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Discussion on: Should I use Linux?

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Edoardo Tenani • Edited

You can derive most of the Linux distribution you see today from common ancestors:

  • Debian family: Debian is itself a powerful distro, but I would not suggest it to newcomers. Ubuntu is it's probably most know derived distribution. I would choose it because can be customized, has many derived distributions with different UIs and is very stable for desktop use.
  • Slackware family: I'm not that familiar with it but I would consider this for advanced users. I think t's most popular derivation is SUSE
  • Red Had family: know for Red Hat enterprise, it's most popular derivation is Fedora. I would say it's a solid distribution for desktop use. I consider it the main competitor to Ubuntu on the desktop.
  • Enoch, mainly known as Gentoo: the amount of customization you have is endless, but not for the faint of heart. If you are starting out I would avoid it as Linux is as awesome as complex and most of that complexity is overwhelming at the beginning.
  • Arch family: I consider this a step up over Ubuntu or Fedora, allowing you to customize a lot your system but requires understanding more of Linux internals.

More details on the Linux distro history can be found on Wikipedia.

Apart from the OS, you should have a look at the Desktop Environment you would like to use, I suggest to look at the Wikipedia page for a general overview. Consider that Ubuntu has lot of derivatives pre-made with a Desktop Environment, something that other distribution do not provide (you can always do it manually, and I suggest you to do it, but not on your live system 😆).

Good luck and have fun. That's the most rewarding thing of using Linux.

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Henry Boisdequin

Wow, thanks for all of this information. I will make sure to have fun when trying Linux! So far I have tried Ubuntu and loved it, I just need more performance. I might dual boot soon!