See title. I'm considering to shift to Linux and maybe e/OS (coming from Macintosh and iPhone). I don't know where to begin, so have an infodump (please do not sudo rm -rf /* this post, just redirect me elsewhere if that's needed). TL:DR; below.
I'm a "beginner" in the sense that I haven't worked with Linux before. I'm a casual user in that I mostly use my laptop for browsing, mail, gaming. I want to learn to get away from Big Tech, though, and hopefully manage to selfhost someday.
I want to take my privacy more seriously, though, and I'm familiar with some FOSS software (LibreOffice, GIMP, VLC, Signal, etc.). I'm also not a digibete à la "grandma doesn't know what the red X" does, or not knowing how to troubleshoot using wikis. Compared to the median Linux user, I have a lot to learn, though.
I know some basics (what is a terminal, what's a kernel), but not what a shell is, nor how to configurate an IP address. So I think I'm comparable to an average Sally on this. I'm open to learning more about all that though!
Did a bit of research and currently, I'm considering to choose between Fedora and OpenSUSE, but I'm open to other suggestions. I've heard Mint is good for beginners, but the GUI seems more Windows-oriented, and Mint also contains proprietary elements, and I'm not exactly a fan of stuff being locked down. I like MacOS-like interfaces, but customisation of the interface is also a big thing for me, but I presume this shouldn't be an issue.
So, my questions are:
1) When Linux users talk about distrohopping - how do ye do that, converting from one OS to another?
I see it mentioned often and it sounds like it's really easy to do from one Linux distro to another. Just straight up plug in a USB stick with the new distro, have a menu say "Do you want to replace this distro with this, or just run parallel", and then follow?
2) How do I make the transition from Macintosh to a Linux OS?
For preparation, I could put everything from iCloud onto the device itself, and then back it up, but how do I do the actual steps?
3) What distro should I start with?
OpenSUSE Tumbleweed, Fedora Linux, or something else?
My priorities are that:
a) it's privacy friendly and has good security (regular-ish updates too),
b) it's friendly for the level of beginner that I am,
c) its interface is highly customisable (a Mac look with a twist would be my ideal)
d) it works with gaming, and still adheres to FOSS principles
4) For phones, what would be the best option?
I mostly care about privacy, independence from big tech, and ethics. I know GrapheneOS would be the best, but they only work on Google Pixels, and I strongly dislike the idea of depending on Google. Fairphone with e/OS is one I've my eyes on currently; would that work?
5) Keeping devices & laptop question
My laptop is 9 years old (phone is 5 years old). Should I keep them both, or would it be more worthwhile to switch over to new devices? If so, would a laptop from Slimbook or Starlab be a good option? I wholly oppose American stuff, prefer European the and like, the rest I'm indifferent about.
TL:DR; buncha questions about starting with linux, see boldened questions.
All the options you listed are downstream from a company. Fedora is from red hat, mint is a fork of Ubuntu, open suse is from... Suse? I can't remember. That's not necessarily a bad thing but figured I'd mention it.
Any distro you choose can look however you want. This is something I didn't understand at first. Your version of Linux lives below the desktop environment. You can install (almost) whatever desktop environment you want on top of your version. Then you can tweak your desktop however you want. Some distros come pre-tweaked but don't pick a distro on looks alone.
So really your deciding between 3 base Linux distros. Most "distros" are just the base system with some choice drivers and software to help you get going. A few of them are tweaking at the kernel level. You can do the raw version of any of the base Linux versions if you prefer to control and limit any software on your system.
Debian - updates slowly but stable, focus on testing before stable releases. You might miss new Linux features but unless you're running the latest hardware you probably won't know the difference. Distros based on Debian: Ubuntu, mint, popos, elementary os (looks like macos!), a hundred other ones.
Arch - updates rapidly with the risk of something not working. If you want bleeding edge features or every drop of performance choose an Arch distro. Just know that you MIGHT need to help it along. I don't think arch distros being difficult is as true as it once was. There are some excellent distros out there making arch accessible and easy for the masses. Notable distros based on arch: endeavor, cachyos (my personal favorite right now), omarchy
Fedora: kind of a mix giving you fairly up to date software with a stable system. Honestly it's probably the best place for a newbie to start. It's not perfect though and you'll want to read up on install if you have a Nvidia card. Fedora based distros: nobara, bazzite, but most people just use vanilla fedora.
Worth noting that Linux Mint Debian Edition exists and is based directly on Debian instead of Ubuntu. They starting publishing it specifically because the Linux Mint team doesn't like the direction Ubuntu is heading in with snaps. Not sure how good it is as I haven't tried it in a while (and don't really use regular mint either).