12 of the Best Linux Distros in 2022

maketecheasier ^ | 10 August 2022 | Ramces Red

[Mr. K]

I’m sorry... Since WHEN does a computer purchase at Best Buy come with a question of which version of windows you will want to have installed on it? Talk about setting up a strawman.

Gramma is never confused by such choices, in windows.

Unlike Linux, where you would have to explain what the latest ‘distro’ is, and the benefits of one ‘distro’ over another, and how you can change it if you want, because NO ONE (except Linux Geeks like you) EVER DOES THAT.

You can always be counted on to tell the group about the latest ‘distro’s that come out and how wonderful this new one is, and fail (over and over) to see my actual point.

My point (and only point) is that Linux got beaten by Windows because of such technical choices, choices that MOST consumers don’t care about. And that is why Microsoft is a gazillionaire company, not anything Linux.

And you always prove my point by missing that, every time.

I also make it a point to try (and TRY) to tell you that I WORK IN BOTH SYSTEMS, for over 30 years, doing low level embedded Linux, and that I know Linux is superior for many reasons- EXCEPT COMMERICAL VIABILITY.

So, what point are you trying to make? Am I wrong about that? Or that I am ignorant because I don’t worship Linux?

[Pollard]

I don't know how you post these threads knowing the same group of people are going to jump on it every time and claim how the average user could never use Linux. It would drive me crazy.

Some peripherals like printers can be an issue but that's when you shop for something compatible just like Mac users had to do for a long time and still have to watch out for. Doesn't help that the manufacturers come out with new models every few years that don't actually do anything new but need new drivers.

I've been using various flavors of Ubuntu for 15 years and do more than most users.

Did this with GIMP which people say is unusable. (family pic for a genealogy website I made)

Look what people are creating with Krita, a KDE program, https://krita-artists.org/c/artwork/5/l/top

Professional French cartoonist that uses all open source - https://www.davidrevoy.com/index.php?tag/linux

[ShadowAce]

Gramma is never confused by such choices, in windows systems with pre-installed operating systems.

Fixed it, since Linux does come pre-installed from several vendors.

(I’ve tried it- the answer was “Huhhhhh...?”)

And here you are, moving the goalposts again. Which is it--preinstalled at Best Buy, or you asking which version she wants?

Unlike Linux, where you would have to explain what...

Again, the question is Why would you do that? You already said she's your Gramma. You make that choice, and you install it, and you show her which icons does her email and which one surfs the interwebs.

My point (and only point) is that Linux got beaten by Windows because of such technical choices, choices that MOST consumers don’t care about.

Actually, that is incorrect. Windows won the desktop because they threatened PC makers with higher prices if they did not pre-install Windows on their PCs. Nothing technical about it--it was all business.

And you always prove my point by missing that, every time.

I don't miss it. I just don't agree with it.

I also make it a point to try (and TRY) to tell you that I WORK IN BOTH SYSTEMS, for over 30 years, doing low level embedded Linux, and that I know Linux is superior for many reasons- EXCEPT COMMERICAL VIABILITY.

Yes, I know. Which is why I don't understand why you would have some sterotypical "gramma" make choices that are clearly above her head--no matter what the OS is.

[ShadowAce]

I don't know how you post these threads knowing the same group of people are going to jump on it every time and claim how the average user could never use Linux. It would drive me crazy.

I'm a patient man.

Also, I would like to see real conservatives put their money where their mouth is, and leave the leftist, communist organization that is Microsoft. Yes, I do understand that some Linux developers/distros are not much better, but I am not giving them any financial support.

[Yossarian]

Rocky Linux

Thanks!

[dayglored]

Wait, a dozen "Best Distros" without a single mention of RedHat, CentOS, or Fedora. And the only mention of Ubuntu was in connection with Mint.

Seems like it's just muddying the already murky waters to not put some context on "Best".

"Best except for the actual best"?

(Dons flameproof suit...)

[ShadowAce]

LOL!

Well, to be fair, it's a list of "Best" in regards to various categories, and "Server" is not there.

[Openurmind]

The newest version is even better, but here is 19.x

https://youtu.be/kUC9RbrS0q0

[Pollard]

I’ve always stayed with Ubuntu derived distributions, Lububtu, Xubuntu, Ubuntu Studio, Kubuntu, Mint etc. Never ran straight Ubuntu because I’ve never like the desktops they chose, Unity and now Gnome. I like to customize so Kubuntu is great for me. I like my desktop widgets/applets. Weather forecast, dial clock with seconds hand, to do list, CPU temperatures and loads.

Type your ubuntu question into a search engine and you WILL get an answer.

I’ve always run off-lease Thinkpads I pick up on ebay and Linux always seems to just work. I think it helps that some Thinkpads have come with Linux pre-installed, especially on business models which is what the off-lease units tend to be. T, X, W & P series

Being off-lease units, I’m always running a 6-7 year old machine to start with and I usually upgrade every 4-6 years. My last upgrade was partly to get a decent screen size, 15.6 inch and upgrade to 1920x1080 pixels. I was running an X60 with 12 inch screen. Next will be P series with 17 inch screen.

Once you’re past the installation, I don’t see how people have problems. You click an icon to open a menu which has programs categorized by subject. Open one and use it. Search the docs or the web to learn how to use it. Networking sucks. I’ve never figured out Samba but I have plenty of USB sticks here if I want to share a file.

With KDE connect, I can click a few buttons on the cell phone and transfer today’s phone camera pics to the PC which also has KDE connect. I can reply to a text/sms message using the PC with a full keyboard instead of tapping on the little phone keyboard. Can be dangerous because it’s easy to text someone a 200 word reply.

