Framework

Don't switch to Linux if there are a lot of windows based programs that you depend on. Don't switch to Linux if you like things modern and clean. A lot of programs for Linux feel very old school and clunky. I have a Linux computer but I'm never going to switch from Windows to it because it just can't do everything I need.

Most beginner friendly distributions work ootb

I’d recommend Fedora or Ubuntu instead, Gnome is amazing these days.

Fedora works great and it'll bring most features as it's getting updates as soon as they are stable.

You need to know basic knowledge like setting up flatpak for your software, bottles for windows software and knowledge about not being able to use many usb devices that need software.

I'm on Linux for 2 years now because of the same reasons and I'm happier than ever. It can get annoying sometimes but it's worth it, windows is more annoying.

I have had more issues with Linux, but I use it for everything I can. Honestly Windows is just ridiculous sometimes.

I use Linux every day inside a VM on windows 11 on a framework. I’d be comfortably happy with linux as main and only operating system but I find this setup works well for a sort of “best of both worlds” type scenario. If you run via hyper-v there is basically no performance loss.

I think windows 11 can be very nice too if you run a debloater (I used windows 10 debloater powershell scripts) and an app like ‘0&0 shut up’ — and yes it would be better if we didn’t have to do that - but we do, and after you do, windows 11 is pretty nice and I have my VM & WSL2 for even nicer work environments

Get enough storage so you can dual boot. If you’re like most people there will be a piece of software that you can’t get on one os or the other and either don’t want to find an alternative or can’t.

read my username 👍

If you're the type of person who likes simple tech and you live in constant fear of your computer breaking, keep Windows. If you don't mind tinkering with your OS to see what tricks it can do, give Linux a try.

Mint will work on your framework laptop just fine.

Spoiler alert. Linux works out of the box. Even more so than Windows.

Yes and no. Depends. What‘s you use cases? Can Linux fulfill them? Did you check that?

Try Linux. You’ll feel lost, confused, it’s a bit frustrated at first because you will realize how much Linux is the same as windows, but a bit different. The small everyday task are going to be “small learnings” and will take longer than usual in windows. But Linux is not changing a lot against your will every major release, and all functions added are there to add something that users need, not to generate profit. In the long run, it pays off because it makes sense

Mint is effectively Ubuntu 22.04 LTS using desktops other than the awful Gnome Shell. Follow Ubuntu 22.04 LTS directions and you should be fine. I've been using the Mint Cinnamon option for the last 5 or 6 years, perhaps a bit longer. The 'edge' ISO may be a bit easier to get installed and running on Framework hardware as its using a newer kernel than 'vanilla' Ubuntu 22.04 LTS... The 'edge' packages are part of Ubuntu, merely not the default installed options in the almost 2 year old 22.04.

Mint differs from Ubuntu also in using (optional) flatpaks instead of (required, proprietary) snaps for packages outside the ordinary repos.

Whether you should even attempt switching depends on what you want to do, what apps you need/want to run. If you're extremely interested in gaming or must run Adobe apps for example - Stay with Windows. If you've got a good bit of experience using different systems, mostly want to browse the web, read your e-mail, use LibreOffice in place of Redmond Office, learn how to do development - Linux might be a good choice. End of the day Linux isn't for everyone. In my own case I've been working with Linux, UNIX, and vaguely similar systems since I was 6 years old (in the 1980s) - While dealing with these systems is second nature to me it may be a nightmarish challenge for you as someone steeped in Wintendo OSes.

Install Windows so that you have it and then run WSL2 with Ubuntu to "test the water".

The situation may be different with bleeding edge Framework laptops but in my experience installing the mainstream Linux distros (e.g. Ubuntu, Fedora) is in general significantly less work than Windows, assuming you're on supported hardware. This is because Linux drivers are baked into and distributed with the OS compared to Windows where you have to go find and install them after-the-fact (there are a few notable exceptions to this, mainly Nvidia). So basically your hardware either just works if it's supported or doesn't if it's not.

Linux on the desktop has a bad reputation from earlier years of poor hardware support and general user-unfriendliness. These days though, if you stick to the mainstream distros, the experience imo is almost Mac-like in its simplicity. And if you graduate to wanting a more custom experience there's a whole world of options to explore later on.

