I have been using Linux since 1999. I currently use Linux Mint on two different systems. If you go to https://www.linuxmint.com/download.php https://www.linuxmi

I have been using Linux since 1999. I currently use Linux Mint on two different systems. If you go to https://www.linuxmint.com/download.php https://www.linuxmint.com/download.php you can choose from the modern Cinnamon, Mate and KDE to the legacy supporting XFCE. I currently use Cinnamon on an i5 Samsung laptop and I use XFCE on an eMachine that is ten years old. %99.9 of Ubuntu packages will also run on Linux Mint. The desktops for XFCE and Cinnamon / Mate are easy to navigate. There is great support and a large community. There is also a rolling distribution using Debian which is a distro that does not need to be upgraded since it is constantly getting updates. Does not run Ubuntu packages, but you will learn better development skills and this is what powers Ubuntu and Linux Mint. https://www.linuxmint.com/download_lmde.php https://www.linuxmint.com/download_lmde.php For an older Laptop this may not be a good choice. If you want to focus on development and at the same time have a system that can handle modern stuff like Netflix, LibreOffice and Google Chrome then try Linux Mint XFCE.