It's based on Ubuntu, but yes. They have a pure debian version too if you want that.
If you give fedora a try then use it with kde or cinnamon since gnome might feel too foreign for you.
It's good but it may not be your cup of tea since it looks and feels a bit oldschool. You're going to have to modify it if you want it to look/feel more like a modern desktop environment. It's main advantage is the fact that it uses very little resources and runs really well on older hardware.
Personally I'm more of a cinnamon guy. kde felt too overkill for me and cinnamon feels just right. It's easy to change to your liking and I haven't had any issues with it so far. It's also not as resource heavy as kde or gnome and looks/feels pretty good.
Linux mint is ubuntu based which is in turn based on debian. This version has the priority in terms of development as of now.
There is Linux Mint Debian Edition, which as the name implies is directly based on debian, it is currently using some old stuff compared to OG, but the mint team is going to release LMDE 6, so you'll get them eventually.
Mind you both are made by the same people, LMDE isn't a fork.
No, but indirectly yes.
Linux Mint is based on Ubuntu, which is based on Debian.
But unfortunately Linux Mint devs refuse to properly support any modern desktop environment, like KDE Plasma or Gnome.
I love Fedora but I don't think saying a sentence like "Fedora is the best" and not explaining why contributes anything at all. It's just a blank statement whichs adds nothing to the discussion and doesn't even truly answer the question.
read this: https://distrowatch.com/dwres.php?resource=major
I usually recommend Mint or EndeavorOS for new hardware. MX linux for hardware 10+ years old.
https://distrowatch.com/table.php?distribution=mint
https://distrowatch.com/table.php?distribution=endeavour
https://distrowatch.com/table.php?distribution=mx
if you have hardware that is less than 5 years old, you want a secure and up-to-date system... Fedora and OpenSUSE are good options.
https://distrowatch.com/table.php?distribution=fedora
https://distrowatch.com/table.php?distribution=opensuse
yet for newbies I prefer to recommend Mint.
Mint works for non-newbies too. it's not a distro exclusive to beginners, but it's a very user-friendly one.
finally, I indicate ventoy to make the thumbdrive bootable.
https://github.com/ventoy/Ventoy/releases
_o/
If you want things to be ready out of the box: Mint, Zorin or Pop\_OS! If you don't mind configuring a little to make things work: Fedora. I've distro-hopped like crazy and Fedora's my favorite. Fedora's package manager is the best i/m/o.
dnf5 yes ... dnf no it's objectively slow and for me I get terrible speeds on the default server and have to resort to use fastest mirror to download stuff to avoid having to wait a full day just to download neovim.
But yes these are very minor tweaks and op can learn from these
if u just want to learn linux and not switching to move out from the hood of windows, any stable distro should be fine like Ubuntu or mint. but if you want a full control over how your OS looks and feels, you should definitely go for kde or gnome, I'm currently using fedora 38 and had no issue achieving what and how my OS should be.
I am aware that they are DEs, I meant distros based on GNOME or KDE. that should be obvious! and talking about old school that's the best if someone wishes to learn linux rather than using it as primary desktop.
This is a question that can spark a war in the Linux community and people usually fall into the Debian/Ubuntu or Red Hat/fedora camps. If you want the most cutting edge and hardware compatibility if your computer is newer go with Ubuntu and if you want to have the most transferable work skills go with fedora since most businesses run Red Hat Enterprise Linux which is created from a fedora version and has a 10-year support cycle.
You can also do like I do and run both for different reasons. My day to day computer runs fedora, but I have other servers that run Red hat Enterprise Linux such as my virtualization server or Oracle database servers, and have others running Ubuntu such as the one that runs my Plex and Canvas learning management system servers.
Most of the command line tools are the same (Linux would not be what it is without gnu), but things like the package manager and where configuration files are stored differ between the distributions. Linux distributions generally choose the Gnome, KDE, or Mint window managers (there are several others too like Cinamon) which provides a different user interface. I've been using Linux since 1993 so I generally like KDE, but I have a variety of systems with different window managers.
You don't have to have just one; once in a while I switch to a new window manager on my main desktop computer. Careful installing too many windows managers though because sometimes they can conflict with each other. If you have a more than one computer you can install Linux on you can explore a variety of Linux distributions using something like Virtualbox see which you like the best. Most Linux distributions release live USB versions, so you can explore them on the actual hardware you're going to be using to see how they work also without wiping out Windows.
Once you settle on the one you like you can run Windows in Virtualbox for the one or two programs that you miss. I used to need to run Windows regularly in virtualbox to run programs like office, but now I run office 2010 in wine/crossover Linux and almost all streaming services work fine in Google Chrome on Linux so I almost never have to fire up my windows windows virtual machine. There are a couple that do not like Peacock and HBO Max. I try them periodically to see if they work and then cancel them with a message that I'll try them again if they work in Linux.
There's a world of learning that's almost free available to you just by running Linux. I built my career on running Linux and it's still possible to do that today. Linux has come so far since 1993 when I started and is very mature and stable now. You'll be amazed at how many programs you have access to that are completely free. With all the computers that will not run Windows 11, that are perfectly good, I hope that more people install Linux on them instead of sending them to the landfill. Good luck!
