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Suggest me the right Linux distro

Abhijit Hota on November 15, 2020

Hello, good people of Dev! I need some help from the Linux users out there. I've been thinking to switch to Linux (again) after being fed up (agai...
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Micah Lindley

Unpopular opinion, but Ubuntu has improved a lot since 18.04. You mentioned the lack of a blue light filter, and that's become a system setting in 20.04. Still no clipboard manager, though, but I'd be surprised if there isn't an application that does that. GNOME is constantly evolving, and theming works way better, so if look is what you're concerned about, don't worry. I have about six different themes I've installed - some that look like MacOS Big Sur, some that look like Windows 7, and some that look plain cool 😎. I'd suggest giving it another try!

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Loralighte

I feel like Ubuntu's improvements usually come in LTS releases. Between 18.04 and 20.04 there is ton of change and improvements but between 20.04 and 20.10 and the upcoming 21.04 there is very little improvement other than bug fixes and maybe some updated software. This is good for an enterprise setting but at the same time I feel like the true improvements come in distributions like elementryOS, FerenOS, ZorinOS, Linux Mint, and others. Yes these use Ubuntu as a base, but they improve on their systems in their own special ways. Ubuntu is becoming the new Debian. Used by enterprise, not great for consumers, but survives because of its business use and the forks that make it good for the consumer markets.

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micahlt profile image
Micah Lindley

Hmm, that's an interesting perspective. You're totally right about the LTS release schedule, and that's intentional. However, I'd argue that not adding extra features and breaking changes in between LTS releases makes Ubuntu more user friendly. Think about Windows 10. When's the last time we got a major UI revamp or breaking features? The best consumer OS's don't change drastically, so they can be learned and consistent. The more dynamically changing ones like elementary, Zorin, and Mint are aimed for users hungry for new features and awesome UI changes.

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Kresten Laust

Just wanted to add, Windows releases breaking updates pretty often. It's probably at least every second large update (not major, just large).

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Dean W Lofts

Something I noticed with the windows update breaks is that it was almost always the newer functionality I poke around with and not the stuff that the bulk of their users would be using.

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Abhijit Hota

I found CopyQ! (as a clipboard manager)

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Mohammad Fazel

I would like to know more about that mac os big sur theme bud :)

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Dean W Lofts

I never lost love for Ubuntu, it is the distro that I used while getting familiar with Linux so I likely have an attachment.

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Hicham Mallah

Gpaste is awesome

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İbrahim Turan • Edited

If you have laptop that have nvidia graphics card I highly recommend POP_OS. You can start use with almost 0 config that's amazing.

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Piotr Szeptynski

My first impression with PopOS was "How the f. I minimize a window. Are they serious?". Then I removed it a few minutes later, going back to Zorin.

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Kashinath Patekar

This is something they should've done by default... But any way, the trick is to install GNOME Tweaks and then enable the minimize and maximize buttons.

You can also enable battery percentage from there ( shows up in top bar).

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Denis

They are very focused on keyboard driven flows. But you can add the min/max controls with a simple Gnome Extension.

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Chad Adams • Edited

If you’re new to Linux stick with Ubuntu based distros because there’s an endless amount of guides out there. Ubuntu, PopOS, ElementaryOS, Mint or Zorin OS are all good. I’ve tried them all and honestly they are all the same just different desktop environments.

If you are coming from Windows: ZorinOS and Linux Mint will feel most familiar.

If you’re coming from Mac: Elementary OS or Zorin OS (Mac layout)

If you’re a developer and want to be very producitive but open to a new desktop environment: Ubuntu, PopOS, ZorinOS. Gnome desktop is my favorite personally cause its very producitive.

I put ZorinOS in all the ones above because you can switch the layout between Windows, Mac and Gnome. It’s actually really awesome.

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Christopher Carr

" ... there’s an endless amount of guides out there ..."

The Arch Wiki is pretty darn comprehensive.

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Abhijit Hota

Whoa! The thing that shocked me was ZorinOS supported MS Office?!

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soubhagya1234

Actually in every ubuntu based Linux you can configure for MS office very easily but it is not not working that well as it 8s working in windows. You can use the web version of office for basic things. And for other Linux it is slightly more difficult to set up and zorin is come with the base setup only.

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Chad Adams

Well it comes with wine preinstalled so it can run most windows apps. You can install wine on any linux distro.

