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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
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