Re:Mint (Score 1)

I think Mint is a good newbie choice- but also Ubuntu and really any distro that is an Ubuntu spin of sorts- like Elementary for instance is a really nice one. The guts are all pretty much the same inside. I can say from experience that I've never had any trouble with Tails or Arch Linux either- and both are supposed to be for advanced Linux users. These days practically any modern distro you choose is going to be a straightforward install with very few issues if any at all. Maybe look up "Linux on Dell Lattitude 6410" (replace with computer model)- and just see if there are a bunch of comments about mousepad or wifi, bluetooth, or something that doesn't work well with Linux. Generally the only things I come across are fingerprint readers, gyroscopes - really just specialized devices that are integrated into the laptops- these are the only issues I personally see -and they are not common any more. Dual boot is a good idea- except a lot of people realize they like one OS more and end up never using the other one for whatever reason. Adobe Photoshop is the only program that keeps me tied to Windows- I don't use it very much, but enough to need it. The GIMP is getting way better though so eventually I expect to be fully Linux for work and also already at home.