A question for ThinkPad users
Reddit, hello everyone, I recently bought my first ThinkPad (T14 Gen 2i) for $250. I'm a front-end and back-end developer. I work in PHP, HTML, Python, and Kotlin (minimally). I write code primarily using Ai. I have a question for you, as those who have used and are currently using it, about the appeal of installing Linux on a ThinkPad. It's supposedly more convenient than Windows, but I tried and failed due to the lack of Linux-specific software that I use on Windows. Another problem is the instability of Linux distributions. For example, about six months ago, I had a Dell Inspiron 5406. After installing Manjaro, I noticed that it certainly ran cooler, but when I launched Dota 2, it would freeze for about 10 minutes. Then the game would crash and give me an error about Linux running out of RAM. After two days of wasting my swap file, I couldn't fix it. A month later, I installed Windows 10. When I bought my ThinkPad, they installed Fedora, which I started installing everything I needed, and I was immediately told to calm down because the programs I needed for college didn't support Linux, only Windows. You could have said, "Install DualBoot," and yes, you could have, but I don't have much memory, so I had to choose between the two. Now I have a couple of questions for you and the community.
What Linux alternatives to popular applications do you personally use that are only available on Windows or MacOS?
Which distribution would you recommend to make the transition from Windows less painful? (just not pure Arch)
What problems have you personally encountered when switching to Linux?
I'd appreciate any answers. I'm new to this and don't really understand what's going on, so I apologize in advance for my occasional confusion.