The Best Linux Distributions for Beginners in 2020

TecMint ^ | 23 July 2020 | James Kiarie

[ShadowAce]

Traditionally, Linux was a reserve for developers, system administrators, and Enterprise users for hosting websites and other applications. There was a time when Linux posed a great deal of complexity to beginners and simply discouraged them from embracing it.

Over time, the vibrant Open source community has made enormous efforts in bringing Linux closer to the ordinary Windows and mac users by making it more user-friendly and easy to use.

Read Also: Top Linux Distributions To Look Forward To In 2020

This guide covers the best Linux distributions for beginners in 2020.

1. Zorin OS

Based on Ubuntu and Developed by Zorin group, Zorin is a powerful and user-friendly Linux distribution that was developed with new Linux users in mind. This is notably clear from its neat, simple, and intuitive UI whose look-and-feel closely resembles Windows 7 and 10. For Windows or macOS users who are trying their hand out in Linux, this distribution comes highly recommended.

Zorin OS Desktop

Zorin has been around since 2009, with the latest release being Zorin 15.2 which is available in 4 editions namely: Ultimate, Core, Lite, and Education.

The Core, Lite, and Education editions are free for download with the Ultimate Edition going for only $39. Education and Ultimate editions ship with both GNOME and XFCE desktop environments. Core edition is only available in GNOME while Lite comes with the XFCE environment.

All editions come packed with office productivity software such as LibreOffice alongside useful utilities and applications to get you started. Zorin is also secure with periodic security patches and feature updates to address any security flaws and improve the performance of the system.

Zorin also comes highly recommended for old PCs or systems with low CPU and RAM specifications.

Zorin OS Requirements

Minimum system requirements include:

• 1Ghz dual-core CPU
• 2GB RAM (512Mb for Lite edition)
• 10GB hard disk space ( 20GB for Ultimate Edition)
• Minimum resolution of 800 x 600 ( 640 x 480 for Lite edition)

If you are a newcomer to Linux, consider giving Zorin a test run and enjoy the sleek UI, stability, and wonderful system performance.

2. Linux Mint

Linux Mint is free and open-source that was built with a focus on desktop users. Based on Ubuntu Mint enjoys a vibrant community of developers who work round the clock to deliver a stable, fully-featured, customizable, and secure system.

Linux Mint Desktop

Right from the start, Mint provides an elegant and sleek interface that is easy to interact with. A simple click of the Start button at the bottom left corner reveals a rich menu replete with your favorite applications, storage locations, and various settings that you can use to tweak your system to your desired preference.

On the taskbar, be sure to find status icons such as the Network status icon, Update manager, volume, battery usage, and date icons just as you would find on a Windows 7 or 10 system.

With Linux Mint, everything works out-of-the-box with full multimedia support, managed system updates using the Update Manager tool, and a software manager repository where you can install your favorite applications such as Skype, Discord and VLC media player.

Mint is a long term support (LTS) operating system implying that it receives support for extended periods of time of up to 5 years.

The latest release of Mint is Linux Mint 20.0 codenamed Ulyana. It was released in June 2020 and is based on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS. It’s available for download in 3 desktop environments: Cinnamon, MATE and XFCE. However, unlike its predecessors such as Mint 19.3 and earlier, it is only available for download in 64-bit architecture. It’s highly customizable with a rich set of desktop backgrounds, improved monitor support with fractional scaling, accent colors, and other system improvements.

Unlike Zorin, Mint has a fairly large footprint and requires a robust system with higher specifications for installation for it to run smoothly. To install Linux Mint, your PC needs to meet the following minimum requirements:

Linux Mint Requirements

• 2GB RAM
• 20GB hard disk space
• A resolution of 1024 x 768

3. Ubuntu

Developed by Canonical, Ubuntu remains to be one of the most popular mainstream Linux distros of all time, with several other distros derived from it. Ubuntu is open source, and absolutely free for download. It ships with a GNOME desktop environment with polished icons and a rich set of desktop backgrounds.

