I’m thinking of going to Linux but have questions - can I still use Google, and what kind of word processor could I use?
And could someone please explain what the different “flavours” are and any major differences that would be useful to know?
You can use google on Linux. I avoid it myself and keep anything google in a Firefox container to avoid cross contamination as much as possible because they know more about me than I do from tracking and data collection. This video seems to give a good starting point for checking things out. Flavors are the distros (distributions) of the various Linux systems available. I’m not a hardcore techie nerd so like to keep things as easy as possible. Mint Cinnamon works fine for me.
You can use LibreOffice on MS or Apple.
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Late last century (that makes it sound even farther back in time 
) my hand-me-down computer finally crapped out completely. I was very poor at the time. This was when dial up ISP was still common and free dial ups were still a thing. Yeah. Long time ago. Maybe before your time if you’re on the younger side. There was this chain of electronics stores called Fry’s that ran loss leaders and my SIL saw a computer loaded with Lindows (it was a fiasco of an OS and I didn’t use it long) for about $200. I scraped together enough money to pay for it and SIL bought one and brought it to me since he was going to Fry’s anyhow. Did I mention I was almost as wealthy as a church mouse at the time? That’s how I got started with Linux. Now I know about the benefits, security and privacy. I’ve paid exactly $0.00 for software to run on it or subscriptions for computer things since then and no anti-virus needed. My abandonment of the MS environment was not so much a choice as an act of desperation. I have never regretted the change. I did spend money once for a usb stick with an upgrade for the OS because the process of prepping it was beyond me. That was a whopping $40 paid to a local computer service guy but now my grandson can do it for me.
PS Tux is the cutest! Maybe the penguin associated with Linux is the biggest draw for me.
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I can’t tell you a great deal, but a little.
As far as I know the flavours relate to where your main focus of usage might be. If you went to buy a home computer you might be asked similar questions, would it be for home office, for arts, photography an design, for programming, for high speed gaming… You can do all on a computer but some are built with different emphasis.
I’ve always used Ubuntu. I know GG uses a different one.
Libre office is a Linux office software suite in a similar way that MicrosoftOffice is a suite of programmes. There is heaps of info online including a handy description on Wikipedia and various videos to see it in action. The equivalent of Word is Writer. You can save your work in Writer format or choose ‘save as’ and save it as a Microsoft compatible version. For example my son can make documents, power points, graphs, spreadsheets, animation etc and send it to his high school account and everything works at school where there is only Microsoft used.
When you first start using Writer you might find the icons and menus a bit different but to be honest every time there is a new Word version everything changes anyway so you just find your way around. There is occassionally a minor glitch in something (for example we currently only print in full colour even when selecting black and white) but on balance I find the glitches far far fewer then there ever was when I used microsoft, plus everything Linux is free (so pay loads and get loads of problems, or free and accept a few glitches here and there). I say everything is free, there are a few things which are paid software, we have never needed or bought any, everything you need is free.
You can use Google, yes. Or other search engine.
When I started using Linux here were a few things which needed typing into the terminal (a window that looks like real programming, bit scary if you don’t know it) but I would say you are unlikely to ever need to do so these days. The interface now is all very beautiful with nice clickable icons. For example we get software from a shopping bag icon and this way the installation goes ahead seamlessly without any terminal commands.
We have used photo editing, like photoshop, drawing and design programmes, stop motion animation and film editing software. My son installed free software for music composition and says it is far superior to the software they use in high school. He is composing classical music, the manuscript is accurate the instruments have good sound. It’s really top quality and vital for his exam. This software is not compatible with the school software, to take it to school he emails the manuscript to himself and prints it at school and he saves the sounds as an mp3 and emails that to himself, it plays at school. So although it is not interchangable it not insurmountable to move it somewhere.
I think there has only been one thing we couldn’t do with linux and that was my son’s graded music theory exam which was an online exam and required certain software to be installed from the exam board. This isn’t Linux fault, it is the exam board not making it available for Linux. On that occasion we borrowed a laptop. It was a one off as all the other exams are paper based at an exam centre.
Switching to Linux was the best decision I made. Around 17 years ago, I have not regretted it once.
You can make a usb stick to install Linux or ask someone to make you one on their computer if yours isn’t working. If necessary you can buy a USB with it on for around £20 from the linux shop or around £10 on ebay or amazon. The software is free, the payment for a usb is paying for the stick and for someone to make it, admin.
There is a Linux forum where you can ask questions if you get stuck.
There are screen shots here so you can see what libre office and Writer looks like, really is basically the same. This site has lots of info about it too if Word processing and basic office software is what you need or might be concerned about.
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Ubuntu is debian (don’t ask please since I can’t really explain beyond command line is different) and Mint is based on Ubuntu so we use the basically the same thing. I’ve used Ubuntu but find Linux more abuser friendly. And my grandson said staying with what I’ve got is fine, no need to go back to the mama Ubuntu. I do pay my grandson for computer work because I can. He doesn’t like to take the money but I tell him one day I’ll need his help for free and I love him so just take it. He teaches computers part time at University of Washington Tacoma. He’s on the spectrum with high functioning Aspergers, Partly because of the current political environment he’s been unable to find full time employment elsewhere - he’s male and pale. He’s not a Linux user but knows how to find what’s needed and apply it when I manage to FUBAR my system.
