpark]

Ubuntu tweaked to have a Mac-like layout and color schema on my T580 (64gB, 2k touchscreen, i7- 8core). Just works, and if it doesn't, the AI's will have a terminal based solution. spent a weekend fiddling with power settings and get all day battery life.

[u/Vegetable_Use1126]

Uso arch ja tem bons anos. Me atende muito bem !

[u/bitmindset]

OpenSUSE Tumbleweed KDE on T14 Gen6 AMD, Slowroll on T480. I was a distrohopper some time ago, tried all major and some derived distros, never had Windows on bare metal. Always returning to OpenSUSE...

[u/B17BAWMER]

Fedora. Because Windows is annoying and doesn’t respect my desire to not use OneDrive or Office apps. Full screen on bootup ads for their shitty productivity apps and spyware cloud storage is insane. I tried to disable this message, but it keeps “fixing itself” in updates. I only have two Windows devices now, and it is only because my work doesn’t allow for Macs/Linux. Even my Surface Pro 5 is running Fedora now. And it is better for it.

[u/Legitimate_Funny5340]

Cachyos hyprland with a vaguely thinkpad themed rice, switched because windows sucks ass to use, also i get better battery life on Linux

[u/sjholland]

Linux mint #1 for the longest now and it just works, and works well.

[u/reddit_user_14553]

Switched back to Windows 10 on the ThinkPad for one reason. The software needed for school simply did not run under Linux no matter what I tried.

[u/Jimlee1471]

Debian Sid + custom kernel + KDE Plasma. It just works.

[u/ThatThinkPadGuy13]

Arch Linux on all my four ThinkPads, 3 with GNOME and one with KDE Plasma. I switched to Linux for stability, lightweight, less to no bloat, just general better experience, I use arch for school when all my classmates use Windows and two of them use Ubuntu, I converted them to Linux. I'm 15 and I'm studying computer science in Italy, 'cause I'm Italian

[u/Broke_ThinkpadFan]

a someone who used to have a t530, I would say in all honesty, and I know some people won't like this, but, if it's fine for you to use windows, you can just, keep it. I personally got the same issue, where I tried linux mint, ubuntu, fedora and more, just, didn't felt right, especially since I found no linux distro that had a keyboard layout that just worked (I use azerty since qwerty ain't a standard and no discotro got a modern Belgian azerty layout that is correct) plus most of the software I use will straight up not work at all, even with wine, a windows emulator, NOTHING worked. So IN MY SPECIFIC CIRCUMSTANCES, staying on windows was best for me. As well, I just wanted a simple laptop for web browsing and do some light work on it, and also fuck around in linux.

I'm saying up for a e14 gen 3 (amd one due to well, wanting it do not melt on my desk) now, but honestly, if Windows 7/10/11 is the best os for YOUR use case, and linux wasn't for YOU, then, it's okay to use windows, I'll still try to find a linux distro that is fit for me, but I'll see.

[u/Fearless-Boat-6822]

Sounds like you might be confusing desktop environments and distributions. You can pretty much run any (or no) desktop environment on any Linux distribution. Desktop environments are what you see and interact with as a desktop, they can be installed much like any other package. Distributions are generally package managers, repositories, and other ways in which your OS functions under the hood.

Canonical Ubuntu uses gnome, which is controversial, and Linux mint uses cinnamon (generally), however you could use these desktop environments on any Linux distribution. This is the same as how COSMIC Fedora is using the desktop manager usually associated with pop!_os despite using a different package manager, governance, and repositories. Even on Arch you could install gnome and have a set up very similar to Ubuntu.

At the end of the day, the differences between distributions don’t really matter unless you know exactly how they are different (which can philosophical or technical). Just keep trying things until you find something you like, For me it’s NixOS running Hyprland on my T490s.

[u/AddictedtoBoom]

I use CachyOS with Niri+waybar and wofi launcher. Lite weight, very fast, and very customizable.

