I chose Endeavour because after some digging on the net it appeared to be a bit less complicated and smoother to get started with, coming from another distro. The ranking on distrowatch played a role in this choice as well. Also, the installer flawlessly gave me an encrypted dual-boot system and included a wide choice of desktop environments to choose from. That made me use it for my Distro tests and after it worked fine I stayed with it. If you want to try it out you might have to add the intel ax wifi firmware blob to the install image, since that is missing in most installer images at the moment. I used Ventoy for that matter, which is generally recommendable for making multi-image USB boot sticks. You can also connect a USB ethernet adapter for the installation.
Arch itself is a -very- noob-unfriendly option. If you’re looking for the benefits of Arch without the setup hassle I’d recommend trying Manjaro. I use it on my home family PC and it’s flawless and super-configurable.
Thr- er, well I guess only two quick protips.
Protip #1: for Linux Mint, at least until version 21.0 releases in presumably June or July, you must use the “Cinnamon (Edge)” version of Mint 20.3 with the Framework currently:
Protip #2: SteamOS as of version 3.0 (what the Steam Deck is using) is now based on Arch with KDE. Heck, Valve even recommends using Manjaro KDE if you want to test Steam Deck software compatibility on general PCs until the time that SteamOS 3.0 is available as a general download.
This was going to be protip #3 but you beat me to it. Nevertheless, here’s the link anyway:
https://ventoy.net
I’ve been using Fedora Cinnamon spin on my Framework from the onset. It’s been super stable, even upgrading from 34 to 35 wasn’t that big a deal. I find that Fedora offers plenty of support and everything at this stage works out of the box.
I highly recommend it.
Can also recommend Fedora. I use it with Gnome. Wanted to install Manjaro first, but had problems with manual partitions and encryption. Fedora worked out of the box, setting up the encryption was easy. I also like that fedora has a better encryption screen when I boot the computer and I can use my German QWERTZ keyboard layout.
I’m a Linux beginner and I was amazed how easy it is to use fedora, I have used mint before but for me Fedora is even more noob friendly.
I’d say Zorin OS would be a very good choice. It’s extremely beginner friendly and they also have plans to make their OS available for educational uses. They are already selling computers on their own website but I think tying up with this computers would be better
You’ll want Linux Mint Edge as it works right out of the box. Ubuntu is popular and well supported. Either will serve you well. I have no experience with the other distros.
Do you have an memory expansion card installed? Here’s why I ask. I wasn’t sure which distro I wanted. I made my laptop dual-boot, keeping my files on the expansion card. This served multiple purposes:
- Kept my data safe, it was independent of my OS drive.
- Allowed both distros to see the same data.
- Allowed me to immerse myself in both distros and really take them through their paces.
How did this work? I started out with Ubuntu and Linux Mint Edge. I eventually replaced Mint with something else. I then replaced Ubuntu with something else. This way I always had at least one that worked, the other being a sandbox.
I finally decided I liked Linux Mint Debian Edition the best. I deleted the other partition and expanded the LMDE so I’m single boot.
This might be a little complex for a new user. If so I suggest keeping your important files elsewhere and installing different distros one at a time. You will make mistakes. You will learn from them. We’re here if things go really bad for you.
++ Ubuntu. I like the package manager and the general community support. IMO, you can go with Fedora and Ubuntu with equally good results. There are some real quirky items: CPANEL is a Fedora/CENTOS app for example (who knew? I don’t use CPANEL 
OK, late to the party, but the search will point people here for ages to come. So, FWIW, …
Fedora requires more than beginners knowledge (Linus Torvald uses it, I heard). Arch, and Manjaro, too.
Easy, and with broad userbase: Linux Mint, and because it is based on the *buntu family you can use most of their FAQs, tutorials, forum solutions, etc, too.
If you want familiarity with the old Windows look, in Mint the Cinnamon desktop comes closest; in *buntu it is Kubuntu (=Ubuntu with KDE desktop).
However, seriously consider the distros that Distrochooser finds for you.
You’ll want the current LTS release of Ubuntu 22.04, if Ubuntu is what you have in mind. It’s also the distro with the best overall support.
Pop OS, Mint are community support, but Framework does have guides for both. Linux Mint is going to be the best one out of the two.