I think my next computer will be a Brax tablet. It will have more ports than a laptop and kill switches for various things like GPS and wifi so it can be completely offline and untrackable if I wish. It will also be a lot less expensive than a new laptop and I could plug in the biggest monitor I could afford to buy and a keyboard for the whole ‘desktop experience’ when I’m using it at home. It is designed to be repairable and the batteries will easy to replace.
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When we lived in the bay area, Fry’s was a fun trip to make. No help so you had to know what you wanted and how to use it but lots of cashiers.
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Ubuntu and debian are Linux too. Also don’t ask me to explain ha ha!
I just looked yours up, mint cinnamon is based on Ubuntu 24.04 which is what I use (Nobel Numbat) . It does say yours is great for people wanting to switch from windows so perhaps it’s a better option for @Shintoga although ours is very pretty and user friendly, I’d have to see one in action to be able to comment on any differences.
I don’t think the brax open slate is/will be available in the UK. Have you signed up for notification of early bird discount?
Thank you all very much! Lots to think about but it’s very helpful!
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I watched a few bits of videos (no patience to watch all). From what I’ve just looked at I think mint is possibly the most popular as its been promoted for windows refugees. To me it looks bland, but I’m sure it has all the bells and whistles. I also watched a bit of an Ubuntu video (im sure these videos didn’t exist when I switched) and one of the things shown is how to make it look exactly like windows, if you wanted that. I actually really like how ubuntu looks, it’s slick, has great intuitive menus and icons, lovely themes etc.
Anyway, I think either would be great options, they both just work, they are both user friendly. Any minor glitch in either will probably not bother you as they never ever break the way Microsoft does.
I’m pretty sure you can shove an Ubuntu USB stick in a machine and test drive it off the stick before installing too.
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I can say Mint works for me and that’s about all. Once the bootable USB drive is in hand it can be tested out before loading it and losing anything that gets erased. A dual boot isn’t of interest to me. I think that for a dual boot with Windows, Linux has to be installed first. And then you have to deal with partitioning the hard drive. Above my meager skils.
I’m trying to tell myself to wait until they’ve worked the bugs out on the Brax tablet. The discount for pre-order is enticing though. I paid in advance for my phone. I thought they had international sales but since I’m in the US it’s not something I’ve checked out.
Off the top of my head I know there is also Red Hat Linux. My experience is Ubuntu, Mint, and a short try with Open Suse which I believe is also debian. The big draw for me is Tux. 
I can say Linux (of any flavor) cures MS woes.
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Manage to get the USB and look at it before loading onto your machine. That’s about all the advice I can offer.
I need a partitioned USB for backups and will have to pay for it.
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DO NOT save anything else to the bootable USB. Ask me how I know. Back up or save anything of importance on the current set up so you have it accessible. Files you can simply copy/paste to the new setup would be the most reliable I believe. I’ve learned how to back up passwords and bookmarks on Firefox and to sync with my phone. Slowly but surely I’m making progress. Do a lot of research.
Above all don’t be bullied into changing to Linux. Be sure it’s your decision and go for it IF you choose.
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I am a long-time Linux user, as I began with Linux during the 90’s. Things are so much easier now than they were back then. Back then, you had to configure everything by hand in a terminal by editing configuration files. Nowadays, you just install everything by pretty much just clicking “Next” a few times.
There are many different Linux distributions. Some are targeting normal users, others are targeting power users. For someone just starting out, Ubuntu might be the best choice. Or Linux Mint, which is based on Ubuntu. Personally, I use Void Linux, which is more for power users.
Pretty much all Linux distributions have LibreOffice, and in my humble opinion, it is much better than Microsoft Office. You will also find common web browsers like Chrome or Chromium and Firefox, and many other useful programs, all for free.
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I do not like stores like that, they’re so big, and I don’t know what to look for. When my SIL offered to pick the computer up for me I was extremely grateful. I’ve never been in IKEA. Superstore Walmart is overwhelming.
I still don’t have preview. 
Now I’m told I can’t do more than 3 consecutive replies. grrrrrrrrrr I’ll wait and try again.
ETA Next morning. This posted when I tried. I guess on a thread like this where I might want to reply to several posts I need to lump them all into one post.
Sometimes I get message saying something like, “you’ve already posted to this thread x number of times why not let someone else join in the conversation” and if I’m offering help because someone is stuck on a tricky bit and I can answer, I just go ahead and answer anyway. It doesn’t totally stop me. But it sounds like you were totally stopped from posting which is odd.
My editing and spell check stuff still not working on this site since the update, nothing to do with linux BTW, I’m on a tablet. It’s fine elsewhere, just here it messes up any typos I try to correct by deleting bits of words and spaces between words.
@engblom what is a power user? Sounds impressive.
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I work in IT professionally. A power user is someone with advanced technical skills who can use software and systems beyond basic functions.
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Ah, thanks for the explanation. That’s good to know too about the void Linux, if my son goes that way in the future I’ll have that info in mind.