@StarrMountain I went through this a couple of years ago. You’ll get technical answers, like the one from
@Whistler, that are accurate but miss the mark in a way.
It depends on what programs you need to run and whether it or a replacement will run on Linux. I wanted to set up a computer to keep my financial information on and also to work on my intellectual property. I was only partially successful. The accounting program Quicken installed on Linux with no problem. The program Quickbooks, which I used for my business, would not. However, I was able to find an acceptable substitute. The programs I used for editing photographs and music would not install. These are professional programs with capabilities far beyond the usually recommended GIMP and Audacity. I ended up putting these programs on a separate Windows computer that is not connected to the Internet. So yes, I run three desktop computers. (OK Boomer).
Now , if you’re using a web browser, email program, Word, etc. there are acceptable substitutes that are usually free. As I said, it depends. BTW, I downloaded Linux Mint and found it very easy to install and use.
Good luck.