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Abhijit Hota

Oh. I was aware of Wine. I thought it supported MS Office without Wine. Thanks for the clarification!

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BigDogBoy

If you're looking for each to use, Windowsesque OS, look at Windows/Linux FX; it's absolutely mind boggling, how "look alike" it is; it's practically a Linux born Windows doppelganger, in both form, "AND" (relative) function. Its' WINE implementation is better, than that of any of I've ever seen. It can run the Windows XP version of pinball, unaltered, "AND" without "any" issues, even sound runs smoothly; first run, OoTB, no issues, no alteration; you can also (just the same as in Windows) edit the in game control keys, and they work!!!!!

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swapnil

Hi, I would say I tried almost all the distros. Pop os seems to be the best option. But my only issue was battery life. It is not great as compared to windows so I found a perfect way which works for me. I upgraded to ssd. Trust me on this, windows 10 is terrible at hdd but at ssd it is very good and fast. I use WSL for web development and I like it even more than a linux distro.

So I would suggest if battery life is not a factor for you then go with Pop os otherwise WSL works really great in windows.

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Abhijit Hota

Hello.

windows 10 is terrible at hdd

Indeed, Swapnil. I've experienced it. I tried with WSL but it's not as fast.
My only options now were to upgrade to an SSD or change my OS. The battery life issue you said is common in all Linux distros I guess? Because I faced the same problem in Ubuntu 18.04.

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swapnil

Yes, battery life issue is same because of drivers support being not that great in linux. Wsl works great for me. Try exploring more and see what works best for you. Do try pop os and manjaro. As I have used them for good amount of time in the past for development.

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Abhijit Hota

Try exploring more and see what works best for you

Will do when I get some free time in the future! 😄

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Hasindu Lanka

Use TLP ( TLP UI ) . It's a power management tool for Linux and it boosted my battery time from 2 hours to 15 hours of streaming

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nikhilshetty13 • Edited

For battery issue
You can install Slimbook Battery 3 on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS and above by adding the official Slimbook PPA to your list of software sources.

To add the PPA run this command:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:slimbook/slimbook

Followed by this command to install the battery
optimizer applet:

sudo apt update && sudo apt install slimbookbattery

When everything has downloaded and installed you will be able to launch the app from the apps grid. Search for “Battery” and launch the tool.

Keep in mind that this app only works when it is run and an energy mode is specified. If you don’t launch the app, it can’t provide any power optimisations — so consider adding it your Startup Applications.

I hope it helps!!

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swapnil

Wow, thanks. I did not heard of this before. I will surely try this.
😀

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Loralighte

If you desire a stable distribution, use either Linux Mint or Pop!_OS. If you want to play games on your system Pop!_OS or Manjaro. If you want a light-weight desktop (which your system doesn't need but it's an option) either go Linux Mint or Peppermint.

Overall the only one I don't recommend is Manjaro, as it is unstable and will brick something you run eventually.

My biggest recommendations are Pop!_OS and Linux Mint. I have never used Peppermint but I also heard it is good.

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j00jitsu • Edited

Actually I respectfully disagree. Other than the KDE version, Manjaro has been very stable in my experience, as long as you don't go crazy installing random stuff from the AUR. My preference is the Gnome version as it has a smooth interface like Ubuntu out of the box, but also has a layouts tool that quickly changes the desktop to look like Windows, Mac, or even tiling if that's your preference.

If you want something that's Ubuntu based, Feren OS is another good one to check out.

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Loralighte

FerenOS is good, I know the developer and he is pretty chill

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Rexy Andriansyah

Agree

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hydraulisch profile image
3e2

Hello there, andrian! Welcome to the dev.to community!

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Rafael Batista

Totally agree with you. I moved from Fedora to Manjaro and it's been a great experience so far, totally stable, fast and it has the fastest package manager out there.

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Lakshya Singh

I saw this comment and my question was why switch from Fedora cuz am actually going in the reverse manjaro to fedora. As recently my pip break because of some dependency issue in manjaro

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Abhijit Hota

Thanks for the suggestions!

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Christopher Carr

Manjaro Gnome is very stable in my experience.

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Anthoclites

I'm one of those Linux fans who has tested, if not all, many Linux distributions, and by many I mean that I spent whole days downloading, testing and customizing distros. They are all incredible projects; they are all brothers, in order to give the world the opportunity of a fantastic operating system like GNU/Linux; however, after trying lots of distros, and almost deciding for the incomparable Manjaro, I returned to where I started: Linux Mint. Linux Mint fills the hole I found in every distro, it does it in a subtle and efficient way. I'm one of those who hates the popular, and I didn't like Ubuntu, but finally Linux Mint based on it, has given me everything I need.
But finally, the usual answer is: your distro is the one that meets your needs and tastes.

