I started on mint years ago and it was an okay foot in the door, but would not recommend to anyone (including beginners). Fedora is my goto for new users these days. I use arch (btw) and have had much more luck on rolling release.
Not gonna try to convince you off Mint, but it does sound like you’re having issues with it.
Is that a Mint Cinnamon issue primarily?
???
This post is a little cringe. Endeavor OS is a great Arch Experience for those who want a little preconfiguration and a GUI install. I’ve since moved onto doing it the arch way, but EOS was a great foot in the door and I know for a fact I’m not alone. Ive learned more about Linux in 2 years going from EOS to Arch (and running a proxmox server) than I would have running some “beginner friendly” distro. Really wish folks would stop gatekeeping.
Don’t changes into proton help both up and downstream? Valve also invests into this project which obviously amplifies the # of people working on it and can only lead to more breakthrus for the side projects associated with this tech.