Wanting to move to Linux

[ThyFeared]

So I want to try out Linux for a little bit over windows. I was wondering what the best linux distro to start off was? I've used Ubuntu before but I didn't enjoy it very much. I could give it another shot but I'm looking at other possibilities.

[narrdarr]

linux mint

[bauer8cs]

Mint is great because it tries to emulate windows to some extent, so it will be very intuitive to use.

 

So Mint is a great choice. In my opinion though, you can make ubuntu whatever you want it to be, and as such it is my distro of choice when I use linux.

[Ronda]

Just to pile on some more, I'd also suggest Mint with Cinnamon as the DE.

It's based on Ubuntu, so with most problems you encounter, you can refer to their ( or Debian's) very extensive documentation and forum threads without having to deal with Ubuntu's (or Debian's) space wasting desktop environments.

[PenPoint]

I also think Mint, especially MATE edition, is the best alternative of Ubuntu.

[Nena Trinity]

Lubuntu runs on any potato!

[NelizMastr]

OpenSUSE is also a great option. It's not as user friendly as Mint though. For a full on Linux noob, Mint Cinnamon is the way to go. 

 

It's not that heavy either, unlike Noobuntu and the horrible Unity DE which hogs resources like a jew in a bank. 

[Wolfskie]

That elementaryOS, going by the open-source bit on their website, seems like it;s based on ubuntu and a customized gnome desktop.. might be nice to try, thanks.

Personally, i had the same problem a couple of years ago - i went with Mint & mate desktop, it works pretty well and doesn't really require any configurations to just work, of course you can customize..

If you need something really light go for lxde or xfce desktops instead of mate... if you've got resources to spare, cinnamon desktop might be more to your liking (didn't run all that well on my laptop at the time).

[sy5tem]

Well you should try to make virtual machines and try some distro... before going in dual-boot or going pure linux. Virtualization works awesome..

 

Ubuntu as default for new users you might not like. but its a very strong "new linus users distro" you will have to use the terminal anyways... ubuntu comes ready pretty much lol

than its terminal and install what you need with apt-get ...

 

mint second... cause it too windows like you ait going to learn linux fast with it

 

Debian 3rd , its what both ubuntu and mint is based of.. but it will be the base linux +  without  funny new user helper gui.  still really easy to use.

 

 

 

 

[Nathan123frdo]

After using Linux for a long time, there are two distros that I would recommend to a new person.  Elementary os has a mac style desktop, but, like ubuntu, you will notice that you will need to use the command line more than some other distros such as Linux mint. It has a great deal of software in the software center but does not have very many default apps. You will need to install several essentials before you can use the os in my opinion. The os is not very customizable even with the tweak tool.

There is a general overview video here: 

 

 

And there is also a video on what to do after installing it (this video is for an older version of the os, but must of the items still work): 

 

 

Now for Linux Mint. Mint has a more Windows-style desktop and does not require as much command-line as Elementary. 

It has about just as much software  in the software center as Elementary does, but a just a little less. 

Linux Mint has a lot more default apps. In some cases, a little too much. But it is fine. All of the essentials come with it and it is not to cluttered. The os Is very customizable in themes, but there are a few things such as the taskbar startup pulse wich I hate that cannot be customized. There is a general overview video here: 

 

Hope this helped!