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Abhijit Hota

Lots of Love for Mint, I see!

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Farshad

I just recently migrated to Linux, so my experience could be useful to you.
I tried Manjaro, Fedora, Elementary OS, Ubuntu 20.04, Mint Cinnamon, and MX Linux.
First I realized that even though very clean and polished, Manjaro and Fedora are not my choice because 1. I don't want a rolling release distro (cause it means tons of updates every month) and 2. I am more comfortable with the software ecosystem of Debian based distros.
I didn't like the Ubuntu and it was a little laggy on my laptop. Then there was elementary and mint. Because I came from windows, Linux mint cinnamon was more familiar and I really liked it. I used it for two weeks and everything was great except sometimes my laptop overheated. The Cinnamon environment was eating my ram! So I switched to Mint xfce but the environment was too simple and lacked some of features I wanted. Finally, I found MX Linux KDE! It is perfect for me. KDE is not hungry in ram usage yet I found it prettier than xfce and feature rich. MX Linux is lightweight and stable. It's not as clean as Manjaro or as beautiful as mint cinnamon but I have all my favourite apps and my laptop runs cool!

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Rafael Batista

Fedora isn't a roling release distro, however you really have tons of updates weekly (sometimes daily) just because it's the most updated distro out there, if you ask me if it's a good thing, I'd say: I don't think so, I felt like a Tester while running Fedora, always reporting small bugs or searching why something suddenly stopped working after a "dnf update"...

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Farshad

Exactly! I needed a stable distro to keep focusing on my daily tasks.

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Abhijit Hota

You said Cinnamon was eating up your resources. Can you tell me your laptop/pc specs if you don't mind?

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Farshad • Edited

Sure!
HP 14
Intel i5 1035G7/ Intel Iris Plus graphics
8 Gb ram/ 256 Gb SSD

Not that I experienced any lag but one day I was watching a movie with VLC player and fans were running in a noisy situation which was annoying. Since I was just watching a movie, it was strange. I expected Linux to run cool and be more efficient than windows. When I checked, cinnamon itself was responsible for my CPU and ram usage. I don't know what was the problem and asked a friend of mine and he said maybe because the cinnamon is based on GNOME 3 it is memory hungry. He suggested XFCE but after a bit of searching, I concluded that KDE suits me better.

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jhisham • Edited

Although I mainly use Manjaro as my daily driver now because it is a rolling release distro and I like to be on the bleeding edge of stuff, I'd have to recommend pop!_os for you if you want to get up and running quickly without the hassle of tinkering too much on settings to get a perfect setup. I used pop!_os literally a few months ago before moving on to an arch-based distro which is Manjaro, and I quite loved the auto-tiling feature and how easy it is to configure keyboard shortcuts to improve my overall workflow as a developer. So yeah, I'd suggest start with pop_os! first and when you're comfortable down the road you may wanna give Manjaro a try and hopefully appreciate how sleek, fast, and powerful it can be. Happy switching to Linux! Haven't regretted it since I permanently moved away from Windows.

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Abhijit Hota

Thanks! 😄

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jericomanapsal

Given that you should use what is comfortable to you, the distro must also be customizable to fit the environment that you need. Personally, I prefer Pop!_OS since you can get started immediately. Further customizations can be easily added.

Also if you need a more complex highly-customized dev environment, you might want to check out containerized IDEs like theia.

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Christopher Carr • Edited

The Arch User Repository is so handy as to make Arch-based distros worth checking out in the future.

You really should get a SSD to install the OS on. Make a very noticeable performance difference. HDDs are miserable Rube Goldberg contraptions that are good for nothing more than archiving. :-)

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johnny177

I use Elementary OS now along side Windows 10. Same pc properties as yours. And i have used Linux mint cinnamon. On an i3 4gb ram. It was pretty fast though running windows on it was extremely laggy. So i suggest Linux Mint

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DarkCode

don't ever get confused about choosing a linux distro, because the operating system is only a container, many users who are new to linux distros are confused about choosing which one is the best and it wastes your time. You can choose a linux distro that has an active forum such as archlinux, manjaro, linux mint, etc., please choose whichever one and use a lightweight desktop environment if you need maximum performance, my recommendations are manjaro xfce, and linux mint 20 XFCE. Just try it for a month if you are comfortable continue if you can't just choose other options because the operating system is just a container.

