Which linux distro should I use?

[Yishai Yosifov]

Hello,

I am thinking of installing linux.

 

I am a developer that sometimes plays Minecraft. Which distro should I use?

 

EDIT:

I do have a bit of experience with linux, I have a raspberry pi with raspbian lite, but I never used linux with GUI

 

Thank you.

[Slottr]

Will this be your first time using Linux?

[LloydLynx]

Probably start with Ubuntu. It's pretty much the industry standard and has very good community support. If it works fine for you, then keep using it. If you're not happy with it, there are dozens of newb friendly distros out there for you to try. Linux Mint, PopOS, Zorin, just look up top Linux distros and you'll get tons of articles listing tons of distros. These types of distros hide the true complexity of a Unix-like system from the user to create an easy to learn interface. Fixing issues under the hood can sometimes involve a steep learning curve.

 

If you do wanna dive right into the Unix-like side of things, Debian and Arch are decent, and there are others like them too.

 

UI preference, hardware support, lightweightness, etc are all different for all the different distros out there so we can't really tell you a distro that will work well for you first go.

 

A certain distro might be a buggy mess for one person, while that same distro might work flawlessly for another person.

 

Anyways, welcome to freedom, the wild west that is the world of Linux, with the good and the bad that comes with it.

[da na]

If it's your first experience with Linux, Ubuntu is great for beginners

[Yishai Yosifov]

47 minutes ago, Slottr said:

Will this be your first time using Linux?

Kind of, I have a raspberry pi with raspbian lite, but I never used linux with GUI

[RONOTHAN##]

If you have to ask, you're probably a new user, and thus should start out in the Debian branch due to it's thorough documentation and large community. Ubuntu and its derivatives are probably the best for this. Linux Mint, Pop_OS!, and straight Ubuntu are the ones you should stick to. 

 

Do note that the difference between distros is just the package manager, preinstalled software, and default settings. If you want to, you can make any distro into any other distro with some effort, so in reality the distro doesn't really matter.

[Alexeygridnev1993]

Agree with Ubuntu suggestions. I'd recommend Kubuntu (Ubuntu with KDE desktop environment) as its interface is the closest to Windows by default and it's insanely customizable.

[pcnerd_8684]

I myself use Kubuntu 21.10, I love it and it is not particularly difficult to install or maintain. Pop!_OS is another good one if you have a NVidia card, because graphics drivers on Kubuntu are just a bit more of a hassle to install. If you are looking for a more involved install and upkeep process, use Arch since you do have some experience.

[xAcid9]

I suggest Manjaro KDE. 

You need to get use to install software directly from the package manager and not download from the internet. 

 

You can enable AUR/Flatpak/Snap support from the package manager to gain access for more software but it usually take more times (AUR) to install because it's not precompiled or more space(Flatpak/Snap). I suggest just enable AUR and Flatpak. 

[10leej]

2 hours ago, xAcid9 said:

You need to get use to install software directly from the package manager and not download from the internet. 

mmm I assume you know where the package manager, flatpak, and the AUR get their software from right?

[xAcid9]

12 minutes ago, 10leej said:

mmm I assume you know where the package manager, flatpak, and the AUR get their software from right?

I meant window user is used to download executable from the internet and install software by running it. 

Distro like Debian have their .deb package but Arch don't have something similar afaik?

[10leej]

49 minutes ago, xAcid9 said:

I meant window user is used to download executable from the internet and install software by running it. 

Distro like Debian have their .deb package but Arch don't have something similar afaik?

Technically arch actually does. Otherwise you'd be compiling everything from source like gentoo.

Arch just really doesn't incentives that people provide binary files since the aur exists.

[maplepants]

I recommend elementary OS. You've already got experience using the apt package manager, and if you stick with something debian/ubuntu based then all of your Pi skills will transfer over directly.

 

The benefit of elementary OS is the AppCenter which has loads of cool apps like Mixer (volume mixer), Mauborgne (a 2FA client), Inspektor (exif viewer), Harvey (colour picker), Evince (a PDF viewer/editor), Captive Network Assistant, and others. 

 

When I ran desktop linux for years I would distro hop, but the app selection would always bring me back to elementary OS. 

[Guest]

I had the Linux itch for a decade but could never find the "perfect" distribution. But the moment I installed Manjaro KDE I felt home .

Manjaro KDE has:

- Insane amounts of software even with AUR disabled.

- Great looking UI with tons of customizability to make feel just right.

- On my machine it's perfectly stable and snapy.

- So far didn't need to touch the command line even once.
If you like the GNOME desktop I would probably look at POP_OS!

 

[beace]

Don't listen to them, go with Linux Mint if you want the least hassle and just Linux right off the bat. You will be able to do whatever programming stuff you want on it, play Minecraft, and even turn into something visually impressive if you'd like after some time and experience.

 

You get nice GUI options to choose from (at least three that I'm aware of) that will make your Windows/MacOS-to-Linux transition a very easy and painless experience.

 

If you're a developer and familiar with Linux already, maybe you could also try going with Arch LInux as your very first distro, but the very first installation of that thing is probably going to be less than perfect, simply because it takes some time to get familiar with the more under-the-hood stuff Linux does to perform a functional and comfortable installation. Or, you can simply follow the installation guide on the Arch Wiki and then install a desktop environment of choice, which is going to give you most of what you need in a distro. You will still need to take a look through applications you'll need and install them manually, though, which is why Arch is not the best option if you want things to work out of the box without touching anything yourself for the most part.

