Just wondering as ive been told many os’s online and then told to not use certain one aswell, i feel confused on what linux os to try someday. i come from windows 10 and i always find i need windows on atleast 1 device, and put linux on the “outdated” devices, but i keep hoping around, i cant seem to make up my mind.
Mint for most users. OpenSUSE for more technically competent users.
This is how I roll (tumbleweed joke here) but the addition of NixOS on my wife’s computer because she needs it to be exactly how it was if the hardware changes. (She’s not good with tech and Windows was too frustrating for her, so it is Nix and Gnome DE)
Linux Mint. It was specifically created for this use case. It just works. That’s it.
And it’s still great once you know what you’re doing. If you just want your computer to work, Mint is a fantastic option.
debian. friendly and large community, no weird antifeatures like ubuntu
I suggest Linux Mint, it just works. I have moved over 10 people to it in the last 2 years. Basically, giving life to their old laptops. Never heard a complaint! Here’s the latest one, my niece: https://mastodon.social/@eugenialoli/117304062578785444
Fedora
Hannah Montana Linux
To friends I usually recommend the distro I run myself, as I’m most familiar with it and troubleshoot it the best.
If it’s someone who won’t get constant tech support from me, I’d probably go with Mint.
As a power user Ubuntu sucks, but if you’ve never used Linux before it could also be a good starter distro. The vast amount of tutorials online are made for Ubuntu.
I’d say Mint as many others. But any major distro (except Arch) would do the trick if you’re willing to learn.
If you’re willing to learn arch will (probably) work too
The learning curve is steep and the terminal reliance is too much for people who are not used to it. Once you get used to the terminal then… yes
The “want to learn” is gonna carry a lot of weight here but I think and arch based distro like cachy works well for this. Cachy was my first distro and I really wanted to learn so it gave we a working starting place from where I could tinker and replace parts one at a time until they fit my liking. If I were to reinstall today I’d do plain arch since I know what I want and don’t need Cachy’s defaults anymore. Obviously everyone has their preferences but I think cachy is a really solid approachable distro for beginners, there’s a reason it just passed steamOS to claim the throne of most used distro on the steam hardware survey
An alternative to this kind power users who want control and learn everything, would be EndeavourOS instead CachyOS. I wouldn’t recommend anyone starting with bare Archlinux, but depending on the person it could be the right choice, but its hard to know who the person is you recommend it.
Yes that reason is fanboys, and trashtubers
Arch
(this is a joke, do not use Arch unless you crave pain)(I use Arch, btw)
(I use Artix, btw)
do arch people actually say this? :p
I’ve been on Arch or Arch based systems for 13+ years now. It used to be an incredibly annoying joke. I mostly saw it used to mock Arch users. But since Arch is more accepted now it seems to have morphed into a (mostly) funny meme. I never ever said it until this year though lol.
I never ever said it until this year though lol.
you’ve joined the groupthink :p
Shit, guess I need to switch to an even more niche distro so I can sit on a high horse and feel smug about being a unique and special edgelord. Internet memes are for peasants!
Well, I am an Arch people, and I did say it, lol
(tho it is only as a joke, lol)they say it on reddit, the same place where people post photos of their desktop and refer to it as ‘ricing’
eh, i think arch is the more usable of the “diving deeper” distros. arch, gentoo, and lfs(if you can call that a distro) are good for trying to understand the deeper parts of the system.
i use cachy btw
You’re thinking of Gentoo.
Gentoo is the BDSM of Linux
I started my wife on fedora about 10 years ago, and my kids have grown up using fedora
Learn basic desktop Linux? Mint. Learn how Linux works and really interested in more of the ins and outs? Arch (Artix if you want systemdless) Learn how Linux works in great depth and are very committed? Gentoo.
Everyone has their preferences. That’s why there isn’t one answer. The problem is almost every distro compares themselves to Windows, and so they all have the same “pros” from that perspective. Personally I have 2 recommendations, and I’ll tell you which ones and why:
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Zorin: Makes a good mesh of familiarity and ease of use. They maintain a database of different apps and will automatically point you to the most appropriate option. They greatly simplify the process of installing and using WINE. I happen to just like GNOME (looks more modern than KDE), and I like their modified version of it. Comes with a lot of what I consider “obvious” tweaks “out of the box” so you don’t have to figure out how to implement them. Their GNOME is also super outdated though, so some extensions don’t work.
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Bazzite: If you want a console/PC hybrid, this is probably the best way to get it. If you just want a desktop gaming PC you can get that also. Either way it comes with a lot of gaming utilities pre-installed. Best of all is their “Bazzite Portal” which makes a bunch of common apps and tweaks that are otherwise complicated to install, easy, with the click of a button. There’s also an app for updates that upgrades everything all in one place, with the click of a button, and also will run automatically in the background if your system is idle.
But if you need support I hope you’re comfortable using corporate shithole platforms like Github, Discord, and Reddit, because if you don’t want to, they don’t give a shit.
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CTT had a video about it I found quite nice: https://youtu.be/hnNjFysodRo In shortv
- if you want to game: bazzite
- if you are a power user: cachy
- for office/regular computer usage: mint
