Best desktop operating systems

Don’t use Windows or macOS, use elementary OS or several other Linux distributions. Resources for choosing a good one:

DistroWatch.com: comprehensive listing of Linux distributions. As mentioned on Techtonic (May 27, 2024), this is a good place to start if you want to compare many different distros.

However, if you’d like to choose a distro right away, one of these should work:

Ubuntu for desktops: Linux distro suitable for recent-model computers
Puppy Linux is a set of distros “meant for the home-user computers.”
Slackware Linux was “designed with the twin goals of ease of use and stability as top priorities.”
Linux Mint comes with LibreOffice, Blender, Gimp, and more.
Manjaro is “based on the Arch Linux operating system [and] has a focus on user-friendliness and accessibility,” says Wikipedia.
Linux Lite, which past Techtonic guest Kris De Decker points out is good for older laptops.

In the Tildes thread What advantages does Linux have over other operating systems? (Aug 24, 2024), a user points out in this comment: “I suggest Ubuntu or Mint as a first time user.”
In the Tildes thread Switching to Linux, looking for distro recommendations (Oct 16, 2024), frequently suggested distros are Mint and popOS.

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