Hello! I have a Lenovo IdeaPad S145 laptop (Intel Core i5-8265U and 8 GB of RAM) running Windows 11. However, it's been slow and locking quite often, which is really hurting my productivity.
I use the laptop mainly for studying, so I usually keep a lot of tabs open in my browser, alongside services like X (Twitter), WhatsApp, Reddit, and YouTube. I also use research tools like Zotero, Mendeley, and similar programs.
I've never used any operating system other than Windows, so I have no experience with Linux. What's driving me to look for an alternative is, primarily, finding a system that is lightweight, uses less RAM, and runs smoothly on my laptop's specs. I'd also like it to be relatively user-friendly for a complete Linux beginner. A nice-looking UI, like Ubuntu's, would be a plus, but it's not a priority. From what I've researched, I'm afraid Ubuntu might not deliver the performance I'm looking for, even though its interface is very clean and appealing.
I asked Gemini and ChatGPT for advice, and both recommended Lubuntu. After doing a bit more research, I saw a lot of positive feedback about it, especially regarding how lightweight it is.
Given this, do you guys think Lubuntu is truly the best option for my case? Or would you recommend a different distro?
Thank you so much!