Beginner: Assuming you have experience with Windows, my vote for best beginner Linux is the quaintly named Puppy Linux.

It is a LiveCD distro. You just stick it on a CD or thumb drive, and boot up the machine. (Assuming your PC can boot from CD and USB drives—almost all can.) It runs in RAM and leaves your current system intact. You start in a Windows-y type desktop with your drives shown as desktop icons (shortcuts), and a bunch of standard user programs installed (browser, media player, file manager, email, 'lite' office type software, etc.). Remove the thumb drive, reboot, and you're back in Windows.

Once you get some familiarity with Linux, the next step is venturing into installing Linux on your hard drive (not running from a bootable thumb/CD). Most of the well known distros (Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora) would fit this space. Most Linux users would be in this category. Protip: head to DistroWatch and search for different options (eg: 'Distribution category': 'Live Medium' to find other LiveCD (bootable) distros).

The above Linux flavours generally install from a GUI and provide a bunch of standard user programs that you can keep, remove or swap with others as you prefer.

There are more esoteric distros that allow you to choose all the software you install from scratch and generally install from the command line. While dsr is correct in saying there are no 'advanced Linuxes', there are Linuxes where it helps if you are an 'advanced user'. These include Arch Linux, Slackware and Linux from Scratch. By the time you have gotten to the stage of wanting this sort of distro, you will have enough knowledge to decide for yourself which suits you best.

posted about 3 years ago

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7mo ago by Michael‭

mcalex‭

19 reputation 0 1 1 0

Beginners should always start with a Linux that people around them are using. If they have friends using Red Hat, they should use Red Hat. If they have a local users' group with lots of Ubuntu users, they should use Ubuntu.

Local support is much more important than anything else when starting out with a new OS.

One stops being a beginner when one starts to experiment with other distributions, considering them on their own merits.

There are no "Advanced" Linux distributions, there are only general and specialized distributions.

posted over 3 years ago

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dsr‭

269 reputation 1 6 29 1

Most Linuxes are small, and I would consider them for experts by default. This is because you won't be able to just Google problems and copy the solution from some blog. You'll have to actually troubleshoot yourself, read manuals, understand the system and discover the fix yourself. Most Linux software is straightforward, but you occasionally get a real nasty piece of work (Xorg, Nvidia drivers, pulseaudio) and it tends to be something very crucial that you can't just ignore. These are enormous, complex, impenetrable so it won't be fun "understanding" them. Also, when trying to fix a thing, it's really helpful to have a good idea of what the thing looks like when it is working. Otherwise it's like trying to draw an elephant without ever having seen one, and going purely by textual descriptions.

There are some distros that explicitly market themselves as "beginner" distros. I consider this a red flag - generally, I would expect a distro's developers to be experts. So if they are specifically saying the distro is for beginners and not experts, does that mean they themselves wouldn't use it? Not a promising approach in FOSS. Prominent beginner distros are Mint, Pop OS. For a non-newbie, these cause more problems than they fix, and for a newbie, other OSes that are general-use can be just as easy.

Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, Manjaro are some major OSes that I would call "intermediate". They're completely fine for a beginner, and as an expert you can definitely use them as well. For an expert all distros are interchangeable anyway, because an expert knows what the difference is between distros and how you can do things like replace the package manager to convert one distro to another. For the expert, the benefit of distros like Ubuntu is small while the extra busywork they introduce to customizing them is more due to complexity. You can also use distros like this with just a basic understanding of Linux and problem solving - you don't have to know how to code or even touch the terminal much.

Examples of expert distros are Arch, Gentoo, Void, Guix, NixOS. These are very minimal, so you have to set up a lot of conveniences yourself, which is easy for experts. Because the base distro is simple, the expert does not have to fight the stuff that "comes with it" too much when customizing. They also all have some benefit that only really matters to someone who is an expert: Compiling everything from source, not using systemd, configuration as code, running multiple versions of programs at once. You have to be an expert to even want these things, so if you're not, you're getting the cons with no pros. Another feature is that these are practically impossible to use without knowing to program. Sure, the distro will say you don't have to, and you'll see plenty of people who say they use it and can't code. But the distos are made so that scripting and using your own utility programs is easy, and without the ability to create them yourself, it will be very difficult to use it efficiently.

posted 8 months ago

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matthewsnyder‭

1806 reputation 122 75 285 109

I think so kde neon is the best linux distro but not that popular.

posted about 3 years ago

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Vasudeo Sinha‭

-7 reputation 0 1 -4 0

Beginner

Ubuntu/Lubuntu/Xubuntu

Lubuntu, Xubuntu is Ubuntu-based. Ubuntu is Debian-Based. All these are beginner friendly. Most of Developer uses Ubuntu, Lubuntu or Xubuntu. We’re pretty sure that Ubuntu needs no introduction if you’re a regular reader of Fossbytes. But why is Ubuntu such a tempting distro for beginners while other “Easy-to-use” distros are struggling to get user’s attention? That’s because Ubuntu has been in the Linux market for a long time and has become a lot popular. This Debian-based Linux distribution also enjoys the status of the most popular open-source operating system in the world.

