Keep in mind that Linux is the generic name for an open source operating system based on Unix, which was a real operating system back when Bill Gates was still trying to figure out what one was. Gates tried to make a general purpose PC something that any idiot could use, which is why Windows does so many things for you and hides so many things under the covers so you can’t take out the trash without help.
Linux, on the other hand, was never meant to be used by people who didn’t know what they were doing. However, as more and more people came to hate Windows but like the user interface, several groups attempted to make distributions of Linux that could be run by someone less than a total geek and have the user interface. The geeks often just call these “distros” because we shorten everything (remember the Y2K problem?).
So, you need to figure out which distro you’re interested in. I think I’ve heard good things about Ubuntu but it’s by no means the only good one.
I suggest you find a distro that will give you a dual-boot system. It leaves Windows in place and puts Linux on so you can pick which OS to boot to when you re-boot your computer. Then I’d install so I could play while I read. But that’s the only way I can learn. Just reading doesn’t do a thing for me.
At my place of employment The Boss made it crystal clear in no uncertain terms that we were NOT to upgrade to Win10.
I learn better with a book and a computer, as that’s how I learned WordPerfect and Lotus 123. LOOOONNNG ago!
Igor was talking about Y2K long before it even had a name. He used to complain that unless the world ended, the final dates on the computers would have to be changed.
I need something I can use long after MS gets done tweaking another OS. I was happy with Win7, and still resent that I can’t get it any more, that I HAVE to have WinX.