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Pontakorn Paesaeng

I use Manjaro but I suggest Linux Mint if you're more familiar with Ubuntu. Your laptop will run fancy software without problems. Besides distro, I would like to recommended tiling windows manager such as i3 (i3-gaps) for productivity.

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Etienne Burdet

I am on POP!_OS and couldn't be happier. Web dev wise, any distro will be pretty good. The nice thing with POP is that it comes with a lot of built-in options for gaming, 3D, CAD, science etc. than regular Ubuntu.

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Creator54 • Edited

Would suggest to switch to a distro based on Arch cuz u get Arch User Repository(AUR: biggest packages repository for linux) support which means for almost any app/package u can think u can install it just via few commands + u won't be needing ppa's anymore. Since these are rolling distributions meaning there are never major releases like Ubuntu 19/20 etc you are always on the latest release.

Need to install something ?
open terminal:
$ sudo pacman - Ss "package_name"
searches your package in Arch main repository
install it via
$ sudo pacman -S "package_name"
For AUR u could enable in pacman
would suggest yay: it's an aur helper
usage is same as pacman

Desktop Environment (DE): KDE/XFCE/LXDE

i think most Ubuntu people are generally Gnome user but feel it kinda a bit resource hungry and touch friendly.

KDE : most customisable DE,less resource hungry than gnome + u get more of a desktop feel .

XFCE : bit less customisable than KDE thus bit less resource hungry too, look and feel is also good. I feel it like LXDE but good looking 😅

LXDE: the least resource hungry DE out there , look and feels is bit like Windows XP

Or install all DE'S then check which one suits you best. If you ever got bored of DE's do checkout Window Managers(WM's). I personally use awesome window manager.
A Window manager just manages your window openings/arrangements like how are the open app windows placed on your screen automatically. Everything else u get to configure yourself and is generally for keyboard peeps (KeyBindings for everything 😁)

Note: after installing any distro do install 'timeshift' and configure it to hourly backups or something similar so that incase you do something careless you can
safely restore your system into working state.

I am currently using nixos+awesomewm .If you are up for a bit learning do checkout.

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Flip Marley

Mint is great. I've been using it for several years. It's based on Ubuntu, so you get all the compatibility and community support of Ubuntu combined with a sane, stable UI. The mint team does not believe that it is their duty to reinvent the desktop paradigm with every release.

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Mehedee Hasan Talha • Edited

I prefer Manjaro XFCE. I know your Laptop Specs is good. But you have to open too many tab of browser. So, they will eat your ram more than any other software. Manjaro is based on Arch Linux. But this distribution is more stable than arch. You can use any kernel from 4.14 to 5.10 on manjaro. On the other hand, XFCE is one of the lightweight desktop environment but has many customizations.

But if you want to go with Debian/Ubuntu based distribution, I prefer Pop!_OS

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Cameron • Edited

I see questions like this a lot. There are so many Linux distros to choose from. However, many of the choices you've listed are just debian-based systems. The only one that isn't is Manjaro, which is what I use. At the end of the day, the nitty gritty of which distro you use and what it's based on probably won't matter at all. What I find matters when I choose is how easy it is to first install and configure, install new apps, upgrade the system, and how easily I can get support for my GPU. I chose Manjaro because it's excellent at providing an easy user experience. Ubuntu is a kinda-close second. Manjaro really shines in that getting new apps via the Arch User Repository is amazing, and upgrading the system and kernel is easier than ever. It's a rolling release distro too, which you may like or dislike depending on how new you like your software (it has the near-newest). Think of it this way: with Manjaro you get all of the perks of Arch Linux without the extra complexity you hear about. Regardless of which distro you choose, the desktop environment you choose is almost as important. For a balance of performance / features MATE will always be a first choice. I use Gnome right now though, and I'm planning to test out KDE again to see if it's more stable than last time I used it.

