Hi DaveMcSu2,
I just read your post and more of the good replies to it. Here are more of my thoughts on this as well.
DaveMcSu2 wrote:Browsing the web. At the moment I use Firefox for this and from what I have read it should work well with Mint. If I have that wrong please tell me!
Firefox is already installed in all editions of Linux Mint. I would still recommend installing another browser like Google Chrome or Slimjet, Opera, Brave, etc... because some websites may not work properly with Firefox and yet would with a Chrome-based browser (and visa-versa), and any software could have a temporary problem with updates and you could simply use another browser until a correction update fixes the other browser.
DaveMcSu2 wrote:Word processing. A do alot of writing, and at the moment I use OpenOffice most of the time, maybe 95% of the writing I do. Because I have used it for years, and it is very simple. The rest I do in MS Word, but could live without that until my skills improve and I find a way to run (gasp!) a "virtual box" (which would be a XP. Just because.)
LibreOffice is already installed and is an excellent Office suite and getting better all the time. There are also many additional add-ons and plugins available for LibreOffice in the "Synaptic Package Manager (SPM)". There are also a few other office suites available that you could install and use as well.
DaveMcSu2 wrote:A decent media player is essential. I quite like the Windows Media player because it is easy to use but Moem says Mint comes with them so I will give them a try and hopefully I will like them.
There are various media players (multimedia players) like "VLC" and "SMplayer". VLC is probably already installed. And although the media players can play videos and music, there are many excellent music applications available for Linux like "Audacious" and one is probably already installed.
DaveMcSu2 wrote:I use my laptop to store photos and videos until they can be backed up at home. To be honest, after they are backed up I tend to forget to free up the disc space and they live on the laptop but unless I run out of space I am ok with that.
I think almost everyone has multimedia files (videos, music, pictures, etc...) on their computers as well.
FYI: You can even install and use a "media server" which can stream your videos, pictures, and or music from your laptop to smart TV's and smart Blu-Ray players, smartphones, tablets, other computers, game consoles, etc... that are DLNA / UPnP enabled (most are or can add a application for this).
DaveMcSu2 wrote:Moem also mentioned that I should install some "add-ons" to the web browser. I am afraid I do not know what add-ons are or how to install them so if anyone would be kind enough to expand on that I would be grateful. (I have a seperate Firefox question but I think it should be a new topic).
+1 for doing this first. Absolutely install some security extensions and add-ons into your browsers and restart them afterward: Some browsers already have good ad-blockers but for Firefox "ublock origin" is excellent, privacy badger or privacy protector plus, https everywhere, I also really like "Disconnect".
I also highly recommend installing the superb sandboxing applications "Firejail" and "Firetools" fromthe Software Manager or Synaptic Package Manager (SPM) which protect your system from malware from Internet-enabled applications like browsers. You can launch a sandboxed Firefox from the Firetools application.
DaveMcSu2 wrote:I would really only want one folder to be encrypted, the one that will hold unfinished work. Obviously I'd want it VERY encrypted but that would be the only one.
If you selected encrypt the home folder during the installation, then everything is already encrypted. Whether you encrypt the home folder or not, anyone can encrypt folders and files using various applications like "veracrypt" (container or vault encryption), Sirikali, archiving applications, gpg/pgp encryption, etc... There are some really good posts in this forum on this.
DaveMcSu2 wrote:Michael Louwe mentions that 8th gen Intel's require Linux "kernel 4.17 or higher" and that LM19 does not have it. Is it bad that I do not know what a "kernel" is? Am I not going to be able to do this? He says I may need to "manually install 4.17 or higher". Is that difficult? Will Mint not work at all if I do not do that? Will Mint do it by itself in future when I update it?
Not bad that you do not know what a Linux Kernel is. Easy to update Linux Kernels if wanted or needed. Wait until you see how your new Linux Mint system works before updating the Linux Kernel. Linux Mint will offer to update software and Linux Kernels for you when they are available. But, to install a Linux Kernel above the 4.15.xx series may require using an alternate method like the "Ukuu" application or manually downloading and installing the Kernel deb files (easy to do too).
The Linux Kernel: An Explanation In Layman's Terms
https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/linux-ker ... ans-terms/
Linux kernel - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linux_kernel
DaveMcSu2 wrote:So... given the 8th gen intels / kernel thing, do people think Minting my new laptop will work?
Yes, you should be able to use your new laptop right-away with Linux Mint.
Hope this helps ...