Top 10 Linux Distros for Beginners in 2022 [Compared]

DebugPoint ^ | 14 July 2022 | Arindam

[ShadowAce]

[butlerweave]

I always use the xfce desktop

[ShadowAce]

I really like xfce. I’m currently using KDE and am getting to like it as well.

[aquila48]

I use Mint and am quite happy with it.

[Bob434]

Someone posted about a version that was very much like windows- I hadn’t heard of it before, but now can’t recall the name. I checked it out, but it looked like maybe a work in progress, so,I didn’t check it further. Though i should try it on a spare hd jusy for something g to do. I. Thinking it was called something like xplinux or soemthing like that. I’ll see if I can find it somehow

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

It's interesting to see how Linux Mint has moved from about #4 over the years to be #1 on a list.

I've been using it for years. I loves my Mint!

[Paladin2]

“Cons

But these are some of the constraints

Not much of an eye-candy desktop
Legacy desktop layout (menu & icons)” [Linux Mint]

Sound like Pros to me....

[Paladin2]

Note that it is nearly trivial to add a photo as wallpaper in Mint. [Distros tend to supply a number of attractive choices, but one can round up one’s own].

[DaxtonBrown]

I’ve been all Linux for about 8 years now. Started with Redhat Fedora but have been using linux Mint the last 5 years.
Saved a lot of money. No gaping holes or needs to be filled.
Libre Office (for Word and Excel compatibility)
MariaDB (Mysql)
Netbeans for Java development.Gimp for photoshopping.
Blender for Video and 3D models for 3D printing.
Apache webserver for hosting my websites through static IP

I’m a bit of a power user. But without the Microsoft until death tax.

[HippyLoggerBiker]

Good info...Thanks Much

[Lockbox]

My thoughts are with either a new or very late model computer needed for Windows 11 upgrade and the state of the economy, Linux looks to be a great option for those needing mainly basic computer functions. I know Linux can handle many programs and features but most users need just the basic programs and internet connectivity since browsers have limited the need for may individual programs.

So I would expect Linux to gain many new users.

Also read

Get over it: Microsoft is a Linux and open source company these days

https://www.zdnet.com/article/microsoft-the-linux-company/

[Organic Panic]

I have been using Ubuntu for the shop office always on machine. It has been the easiest for me to get working with the tethering app, PDAnet, for unlimited data off my cell phone plan. I go through hundreds of gigs a month and tmobile just sends a text warning they may throttle. They never do. I don’t do much with linux except for music and podcasts and running a local backup server. All my engineering and design software requires window$.

[ShadowAce]

Get over it: Microsoft is a Linux and open source company these days

[taxcontrol]

Linux Mint babe!

[usconservative]

Some context around #4 - Ubuntu for those looking to switch from Windows.

One of the "Con's" of Ubuntu is listed as:

Requires modern hardware for better performance

The bare-bones minimum requirements for any Linux distribution should be 8Gb of memory, which is no different than Windows for the last 8+ years now. (I know, Windows says 4Gb, that's not realistic and Windows runs like a pig on three legs with only 4Gb.)

My 12+ year old AMD FX-8350 with a fairly old NVIDIA video card and a reasonable 500Gb Samsung SSD runs Linux 22.04 with Linux Kernel 5.18 very well. Enough so that I use it for my Ham Radio operations and DSP audio processing & editing.

While I haven't tried a number of the distributions on this list, I've been hard pressed to find any hardware made in the last 10-12 years that doesn't have at bare minimum a 2 core Intel or AMD CPU, 8Gb of memory that won't run Linux.

I frequently get older hardware in, clean it, refurbish it, add a cheap SSD here and there, install Linux, Brave Browser, Libre Office on it, secure it, ensure it runs reasonably well and then donate it to someone who needs it. I've done more of these than I can recall. I've yet to run across an older PC that meets the minimum requirements above, that won't run a reasonably well supported version of Linux, Ubuntu being my personal preference.

If you have older hardware 'laying around' give Linux a try. (Again, my preference is Ubuntu and it's install is as easy/simpler than Microsoft Windows. An average computer user can easily install it.)

[krogers58]

What would you recommend for a USB stick distro? (For those of us not ready to take the final leap)

[ShadowAce]

What would you recommend for a USB stick distro? (For those of us not ready to take the final leap)

Hmm. Good question. My first reaction would be to say try out Ventoy:

Ventoy is an open source tool to create bootable USB drive for ISO/WIM/IMG/VHD(x)/EFI files.
With ventoy, you don't need to format the disk over and over, you just need to copy the ISO/WIM/IMG/VHD(x)/EFI files to the USB drive and boot them directly.
You can copy many files at a time and ventoy will give you a boot menu to select them (screenshot).
You can also browse ISO/WIM/IMG/VHD(x)/EFI files in local disks and boot them.
x86 Legacy BIOS, IA32 UEFI, x86_64 UEFI, ARM64 UEFI and MIPS64EL UEFI are supported in the same way.
Most types of OS supported (Windows/WinPE/Linux/ChromeOS/Unix/VMware/Xen...)
920+ image files are tested (list),     90%+ distros in distrowatch.com supported (details)

This would give you the opportunity to try out pretty much anything you want without the cumbersome process of installing the distro onto the USB stick. Ventoy will just use the existing ISO/image that you download.

If not Ventoy, try out Linux Mint or PCLinuxOS

[Paladin2]

Some form of a load of Linux that is a persistent setup so one can put data on the USB stick and then use it in a different computer where the Linux IDs the hardware on the different machine and then loads up your regular desktop.

Here’s one set of instructions: https://www.fosslinux.com/60398/create-a-linux-mint-usb-drive-with-persistence.htm

[Bikkuri]

I loved them until they dropped KDE :/