Which Linux distribution to choose? TOP 7 🔥
There are many different Linux distributions on the Internet. When you have to choose one of them, it is very easy to get confused. We will try to help you with the choice.
We recommend focusing on 2 key criteria:
- How widespread is the distribution. On the popular Linux distributions, it is easier to find materials on setting up and working with the network. A huge community allows you to receive timely help on thematic forums in case of difficulties. The more users, the more imported programs and packages. It is advisable to select common systems already with prepared package databases. Manual assembly of sources in a wide variety of languages is still a hassle.
- Who develops the distribution. A very big plus for the system if it is supported by one of the large corporations, and not some unknown development team. It would be nice to see the developer of Red Hat, Canonical Ltd. or SUSE
For Linux Newbies – Linux Mint
After migrating from Windows, the best choice is definitely Linux Mint… It is the most popular distribution today. Differs in good stability and ease of operation. Ubuntu is used as a basis.
The distribution has a simple and easy to understand interface, which is responsible for the shell Cinnamon (for advanced PCs) or MATE (for legacy systems). Has an easy-to-use application manager. You shouldn’t have difficulty finding and installing suitable programs.
Pros:
- Ease of use;
- The developers try to make a good distribution kit for the average user;
- No special knowledge is required to use the system.
Cons:
- Lots of default software, some of which don’t come in handy.
For lovers of the freshest packages – Manjaro
Another popular distribution kit. Developed on Arch, it is one of the most powerful and feature-rich distributions around. While the Arch project aims to create a simple distribution, it remains challenging enough for newbies. For example, Arch installation is available exclusively through the console.
Manjaro added some missing points to Arch. There is a rudimentary installer here. None of Arch’s features are cut off in it. Manjaro retains the AUR ( largest source of packages ) and rolling release. All programs available for Linux systems are mandatory on the AUR.
The system immediately comes with a large selection of desktop skins. We can choose among:
- KDE ( different in functionality );
- GNOME ( works well on tablet screens );
- Xfce, LXDE, etc.
Thus, after installing Manjaro, you get access to all the innovations and updates to Linux.
Pros:
- AUR for quick and hassle-free application installation;
- Continuous updating of available software.
Cons:
- Unusual desktop shell design. We can always change it without much effort.
For home server – Debian
A home server comes in handy in a variety of areas. It makes it easier to save large amounts of data, make backups, download torrents or create your own cloud.
Debian will be a great helper on your own home server. The distribution is notable for its stability, but at the same time, there are not so many updates here. For example, Ubuntu was based on Debian . Debian works exclusively with the most trusted packages, so it is stable and secure.
Pros:
- Stable work;
- Lots of proven applications.
Cons:
- Requires manual configuration after installation.
For media center – Kodi
If you’re planning on building your own media server, Kodi is your best bet. More precisely, Kodi is not a distribution kit, but a full-fledged player for a media center. It can be installed on any Linux system, but we would recommend using it with Ubuntu.
Kodi handles all known video and audio formats. Able to play movies, videos, music and work with a photo gallery. With Kodi, your Smart TV turns into a multifunctional entertainment center.
Through extensions, Kodi is capable of downloading files via torrents and helps keep track of the release of new episodes or seasons of TV shows. Ready to show live and streaming YouTube videos. In general, Kodi can do everything.
An important factor in the popularity was the beautiful implementation, good optimization and support for controlling the remote control or smartphone with Android. The interface of the media center is easy to customize with the help of an abundance of various shells.
Pros:
- Lots of useful features;
- Simple controls.
Cons:
- Many people don’t like the default shell, it often needs to be changed.
Desktop – Kubuntu
The best graphical environment for a computer is KDE. Kubuntu built on this particular graphics core. As a basis, the same Ubuntu is used, respectively, most applications are compatible with this distribution.
Kubuntu is beautiful to look at, feature-rich, and easy to customize. If you don’t have Linux skills, it shouldn’t be too hard for you to figure it out anyway. The Kubuntu system is stable and features sharpening for the home computer.
Pros:
- Huge assortment of packages;
- A good set of KDE programs;
- Lots of interface settings.
Cons:
- Kubuntu is based on the stable KDE. Consequently, the most recent shell updates appear much later. If you want to work with the latest KDE distribution, you should pay attention to KDE Neon…
For legacy PC and netbook – Lubuntu
The distribution is built on Ubuntu and uses the LXDE shell, which is resource-efficient. The system is tailored for machines with low power. If you own an old PC or netbook that has difficulty running Windows, Lubuntu lets you breathe life into your device.
The distribution kit requires a minimum of computer resources, so it is ready to run on a PC with almost any performance.
Pros:
- Small load on the computer;
- Support for most Ubuntu packages.
Cons:
- LXDE’s design is not for everyone, many will not like it. We’ll have to come to terms with this and take it as a payment for the speed of work.
For tablet or transformer – Ubuntu
Ubuntu today it is a very popular distribution kit for a computer. Already in version 17.10, Ubuntu will end support for Unity and switch to GNOME. The latter has a stylish design, especially on gadgets with touch controls. If you have a Windows 10 tablet, we recommend you try Ubuntu with the GNOME Shell.
The interface features rather large icons and support for gestures. Ubuntu is easily expandable with add-ons. For touchscreen devices, it is the best choice.
Pros:
- The great popularity of Ubuntu allows you to always receive new software;
- There are a lot of materials on Ubuntu on the Internet.
Cons:
- The GNOME shell is strange at first.
We recommend choosing Linux distributions based on priority goals. First, think about why you need it. It will then be easy to find the most suitable distribution for your purposes.