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Douglas Linford

As it sounds from your post, you are not a newcomer to Linux, so maybe try something more challenging...as in my mind, all of the apt,(apt-get), managed distros are more for newcomers.
I have installed and configured almost every distro, but have gravitated to a more challenging package manager.
I am currently running sourced based Sabayon, but really like some of the more esoteric distros, like NixOS, GuixSD, Exherbo and Funtoo.
I am not a fan of Gnome, so prefer KDE, Mate or Cinnamon.
The best KDE distros in my mind are; Garuda, Feren OS, (boo...apt based), and KaOS.
Arch based distro's using the pacman manager are very good too.
Anarchy, (arch based), has a great terminal based installer where you can choose multiple DE's and customize the software that you want.
The Garuda installer is very good and gives you the option to install whichever DE you prefer. Very well designed distro, with many tools to configure all options from the desktop. Graphically, very beautiful.

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BARKO

Arco Linux -- arch based distro with many flavors of properly configured DE. Even if you don't go with Arco, highly recommend the primary Arco maintainer's Erik Dubois' youtube channel for a wealth of information about using linux: youtube.com/channel/UCJdmdUp5BrsWs...

also look into tmux and the fish shell. tmux + fish + nvim + i3wm = developer's dream setup

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Denis

If you have a hidpi monitor, go with Pop!_OS. Their hidpi daemon is a breath of fresh air in the Xorg-mixed-dpi-clusterf*ck.

Manjaro KDE is very nice if you want bleeding edge. It's a rolling distro. Also, it's pretty damn fast.

On my to try list as a dev is Fedora.

But for now I'm sticking with Pop!_OS. Maybe I'll hop again when XWayland Nvidia support is finished and Wayland is more polished/daily driver material.

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Denis

Also, as a dev, not wanting to use my mouse too much. The keyboard-driven aspect of Pop!_OS and the stacking & tiling is a game changer.

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Tom Houghtby IV • Edited

xubuntu 20.04, stupid fast, and clipboard function can be from clipman. I use it all the time.. 20+ history items. as for the blue filter idk... I don't use one.. never bought into it.
not a big fan of mainline Ubuntu.. it's a Microsoft-flabby pig. if I want visual gloop ill enable compiz to say my fadey crap is better then I'll immediately strip it off.

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eldwyn23 profile image
Eldwyn23

You really need to try fedora. Its head and shoulders above every other distro I've used. I'm forcing myself to be comfortable with debian but compared to fedora its like going backwards. Fedora is a super SUPER solid OS and feels like home. Especially and particularly on thinkpads. Great out of box compatibility and the workarounds for it's limitations haven't been horrible at all. Commands make sense and yum package manager is really easy to use.

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Abhijit Hota

Thank you everyone for the suggestions and inputs! By far I've cut the list short to Mint Cinnamon and Pop!_OS. I looked at Fedora too but as I'm not really familiar with it, I doubt if I'll be using it.

Thanks for your inputs on Manjaro and letting me know about other cool distros like Zorin OS and Elementary OS.

P.S. I researched a bit and found out that the hibernating feature is not available out of the box in any Linux distribution(?).

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eric23 profile image
Eric

I've been using Mint Cinnamon for years and it's the one that I'd recommend.

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Narasimha Sriharsha KANDURI

I am a web dev and I use linux for my daily work.
if you are new and switching from windows, you want something that works out of the box. any ubuntu based ones are good. my pick would be linux mint with xfce.
but developing on linux is not about distro it's about customization. so leave cinnamon and other wm and get yourself a tiling wm like i3. learn some vim it helps a lot if you to edit files remotely.
you can manage any coding work easily on linux but if you are a web designer then Adobe is not your friend. you must depend on figma or avocode

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Priyam145 • Edited

Go for Ubuntu 20.04!!!
Just downloaded Ubuntu 20.04 on my laptop
Specs:-
i5-8300h
8gb ram
GTX 1050ti

Now, we all know history of linux and nvidia but damnnnn.
My graphic driver on windows was 456.something.something and the recommended driver on Ubuntu was 450.something.something. (just a few minor versions back)

All I had to do was "sudo apt install nvidia-driver-450" and everything was a breeze. After this I would recommend Ubuntu to anyone.

Also, nightlight is now a system setting and as for clipboards there are tons - clipq, gpaste, clipman etc. try out a few, you will sure find a good one for you.

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Julian Robbins

I highly recommend MX Linux. Very nice and very fun. Installation is a little confusing at first but it's fast, sleek, quite customizable etc. I've been using it for a few weeks and almost immediately with no knowledge of how it works or how to use it I was able to use it with ease.

I customized the taskbar slightly but left all other settings except for resolution at thier default.