 

And honestly, you can choose any distro out there and give it a try for some time. Chances are, you're not going to stick with the very first distro you pick, install and run for some time, because it's really fun to try out things, especially when it's super easy to do.

 

So, finally, I say go with Linux Mint if you want an easy time, Arch if you want to be able to choose mostly everything yourself (it's not easy at first, mind you), and don't be afraid to experiment. There is a lot of distros out there, and some may fit you differently, so trying them out and choosing what feels right is a very important step in your Linux journey.

 

Have fun!

[linkboy]

On 11/25/2021 at 2:38 AM, parasite_avi said:

Don't listen to them, go with Linux Mint if you want the least hassle and just Linux right off the bat. You will be able to do whatever programming stuff you want on it, play Minecraft, and even turn into something visually impressive if you'd like after some time and experience.

 

You get nice GUI options to choose from (at least three that I'm aware of) that will make your Windows/MacOS-to-Linux transition a very easy and painless experience.

 

If you're a developer and familiar with Linux already, maybe you could also try going with Arch LInux as your very first distro, but the very first installation of that thing is probably going to be less than perfect, simply because it takes some time to get familiar with the more under-the-hood stuff Linux does to perform a functional and comfortable installation. Or, you can simply follow the installation guide on the Arch Wiki and then install a desktop environment of choice, which is going to give you most of what you need in a distro. You will still need to take a look through applications you'll need and install them manually, though, which is why Arch is not the best option if you want things to work out of the box without touching anything yourself for the most part.

 

And honestly, you can choose any distro out there and give it a try for some time. Chances are, you're not going to stick with the very first distro you pick, install and run for some time, because it's really fun to try out things, especially when it's super easy to do.

 

So, finally, I say go with Linux Mint if you want an easy time, Arch if you want to be able to choose mostly everything yourself (it's not easy at first, mind you), and don't be afraid to experiment. There is a lot of distros out there, and some may fit you differently, so trying them out and choosing what feels right is a very important step in your Linux journey.

 

Have fun!

I second this in regards to Mint.

 

Mint just works. I'm dual-booting it with Windows 11 on my laptop and it just works great. Cinnamon is a great DE that's easy to use and doesn't overwhelm someone like something like Plasma can in regards to options, or GNOME can if you're not used to a non Windows or macOS style DE. I haven't had a single issue with Mint since I put it on my laptop. 

 

I just want my OS to work and stay out of my way. The absolute last thing I want to do is chase down solutions to fix a problem. That's why I prefer distros like Mint that put more of a focus on stability.

[beace]

3 hours ago, linkboy said:

Cinnamon is a great DE that's easy to use and doesn't overwhelm someone like something like Plasma can in regards to options, or GNOME can if you're not used to a non Windows or macOS style DE. I haven't had a single issue with Mint since I put it on my laptop.

 

 

 

 

 

Oh, right, about the desktop environments or tiling window managers - please keep in mind that on Linux, you are free to choose basically anything your operating system has. This means that both all things GUI and everything under the hood are swappable, and I dare to say it's a lot easier than it would ever be on Windows.

 

For example, if you decide to go with Linux Mint Cinnamon, you are free to run it for some time, install everything you need like development tools, setup your git or whatever, have your Minecraft up and running and build a massive save file there... and then, if you are bored with your desktop environment, you don't have to reinstall the OS - just installing a new desktop environment (without removing the one that you already have) and log into it (in XFCE, which I used, first you log out, then find a little icon on your taskbar and click - there should be a list of desktop environments and/or tiling window managers you have installed, then log in as usual and enjoy your different look and feel of your operating system, while everything you ever installed or saved is there, intact).

 

 

[kitnoman]

I don't want to post another thread with the same question but slightly different scenario. Hope you guys don't mind. I become interested due to the steamdeck and it got me curious with the idea of switching to linux because of the possibility that might get more support in near future. I don't want to install it on my main system "yet" and I don't have the budget to actually build a new system just to test and play around with it. But used  office pc are actually cheap in my country, with $60-150(converted), I would be able to get an i3 to i5 3rd to 6th gen pc. is this a good option?

 

What would be the best linux distro for me to start with? I really don't have a use case yet, I just want to familiarized myself with it. As a background, the only time I used linux was at a school library when I was still a student. I also don't have a formal education with computers(philosophy major). Everything I know are bits and pieces I learned from friends and on the internet.

[Gimmick21]

1 hour ago, kitnoman said:

What would be the best linux distro for me to start with? I really don't have a use case yet, I just want to familiarized myself with it. As a background, the only time I used linux was at a school library when I was still a student. I also don't have a formal education with computers(philosophy major). Everything I know are bits and pieces I learned from friends and on the internet.

Just for tinkering around with the system, a 6th gen desktop CPU with iGPU is fine.

Valve switched to Arch as basis for their new SteamOS, so if you want to get familiar with that -> use Arch.

 

• The distro, that is as close to pure Arch as possible but helps you with some essential things like installation with a GUI is https://endeavouros.com/
• An Arch based distro, that is designed with GUIs, but doesn't use the original Arch software repositories (source for the software packages) is https://manjaro.org/

Since the Arch documentation is very good and your goal is to learn a few things, my recommendation is:

0. Always remember: There are live-images. That means you can take a look at the OS without installing it, but you cannot change things.

1. Install VirtualBox on Windows

2. Install both OS in virtualboxes

3. try different window-manager (KDE, gnome, XFCE,...)

3. Break them as often as you want.  

4. When you got your second PC - install what you liked the most.

 

Random videos to get a basic impression:

 

Endeavour OS:

 

Manjaro: