Introduction
The “Everyday Linux User” website is dedicated to the average, ordinary,
everyday, computer user who has a basic working knowledge of computers and who
uses their computer for common tasks such as listening to music, playing games,
watching videos, writing documents and editing photos and video clips.
Quite a common question asked at sites such as Reddit and
Yahoo answers is “Which distro should I use?” and it is usually followed up by
a brief set of requirements and the names of distributions that the user has
heard of.
Users are confused when they first come to Linux about which
distribution they should be using and I have heard people say “I was thinking
of Ubuntu or Arch” or “I was thinking about Gentoo and how hard is it to use
Linux From Scratch”.
Quite often these same users are sent off to Distrowatch to
check out the distributions listed on that site and I’m sure many of those
users then look at the rankings down the right hand side.
The truth is though that out of the top 10 only a handful
are really going to be useful for a beginner or everyday user.
This article lists the top 10 distributions according to
Distrowatch for 2013 and gives a brief outline of the purpose of those
distributions and whether they are the sort of operating systems a new user or
average computer user should be using as their first port of call.
Linux Mint
Linux Mint is clearly one of the distributions that the readers of this blog
should be checking out.
The order of the day for Linux Mint is evolution over
revolution and if you are looking for a traditional desktop oriented operating system with taskbars,
system trays and menus then Linux Mint is definitely worth a go.
Linux Mint is a “straight
out of the box” operating system and as soon as you install it you can easily
do the sort of tasks you would normally do without having to install any extra
software.
Setting up the internet is a breeze as is installing
peripherals.
There are a number of different desktop environments
available for Linux Mint including Cinnamon, MATE, XFCE and even KDE. Use the
Cinnamon or KDE desktop environments on newer hardware and MATE, XFCE
environments on older hardware.
Linux is really good at sticking to a theme and so it doesn’t
matter which desktop environment you choose the general look and feel and
behaviour of the operating system is the same.
Click here for a full review of Linux Mint
Ubuntu
Ubuntu is the distribution that most people have heard of and consequently it
is the first Linux based operating system that they try.
The fact that Ubuntu is number 2 in the rankings might
actually be down to the fact that because most people have heard of Ubuntu they
go straight to the downloads page rather than to Distrowatch. This is of course
opinion and not necessarily fact.
I believe that Ubuntu is delivering everything that
Microsoft wanted Windows 8 to achieve. The Unity desktop once you get used to
it is a slick desktop environment and it is easy to see how it could work on
desktops, laptops, tablets and phones.
Ubuntu isn’t for everyone though.
The fine line between integration and intrusion is
encroached upon by Ubuntu and if you aren’t comfortable with seeing adverts for
products within your desktop experience then you might want to move on to
another distribution or one of the other buntus such as Kubuntu, Lubuntu or
Xubuntu.
Unlike Linux Mint the emphasis is about testing the
boundaries. The desktop, although clearly not to some peoples tastes, is
forward thinking and modern.
Add to the mix the integration of Steam for gaming and you
have a really good operating system.
Debian
Debian has been around for what feels like forever and it provides the base for
hundreds of other distributions including Ubuntu and Linux Mint.
Debian contains a set of repositories with an incredibly
large number of applications available for users to install.
The versions of Debian available on their site only install
free software and there are no third party or proprietary products included by
default.
For new users, setting up Debian can be somewhat of a
challenge compared to Ubuntu or Linux Mint.
The choice of which version of Debian to run is also quite
tricky and depends on the person who will be using it. If you want the latest
stuff today then you can install the unstable branch which has all the latest
products but they may or may not work for you. At the other end of the scale
you can choose the stable branch which has older versions of software that are
pretty much guaranteed to work.
Debian is like Linux Lego. It is great for people who want
to start from a base installation and build something from the ground up. It
may not be suitable for people who have limited computer skills and it requires
more of a learning curve than Linux Mint or Ubuntu.
Mageia
10 years ago the Linux landscape looked a lot different to how it looks today.
Ubuntu was still in development.