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Stefan Teunissen

"I don't know anything about it" is a REALLY BAD argument to not choose a distro. You want us to suggest a distro, but you're unwilling to learn. This is a very bad combination. If you're not willing to learn, just choose Ubuntu or something.

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Krishna Nallani
  1. linux mint with cinnamon is the best option..
  2. accessing 1tb hdd will make any os slower.. make smaller main partition of 128gb.. or better yet add an sdd(256gb) into the cd slot by adding an sdd caddy.
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ngochieu642 profile image
ngochieu642 • Edited

Anyone use Budgie? I've been using it and tried out some other distros (Pop Os, kubuntu, mint, fedora..) but I always get back to budgie.

It' fast, elegant, beautiful, and just get out of your way when you need to focus. Budgie also have extra applets that are really nice to have (CPU/GPU info, workspace switcher, weather, calendar, quick note, CPU limit frequency,.. ). Recently I notice that the nemo file explorer also integrated really nice with Google Drive. You can organize your GGDrive without having to open web browser

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dkupper76

Someone else had it right in the comments, go with what you are comfortable with, however I will add that also depends if you want to experiment with other distros.

For me it depends on what I plan on using the distro for, if I am running without a desktop GUI, it’s an easier choice either Ubuntu Server or CentOs. I learned on CentOs and Fedora, and at work we use RedHat, but Ubuntu has typically been my other go to. If I am using a desktop than I typically go with one of the above distros and use XFCE and customize it how I want it.

Alternatively run a desktop and Docker containers for development and getting a feel for the other distros while learning Docker if you don’t already know it. Or run WSL on Windows. And you can run Docker on Windows. I know that defeats some of what you are trying to accomplish with the sluggishness of Windows, but it’s a thought

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Abhijit Hota

go with what you are comfortable with

The OS I'm most "experienced" in is Windows 😅. I've only tried a bit of Mint and Ubuntu 18.04. The purpose of shifting is sluggishness and heavy disk usage. Probably, my HDD is to blame.

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Jeremy J Parmenter

I'd say it's probably worth going and getting a chromebook for basically everything aside from photo editing.

I felt the same way with windows so I went and got a chromebook. I think the best tools are the ones you don't notice and that's exactly what chrome os is, you never notice it because it doesn't get in your way.

In terms of development I use AWS Cloud9, which works like a charm.

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Christof Becu

Although I had to move to Windows 10 in my studies, 2 years now - with a lot up and down, hate it & love it, I know that once I graduate, I'll go back to Parrot OS, focused on security and development. parrotlinux.org/

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Psychoholic Warriors

I've used linux for years I've tried all on your list and several others. Are you into kde or gnome? I'm running KDE Neon right now very user friendly but it's built buy the creators of kde so it's geared towards that.

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abani-github • Edited

Have been using Ubuntu and Linux Mint for quite sometime. Performance wise I felt Mint is little better than Ubuntu. Recently I tried Manjaro Linux (based on Arch Linux). To my surprise this is the fastest among all I tried. It's run smoot and the response time is commendable. Even on my Raspberry Pi4 it worked like a charm. I recommended you to try Manjaro once.

Zorin Core (Ubuntu based) is also worth a try.

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knav2013 • Edited

The clipboard came out of the box with my namib Linux (kde plasma) install. Ctrl-v for last copied. For clipboard history I click on icon on taskbar. Although, i've since learnt that a keyboard shortcut can be configured easily:
amp.reddit.com/r/kde/comments/9t8h...

For beginners I wouldn't recommend namib though. E.g. need to really hunt around quiet a bit to get hibernate working. If pressed for time may not suite.

I used Ubuntu over 10 years. Changed to namib (which is arch based) this year after buying a new laptop.

Remember using a couple of sites where I input my requirements, then website suggests the most suitable flavours of Linux in order. Time permitting, I'll try and dig it them out. Not sure if I went with the recommendation in the end, but it was useful nevertheless.

If you have older machine or older hardware go with xfce, lxde desktop for better performance. Although, kde has also made vast improvements in performance.

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knav2013

one of the sites for choosing linux distro:

distrochooser.de/en

BTW, on Namib Linux KDE Plasma you can bring up clipboard history with CTRL-ALT-H. Clipboard is called Parcellite.

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Aakash Chaudhary

I have tried many distros like ubuntu, fedora, mint and other . But i found manjaro very stable and working every time. It's arch based distro so you get lastest version of packages plus AUR ( Arch User Repository) . I have been using it for 2 years straight and never had any issue in my workflow ( web and mobile development).