I've been using Linux exclusively for over a decade and it's honestly amazing to see how far it's come. Join us, you won't regret it!

It depends what software you want to run. Windows, MacOS, and Linux are just operating systems. What you need to run is a big driver. I got my framework to practice CAD. There are some CAD packages that will run on Linux, but not many and not the most available ones in use by industry.

It didn't really take me hours to install Ubuntu.

I don't have a framework, but my experience with Linux is that for the majority of computing tasks the average user does, it's more or less the same but it looks a little different.

My use: Web browsing, Email, Gaming (steam), Note-taking (OneNote), Photo editing (darktable), Managing files across multiple computer (synching)

For these tasks, I generally found there was an equivalent flatpack or snap that met my needs. For editing, I'll admit Adobe Lightroom is a much more visually polished product than darktable, but I can accomplish all the same tasks. Likewise, P3X for oneNote (or a browser window) is a bit of a cludge and less elegant, but it works. I've also found Linux gaming to be mostly fine, but I'm basing that on my steam deck more than ubuntu.

If i were you, I would try out a distro that seems good and dual boot windows if you have to for programs that don't work natively or don't have a substitute in GNU-land. Don't be afraid to hop to a new distro if you find something you don't like about the first one.

Os choice is driven by your needs rather than any ideological mantra.

If your programs run under linux then go for it. I made good experiences with ubuntu. It simply works on my desktop. Gaming works. Most devtools work even better. Browser works too. Streaming is meh. So you can save a buck with the lower bitrate.

Whats holding people back is windows specific software that runs poorly under proton and wine. Like autodesk stuff.

If you figure out your usecases then you can evaluate it its worth switching.

Coming from Windows, you have to forget most of what you've learned when coming into Linux otherwise you may hamper yourself. Volumes are not represented as drive letters, for example. The commands you've learned for command prompt or PowerShell don't all translate to the bash terminal. The paradigm is different. It's like learning a new language.

As long as you're willing to "let old things go" you'll have an easier time learning. There are some things that you can connect an equivalent to in Windows once you start getting into Linux, but don't try to do that at the beginning.

That said, I suggest finding out which Desktop Environment you like first. Every distro has their own default desktop environment, and some are modified/custom version of an already established desktop environment.

I personally love Gnome because it's simple. It has less options presenting themselves which makes it easier to learn and get your head around. It's different enough from Windows that you don't try to use it like Windows subconsciously.

KDE Plasma has a lot of options and customization settings but I felt overwhelmed when I tried it. It looks reminiscent of Windows which lulled me into a false sense of familiarity. I personally don't think it's a great place to start if you're coming from Windows mostly because of that.

There are many other desktop environments so I suggest trying different distros out. You don't need to install most of them since they typically have Live USB available to try without installing (boot into USB and play with it). Once you find something that you like, you can install it.

If you decide to go dual boot so you have Windows (for gaming for example), I suggest installing each OS into their own separate SSDs. If you're using a FW13, then you don't have that choice (but you can probably install Linux into one of those USB expansion cards or an external USB flash drive if you're still not fully committed but still want a Linux OS that's not read-only like a Live USB).

You can't do the opposite (Windows on USB) because it is not allowed unless you trick it (search for Windows Go).

If you don't game and don't need Windows to be installed on bare metal, you can also install Linux on the internal SSD and run Windows in a virtual machine. This way you can fully commit to Linux while only booting Windows in a VM for those rare moments you need it.

Also most single player games work in Linux so if you're not playing something that requires Windows for DRM (like the Call of Duty series), you should be good with Linux as the main OS on bare metal.

Yes. Ubuntu is a great distribution to start with.

Fedora works out of the box. Does all the things Windows Pro can do but for free. $100 for Bitlocker? I mean if you want, or you can set up LUKS right on initial install. Better privacy, better security, no hidden telemetry or bloatware, plenty of initial set-up guides out there, and you'll learn more about your new machine setting things up than you would with Windows.

For all the random little minutiae that doesn't work on Linux (maybe a specific work programs or something), then just spin up a Windows VM in GNOME Boxes or set up a dual boot. Personally, I have an external SSD enclosure that's entirely Windows and I just boot from that whenever I actually need to do a Windows thing.