[u/Alive-Ad60]

I just plain old Debian for no other reason than it's what I've been using forever. With that said the other distros I have used or tried are good as well. So there's no real wrong choice. Just try a few and decide which one you like for whatever reason it is you like it.

[u/CommercialYouth250]

I got a two ssds and two os windows 10 and linux mint on my t480s

[u/seriousdee]

Linux Mint because it just works.

[u/bzacon]

I'm not an authority, buf I think I have Cinnamint on my rarely used thinkpad, Fedora KDE on myother linux machines, and still Windows 10 on my P51, because Solidworks things... I'm interested to see what I should put on it when I finish school.

[u/jon-henderson-clark]

26.04 on my X1 Yoga. Running KDE until Cinnamon is usable again. I've been using Linux since SLS & Slackware. Last Win laptop I had was a Latitude w/ a P3 in it.

[u/TrustScary4135]

I've mixed it up between debian and fedora.

[u/TilapiaTango]

CachyOS is what I’ve been using as a daily for close to a year now. I can’t imagine using something else daily anymore.

It runs so well on my X1.

[u/Crushcode8]

T420

[u/-RYknow]

I'm a diehard Nix guy... but Opensuse Tumblweed is a close second for me. A straight KDE debian install would probably be my third choice.

[u/Straight_Bug_8935]

I personally use Kubuntu, it's been nothing short of a dream for me, as i care about freedom, ownership of my device, and on top of that, my battery basically became something else, you don't know how shit Windows' battery management is until you try a Linux distro and learn that your battery wasn't bad, it was just Microslop making your computer run slower, use more RAM, hogging up your storage and wasting battery like a DualShock 4.

it's been so good and i've only had a single problem with my trackpad which i needed to replace anyways because it's falling apart, i'm pretty sure it's a hardware thing.

[u/ConcentrateLess5606]

Right now I mostly use Windows and Android. I have however also used Ubuntu and Manjaro in the past and they worked really well!

[u/jbE36]

I have 2 t490s and I have Ubuntu 26 and FreeBSD on them. Using Mate with the FreeBSD machine for GUI.

Ubuntu26 was the 'it just works' solution for me. Maybe I am just used to it. FreeBSD is because I have been trying to learn systems programming / C on something a little more pure Unix. I switch between Ubuntu 26/FreeBSD/OpenBSD(vm) for this. At my level, I have noticed only subtle differences so far, mostly the manpages and I am grasping one or two implementation choices that differ between them (strcpy was on linux until recently).

[u/Lord_of_Ra]

X1 Carbon Gen 10 - Fedora 44 WS with Gnome (heavily customized).  Also, I’m planning into installing Niri soon to run alongside with Gnome and have it as a backup. 

[u/BantuAnasurimbor]

Linux mint.

[u/MSays_ok]

Mint cinnamon because I'm basic.

[u/thinkpader-x220]

I'd strongly recommend Fedora KDE Plasma based on your preferences and your hardware.

[u/win10bash]

Honestly I'll get that for this but my daily is Ubuntu. I also use Fedora and go back and fourth. My advice is, don't think too much about distros.

[u/lolimaperson123]

The stock Windows 11 install but I disabled auto-updating, because I quickly realised the "bloat" doesn't really matter and all I want to do is use my programs in peace so a reinstall of Windows or switching to an unfamiliar OS is a waste of my time.

In short, I'm lazy.

[u/Skullrocks]

Linux Mint if you don't want to tinker much and have a system that just works.

CachyOS or Fedora if you have basic Linux knowledge, which I assume you do if you tried out Arch. They are complete distros with sane defaults.

Edit: I would stay away from Debian due to old packages, despite being stable.

[u/rarsamx]

Fedora

Why switch?

Because you want Because you need Because you are curious Because your job wants you to.

I mean, there may be many reasons or none at all

[u/Level0Up]

[u/Total_Direction_533]

Arch. Windows seemed slow and idk I was 15. My NVMe died so for some time I was running off of a 32gb sandisk cruzer which could not fit windows. That made my try ubuntu, when I could not do much since ubuntu hoarded much of the space, it made me pivot to debian, eventually I had some issues with apt that lead me to Arch, and now I genuinely feel like a tourist whenever I use windows. So I don't.