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Which Linux distribution shall I choose?
If you are new to Linux and your brain is also circling around such a wide range of Linux distros, just like earth around sun then maybe this article can help you in finding ‘the one’ for you.
Let’s get a basic understanding first of the following:
- What is the difference between distribution and flavor of Linux?
- Which distribution should I choose?
What are the differences between flavor and distribution?
Well, technically Linux is “NOT” a UNIX. It uses the Linux kernel and the GNU userland utilities. As such GNU stands for “Gnu’s Not Unix” and instead is a UNIX-like operating environment.
Also, while AIX, Solaris, BSD, HP-UX and even Mac OSX are “UNIX” depending on the actual certification from whoever holds the rights to determine what UNIX is, many people lump them together as the tools are similar and the commands are similar in most cases.
In the case of a distribution, that is due to the maintainer’s decisions of what to include, how to control the releases, etc.
SUSE, Debian, Red Hat, are all using the Linux kernel, GNU userland, etc, however Debian uses different package management, for the most part, Different run levels and configuration files are employed, and the choice of what goes into a release is left up to the maintainer of each distribution.
Distribution means a certain set of applications that are bundled and pre-configured. The difference in that for Linux distributions (or distros) can range from almost nothing (eg. RHEL vs. CentOS), to a completely different intention, and thus software selection (eg. Slackware vs. Mint)
In any distribution, the fundamentals stay the same:
- There is always a Linux Kernel (the core component of the Linux operating system)
- The default GNU software (tools like ls, rm, etc)
- General software to be expected of a Linux distribution (text editors, etc)
What differs from distribution to distribution usually?
- Installation Software (for installing software, or the operating system)
- General software: (Office Apps, Prog. Languages, Games, Web Software etc)
- Documentation and Manuals (Quality of, Lack of, Quantity of)
- Cost – whether you pay nothing, a little, or a lot for a distribution depends on what you need from it and the business model the distributor works to.
- Quality of software (buggy or not buggy software, latest versions of software)
- Whether it is up to date or not
- Whether the distributor offers a good channel of support or not
- How easy it is to use overall.
What about Flavors?
Different “flavors” are called that because they are based on the same principles (POSIX, Single UNIX Specification), but follow different ways for implementation. For example, while all Unices have a sigaction system call, probably none of them share the same implementation, as the Kernel itself follows different specifications.
What Linux Distribution should I choose?
Choosing a Linux distribution is a personal thing. It greatly depends on what you want to do with it.
- Ubuntu and Linux Mint : Suitable for – Beginner to Advanced/Server
Ubuntu is currently the most popular of the Linux Distributions. It is built on a Debian core, but has a more regular release cycle, is more polished, is easy to use and has major financial backing. It is a completely free distro, therefore copyrighted materials such as DVD playing software do not come as standard with Ubuntu, you must download and install it separately, but can be done easily. If you don’t like the look and feel of the latest Ubuntu desktop (called Unity), Linux Mint is based on Ubuntu, is made for beginners and still offers a GNOME or KDE version.
Used to be very popular, easy to use, good installer. Has some annoying quirks, RPM software packaging can suffer from dependency problems, even with YUM system. RHEL (Red Hat Enterprise Linux) is the non-free Enterprise version offering of this distribution, it comes with full telephone based support and is backed by rigorous testing. CentOS is the free version which is derived from RHEL but usually trails behind it and of course does not come with enterprise support, then there is Fedora Core. Fedora is the bleeding-edge fork of Red Hat which has all the latest bells and whistles but as it is bleeding-edge, it can also suffer from less stability than their enterprise-grade counterparts.
SuSE was once an independent German Linux distribution, which later was purchased by Novell, who later sold it to VMWare. It’s now an excellent all-rounder which is geared up for the Enterprise. good manuals & docs, masses of great software, brilliant support. Enterprise version great for corporate use with business support and has partnered with companies such as SAP (and of course VMWare). Software Installer still relies on RPM system from RedHat which can suffer from dependency problems however this is mainly a thing of the past.
Slackware was probably the first linux distribution. Targeted at geeks who like to tweak or for the server market looking to get every little ounce of server performance. Quite hard to install and use, Uses .tar.gz packages rather than more popular .deb or .rpm systems. If you fall into the more advanced camp, but don’t like the sound of compiling everything, perhaps Arch is for you, as it still offers similar levels of customisation as Slackware.
Very established Linux distro. DEB packages combined with apt-get system solve the tedium of the RPM software packaging in Redhat/Suse/Mandriva. Traditionally known for being further behind than some other distros, but rock solid. Is now the basis for many modern, easier to use distributions such as Ubuntu and Linux Mint.
Let me cut short this process for you; if you have recently heard of Linux and hadn’t had your hands on any distribution and you are a complete newbee who wants to Linux then seriously just close your eyes and install ubuntu. It’s my personal favorite and even I use it as my primary OS too. It’s a pretty distro. to initiate a handshake with Linux and can serve you even with all possible advance services also. It is packed with easy installation process, decent GUI and great terminal.
An alternative to Ubuntu can be Linux Mint. Mint provides all the same features with a sober interface and it is ranked ‘1’ on DistroWatch.com.
If you are a Linux pro and want to try a different distro maybe bcoz you are too bored from the present one or maybe your present distro doesn’t support all the advance features you need then you can choose Fedora,Debian or Arch Linux. If you are into pen-testing or anything similar then you should go for Kali linux. It comes with a large number of inbuilt tools which can your work pretty easy.
So, all in all before choosing, Google about the distro that fulfills your needs.
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