Which linux desktop distribution would you recommend? \ stacker news ~tech

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Which linux desktop distribution would you recommend?

3055 sats \ 33 comments \ @duvel 15 Jun 2023 tech

I'm going to make the switch to a Linux desktop from MacOS. I've used Ubuntu, Linux Mint and ElementaryOS in the past.

There are so many Linux distributions. Which one would you recommend that is stable, secure and user friendly?

342 sats \ 2 replies \ @Hypnagog 15 Jun 2023

Pure debian, its like vanilla. Learn to add what you want to it. Also most guides online are for Ubuntu (which is debian based so you can benefit from them).

163 sats \ 0 replies \ @quark 15 Jun 2023

MX Linux is also Debian based and works very well.

63 sats \ 0 replies \ @andrews 15 Jun 2023

I agree. I also find it is rock solid.

181 sats \ 1 reply \ @sudonaka 15 Jun 2023

Fedora. It’s a good compromise between arch(cutting edge) and Debian(max reliability)

The new Gnome is beautiful but you can get “spins” for KDE / xfce /etc

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @DeltaClimbs 18 Jun 2023

The creator is also a bitcoiner

224 sats \ 2 replies \ @ek 15 Jun 2023

I like the Arch User Repository so any Arch-based distro.

I used Manjaro with i3 as my daily driver for multiple years but recently made the switch to vanilla Arch to understand my system better since I have to configure everything.

Manjaro is as user-friendly as Linux Mint I would say so I think that fits the description "stable, secure and user friendly".

Also, Arch-based distros are rolling releases so you are always on the bleeding edge. Which can be good and bad.

111 sats \ 1 reply \ @0xIlmari 15 Jun 2023

I second Manjaro. It's been my daily driver for many years, can concur there are occasional screwups but generally good hardware support and nice, frequent updates.

The reason why you switched to pure Arch is exactly why I haven't - I don't have time to spend on OS maintenance and need once that works out of the box and I like most of the defaults chosen by developers.

For me, Manjaro with Xfce is that, but for OP (and anyone else) it might require some distro hopping to discover.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @john_doe 17 Jun 2023

Same here, long time Arch then Manjaro user. The only time I run into trouble with Arch was during the switch from the single config file to systemd. Besides that, works perfect. Now Manjaro only with KDE since 2018 I believe. Highly recommended, with yay for Aur. Maybe the advantage of Debian could be the choice sometimes to get old packages version. Recently for example I ran into trouble with Python 11 updated from version 10, but if you are OK with the latest and greatest I recommend Manjaro. PureOS looks interesting also.

192 sats \ 0 replies \ @Rsync25 15 Jun 2023

Endless OS is good!

278 sats \ 1 reply \ @fixthemoneyfixtheworld 15 Jun 2023

stable, secure and user friendly

Pure Ubuntu was cool but is having a few technical and ethical issues these days.

PopOS (Ubuntu derivative) and Mint are probably the most user-friendly.

Fedora is a good balance between user-friendliness and cutting edge softwares out of the box. Linus Torvald himself is using this distro.

Debian is probably the most stable and universal distro out there. The app version in the repo are usually not the latest if you're using the default stable branch. However, you can use Flatpak to easily get the latest version of your apps if needed.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @xz 15 Jun 2023

Pure Ubuntu was cool but is having a few technical and ethical issues these days.

What are the ethical issues? Are there any linux OS that would make you question ethics in a similar way to software conglomerates of the day?

172 sats \ 0 replies \ @beorange 15 Jun 2023

Depends on your preferences, technical knowledge and security requirements.

Nowadays I can't recommend Ubuntu (and derivatives) because the experience with "snap" is awful. Perhaps Debian or OpenSuse can be good solutions.

106 sats \ 0 replies \ @xmr_btc_furry 15 Jun 2023

Pop OS has been great for me

127 sats \ 0 replies \ @siggy47 15 Jun 2023

I really like NixOS

44 sats \ 1 reply \ @drfred 15 Jun 2023

i have tried almost all over time.

there are three major groups of linux distros depending on how they compile sw:

the .deb based on debian which is foss. the ubuntu company uses it
the .rpm based on red hat which is a corporation. suse, opensuse use it. fedora is their beta code version
and arch which is a community linux

there is also freebsd which is basically UNIX, the FOSS version which apple took and build their proprietary osx with, changing the code a little bit.

some worth mentioning: fedora has crashed on most of my computers. it is quick, cool and always features the most advanced code..

debian is good if you achieve to install it. it comes without wifi and without most drivers because it is foss. also key management can be a pain in the ... for non-technical people. there are reports that even umbrel does not install on debian.

ubuntu was my first os decades ago because they promoted it with a free cd for windows users. after i found out about their alleged spying on users i switched to mint.

mint is a distro with comes closest to windows 7. today it is a little outdated in my opinion.

i can recommend kde neon. it is the most adjustible linux. you can change almost anything and it works with all software of deb/ubuntu

another one highly recommended is arch. you need time and patience. it is only rcommended for advanced computer users or even programmers. it is like building your own wallet from scratch. you install every single component of code yourself, install any desktop you want, switch from one desktop to another and you benefit by learning everything about linux. how it works and how you can improve it. it cannot get better than that and not safer..

if you do not want to build unix from scratch, you can use arch on manjaro. it is very easy to use and well documented by a large community. it is my favorite linux at the moment.

summary: if you want to learn and experience use arch. if not, i recommend manjaro kde

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @l0k18 16 Jun 2023

100% arch linux is the best for programmers. Ubuntu is ok but Manjaro is the best. Ubuntu is always stinging me with bad kernel upgrades and MHWD never fails, never a blank screen and scrambling for a live usb to fix it if I happened to not have a backup kernel somehow.