I've been using Mint since 2017, on various laptops, including my FW 13/Intel. It's easy to install, and easy to operate. Cinnamon is a very nice desktop environment. Pretty much any problem that you might face has an answer, and answers for Ubuntu or other Debian based distros usually also work for Mint. (Debian -> Ubuntu -> Mint) Mint comes with Timeshift, which backs your system up frequently, so if anything breaks you can revert to a previous snapshot.

Just install Fedora, half the issues with other distro's will trip up a beginner, Fedora just works, minimal issues and because it's mostly upstream it doesn't have strange patches that cause issues.

It's also a very boring distro, barely any changes made for the sake of branding, regular updates and stable versions of the software.

One last thing, it's the community version of the biggest Enterprise Linux a test bed for new things before they hit Ubuntu etc.

If you ever lived through AC97 Codec Driver installation during the Win9x days, with the hell of meeting to figure out exactly which driver went with which card versus what the heck you actually bought... Linux won't be hard at all. A little strange, sure. But not nearly as difficult as everyone makes it out to be. Not anymore, at least.

If you have one of the storage modules, you can test drive any Linux distro you want with it. Some users even do the opposite and keep Windows on the module, Linux in the internal SSD.

Look at the software you need. That's the biggest issue for most people.

Give it a go. I use windows, macOS and Linux. Love all three and use all 3.

If you’ve never used Linux before, try Ubuntu or Pop OS. I use pop OS for my dev laptop.

Switching to any new os can be fun and frustrating. I've been helping folks do it for over 20 years. :)

On Framework Laptop 13 Intel, any official and community supported distro is fine. We recommend the guides provided.

AMD Ryzen 7040 Series, you will absolutely want to stick to officially supported distros and use our Guides. Ubuntu 22.04.3 using the oem c kernel. If going off of 22.04.3, 23.10 has had fair results. Avoid Mint unless you're comfortable with adding the mesa ppa.

As a newcomer, my recommendations are above.

https://guides.frame.work/Guide/Ubuntu+22.04+LTS+Installation+on+the+Framework+Laptop+13/109

https://guides.frame.work/Guide/Fedora+39+Installation+on+the+Framework+Laptop+13/217

If you are stuck, visit our forums (not reddit) for support, we'll help however we can.

Matt Linux Support Lead for Framework

Give Zorin OS a try.

If you are passionate about privacy, enjoy tinkering with your computer, or program in your free time, then Linux might be right for you.

If you hate tinkering or you use a lot of proprietary software,, then sticking with windows may be wise.

If you are gonna install Linux and want stability go for Ubuntu LTS in the guide. Another alternative is 23.10. Great driver support.

23.10 is vastly improved over LTS Ubuntu

Try it.

If you have another device, try installing it on that.

Otherwise you could try a dual boot on a device but that sometimes confuses things if you need to fix your Windows install.

If you have enough resources on your PC you could install a virtualization solution (I have used VirtualBox for years) to create a virtual machine upon which you can try out various Linux distros without affecting your main Windows install.

I was coming from MacOS for the past 20 years (aside from Windows on my work computer), and I found it easy enough to set up a dual boot with Windows and Ubuntu 23.04. I need Windows for work (Microsoft Office, Adobe), but for most fun/personal things I use Ubuntu.

Try it on a Virtual Machine first!

That way you can mess around and mess it up as many times as you like before risking anything on your daily OS.

I came from a Mac and I miss macOS a little if I’m honest but I tried HEAPS of different things on Linux on VMs first so by the time I installed it on hardware for the first time I had a good idea of what to expect :)

Linux is better.

Yes, I suggest gentoo

The first thing that you would have yourself is: Do you use any Windows-specific prgrams? Things such as Adobe Suite, the desktop version of MS 360 and if you do, how dependant are you on those. If you are then I'd say stick to Windows because not onluly does Windows programs run better on Windows (duh), making them run on Linux is a chore and very complicated, and that is on top of learning a whole new way of doing things. If you play games, well, unless you know thst your games run on Linux, I'd stay on Windows for now but if you mainly live in a web browser, you won't have to worry.

