I've been suggesting Pop!_OS to users wanting to switch to Linux. The reason being it uses the Ubuntu LTS base which is stable and there are a ton of articles available for ubuntu on the web.

There is an awesome company behind Pop which is System76. They provide updates of various packages faster than ubuntu and their developers simply made perfected ubuntu for everyone.

There is one problem though. After a fresh install of Pop!_OS the desktop users get is just a blank window. This might put away some new users because they are either used to a dock or taskbar.

So here is a simple guide for any beginner trying out Pop.

Prerequisites

Do these before proceeding further

1. Install gnome-tweaks​. Open terminal and enter this command.

   sudo apt install gnome-tweaks

2. Install gnome-extension addon for firefox.

   1. Open Firefox
   2. Go to ​gnome-extension​, there will be a message on the top asking to install addon.
   3. Click and install it.

Enable Minimize & Maximize buttons

There is no minimize and maximize button in Pop. Let's enable it.

1. Open gnome-tweaks that we installed earlier.
2. Click on Windows Titlebars option in left menu.
3. Enable minimize and maximize button.

Taskbar

If you want a taskbar then install ​ dash to panel​

For a traditional start menu:

1. Open terminal and type this command

   sudo apt install gnome-shell-extensions

2. Install ArcMenu

Dock

If you want a dock like in ubuntu or macOS then install ​ dash to dock​

Final words

Keep tinkering the settings available in gnome-tweaks and other extensions. You'll make your Linux look exactly how you want it.