I have recently discovered it is also really good for virtual machines with GPU passthrough. So, I'm on duty today but tonight I'm getting windows running. Best part is now I work mainly in a virtual environment, it's faster to get back up and running and half my system isn't affected. I just wish projecting a virtual display onto the ring0 system wasn't so complicated.

3 sats \ 0 replies \ @kepford 15 Jun 2023

A lot of good recommendations here but I say Fedora.

10 sats \ 0 replies \ @scottathan 16 Jun 2023

If you are getting started and on desktop, I would highly recommend Linux Mint. It's super stable and easy to set up. I've also had some fun with OpenSUSE.

Thing to be aware of:

It doesn't matter that much what distro you use, more, it matters what desktop environment you have. You can install almost anything on any of the distros these days, so it matters more that you have a UI that makes sense for you. This video explains it quite well.

3 sats \ 1 reply \ @bataroot 15 Jun 2023

NixOS and never look back.

10 sats \ 0 replies \ @bataroot 15 Jun 2023

Packed presentation by Matthew Croughan

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @ceife 1 Aug 2023

Based on your criteria, I would recommend trying out Ubuntu. It's known for its stability, security, and user-friendliness. Since you've used it in the past, it should be a familiar choice for you as well. Ubuntu has a large user base, active community support, and regular updates, making it a reliable option for a Linux desktop.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @Bitman 18 Jun 2023

Maybe take a look at https://distrowatch.com/ It's a great site to help find your perfect linux flavor.

You can set it to find OSes that go with your own use case, what equipment you're using, what apps they have installed as default if you don't want vanilla.

Lots of links to reviews from different views too (as well as their own).

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @broadmode 18 Jun 2023

Vanilla OS
ZorinOS

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @03365d6a53 18 Jun 2023

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned Qubes. You can run both Fedora and Debian on it, out of the box.

It's "reasonably secure", which is otherwise translated as "very very secure" compared to the typical approach where everything is installed and executed on a single machine using a single (sudo enabled) user.

YMMV but for me it's great to have work stuff in one qube (using work VPN), personal stuff in another (using personal VPN), a dedicated qube for my password manager, ability to quickly throw up disposible VMs for trying stuff out, etc etc

I never have to worry about 'some app I installed ages ago' and if I did, I'd just recreate that particular qube (no machine downtime)

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @devver 17 Jun 2023

Gentoo linux is great for beginners

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @pueblerino 16 Jun 2023

pop! semms to run pretty fine for those kind of 'indie, and blue collar professional's out there

0 sats \ 1 reply \ @duvel OP 15 Jun 2023

Thanks for all the suggestions.

Fedora, Manjaro and Debian are interesting options that I'm going to take a deeper look at.

I've never heard about NixOS. Just saw a few examples and it blew me away. Only not sure how to see this in the context of a desktop. It's great for trying out things, for development. Definitely going to take a look at what's possible with this.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @emmanuelrosa 16 Jun 2023

NixOS is incredible, but it has a steep learning curve you gotta be prepared for. I've been using it for about 5-6 years and I believe it's worth the price of admission.

I rarely have the need to rollback to a prior build , but the functionality is there when I need it. I use the master branch for maximum bleesing-egdeness, but it's possible to use the stable branch for the base system and use the unstable branch for specific packages.

As for system backups, all you need to keep is your data and NixOS configuration. The configuration makes it easier to get your system back when your SSD suddenly dies or when you want to migrate to another PC.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @chaoticalHeavy 15 Jun 2023

I use Debian. That's what Google picked for their Linux on Chromebook and Ubuntu is based on Debian. No issues on any machine I installed it on. If you need to google how to do something there's a lot of info on Ubuntu that will work on Debian too.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @BTC_DCAGUY_SIIM 15 Jun 2023

Ubuntu Mate + Umbrel OS

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @JesseJames 15 Jun 2023

Ubuntu Budgie for me, I recommend it if you coming from mac OS and have "bad habits" :-) You can make it look the same (if you so prefer). It's easy on eyes and very intuitive. Plenty of software either in deb packages or snap. Haven't have major issues for 2 years now.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @BlokchainB 15 Jun 2023

Using PopOS. It’s been meh for me. Certain things work others don’t still on my Linux journey

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @bryan_hyland32 25 Jun 2023 freebie

Are you going to continue using the Mac hardware? I think that would be the first question I’d need answered. If not, I’d go for a Linux first laptop like one from System76, which comes preloaded with PopOS! In fact even if you’re keeping your Mac hardware, PopOS is what I’d recommend. It’s Ubuntu based with the snaps taken out and flatpak/flathub enabled out of the box. It’s Gnome modifications make it quite easy to use, and they’ll be dropping the first version of their new COSMIC desktop environment, that’s written in rust, sometime soon.