• Tons of free software in the Software Center
• Vast Ubuntu community
• Lots of flavors to suit your needs
• Compatible with most hardware

Linux Mint

Linux Mint is also Ubuntu based.

• Familiar user interface with Windows
• Performs great with older hardware
• Some improvements over Ubuntu

Linux Mint is very easy for Windows User. Linux Mint is arguably the best Ubuntu-based Linux distribution suitable for beginners. It is a fantastic Windows-Like Distribution. If you are new to Linux than, you can choose Linux Mint, Ubuntu, Xubuntu or Lubuntu blindly.

Intermediate

Solus

Solus offers an ideal desktop environment to developers, despite being a general-purpose Linux OS. It supports several advanced editors and integrated development versions such as Idea and GNOME Builders. It was previously known as Evolve OS. It is little bit harder. But, if you have some experience with Linux than, you can choose it. Very negligible amount of user uses Solus. So, most of time you won't get help from others. There's a question available in Solus discussion,"Why did you choose Solus".

An user said,

1. Solus is rolling yet stable
2. Budgie is gorgeous, sure it may not have the customization of plasma (which you can use on solus if you want) but it still facilitates everything I need
3. Developers actually have a clear vision for what they want and stick to it which I feel a lot of distros could learn from. If you want a desktop, use a distro made for desktop (i.e. solus) if you want a server then you should use a distro made for servers (i.e. centOS or a BSD derivative). There is no reason for one distro to try and be everything.

I actually chose Solus for beautiful UI.

Fedora

Fedora has beautiful UI also. But, it is more easier than, Solus. Fedora offers three different versions, which include Workstation, Server, and IoT. Advanced users have an option to customize the operating system as per their needs.

• Fedora CoreOS, an automatically-updating, minimal operating system for running containerized workloads securely and at scale.
• Fedora Workstation for laptop and desktop computers, with a complete set of tools for developers.
• Fedora Server for data centers.
• Fedora IoT for IoT ecosystems.
• Fedora Silverblue, an immutable desktop operating system aimed at good support for container-focused workflows

Debian

Everyone is familiar with the name. I had mentioned the name earlier also.

Before we begin, you must understand that Ubuntu is based off Debian, which itself is just another ‘flavor’ of Linux. Since Ubuntu shares much of its codebase with Debian, it is usually as fast, flexible and powerful as Debian. What Canonical – Ubuntu’s developer – basically does is add a bunch of extra features, a nicer interface (based on Unity, not GNOME – don’t worry if you don’t know what they are) and easier installation.

After trying some Linux Distros you can choose Debian. Debian helps to learn most of tools. Sometimes, you may be frustrated also. After installation of Debian you have to install Wireless Interface. Debian isn't for Beginner. Debian is one of the most stable and well-renowned operating systems offered by Linux. It forms a base for some other environments like Ubuntu, PureOS, SteamOS, Knoppix, Tails, and many more. This distribution is known for its easy and smooth upgrades, as it offers its updates within a set release cycle. Users can use a live CD to install this operating system, which includes an easy-to-use Calamares installer.

Advanced

Arch Linux

It is the worst Linux Distribution I have ever seen. It's too hard to install. You need lots of patience to understand Arch Linux. Arch is best for Programmer. But, I will never suggest to choose Arch Linux. If you want to move to Arch than, you need over than 1.5 years experience of Linux. Otherwise, you will just waste your time. You can't do anything. Arch Linux is known for its bleeding-edge technology. Users get early-bird access to beta software and other software that is pending release on other systems. If being a beta user/tester is your calling, you will love working on Arch. I couldn't use Arch. I was trying to install for two days. Although, I couldn't install. I just wasted my whole time. Youtube videos will be useless for installation of Arch (they helps very rarely). You must read installation guide very carefully.

Kali Linux

Kali isn't for everyone. Most of programmer chooses Kali Linux. After few moments, they move to another distro. Cause, Kali is for pen-testing. Some professional Linux user said,"if you want to use Kali Linux, than it's better to use it from USB rather than installing in PC." Kali is easy to install but, that doesn't mean it's easy to use. Some people says that Kali is too hard. No one will come to help you about Kali problems. Linux isn't hard but, Kali is. If you need to ask, then Kali Linux is not the right distribution for you.

In this answer, 50% context were taken from internet and other 50% is from my experience.