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Choosing a Linux distribution
Intro
There are countless versions of Linux out there, termed distributions, the main differences between them is what software packages are provided to users, how recent or stable the versions of that software is, and what is installed and setup by default.
In my opinion any Linux distribution can be made to work, especially with modern tools like Flatpak and Distrobox. For example, I use Void Linux primarily, which is not one of the big 3 that I primarily outline in these docs.
My recommendations here are my personal opinions, though are primarily based general user-friendliness, and how easy the software used in this Program that I've documented here is to install and setup.
If you want to explore some options yourself, this site can help give recommendations based on your needs and experience https://distrochooser.de/
Recommendation
In these documents I make a point to outline and test this software on the 3 most common Linux distribution families, Debian-based (Including Ubuntu and Linux Mint), Arch-based (Including EndeavourOS and CatchyOS) and Fedora. So unless you have a good reason for using something else, I recommend that these are the ones you consider.
Out of those options, I have found that generally the apt software package manager is the most widely supported, at least for the software used by this Program, which is used by the Debian family of distribution, so for the easiest time I would probably recommend one of those.
That all said, these would probably be my top 3 recommendations:
- Debian
- Linux Mint
- Kubuntu
Debian
Debian is the bedrock of Linux distributions, a favorite for server applications due to it's stability-first philosophy, but also functions well as a Desktop OS. Debian is extremely resistant to breaking changes from it's long and thorough testing process.
The primary drawback is that it tends to favour long-term support and stable versions of software, which does mean you generally may not get access to the latest features. But this can be mostly mitigated by installing applications where you need the latest version from Flatpak.
I personally recommend installing the KDE Plasma desktop environment (instead of GNOME) when asked during the installation. In general KDE Plasma will be more familiar to those coming from Windows, and is very powerful and customisable.
Linux Mint
Linux Mint is the king of user friendliness, built specifically to be a desktop OS, it is well designed for anyone to easily get the hang of.
The only reason I put Mint below Debian is because I personally find the KDE Plasma desktop environment to be better, but that's not do say Mint's is not very good as well, and it's partially a matter of personal preference.
I would recommend the Cinnamon Edition as it is their primary and most fleshed-out version.
Kubuntu
Kubuntu is simply Ubuntu but with the KDE Plasma environment, which again I personally prefer, Ubuntu uses GNOME normally.
In the past Ubuntu was the most functional and most widely used Linux distribution. Nowadays the playing field is pretty level, but Ubuntu still maintains a large userbase and many companies still consider Ubuntu first when providing their software to Linux. Which is the main reason I am putting it on this top 3 list.