If you don't, the next question is that are willing to discard most of your knowledge regarding using a computer? Linux is altogether a different way of doing things than Windows, it's closer to MacOS actually, but only a little bit. Linix does things its own way and is not interested in imitating other OSes. Some conceptual things will be different. For example, you don't normally install programsby finding an install file on the internet, you do it through your appstore, or that tje file system is very different to Windows.

You will have much control over your system, but with power comes responsibility. It's up to you to run the updates if necessary, it's up to you to reach out if there's a problem, and you'd have to keep in mind that often supporters are volunteers, not paid employees, make of that what you will.

Just like Windows, expect stuff to go wrong from time to time, not often, but sometimes you might have a light or something that only comes with Windows drivers.

I'd recommend that you learn a little bit of commandline. Yes it looks scary, and actually for daily use you might even get away with opening a terminal at all, but it's still an useful thing to know, especially on Linux. Think of it as a direct way of talking to your computer.

If all that doesn't deter you, come aboard! We hope that you're have a very good time here, and we think that with some tinkering, you'd have a much better time here than on Windows. You can either jump head first or try Linux in a virtual machine. In time you'll realise that for the most part distros are not that important, but for now, you could go with either Ubuntu or Pop!OS for a more MacOS vibe, or Linux Mint for a more traditional Windows vibe. Just download the iso, stick it in a virtual (or actual) machine and browse around! See if the programs that you need is there, if not then if you can get around it, try it out. Especially if you doing this on bare metal, see if everything works (keyboard shortcuts, trackpads, fingerprint reader...). Fingerprint reader are perhaps the trickiest, other stuff for the most part just works, but just test around.

Or you can just ignore everything I said and install Arch 🐧

Yes, it's very different. It's the difference between having a kitchen full of tools to make whatever you want (but you need to learn to cook), versus going to a restaurant where things are made for you, but you can only order what the chef decided to put on the menu (and they secretly spy on everything you do, sell information about you, "reset" your table on their whim, etc.).

A lot of people have put a lot of work into making Linux much more accessible than it used to be, but that's just a thin veneer over a much more complex machine.

Do you like taking things apart and seeing how they work? Switch to Linux.

Have you ever tried programming? Did you hate it? Stick with windows.

Do you want to spend hours twiddling with your computer, eventually getting it to do exactly what you want, the way you want it? Switch.

Do you want to just learn which button you're supposed to press to make things run and never have to think about it again? Stick.

I've been using Linux for about 25 years. Love it. Highly recommended. But it's not for everyone.

Modern linux DE are super easy to set up and works out of box most of the times

If you do, start with a distro that's easy to use and well-supported like Ubuntu 22.04 or similar. Some people make the mistake of acting like they've got to prove they're already the PC expert like Linus thinking he has to go straight for Arch-based or Pop OS in the Linux challenge. Start and learn with a well-supported, stable debian distro with stable kernel builds on slightly older (last year's or older) hardware or something that has official vendor support (I've personally found Framework's support for 22.04 on the AMD FW13 is excellent, even though there are still small issues with the bleeding edge 7840.)
U22.04 defaults to the crappy Gnome3 interface, but you can easily fix that by installing Unity, XFCE (gnome2) mate (also gnome-2 like) or other desktop after install. (It's safest to do vanilla Ubuntu as the starting point.) "sudo apt install ubuntu-unity" at the terminal and you'll have a good start.
With Ubuntu, you can do a web search prepending "ubuntu 22.04" to pretty much any question and find good advice and instructions on how to do what you want. Steam + proton will play almost any game whose devs aren't spending a lot of effort just to prevent them working on Linux. Look up how to install Glorious Eggroll Proton builds if any games give you trouble.
Linux is the best if you want to control what happens on your machine. It has plenty of guardrails and safety nets, but they're the sort that are designed by advanced users for their own convenience, not by corporate middle managers who want to constrain behaviors they consider undesirable. With Linux, you are much more in control. It can be a double-edged sword, but if you approach it as someone who's willing to learn, just play around with it for a while, and get used to it, you'll eventually find that you can do far more on Linux than on any other OS.

I use Ubuntu on the Framework 13 11th gen Intel and it works really good. It is different than Windows but the learning curve is similar

Linux easier and faster than windows