It’s completely fine to use a beginner-friendly distro and stick with it. Just be aware you are missing a lot by not going deeper into linux.

t. Started with ZorinOS. Ended up using (pretty much) anything that is in front of me, minimal install, sway, no DE. On a orange pi 5 MAX.

Simply put – you’ve got to realize a couple things:

1- Linux is not Windows.

2- Use Linux like a brand new type of software you never heard about – do not make any pre-assumptions.

3- Use Google to search for the most simple things, including “How do I install something on (Linux distro name you’ve chosen)”?

4- Have some patience – you won’t learn (everything) on day one. There will be mistakes, there will be problems you will not solve em today. But you will solve em tomorrow.

And here’s a little “cheat sheet” of mine on how to use (and get used with) linux:

1- Get used how to use the package manager. (Where you will search and install stuff.)

2- Learn what are your audio and graphic packages (The “drivers”) are. (See 3- above.)

3- Learn how to run the stuff you installed.

4- Learn how you configure the distro to your liking.

Learn all these four steps, and you can consider yourself a linux “pro” user.

Guess I must be an alien then. (That’s ‘pure’ sway – no toolbars, icons… nothing. I use my own dmenu-esque app to run binaries.)

Forgot to mention it also has a “poor man’s htop” at the top center of the screen, that fetches memory and cpu usage at each keystroke (only). Definitely not for the “powerhouse PC gamer” out there, but for the potatoes (raspberry pi zero, a very old router, etc).