Ubuntu Linux

It works out of the box with full multimedia support and basic applications to get you started out such as LibreOffice suite, Rhythmbox media player. Firefox browser and Thunderbird email client.

Ubuntu’s massive popularity stems from the availability of over 50,000 software packages from its four main repositories; Main, Restricted, Universe, and Multiverse. This simplifies the installation of almost any software packages using the APT package manager on the command-line.

Ubuntu also comes with a rich Software Center which is a graphical front-end that allows users to easily install and remove software packages from the system without having to run commands on the terminal.

Ubuntu is quite easy to use and highly customizable supporting up to 10 desktop environments. The latest release is Ubuntu 20.04 dubbed Focal Fossa which is a Long Term release with support going all the way up till 2025. It ships with polished icons, enhanced monitor support with fractional scaling, additional theme variants, ZFS file support, and more emphasis on Snaps.

Over time, Ubuntu has evolved and now includes Enterprise support for cloud technologies such as Openstack, Kubernetes Clusters and even extended to support IoT devices

Older versions of Ubuntu ran quite smoothly on older PC, but Ubuntu 18.04 and later requires a PC with the following requirements to run smoothly:

Ubuntu Requirements

• 2 GHz dual-core processor
• 4 GB RAM
• 25 GB of hard disk space

4. Elementary OS

Elementary OS has been around for close to 9 years now with its maiden release in March 2011. It comes with a stunning and crisp Pantheon desktop environment, and at first glance, you may be forgiven to think that you are looking at another macOS release given the design cues inspired by mac such as the distinctive centered dock at the bottom of the screen.

Elementary OS Desktop

Honestly speaking the Pantheon desktop is one of the most aesthetically appealing desktop environments and offers an easy to navigate to your applications and files.

By default, Elementary OS is quite minimalistic and takes pride in its App Center where you can install your favorite applications such as Spotify. LibreOffice doesn’t come pre-installed as you would expect but worry not as it’s just a simple click away in the AppCenter.

Elementary OS packs with a wealth of Open Source applications such as email clients, web browsers, photo viewers, music players. Calendars and so on. These include GIMP image editor, Midori web browser, Photo viewer, Geary, etc.

Elementary OS is also based on Ubuntu and is stable and fast even on old and low spec PCs. The latest release is Elementary 5.1 Hera that packs major improvements such as a new-look login screen, improved system settings, and new desktop tweaks.

5. CentOS

CentOS is an open-source community-driven operating system that is based on RHEL (Red Hat Enterprise Linux). It offers beginners a gateway to try out an RPM-based Linux distribution at absolutely no cost, unlike Red Hat which is subscription-based.

CentOS Desktop

Unlike the earlier-mentioned distributions, CentOS is more geared towards stability and performance than the visual appeal and customizations. In fact, due to its stability, it comes recommended for server environments and for beginners seeking to venture into System Administration and development.

CentOS 8 is the latest release and ships with GNOME as the default desktop environment. Software packages are provided for through 2 main repositories: AppStream and BaseOS.

Though very commendable on stability and performance, CentOS 8 doesn’t have much to offer in the way of desktop customization. If you are looking for an exciting desktop experience, you are better off with the first 4 distributions.

And this wraps up our round-up of the 5 Best Linux distributions for beginners.

[Dalberg-Acton]

“Only complaint is the startup chime, which to me is like nails on chalkboard.”

Menu >> Preferences >> Sound >>
Choose the “Sounds” tab and turn off “Starting Cinnamon”.
Or run the volume slider to 0% and that will silence all event sounds.
You can also choose another sound file at this window.

[sjm_888]

Linux bookmark

[SuperLuminal]

Nice summary article...

Wonder how much RAM would be required to run a VM for one of these... Trying out the Linux experience is one of the items on my "before-ground-temperature" bucket-list...