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hmble profile image
hmble

Use Archlinux. You will learn a lot by tryi g to self install Archlinux. Theres almost all packages with latest version in archlinux.

It has great Wiki. I started out linux with ubuntu but my 4GB RAM laptop was using around 800MB of RAM

So I removed all bloat and use only BSPWM Tiling window manager now my RAM use is just 200MB.

If you are into Tiling Window manager look at reddit.com/r/unixporn

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guillaume profile image
Stawarz guillaume • Edited

I've read a lots of comments, but don't understand the "why" behind many opinions.
Linux is 2 parts: 1_ Distribution - 2_ Windows manager / Desktop env.(Gnome, KDE, XFCE...)
The 2_ can be added on almost every distribution.
So, 1_ Distribution.
Mint, Ubuntu etc are ALL based on Debian. With a release system based on LTS versions.
Manjaro is an Arch base distribution... it's rolling release.

We can go for the hundred of linux distro (distrowatch.com/)

The only way to find what fit you the most is test.

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Adam Crockett 🌀

POP_OS is made for Developers

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tedlavarias profile image
tedlavarias

I I wanted to like Pop, but it just won't work with my Nvidia Optimus card for some reason (and yes, I was using the right ISO)... If you can get it to work with your graphics card, Pop looks great. Linux Mint worked flawlessly with my Nvidia graphics, and I used it for a few months after I stopped using Ubuntu (because of the deb/snap bait-and-switch fiasco), but I really like Gnome much better. I even ended up playing with Arch for a bit too. I eventually ended up settling on Debian Stable on my main machine and Debian Unstable on my travel laptop. Sid is more bleeding edge than anything based off of Ubuntu, but for my work (developing web apps and online tutoring), having the latest and greatest doesn't make a difference at all. I'd much rather have a system that is reliable and dependable than a system that has more bells and whistles. In my opinion, there's nothing more stable than Debian... But of the choices you have listed, I would recommend Pop and Mint, which seem to be very similar with the biggest difference being the GUI environment, which is up to your personal preference.

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sebaaids profile image
Laszlo Panaflex

KDE Neon

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arunnabraham profile image
arunnabraham • Edited

You could try Artix Linux an Arch based rolling release distro with no systemd. Light weight one but highly configurable. Since I had a lot of distro hopping starting from Ubuntu. But Artix is the one I most stayed.

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pomfrit123 profile image
***

Just try them all

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kretaceous profile image
Abhijit Hota

Haha! I wish I had the time.

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andreiinc profile image
Andrei Iancu

KDE Neon, while not a fully distro, it is based on Ubuntu. I enjoy it a lot. 😁

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mvp1931 profile image
Mvp1931

Hi Abhijeet,
I saw you've narrowed down to Pop! OS & Linux mint.
I have Used both OS and especially Linux mint for a long time.
By seeing you have dedicated Nvidia graphics card in your laptop, Pop! OS will be good with the graphics driver support.
However, Linux mint will give you the "Almost complete" experience with UI and customisation and it is way better optimised with mint version 20

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nikhilshetty13 profile image
nikhilshetty13 • Edited

Btw hibernating available in manjaro out of the box if you want a lighter distribution go up with manjaro xfce or lxqt, Linux mint mate,xubuntu, lubuntu and MX Linux these distros uses around 500 MB to 1 GB of RAM and takes less processing power.

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hrk2023 profile image
Rittik Dasgupta

Try Arch Linux

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kretaceous profile image
Abhijit Hota

Thanks for the suggestion Ritik! But I don't really want to set everything up on my own.

I want to focus more on my dev work rather than Linux work.

Maybe when I build my dream workstation, I'll try Arch 😄

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hrk2023 profile image
Rittik Dasgupta

Then you can go with Pop!_OS. It's based on Ubuntu but a bit more polished than Ubuntu. You can also get the pure GNOME experience by default.

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nusssreiner profile image
nusssreiner

Fedora would be my choice for you.

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dariusity profile image
dariusity

Aim for the DE (desktop environment) you believe you can master in no time, because if you're new you tend to pick up things easier (learn) so in my opinion it would benefit you the most.

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rishitkhandelwal profile image
Rishit Khandelwal • Edited

Pop!_OS ofcourse
I think Ubuntu 20.04 is also a lot improved though.

