You say you also have a windows machine, but if you were to use only linux then I would seriously consider using nixos. I have three desktops and one macbook pr

You say you also have a windows machine, but if you were to use only linux then I would seriously consider using nixos. I have three desktops and one macbook pro (2015) all of which run off of the same configuration.nix and the home-manager nix package. Using this on a new machine I'm up and running in about an hour. Configuration changes are committed and pushed, and whenever changing machines a `git pull && nixos-rebuild switch` would bring the current one up to date. Things that are automated: installed packages, systemd services, mounts, users and user groups, networking (including VPNs, /etc/hosts), users' environments, users' home folder content (dot files, random useful bash scripts put in PATH, etc), emacs packages. A few manual steps still remain (adding keys, cloning repos, some desktop environment tweaks) - undone mostly out of laziness to figure them out. Of course, one has to learn nixos to use this, and that, quite frankly, has been quite pain :). Though, once you get a hang of it, it relieves a huge painpoint: you are no longer mentally attached to any single physical computer. Would recommend.