There are hundreds of Linux distributions out there each varying in their purpose of use and the level of expertise the user needs.
There are tools like DitroWatch to help users narrow down their options, but, still, choosing the right one could be quite a challenge.
What are some of the Linux distros you would recommend to users switching from other OS with no prior knowledge?
Oldest comments (95)
Hate to jump on the band wagon, but either Ubuntu (or a variation of) or now Deepin. Ubuntu for stability or Deepin for MACOS or even Windows aesthetic familiarity. Ease of use is relative to an individual so I don't see a use in comparing difficulty.
Thanks for sharing 👍😉
Linux Mint.
1.)It is Ubuntu Compatible so anything which works on Ubuntu/Debian works on Mint.
2.)It's based on Ubuntu LTS so it's very stable. 5 years of support is cool
3.)Clem creates forks and maintains software which make sense. Cinnamon & Nemo were created because Upstream GNOME and Files removed features. Likewise Chromium is a native app maintained separately by Mint Team not a snap wrapper like Ubuntu. They didn't bundle Amazon ads when Ubuntu did.
4.)Hardware support. Mint runs on variety of hardware and ships with non-free applications like codecs to make things easier for new users.
Thanks for sharing, I see a lot of love for Mint 💯✨
I personally think that Ubuntu is great, even if you hit a problem, there are just so much resources online.
Thanks for the input 🙏❤
Ubuntu will be the best choice for beginners.
But Manjaro is 🔥
Thanks for sharing this 🙏❤
I really love Manjaro 💚🥰
Most people say Ubuntu-like distros, but personally like Manjaro better even for beginners. Ubuntu might have more resources online, but Manjaro has a better out-of-the-box hardware compatibility. It is easier to maintain software updated with its package manager, while repositories in Ubuntu quickly get old.
I started with Mint and even installed it for some non-techie relatives that wanted to try. Mint is really, really good and It's a perfect choice for beginners, but I firmly believe that Manjaro will provide them with the same or more ease at the beginning while allowing them to use the latest software available.
Great insight, thanks for sharing 😉👍
I don’t think recommending an Arch based or any rolling release distro to a beginner is a good idea. These distros are close to bleeding-edge, and if anything goes wrong with an update, it is not going to be pretty. I agree with the majority of the comments, the way to go to get you started is an Ubuntu based distro, maybe something like Pop!_OS or mint are good sweet spots. Then go for other alternatives once you have some familiarity with the system
Thanks for the insight 🙏❤
Well, If anything goes wrong with an update it's not going to be pretty in any distro. I agree as well with Ubuntu being a great start. I just find that Manjaro, even being Arch based, is not as likely to require driver installation or to give you obsolete software.
Manjaro does a pretty good job. But I agree with both sides here. Rolling release will certainly cause issues for you at some point, but I don't think it's as big a deal as it's made out to be. Manjaro does a good job keeping things stable and I think anyone taking their first steps into Linux should expect their first os to be more of a sacrificial learning os than something they can count on (until they get a feel for troubleshooting).
The idea of recommending a "friendly" distro to get started is precisely avoid the "sacrificial learning" part in the beginning, and let the person expand its horizon with time. You cannot expect a newcomer form another OS to stay if you put it to deal with too much stuff from the beginning. Also, a great deal of people just want to "do stuff", not focus on maintaining the system. I am not saying the Manjaro or other rolling-release distros are bad options; I just would not recommend for a beginner unless it has some technical background (which we should never assume is the case), based in the fact the rolling-release concept is something that is not a thing for a common user in other OSS and you have to understand it from minute 1. In those terms, I do believe recommending distros that have similar approaches (and even appearance) to Windows/Mac is often a better advice. Curiosity will come with time and they can eventually move to more "customizable" distros if they want to.
As an aside note, if we are talking about the first distribution for a technical savvy person who wants to really learn, maybe vanilla Arch will be a way better recommendation. But this kind of "beginners" are a minority and the idea is give advice that applies for the majority.
Yes. First time I tried Manjaro an year ago everything worked out of the box. Then an update broke nvidia graphics driver and WiFi driver. I fixed those issues with an Ethernet connection but it will scare away most new users.
I'm using rolling release for a year and half now, haven't faced a issue with package update, and about manjaro it's pretty beginner's friendly because they make sure packages are stable unlike rolling release.
anyway the best way to learn is to face errors and fix it yourself or if you're too afraid then you can always go the stable distros.
There have better conjectures on whether holding back packages for a week gives that better stability.
Anyway, my experience with Manjaro was so far so good, and it was a few months too; before I switched to vanilla Arch (and sometimes Xubuntu or Mint).
Firstly, I do recommend people start with Arch (not Arch-based), if they dare - it's not wrong; and older kernels do have worse drivers, anyway. Also, ArchWiki is so good, if they ran into any probems.
Also, first issues in Linux probably won't be instability or crashes, but rather WiFi and graphic cards. It's more that they will find manuals and helps and communities or not...
My choice as beginners Ubuntu, Manjaro
Thanks for the insight 🙏❤
I'd say Ubuntu, Manjaro, Arch .... in this order.
Thanks for sharing! 🙏❤
I would recommend every beginner who's switching from Windows OS to start your Linux journey from MINT LINUX which is based on Ubuntu and is a Debian based OS and very smooth and with user friendly interface.
Awesome! Thanks 🙏❤
I would say Debian
Thanks for the input 🙏❤
I have tried atleast 10 Linux Distros and my vote is Linux Mint. It is the easiest and similar to Windows. Biginners should begin their Linux journey with it
Thanks for the valuable input 🙏❤
Ubuntu !
Thanks for the input 🙏❤
I'm impressed by Fedora lately. Took a chance on it since I've always been a Debian/Suse guy but I'm actually impressed by Fedora in terms of speed and stability and ease of use. Kudos to the team.
Thanks for the info 👍😉
Linux Mint is the Distro You need , I am using it for past 3 years and it's one of the most stable distros out there. Also it got some well over 30000 repo of packages.
Thanks for the recommendation 🙏❤
I would recommend linux mint for complete beginners, it's an debian based and is lighter when compared to few other distros, though it is having less developers still have almost all the software for everyday usage, and finally it comes with a Lts support,
But if you want a flashy or new kind of os, then I would definitely suggest debain ubuntu, pop os, deepin or arch-based, such as Manjaro, garuda, endeavour os, but these are much resource hungry when compared to mint
If you are planning for hacking, then kali is the better.
These were the stuff I have used, so I am giving these as example, there might be a better os
Thanks for the input 🙏❤
Thanks for the share 🙏❤