At that time there were other Linux operating systems
leading the way including Mandrake (Mandriva), openSUSE and PCLinuxOS. Mageia
was originally a fork of the Mandriva codebase and it is a community driven
distribution targeting the same sort of users as Ubuntu and Mint.
Mageia in theory is another operating system that new users
to Linux should try out.
Mageia is released for all the major desktop environments
including Gnome, KDE, XFCE and LXDE.
My advice is to definitely give it a try because there are
people out there who swear by this operating system and think it is the best
there is. What I would say though is that if you don’t like it, don’t dismiss
Linux based on your experience with Mageia.
Click here for a full review of Mageia
Fedora
At the beginning of the article I mentioned that people often mention
distributions that they have heard of whilst asking for advice on which one to
use. Fedora’s name quite often comes up.
Fedora is cutting edge. There is less reliance on stability
and more reliance on trying out new things. If you want the latest stuff now
then Fedora is definitely the way to go.
For new users though the installer itself is a bit of a
tricky customer and you may find the odd issue as you go along.
You should also be aware that Fedora, along with Debian,
only ships with free software and you have to jump through a couple of extra
hoops to install proprietary software and drivers.
openSUSE
openSUSE is a community distribution with big backing.
As with Mageia and Mint there are a number of desktop
environments to choose from including Gnome, KDE, XFCE and LXDE.
openSUSE should definitely be tried by new users and users
looking for an alternative to Mint, Mageia and Ubuntu.
The operating system is stable and it is relatively easy to
set up and use.
PCLinuxOS
A definite must try for new users to Linux. It always surprises me that
PCLinuxOS languishes lower down in the top 10 rather than sitting up in 2nd
or 3rd.
For new and inexperienced users, PCLinuxOS provides the
closest experience to what they are probably used to than any of the
aforementioned distributions (with the possible exception of Linux Mint).
There is great support and a great monthly magazine and the
community is very friendly and supportive.
PCLinuxOS has the KDE, MATE and LXDE desktop environments
available and therefore it caters to modern and older computers.
Manjaro
The rise of Manjaro has been nothing short of amazing. Based on Arch Linux,
Manjaro provides an instant entry point into the world of Arch Linux.
The setup of Manjaro is fairly straight forward and it
performances very well on older and modern hardware.
The learning curve for Manjaro is potentially a little bit
steeper than the likes of Mint, Ubuntu and PCLinuxOS.
Arch
It scares me the number of people who have never tried Linux before that ask
the question “Should I try Ubuntu or Arch first?”
If you are new to Linux and your computer skills are limited
then Arch is definitely not your first port of call.
Even if you are an experienced Linux user, Arch may not be
your next port of call.
There is no doubt that Arch will provide you a great base to
build and tailor your operating system the way you want it to be but to get
there you have to want to invest time and you have to be willing to learn on
your feet (sounds like a job specification, must be a self-starter).
If you can read and follow instructions and think about what
you are doing as you are doing it then there is definitely merit in trying Arch
out. Ultimately if you succeed then you will feel great satisfaction knowing
that you have a stable, secure, reliable and highly responsive operating
system.
The documentation for Arch is excellent. The support from
the forums can be a little bit hit and miss depending on whether the questions
you ask show that you have put in the effort to try and solve your issues
first. For instance saying that you can’t do basic things without having
followed the beginners guide will be answered in the standard way. Read the
manual.
Puppy
Puppy is designed to run from a USB pen drive or from DVD. It is not designed
to be installed to the hard drive although it can be.
The approach taken by Puppy is about minimalism where
functionality trumps pretty graphics.
All the usual favourites can be installed including FireFox
and VLC but there are a host of lightweight alternatives installed by default.
Puppy isn’t really an operating system therefore that I
would advise inexperienced users to use as their main operating system but I
can’t stress enough that you should give it a go by running it from a USB
drive.
Summary
Hopefully this guide has shed some light on the operating
systems currently occupying the top slots at Distrowatch.
You should now be able to choose from the distributions that
are most relevant to your situation.
For the everyday Linux user I recommend one of Linux Mint,
Ubuntu, Mageia, openSUSE and PCLinuxOS with the addition of Puppy on a pen
drive.
Thankyou for reading.