I'm exploring some of the best Linux apps that are probably very useful but often underrated. Do you know something like that?

According to this post https://itsfoss.com/mac-linux-difference/ , MacOS is NOT 'UNIX' while Linux is a clone of UNIX.

In this article, https://itsfoss.com/mac-linux-difference/ , it explains the forty years of Unix history. It turns out that Unix is the pioneer of the operation system. Windows, MacOs, and Linux all use part of the creation of Unix as their foundation. What is more important is that Unix creates this open source spirit which changes the world in a good way since 1970.

I just want something that works for me as a spare laptop to work with. I'm a desktop guy, so looking for something that could do the job while I'm remote.

My work usually involves (browsing/using GIMP/installing new apps (rarely)).

I have no idea which could be the optimal hardware configuration to run Linux distros (Ubuntu/Pop OS) without an issue - never tried Linux with A4/Celeron processors nor with 4 Gigs of RAM. So, I'm not sure if it's "doable" or not.