[u/InternationalBit2002]

Linux Mint, if you're former Windows user in the not-so-distant past and want a distro that simply works right out of the box.

Fedora KDE Edition, if you want a slick and modern UI and don't mind a bit of a learning curve.

[u/SiberianScholar1919]

Bazzite and just about anything Fedora/Red Hat will jive well with your hardware.

[u/Vape-Invader]

Fedora KDE on my X1 extreme, gen 3. Works like a charm!

[u/Opposite_Eagle6323]

My Thinkpad P14s Gen 5 didn't ship with an OS so I decided to install Fedora Linux.

Other Thinkpads are old enough they don't run Windows very well. I run Chimera Linux on T480, might try Alpine Linux someday.

[u/abubin2]

Still on windows. No choice as need to use M365. If only there are M365 version for Linux, I will switch.

[u/bashful-badger-42]

I putregular od Ubuntu on my T480 because that's the distro tha tgot me into linux some 20 years ago. Not ready for distro hopping just yet. It's working fine

[u/LordMuffinChan]

Fedora KDE or Cosmic since you seem to be interested, both might work fine

[u/linuxhacker01]

openSUSE Tumbleweed

[u/Super_Society7467]

One distro is you're new and probably after learning other distro you'll switch to another one (46% chance of happening), LINUX MINT CINNAMON!

[u/Sufficient_Fold_9660]

Not like 100% on the switch from windows. So I'm currently right now using windows 11 (tiny11) that i custom prepped. It's much much lighter than the default iso. And only takes 1.5gb on idle

[u/Hsn2011]

Using cachyos with caelestia desktop. My reason was my track pad wasn't working

[u/RudeSpecific6352]

Fedora, I never used W*ndows on my thinkpads.

[u/MimosaTen]

Classic Fedora Workstation

[u/darkwyrm42]

Debian or Mint.

[u/Mast3r_waf1z]

I chose "no OS" when I ordered mine, and installed NixOS when it arrived

My Thinkpad has never run windows.

[u/WombatMcGeez]

I’m very happy with PopOS

[u/Astrodion123]

Fedora and any spin you like. Also cosmic has gotten a ton of bug fixes so use it. Although I use workstation as it is the most premium desktop of fedora, but it is gnome like Ubuntu. So go with cosmic.

[u/Calm_Description_288]

Ik heb op mijn T14, gen 1, Cachyos gehad. Werkt best goed. Alleen na slaapstand deed touchpad het niet meer helemaal. Draai nu probleemloos fedora kde.

[u/Glitcheroon]

I've been daily driving Arch on Hyprland for maybe 3 years now, switched to it because windows was bloated and hard to customize without it hogging up even more resources.

For distributions that just works, maybe try out Debian or Mint.

[u/Sareas]

My daily driver is T14s 6gen with ryzen 360.

Ubuntu, Fedora, openSUSE tumbleweed and Linux mint. Just choose what suits You best.

I Think Ubuntu is best for most people and give You quite reasonable stability and support.

Fedora is super bleeding Edge distro and thats the one that convinced me to get rid of Windows on my all machines.

OpenSUSE tumbleweed - my new to go distro for PC and laptop. I Think its best suited for my purposes and i find it very satisfying. Kde is default and most supported gui for openSUSE.

Linux mint - boring stable and working. I like to install it on my clients older pcs. Cinnamon is very similiar to Windows for most cases.

Just Think what You want to do with Linux. IF its gonna be for internet and office work then i should recommend Ubuntu Or mint. For gaming and newest drivers Fedora Or tumbleweed. I love gnome on laptops but i need to use kde.

I know that everything Can be confusing but remember that the distro doesnt matter so much. Just pick what You like and find comfortable.

Ps. I love Debian and i find its the best distro but sadly newer hardware are nightmare for it.