First time? Use Ubuntu. Not only is it easy to use and a good UX overall, most tutorials assume a Ubuntu based distro (there are differences between distros that can be...hard to translate over). That's going to be really useful when you're looking up how to do stuff
Linux
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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
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Another vote for Ubuntu.
I tried it as my first Linux distro about 5 years ago. There was some learning curve, but I really enjoyed it.
I've been using it for 5 years now. I'm glad I switched from windows!
Would recommend Fedora Silverblue.
I have a blog article about this. Here is the short version:
I can tell you how not to choose a distro: what its screenshots look like or what its default desktop environment is. Many begin shopping around for a distro that suits them best, which means visiting a website like DistroWatch.com, looking at the various screen shots, and picking one that looks nice. But any Linux distro can be made to look like any other distro without too much effort, what you see in the screen shots is just the default look. Really, the the screen shots should be the least of your concerns.
So don't worry about Xfce, KDE, Gnome, LXDE, LXQt or whatever else right now, you can try all of those in good time. First, just get Linux and, worry about figuring out which apps that you can get that work best for your work flow. Almost none of the apps you use now are available in Linux, the hardest part is figuring out how to replace the apps you use daily right now.
You should choose the distribution with the best web service, and the best apps.
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Is the service reliable? Do they have a good team of people making sure the packages are always online, and making sure they are providing timely security updates?
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Do they have corporate, or non-profit, sources of funding? Do you trust the people who are running it?
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Do they have the apps you want, are the apps up to date? Do they have things you need, like word processing, presentation software, photo scrap booking, file sharing, video editing, music editing, personal organizers, video conferencing (can you install Zoom, for example?). Can you easily install Flatpaks or AppImages?
Many of the really big Linux distros all provide completely reliable service, which satisfy the above requirements, but I recommend any of the following four:
- Mint
- Fedora
- Ubuntu
- Pop!_OS
Mint and Fedora are community-run with backing from various sponsors, Ubuntu is run by the Canonical corporation, Pop!_OS is developed by the System 76 company (a medium sized US-based business that sells laptops and PCs).
Get Ubuntu, Mint, or PopOS don't bother with the others at first as it will be more difficult to find help on forums with lesser known versions of Linux. If you have an Nvidia as your main graphics card you might have a better time with PopOS as it comes pre configured with the right drivers and everything.
Know that you'll probably hate what you try first. Personally I say you shouldn't use Pop_OS!, but its better than being scared of making a wrong choice. "distrohopping" is a great way to learn.
tldr: just do it
If you game, and especially if you use nvidiva, I'd recommend Pop!_OS or Nobara.
I'll take note
Get a cheap 1-2 tb drive and start dual-booting with whatever system you're running now. This way you can play around with different distros while retaining your current settup to fall back on!
can you duel boot with a modren laptop tho, and can the drive be external
I approached Fedora workstation with little knowledge of Linux, as a former windows and Mac user. My workflows involved graphic, print, UX design, DFP, front end web dev, and some light 3D modelling. Getting acquainted with alternatives to certain apps (namely adobe suite) took some getting used to, but it's wonderful to no longer feel as if your industrial skill set is beholden to a massive, shitty company.
It was surprisingly easy to get along with. I feel like your experience in will mostly depend on your desktop environment rather than the distro itself, bear in mind that you can use any DE with any distro.
You don't really need to touch the command line anymore to get going, though I got familiar with it as I found it faster for certain tasks.
KDE plasma is probably more familiar for Windows users. I use the GNOME desktop with some plugins.
As a bonus, Fedora 39 is more performant for me in AAA gaming than windows 10/11.
- Switch over the software you use to stuff that also works on Linux. alternativeto.net
- Get an external SSD case if you are on a laptop, or just a second one and install it there
- Extract your Windows License key!
- Fedora kinoite from ublue.it
Start off with Gentoo to get the hang of the basics. Switch to Arch because compile times and heat burns. Try Linux from Scratch for a laugh, giggle and move on, but with a new found respect for distro maintainers.
What's your use case? If it involves AAA games then that will narrow things a bit but if you simply want a bit of docs n that and, internet browsing and a spot of email and realtime sound and CAD then we'll need a broader chat.
Debian, Fedora, Ubuntu, OpenSuSE, Mint - those would be my starters for 10 in no particular order. Pick yours and your hip angle. I personally run Arch (actually) and Gentoo. I don't recommend them as a dip your toe in the water job 8)
Feel free to dive in, the water is lovely.
my use case is mostly contained of playing games and and a slight bit of actual work, not triple a tho
Here are some of my default choices: Linux Mint, Pop!OS, Nobara, MXLinux (if your PC is kind of a potato).
These distros should work regardless of your configuration with very minimal effort on your side.
Fedora is neat
I was impressed by how streamlined and intuitive EndeavorOS (with Plasma) is out of the box when I threw it on a friend's computer. Will probably switch to it myself shortly.