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Linux
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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
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The thing with Debian distros (like Ubuntu, Mint, PopOS) is that they're extremely stable releases. This does not necessarily mean everything "just works", but rather that they will not experience major code changes that could disrupt a working system. This means that if some apps don't work out of the box, that state is going to be pretty much the same in any distro based on the same Debian version.
A more "agile" distro might be less stable, but as a result could see some updates to apps that Debian is still lagging behind on. Fedora is probably the "next step" in this direction: it's still reliable but gets updates more frequently than Debian (it's sort of a "proving ground" for code before it gets pulled into Red Hat, which is a distro focused on long-term stability).
As for desktop environments: I've always thought GNOME was the most Mac-like DE, but KDE has enough configuration options that you can kind of turn it into anything you want. Since this is on a very old laptop, you might consider LXDE, which isn't the prettiest DE, but it's super lightweight and might let you squeeze out a bit more performance if you're wasting a lot of compute power just rendering the desktop.
Sounds like stock Fedora to me. I'd stay away from Ubuntu derivatives if you already had issues.
Could you edit your post to include system specs?
I always thought Mint looked a bit ugly, but maybe it could be improved with some customization. It sounds like you might prefer something with KDE instead of Gnome. Both Pop!_OS and Mint are based on Ubuntu, so your experience might not differ significantly between the two. As another poster mentioned, Fedora could be a better option.
First mention in the post is wanting something more like MacOS, which is very clearly Gnome and not KDE.
If you only pay attention to the taskbar, sure I guess
The entire workflow is on par with MacOS. Applications, Windows management, simplified menus...etc. KDE is way more like Windows in that respect.
For a macOS-style desktop I recommend Plasma. It won't feel like it out of the box, but you can customize it. I have it set up to have a top panel with app launcher, global menu, tray icons/notifications/time, and a bottom floating panel with all the application icons, downloads and trash like the Mac Dock, window buttons on the left, and a bunch of other tweaks. Keyboard shortcuts I've also all set up to be as far as on the Mac as possible, including correct mapping of the command key, if you care about those.
It's certainly not perfect in terms of how it behaves like macOS but probably about the best you can get with "off the shelf" desktops. (Wish more people cared about a GNUstep desktop tbh)
Not sure about distros, I generally recommend openSuSE to new users. If it or Mint works for your use cases, no idea though.