i use an hp printer,and need to be able to use it on linux. Then research if your specific model has compatibility issues (AFAIK HP stuff generally works well, but… it’s up to you to check before buying) i expect to be able to use the laptop and not think about the os too much That will happen, if you are lucky or if you buy hardware that specifically supports linux. Would you expect macos to run on a dell computer? would you expect windows to run on a mac? linux has much broad compatibility but is no different: if it doesn’t work on your PC it’s not linux’s fault. my goal of using linux is being far from malware Just follow basic hygiene and you’ll be fine. Most importantly, don’t install malware yourself (chrome is available on linux too and, sadly, it’s also widely used).