[Pollard]

We run a lot of laptops here and all have Linux on them AND windows. My son and daughter run windows mostly. My wife was on windows but went back to the Linux side and I mostly run linux unless I want to use TurboCAD or my auto repair programs.

I just swapped from Linux Mint KDE which has the Plasma desktop to Kubuntu which also has the Plasma desktop.

Gnome Ubuntu is installed on my daughter's and wife's touch screen laptops and also on a rugged tablet I have because the Gnome desktop is about the best Ubuntu compatible one for touch capabilities.

Since then, Ubuntu has started using Gnome as their standard desktop and the people that make Gnome, no longer make their own version of Ubuntu. That means eventually I'll have to swap three systems over but it's a very easy thing to do without losing anything. All documents AND settings are kept in your Home folder. Back that up, reinstall another Ubuntu and all your programs and restore the backup.

I have one other laptop with Xubuntu which is Ubuntu with the XFCE desktop, which is a lightweight desktop.

I like the Plasma desktop because it's very customizable and has bells and whistles.

The clock and system stats are called Plasmoids and I used to have a To Do List plasmoid up top but I use a program for that now. Evolution, email/calendar/tasks/notes.

Left hand side is favorite programs. Bottom, L to R is Apps, Power button, 6 virtual desktops, running programs, task bar/indicators and date/time. With the virtual desktops, I can have a program or two open in each one and hit Ctrl+Alt+Left or Right arrow keys to cycle through them and it looks like a cube rotating when I do so. The penguin's name is Tux and he's the Linux mascot.

Startup time is just as fast as windows and shut down time is less than 5 seconds. Installing updates can be done while working/surfing and there's hardly ever a restart required and it also does not affect that <5 second shut down time. My wife got back on windows yesterday after not having been on it for a while and it took a good 20 minutes to shut down. She was actually doing a restart to go back to Linux which made it pretty aggravating.

This whole thing about Linux plus a desktop is confusing to newbies. The base of Linux and later Debian, Ubuntu, Cent OS etc does not have a GUI aka Graphic User Interface aka Desktop. Linux/Ubuntu/CentOS run the internet for the most part and those Server versions have no GUI. You use them like the old MS DOS, typing commands in. Eventually, they added a GUI to Linux but decided to add it as a layer on top of the non-GUI version. That allows multiple GUI/Desktop versions to run on Linux. I'm running Kubuntu which comes with the Plasma desktop but I could simply install the Gnome desktop or XFCE or quite a few others and choose one when I log in to Ubuntu. Plasma does tend to get buggy on occasion so I've been meaning to install Gnome for those times.

[Pollard]

The other reason I like Plasma is the full screen menu aka Application Dashboard. Hit the Super key aka Windows button and it pops up.

[MarkL]

Am I dating myself when I say that my first version of Linux was Yggdrasil from about mid-1993? Later on a few years later, I wound up moving over to Caldera Linux, I think about 1996 or 1997.

Right now I need to pick up a drive to back up my Linux system running this box, so I can upgrade it to the next version of Linux Mint.

At work I'm constantly working in a Windows environment, but also have some VMs around running Ubuntu server for utilities.

Mark

[MarkL]

how do you go about authenticating the download?

Most systems will have a downloadable file or web page that has a long code number, usually MD5, Sha1 or Sha2 hash. The md5 is less secure, since it's only 128 bits, but if you're sure of your downloads and have something REALLY big, it may be a better way to go.

There are a ton of different decoders you can get for Windows, including a built-in Windows 10 version that's part of explorer. For Linux, there's md5sum or if you want better security, try the sha256sum.

Mark

[ShadowAce]

...I'll have to swap three systems over but it's a very easy thing to do without losing anything. All documents AND settings are kept in your Home folder. Back that up, reinstall another Ubuntu and all your programs and restore the backup.

It can be even easier than that--put /home on its own partition, and don't touch it when installing another OS--just point to it for the /home mount. You won't even have to restore.

