I'm not 37 or a history teacher or have 3 kids, but that hypothetic person is just a proxy for "person who understands zero computer programming and has no experience with the command line but could follow instructions online somewhat but also doesn't have a ton of time to learn a lot of stuff either". Because that's me.

I tried Linux Mint Cinnamon because I hate capitalism and Microsoft and genuinely love the idea of FOSS. The idea of being able to run your life with minimum involvement in capitalism is what I strive for and FOSS I see as being a big part of that, even though I'm not particularly tech savvy. So I tried Linux on my desktop. But when I say I don't understand programming, I mean like, I needed someone's help just to install Linux, although I admit I was probably over-cautious because I have a ton of photos and home videos that if I lost I would be devastated, even though I backed it all up on a thumb drive.

So my initial experience with Mint was okay. I tried to be positive about it but from the start I was having difficulty. I had some problems but for the most part it went okay. There were a couple programs I wanted to install but couldn't figure out how. A few problems trying to find file directories but I was eventually able to figure out how to find them with help online. Was feeling a little down about the work I was having to put in but I was determined to stick with it.

Then I tried to get Plex to work (note: this was before I was aware of Jellyfin, I'd like to move to that eventually). I should note that what I need from my desktop is pretty simple: it's an internet box I use as a media server and file storage, with some hobby graphic arts work on the side. I used to use Steam some but my friends and I have pretty much all moved over to Board Game Arena now anyway. But for the life of me, I just could get Plex to work. Went through a lot of online help guides but nothing seemed to work. Days went by and my partner who watches a fair amount of media on my computer had understandably lost patience and I had to admit, I had no idea when I'd be getting it back up and running. So I went back to Windows.

I'm sharing all that just to give you context. The horse knocked me off but I'm determined to get back on and try again. I'm going to go with a dual boot / USB stick for now. I understand the downsides of that route but I think I need to have a bit a of a safety net for now. I work 50-60 hours a week and have little kids: I get we're all really busy and overworked but I don't even have time to read the theory I'd like to, so for now I'd rather take maybe a bit longer to learn Linux.

I actually don't care about something "feeling" like windows. I feel like I can adapt to a new layout/style. My biggest issue is just having something that works and will let me run my relatively simple computer existence without causing me too much headaches and a minimum amount of consulting help guides online.

So given all this context, I wanted to see if my comrades here had any suggestions on distros I should try. Should I jump back on Mint? Or something else? I'm happy to tell you anything else non-doxxy about me that might help.

Also, are there any forums online where total, absolute noobs can ask questions about Linux? Folks have individually offered help but I have this weird hangup where I really hate asking individual people for help but don't mind throwing out a question to the group.