but I think I would always wonder if other distros were ‘more’ right for me.
Hahaha, very recognizable.
Your reply is much appreciated as it is yet another piece of (anecdotal) evidence that Arch-based distros can be picked up by complete newbs with success. While I don’t think it’s necessarily for everyone, the almost militant opposition by naysayers isn’t warranted either.
Though I wonder, do you think you’re more ‘tech-savvy’ than the average newcomer? Or, at least, more willing to read/understand/work for your system?
I think this is pivotal!
Updates can come with breaking changes. Therefore, the way a distro handles its updates is perhaps more important than its update cadence:
Sorry for my ramblings, but with M$ sunsetting W10, I feel there’s a great opportunity for Linux to capitalize on this event. Yet, as your own experience clearly shows, the ‘default’ to recommend Mint/Ubuntu/Pop!_OS (or your average Ubuntu-based distro) isn’t always a guarantee for success. And were it not for your insistence on trying out different distros, we might have ‘lost’ you 😭. Hopefully we will ever-adapt as a community to better accommodate the needs of to-be M$-refugees.