[Bob434]

thanks Mark- there’s an app in linux i think that scans the sha or md5 file- I’ll just have to look up what it is again lol- i always forget-

[Bob434]

if I’m running linux mint cinnamon right now- can i move my /home folder to it’s own partition and isntall the ubunto cinnamon version and have it work?

[ShadowAce]

I believe so (I'm not familiar with the Mint installer).

1. Back up everything in /home/
2. Create a new partition and mount it somewhere under /mnt
3. cp -R everything in your /home/<user>/* to /mnt/<user>/. (be sure to include the .* files also)
4. During the installation, specify your new partition as /home.

That should do it. From now on, you should just be able to mount that partition under /home whenever re-installing.

[Bob434]

thanks, I’ll have to research what cp -R means, but i can do that myself- looks like it won’t be too hard-

[MarkL]

Yes, in linux, from the command line, the commands are md5sum (for md5) and sha256sum (for sha256.) There are some others are well, but those are often the two most common.

I’m sure there are some in the GUI versions as well, but I’ve never used them.

Thanks,

Mark

[Bob434]

Thanks, I just noticed last night, in mint at least, i can right click on the .iso file, and htere’s an option to check either the md5 or sha256- can’t remember which one now- easy peasy- used to have to CD into directory where .iso file was, then point to hte .iso when checking with terminal if i recall correctly?

[Bob434]

quick quesiton- using thunderbird, when i get a .mov, or any video file in email, and i open the video- the video player opens really small- I can drag and make it larger, but wouldl ike to open it larger everytime, but for soem reason the thunderbird won’t remember the size-

Any thoughts? I’ve tried two different ones in ubuntu cinnamon- MPV and Celluloid, and VLC which won’t even play .mov files- wish is would, because that program will remember size of video i believe-

[ShadowAce]

If you convert the .mov file to .mp4, vlc will play it without issue.

Other than that, the issue lies within the video player you are using.

[Bob434]

that sounds right, because when i try using VLC, and resize it, it stays the same size when i close then open it again but the only problem is VLC won’t play .MOV files unfortunately- i need something for some elderly folks so they can see the videos their family sends them, in a large enough window to see it well, and which is almost always .MOV

[Openurmind]

Yes, two ways. I would suggest Mint Cinnamon *18.3* for that slightly older machine. The Mint installer will ask you if you want to “Install alongside” your windows as “dual boot” so that you have both the windows and the Mint. After installing the Mint will be the primary OS but give you a menu option at start up to boot into either, or if you just let it go it will boot into Mint by it’s self.

Cool thing is even when you are booted up in Mint you can access the windows files to copy & paste, or drag and drop them from the windows folders over into the corresponding Mint folders... videos, pictures, documents, downloads, Etc. And after you decide you want to finally rid yourself of the windows for good that partition can be removed.

But grabbing your files off onto a stick or external drive and just doing a full format and reinstall is best if you want a Mint only machine.

* Version 18.3 is important, Linux operating systems really do not expire or even need to be updated, I haven’t updated mine in over three years now. The apps maybe, but not the OS it’s self. And after trying the newer versions myself the 18.3 has been the best for slightly older machines, the older Kernel has better drivers. Newer is not always better in the linux world. The newest version will run the oldest software, and the oldest version will run the newest software. The linux world does not have the version specific requirements and dependencies that windows and windows apps lock you into with their proprietary control. Even with an older version, linux checks for any extra needed dependencies an app might need and goes and grabs those at the same time during the download and install for that app. Older/newer version does not matter because it will create the newer environment that app might need for you no matter what version you are running.

[Openurmind]

To share the Mint installer question. Mint will automatically stack a new install over any existing OS installs if you choose “along side”. And you can stack as many as you like one over the other with the auto-installer. The latest install becomes the primary boot system for auto boot if you don’t choose a previous install from the boot menu list.

My curiosity would be if that ability is built into Ubuntu also? So that it will automatically install over a previously installed Mint as “along side/dual boot”? So that manual partitioning and etc are not needed like the Mint installer does?

[kalee]

ping