Spectacle screenshot tool is da bomb. Take a screenshot, click Share, click imgur and it uploads to imgur and copies the image url to your clipboard. I use it here on FR a LOT. I have my clipboard set to save the last 20 entries. Can Windows even do that?

Thunar file manager with Ark(archive manager) integration is a favorite because you get the right click, ‘Extract Here’ or ‘Extract To’ dialog. IIRC that’s how Windows works but in this case, you’re not limited to only zip archives.

I have a nextcloud installation on my web hosting and there are two different note taking programs that will sync to nextcloud. Joplin and QownNotes but Joplin isn’t readable within nextcloud so it’s strictly for backup purposes. QOwnNotes is readable because both use markdown so that’s what I’m using.

Everything else is pretty basic. VLC media player, any browser I want, PIA VPN, qBitTorrent, Thunderbird/Evolution, InkScape vector graphics, GIMP, Spotify, LibreOffice, QuiteRSS and all the standard utilities like text editor, calculator etc.

[Openurmind]

Pollard said:

“I don’t know how you post these threads knowing the same group of people are going to jump on it every time and claim how the average user could never use Linux. It would drive me crazy.”

You replied:

“Yes, I do understand that some Linux developers/distros are not much better, but I am not giving them any financial support.”

Same sentiments here... And I just cannot morally or financially support the Bill Gates agenda period.

I don’t care how many trials and tribulations it bestows on me to use another OS. I would quit using computers before I would ever gave him another dime.

Some things are much much more important than personal comfort and convenience. I can’t even understand how so called moral people can do it and still sleep at night.

[taxcontrol]

I replaced my home computer with Linux Mint many years ago and have never regretted it.

[Pollard]

https://www.reddit.com/r/linux/comments/3ip24d/linux_on_a_hp_mini_210_netbook/

7 year old conversation which means he/she is speaking of 7 year old versions of Linux/Ubuntu. I’ve got an Acer Aspire with lamer specs that will run Kubuntu 18 but it’s no speed demon. Lubuntu/Xubuntu are supposed to be lighter and Peppermint OS is another light one. There are lighter ones still but they’re odd imho. Damn Small Linux, Puppy Linux. MX Linux was pretty cool. You almost have to try more than one, not only to see which one performs best on a particular machine but to see which one you like best. There aren’t huge differences. A computer is a computer. You click to open a menu with programs and click a program to open it.

Many if not most versions of Linux can be put on a USB stick and run like a live operating system. That makes it easy to check out their looks and see if everything works. Won’t work as fast running from a USB stick of course.

[ansel12]

Thanks guys, this is a laptop that I don’t use because it is so weak and old, but I will try one of these to play around with it.

[DUMBGRUNT]

—”Now why would you do something like that?”

The SSD on my wife’s laptop started spitting errors about a month out of warranty and the Win backups were on the same SSD...

I replaced the SSD and installed Ubuntu, a faster and easier install.
Our daughter, a network tech, stopped by and said, ‘MOM WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO RUN LINUX!’...

My wife looked it over and ask for a few minor changes, location of the clock...

SANE the scanner driver was driving me insane, but I was used to it because the WINDOWS driver for her Epson scanner was also a problem after one lengthy MS update.

Yes, a few formatting issues going from WORD to Libre Office...Better with each update...

And finding a solitaire game to her liking, she settled on Pasjans.

I have installed it on over a dozen friends and neighbors’ computers...

No matter how they or their grandkids screwed up the OS, I can usually replace it in the time it takes to have a nice cup of coffee.
Windows problems for me are like jumping down the rabbit hole with Alice. No, I will not give them the name of my firstborn son... or my email password!

[Pollard]

Technically Gates left MS but MS is a "partner" in many of the same dystopian projects that the B & M Gates Foundation is. Definitely both into the whole Digital ID thing and weird patents related to controlling every aspect of humans' lives.

https://patents.google.com/patent/WO2020060606A1/en

Human body activity associated with a task provided to a user may be used in a mining process of a cryptocurrency system. A server may provide a task to a device of a user which is communicatively coupled to the server. A sensor communicatively coupled to or comprised in the device of the user may sense body activity of the user. Body activity data may be generated based on the sensed body activity of the user. The cryptocurrency system communicatively coupled to the device of the user may verify if the body activity data satisfies one or more conditions set by the cryptocurrency system, and award cryptocurrency to the user whose body activity data is verified.

Earning cryptocurrency using body movements. Microsoft Systems. Work harder, earn more, slave. Keep moving, slave.

Patent number has 060606 because that's not creepy at all.

https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/11/a4/fe/095b0d0459d9c4/WO2020060606A1.pdf

If anyone's curious as to why Windows takes so long to update, it's probably because all your personal data is being uploaded to MS.

[Openurmind]

Yep... And I think the MS “phone home is even worse than updates. Dayglored and I have talked about it in the past. It gives them a data dump everytime you shut it down.

That is why it takes so long to shut down, and why MS does not like a physical forced power down. “Windows was not shut down properly”.

Yeah, because you robbed it of it’s call home with the usage data dump before shut down and it has to catch up with that before it will boot.

[Mr. K]

I give up...

Yes, Linux is great and everyone should use it.

[ShadowAce]

And finding a solitaire game to her liking, she settled on Pasjans.

Try PySOLFC as well. I really like it. I have not heard of Pasjans. I'll look it up.

[Mr. K]

OMG now you REALLY made my point!!! (even better than Ace)

Look, guys I’m not putting down Linux. I just don’t like to see zealotry in any form.

It’s like liberals who hold onto their beliefs no matter how often they are proven wrong.

[ShadowAce]

I just don’t like to see zealotry in any form.

The irony is thick with this one.