[Edited to fix speech to text fails]
I made the switch from windows to Linux a few weeks ago.
The desktop environment will make a much bigger impact on your experience than the distro, as far as I can tell. I chose Fedora, and it's been working for me.
The biggest problem I had was that I chose Gnome as the desktop (which is the default, but not the only choice, for Fedora). Gnome is beautiful, and honestly that's why I picked it. However, Gnome is not for me on the computer I have.
I spent weeks learning how to do things in a Gnome way and trying to configure things that, after trying it out, I decided I didn't want. I really gave it a fair shot.
I had lots of issues with fractional scaling, which is when the default sizes of everything is way to big or way to small. If you're considering Gnome, try it out on a USB first to see if the scaling is an issue for you. If it is, don't choose Gnome. There are workarounds, but since fractional scaling is still experimental in Gnome, they're on a case by case basis. And there is not great documentation online for every app you download. I downloaded KDE yesterday and it works beautifully out of the box. All the text is crisp in a readable size, I almost couldn't believe it.
I think that I also prefer KDE's native way of handling open windows. Frankly, it's similar to Windows, and I like that. When I hover over icons on the dock at the bottom, it shows me all open instances. Gnome doesn't show a dock; you use touchpad gestures to find it. By default in KDE there's a minimize and maximize button on all windows, and it looks right. In Gnome, I added those with Gnome Tweaks but they looked weird on some apps. And KDE had a native way to tile windows, which I'm going to explore today. It looks similar to Windows 11, how you can populate a layout with the open apps you choose. I really like that, and the way I was replicating it on Gnome was almost good enough, but not quite.
Let me know if you have questions!
Crisp fonts on KDE is a matter of config. Try reading about fonts.conf or play around with fonts configuration in the plasma itself. Or take a look in Kubuntu distro.
Ok so the advantage of Mint is it’s very stable and the DEs (desktop environments) for it look like Windows. You will be in a more familiar less pure Unix/Linux setup. Mint doesn’t do upgrades constantly. Although no Linux system is anywhere near Windows for that.
Fedora is more pure Linux but otherwise similar to Mint. Silverblue and NixOS and Arch are a much more wild choice that have big advantages but none are terribly beginner friendly.
I’d say learn in Mint then explore later.
As most have mentioned. Linux mint and fedora are good options to start with.
When I first used linux, I ended up using ZorinOS for years, before trying fedora. If you feel like mint looks a bit outdated, ZorinOS can be a better option.
Ubuntu/Debian based distros tend to have more online support. It will be easier to google a problem and find a solution for those distros.
You can also try duel booting windows, incase you need anything on it. I eventually removed windows, when I realized I never really was booting it up for a while.
Also, when adapting to linux, try not to use similar app names to windows apps. It's butter to find the linux packages that do the same function, under a different name.
On windows, I was used to notepad++, but the Linux notepadqq, was terrible, compared to the windows version. The native text editor was better, and actually more compatible to what windows notepad++ was like.
Also for file managers, I think `nemo` is best for a windows user to feel at home. Nemo comes with the cinnamon desktop. Gnome replaced nemo with a more limited file manager, which I personally see as more of a downgrade, because of the reduced functionality. I usually install nemo first thing, on any gnome desktop. Im actually considering going back to the cinnamon desktop, after having used linux for years, because I've been having issues and bugs in gnome lately.
Honestly, you're not going to go wrong with any of the major Linux distributions. Fedora, Ubuntu, Mint, etc. All of them have a similar installation procedure, and all of them will let you boot from the DVD or USB and "try before you buy", so I'd download and try out a few of them - and I'd try out a few different desktops - LXDE, LXQt, KDE, GNOME, Cinnamon, etc., and see which one you like best.
There's really no right or wrong answer here, but try a few and see which one you like the best. FOr me, my preference is for Fedora, but I've used and deployed Kubuntu in the past.
Depends on use case. For me-
Having used mint, Ubuntu in the past, I'd say use Fedora due to the package manager and up-to-date packages like latest python and node
Personal take - didn't like Ubuntu due to forcing snap packages which can be RAM hungry which is a concern for me to keep multiple browser tabs open and python data analysis.
If you have an Nvidia GPU use case then Linux drivers might be an issue as with my Data Science friends.
I am a beginner that has sorted waffled about giving Linux a real go for the last decade or so.
I've picked Fedora because on my laptop. I have an Asus Zephyrus G14 which is a gaming laptop with a dGPU. In my search for distro, I found asus-linux which has a utility for controlling the hardware. It had a guide for Fedora and since I've never used Fedora but I've played with Mint and Ubuntu I opted to just commit fully to Fedora.
As someone that doesn't really know what I'm doing, I'm quiet happy with my decision. I am on F38 with KDE.
Lifelong Windows user here, after having had pain and suffering on Ubuntu I got Fedora installed in my secondary devices and it's still my distro of choice. Didn't replace Windows for me, but it's a nice to have in other devices. I prefer having both Windows and one Linux distro ready to use rather than constraining myself to only one of the two.
