I'm sure they will! I appreciate it!

I'll add it to the list! Thank you!

I'll be stuck with Windows on my work laptop, that's not something that I will be able to change anyway. I can point out as things come up, but with industry accepted software (like SolidWorks for example) that we use daily I can't see us switching to any alternative.

Do others auto-update or are users prompted as updates become available?

Okay that's good to know. That will come later as I get more comfortable in the environment.

I've added it to the list for review! Thank you!

Typically I have a browser (Firefox), Blender for some 3D modeling, uTorrent, previously Plex (but wanting to move away from it to something like Jellyfin maybe), Microsoft Offjce products but mostly Word/Excel/PowerPoint, and I have Outlook on my work laptop but am used to using browser for email client as needed so thats not a huge priority if there isnt a good mail application. There are probably others but those are the most often or daily usage!

Thank you!

Does a desktop environment really draw that much more resource than another?

I forget what GPU I currently have but I may be upgrading soon anyway so I'll be sure to keep that in mind for the purchase. That's the first big step: finding software to fit my needs as they come up but that can be piece by piece!

Thanks for the response!

Thank you for the tips!

The "fixing every problem I run into" is what is making me apprehensive in the first place. I don't really have the time or energy to troubleshoot at home, especially being a pretty light user. Given enough time I feel I could figure things out, but I don't think they would be worth the effort since what I have now does work for me. I was just looking for the most convenient way to slide into it as opposed to making a switch and hitting a break wall if that makes sense.

Okay I appreciate that advice!

Thank you!

Perfect, thank you!

Do most distributions not have those things? I imagined a taskbar/search/options to be pretty standardized and having the option for desktop with icons at least.

Okay thank you! Do you know of a good list of Linux compatible alternatives to Windows software? I'm sure I can track some down but may want to get familiar before making the jump like you said.

Thank you for the response!

What made you want to change to KDE? Was it an issue with Mint's (Cinnamon?) that made you want to change?