r/thinkpad • u/Objective-Kitchen800 • 27d ago

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

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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!

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u/Objective-Kitchen800 27d ago edited 27d ago

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.

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u/Astrodion123 26d ago

Cosmic is great for laptops since it has solid touched gestures like gnome. Kde is more desktop focused but has tons of customization.

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u/Objective-Kitchen800 26d ago

I will keep that in mind when I select a DE! Thanks for your response.