Which makes Ubuntu basically Debian right? So just install that!
For a user coming from Windows I recommend Mint Cinnamon as it will give them the best, most familiar experience. Yes a newbie could find and install Ubuntu Cinnamon but the default ISO on the downloads page will saddle them with Gnome.
Either way, If I want to have a windows install, it's either
in a vm
on a different physical disk that is kept physically unplugged from the motherboard until it is needed and then I'll plug it in while unseating the Linux drives and any other drives windows does not need access to
I hate it, basically I have to force myself when I boot into windows to physically disconnect the RJ45 from the back, so it doesn't replace the boot entries thru an update.
Big difference: Pop, at least, does not push Canonical's proprietary "Snap" nonsense. You can use it if you really want, but it's not installed by default. No snapd on my system, thanks.
Sure, but if I were recommending a Linux OS to a first-time user, I wouldn't recommend today's Ubuntu as it is likely to lock them into a proprietary single-vendor system, which is contrary to one of the main points of promoting free software.
The first-time user might not immediately notice the difference, but it's (unfortunately) bad for free software to have more new users starting on today's Ubuntu.
This is pretty sad because Ubuntu used to be the obvious choice to recommend to new users.
For the end user, especially a beginner, there's 0 difference between them.
Shouldn't be the other way around? Beginners usually won't want to install DE's or other stuff by hand:
Linux Mint offers a Windows-like experience with cinnamon out of the box, and has several stuff setup by default like system snapshots and media codecs.
Pop!_OS is really appealing visually and very comfortable to use and setup.