What is the best Linux distro for beginners?

[Devolz]

Introduction

Abundance of choice is one of the biggest challenges faced by all Linux users, particularly those dipping their toe in the water for the first time. Choosing your first Linux distro can be incredibly daunting, especially when you don't even know what you're looking for.

In Linux's early days, choosing a distro was simple: you went with the one you had heard about, or the one that someone you knew had experience with, or the one with some degree of documentation. Naturally, then, you were limited in choice to the likes of RedHat, Debian, or Slackware.

While you can still make a choice based on those criteria, the sheer number of Linux distros available now, and their vocal fan bases, makes it difficult to settle on one and get started.

So let's ignore those voices altogether, and add one of our own. We've deliberately shied away from the mainstream distros here, as we didn't just want easy-to-use distros. Instead, we've selected four that we believe are ideal starting points.

You'll note the absence of Ubuntu – yes, it has long been a Linux distribution, and one which is quite welcoming, but it isn't exactly right for beginners in our opinion. However, it can be with the right changes, which is why three of the four distros in our list are Ubuntu-based.

We've also picked one that's specifically aimed at those switching from Windows – in previous years, we were also able to feature a distro that was specifically aimed at macOS users too, but it (Pear Linux) has sadly been discontinued. However, both Pinguy and Elementary contain elements that will definitely appeal to Mac switchers – Elementary, in particular, has a macOS feel.

How we tested...

All distros were tested on the same dual-core machine with 4GB RAM. We've selected the latest 64-bit stable releases for all the distros.

The distribution also needs to be easy to install. Since most users of these distros have probably never installed Linux before, this is a very important consideration. Just as important is software management and the kind of apps that are included in the distro.

Apart from these major points, the distro also needs to be easy to use for day-to-day activities. The ideal distro for newbies is one that does all of the above and also makes it easy for them to tweak some settings.