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Carlo Federico Vescovo • Edited

I recommend trying Void Linux if you have some experience in configuring distros. It's blazing fast!
You will have to install and configure everything though.

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enphysoft profile image
Albert S. Kim

I am still enjoying Ubuntu 18 LTS and trying to find a time to upgrade. I have used Ubuntu for long and, as someone said, I never lost a love to Ubuntu with KDE.

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SMJ

Arch Linux! Best Linux!

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mohammad-flago

Elementary os is best os for you,
Linux lite is beautiful ,
Elementary and lite is Ubuntu base

I am Iranian ,
I'm trying to learn English, sorry if there is a problem

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peterpflibsen profile image
peterpflibsen • Edited

Ubuntu Budgie! Has a really great window tiling system that after a long term user of Linux Mint I am completely converted! And there’s a widget system that doesn’t exist on base Ubuntu.

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rjveral profile image
Ricardo Javier Vera Lastra

LinuxLite
Rápido, liviano y fácil de usar....

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sonulohani profile image
Sonu Lohani

Pop Os is the best

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bcalik profile image
Burak Çalık

Mac. Sorry I have to do this :) Just try a mac.

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wanjuntham profile image
wanjuntham

I think what you need is an SSD, and you'd be good sticking with Windows. Windows 10 works flawlessly with SSD.

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amiamigo profile image
Ami Amigo

I suggest you try what is considered the most beautiful OS...Deepin!

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Fulton Browne

I used Ubuntu for 4 years before I started using minimal distros - good and stable. I started at 16.04 and ended and 20.04 and it improved A LOT over that time.

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Bruno Ochotorena

If u need stable and performance, see Debian distro like.

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eris7090 profile image
Jaker

I know I'm late but I'd say manjaro or Pop_OS! Takes like 5 minutes to download and flash the iso to a usb if your internet speeds are good. So just try it

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bedkowskiszymon profile image
Szymon Będkowski

just use manjaro

youtu.be/eWowqM2S9VU

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io_io_rocks profile image
io

I am using Pop Os after years of Ubuntu. (Used Ubuntu from 2005). Pop Os is awesome and plays very well with my laptop's hardware. I've used Pop since the end if 2017 and never looked back.

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omrisama profile image
Omri Gabay

Manjaro + i3 or Ubuntu

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Winston Puckett

I'd add Fedora to the list, but that's just me.

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Wesley Butler

Pop! For sure. Gnome is just a better DE san anything else out there. However, I am confused why someone would consider Pop! but not Ubuntu, since Pop! is just a slightly moded Ubuntu.

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andregcaires profile image
Andre Caires

I use Linux mint xfce, it's pretty good and lighter than cinnamon. For the blue light filter, try to use f.lux: easy to configure and I found it to be better than redshift.

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soubhagya1234

Use parrot os, actually it is well configured from the beginning and very light os with slick design.

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Ernest Shefer

Try Fedora 33, it has very consistent look and optimized gnome shell

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casuso profile image
Alberto Fernandez Casuso • Edited

I use fedora 33 as a daily driver and its great, everything works like a charm. I do web dev, dont have dual boot but a colleague does, hibernation works and there's a clipboard history extension.

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dishantpandya profile image
Dishant Pandya

Give a thought about Fedora.

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atomixhawk profile image
Githin Manesh

I recommend Fedora 33. I use Fedora as my daily driver since last 6 months (Switched from archlinux). Works fine on my laptop with core i7 7th gen, 16gb ram and Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050

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zinge profile image
Semyon Zingelshuher

debian on fluxbox

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Vishal Dongre

Linux mint is perfect distro. Perfect combination of beauty and performance plus all the goodies of ubuntu.

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Aarush Bhat

Pop os will be the most comfortable to start with, zero compatibility issues with nvidia, easy ubuntu like installation for all software, and also, all softwares are available.

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anja profile image
Anja

Maybe Elementary OS could also be interesting for you. elementary.io/

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kretaceous profile image
Abhijit Hota

Thanks for the suggestion!
It looks really good

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Suleiman Yunus

Kubuntu... That's it. Coming from Windows, I would suggest Kubuntu.

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averma111 profile image
averma111

I am using elemntry os with hadoop , spark, python elastic search , kibana, java and scala and flutter app development with 32 gig of ram and 1tb hard disk as my daily driver. It working as charm

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ankitpal1029

you will big brein if POP!_OS