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+---
+title: "A biased list of recommended Linux distributions"
+date: 2023-05-27T16:51:42+02:00
+draft: false
+---
+
+## Introduction
+
+The second most frequently asked question I get from Linux beginners
+(right after "Why should I use Linux?") is "Which distro should I choose?"
+This article will attempt to cover the most popular and, in my opinion, most preferable
+options that one should consider. I will attempt to cover the process of getting
+used to Linux in the next article.
+
+## Terminology
+
+- WM - window manager. It's the system software that controls the placement and appearance
+of windows within a windowing system in a graphical user interface (GUI).
+It may be fun to tinker with a standalone WM, but as a beginner you may be intimidated
+as it requires browsing through a good amount of documentation to set your own desktop.
+- DE - desktop environment. Usually consists of a WM and a set of other tools
+like panels or maybe other software that allow you to quickly get working
+with the OS.
+- FOSS (FLOSS) - stands for free/libre open source software.
+When we say "free software", we mean "free as in speech",
+as opposed to "freeware". That means it's not only free of charge,
+but also allows you to modify and create your own versions
+of such software, with only restrictions being enforced by some
+"copyleft" licenses, which aim to not allow the modified software
+to be licensed as closed-source or proprietary.
+- Proprietary - the direct opposite of free/libre. Instead of being maintained
+by the community, it keeps its sources closed and is being maintained
+mostly by the corporation that created it. Whether it's paid or is being
+distributed for free, you will always have to rely on the owners of that
+product to make any changes or updates. Needless to say, Linux community
+tends to avoid such products whenever possible.
+- Team Red - the general term to describe AMD fanboys, as opposed to Team Green.
+Given how [uncollaborative](https://yewtu.be/watch?v=BcxKINWMD8M) Nvidia
+is (or at least used to be) in terms of providing support for Linux,
+you may find this term being thrown around at least a few times
+through this article.
+
+## Your first distro
+
+Given how popular [Ubuntu](https://ubuntu.com) has been over the decades,
+you can expect a lot of beginner-friendly distros to be based on it.
+I personally would not recommend it for a beginner, because of the
+inconvenient [GNOME](https://www.gnome.org/) DE
+(and the [controversy](https://yewtu.be/watch?v=a02fdZZOHlQ) surrounding it),
+which is why below I list the distributions based on it:
+
+- [Kubuntu](https://kubuntu.org/) - an Ubuntu-based distro using
+[KDE](https://kde.org/) as a DE. KDE is often considered the most intuitive
+DE among the beginners because it ships by default with an interface
+that resembles Windows and also supplies some packages you've come
+to expect to have in your OS by default.
+- [Xubuntu](https://xubuntu.org/) - my second pick for an Ubuntu-based
+distribution. It uses [XFCE](https://xfce.org/) as a DE,
+which I have come to personally adore, but while it may offer greater performance,
+it's also slimmer than KDE and may not be as beginner-friendly.
+- [Linux Mint](https://linuxmint.com/) - another very beginner-friendly
+distribution. Boasts the Cinnamon DE, which is both good for performance
+and user experience. If I had to give a complete beginner an OS
+to try in their spare time in a VM, this might just be the one.
+- [Pop!\_OS](https://pop.system76.com/) - another rather popular choice
+for a complete beginner. If you use an Nvidia GPU, it allows you
+to install a version with their proprietary drivers, which might
+just be a game changer for those who aren't dedicated to Team Red.
+- [Zorin OS](https://zorin.com/os/) - another beginner-friendly
+alternative. Boasts a variety of looks to choose from for easy
+migration from Windows 10/11 or MacOS, and ships with Wine and
+PlayOnLinux by default. As my friend said, it's the "zoomer version
+of Linux Mint".
+- [Elementary OS](https://elementary.io/) - another popular choice
+if you've decided to migrate from MacOS. Probably the only reason
+to consider this distribution, too.
+
+However, if you're willing to try something that's not Ubuntu-flavored,
+here are some other beginner-friendly options:
+
+- [Fedora Workstation](https://fedoraproject.org/workstation/) -
+another choice for a stable distribution based on Red Hat Linux.
+However, the base version ships with GNOME, so I encourage you to
+take the [following](https://spins.fedoraproject.org/) flavors of it
+for a spin (heh).
+- [MX Linux](https://mxlinux.org/) - based on [antiX](https://antixlinux.com/),
+you may find it to be not only a proud statement against fascism,
+but also a decent distribution for older hardware.
+- [EndeavourOS](https://endeavouros.com/) - now we're stepping into the bias
+territory. This one is based on Arch Linux, a distro that I have come to
+love over the years of usage. It has been proven to be a decent replacement
+for [Manjaro](https://manjaro.org/) in terms of stability, but it still
+boasts the rolling release model which in my opinion is much better-suited
+for personal computers. It's not like you're running a server where you
+value stability over anything, come on.
+
+## More options to consider
+
+- [Debian](https://www.debian.org/) - the one and only distro that Ubuntu
+is based on. However, with its focus on stability and security above all else,
+you'll find its package-managed software selection far behind,
+which I would not recommend for your home computer. If you need
+a reliable server though, by all means, it just might be for you.
+- [Garuda Linux](https://garudalinux.org/) - another Arch-based distro
+that is simple to use and is good for those who want to game.
+- [HoloISO](https://github.com/theVakhovskeIsTaken/holoiso) - did you know
+that SteamOS 3 is based on Arch Linux as well? Well, now you can take
+the powers of SteamOS and install it right on your computer!
+- [Vanilla OS](https://vanillaos.org/) - at some point you may find yourself
+constantly swapping between distros. We call it distro-hopping, or "nuisance"
+for short. Until you've settled with a perfect Linux of your choice,
+you might want to try out this distribution, which allows you to install
+virtually any other distro right on your machine. Consider this
+[handy tutorial](https://yewtu.be/watch?v=tOm_zATjgqU) on how to start with it.
+- [Batocera.linux](https://batocera.org/) - if you're a retro gamer and
+want a lot of emulators out of the box, you can consider this distro as well.
+
+## Conclusion
+
+This is by no means a complete list of Linux distributons worth checking out,
+and I will fill it out in the future with even more operating systems.
+Still, I hope this article will come in handy for you in case you need
+to pick a few distributions to start with.
+
+## Credits
+
+- [Azatsky](https://the-site-of-anything-goes.neocities.org/azatsky/) -
+the person who assembled the initial draft