Based on my own experience as well as taking into account the suggestions of other people, here are the top three Linux distros for beginners:

• Ubuntu
• Linux Mint
• Pop!_OS

These are basically just “install-and-go” distros; no need for advanced setup.

It’s the same issue with a lot of open-source software projects. Many use proprietary/closed-source services to communicate with users or develop the software itself. It’s quite ironic, really. 🤦‍♂️

Linux Mint is a great beginner distro.

I got my dad, who is very non-tech, to switch from Windows 10 to Linux Mint; he has been using it for over 2 years now. He went from using Edge, Microsoft Word, and Outlook to using Firefox, LibreOffice and Thunderbird.

I suggest you check out Runbox as another alternative webmail service. You get the first month free to try it out before having to pay for the subscription. I’ve recently switched my mail from Gmail to Runbox.

Welcome! It won’t be long now until you start using tiling window managers on Arch. 😉