This. For me also, a distro is measured by how easily I can get my preferred desktop environment and regularly-used apps. I am at the level where I can self-so

This. For me also, a distro is measured by how easily I can get my preferred desktop environment and regularly-used apps. I am at the level where I can self-solve all my own problems, but if you are a beginner then stick with one of the major distros. Ubuntu and Ubuntu-based distros like Mint can't be beat for the sheer size of their community. Any problem you have, someone else has hit it before, they probably solved it too. Arch Linux is a great learning experience, you really learn what the components of your system do, how they work, and how they interact together. Everyone should use Arch for a while as they become intermediate Linux users. Eventually maintaining your Arch system becomes a chore which eats into your "computer stuff" time. Once you're at this level, you know what software you want, and you know how most of it works under the hood. Distros are now just different boot screens with different things pre-packaged and different things available in their repos. Use whichever distro provides what you need and gives you the least drama.