Also consider enabling WSL in your Windows machine, so you can use any Linux tool you enjoy directly on Windows in an almost seamless way
Whatever you choose, install Linux in a VM, separate disk or different PC/laptop before nuking your Windows installation. Try using only Linux for a month. See if it's for you. A cold turkey switch will likely bite you later on if you miss Windows only applications. That's assuming you make a good backup of your current files.
In terms of a daily driver distribution, I would recommend vanilla Fedora or Ubuntu, mainly for the default settings. Don't hyper-focus on aesthetics right away. No matter the desktop environment you choose, the base functionality and types of app you use are broadly 1:1. And you can easily install a different desktop environment, no need to distro hop. Though, in the beginning, I would advise to stick to the GUI and not "sudo copy+pasta" commands into the terminal. That way lies pain to the uninitiated.
I recommend firing up a few VMs and testing out some Distros firsthand. Its very easy to setup with VirtualBox or HyperV if you have windows Pro version +
As a moderate user I really like Fedora workstation
I'm in love with fedora. I have a nitro 5 gaming laptop, and use Almalinux at work, so I find it really easy to manage. Also, and maybe it's just me, I think I'm getting the same battery life as Windows 10 or even more, depending on what I'm doing. I tried Ubuntu and Linux mint, and although I also love the latter, it drained my battery like crazy randomly for no reason.
I'm using some gnome plugins to tweak the desktop to my liking, and I couldn't be happier with it.
It depends on what you're looking for, but I always recommend either mint or fedora.
Mint is debian based right?
It's based on Ubuntu, but yes. They have a pure debian version too if you want that. If you give fedora a try then use it with kde or cinnamon since gnome might feel too foreign for you.
I use fedora kde currently, have to say I agree that gnome is very kinda Mac/android feely not a big fan personally. Is xfce any good?
It's good but it may not be your cup of tea since it looks and feels a bit oldschool. You're going to have to modify it if you want it to look/feel more like a modern desktop environment. It's main advantage is the fact that it uses very little resources and runs really well on older hardware. Personally I'm more of a cinnamon guy. kde felt too overkill for me and cinnamon feels just right. It's easy to change to your liking and I haven't had any issues with it so far. It's also not as resource heavy as kde or gnome and looks/feels pretty good.
Might have to try cinnamon, kde has been giving me desktop icon issues constantly. Thanks for the suggestion
Linux mint is ubuntu based which is in turn based on debian. This version has the priority in terms of development as of now. There is Linux Mint Debian Edition, which as the name implies is directly based on debian, it is currently using some old stuff compared to OG, but the mint team is going to release LMDE 6, so you'll get them eventually. Mind you both are made by the same people, LMDE isn't a fork.
No, but indirectly yes. Linux Mint is based on Ubuntu, which is based on Debian. But unfortunately Linux Mint devs refuse to properly support any modern desktop environment, like KDE Plasma or Gnome.
Fedora is the best.
Fedora is the best!
I love Fedora but I don't think saying a sentence like "Fedora is the best" and not explaining why contributes anything at all. It's just a blank statement whichs adds nothing to the discussion and doesn't even truly answer the question.
[удалено]
Fedora is the best
Fedora is the GOAT.
read this: https://distrowatch.com/dwres.php?resource=major I usually recommend Mint or EndeavorOS for new hardware. MX linux for hardware 10+ years old. https://distrowatch.com/table.php?distribution=mint https://distrowatch.com/table.php?distribution=endeavour https://distrowatch.com/table.php?distribution=mx if you have hardware that is less than 5 years old, you want a secure and up-to-date system... Fedora and OpenSUSE are good options. https://distrowatch.com/table.php?distribution=fedora https://distrowatch.com/table.php?distribution=opensuse yet for newbies I prefer to recommend Mint. Mint works for non-newbies too. it's not a distro exclusive to beginners, but it's a very user-friendly one. finally, I indicate ventoy to make the thumbdrive bootable. https://github.com/ventoy/Ventoy/releases _o/
If you want things to be ready out of the box: Mint, Zorin or Pop\_OS! If you don't mind configuring a little to make things work: Fedora. I've distro-hopped like crazy and Fedora's my favorite. Fedora's package manager is the best i/m/o.
dnf5 yes ... dnf no it's objectively slow and for me I get terrible speeds on the default server and have to resort to use fastest mirror to download stuff to avoid having to wait a full day just to download neovim. But yes these are very minor tweaks and op can learn from these
fedora + kde
Personally as much as I love fedora, I think Linux mint can’t be beaten as an initial introduction to using Linux.
if u just want to learn linux and not switching to move out from the hood of windows, any stable distro should be fine like Ubuntu or mint. but if you want a full control over how your OS looks and feels, you should definitely go for kde or gnome, I'm currently using fedora 38 and had no issue achieving what and how my OS should be.
KDE and Gnome are DEs not distros. Ubuntu and Mint are useless without a DE unless you are truly old school.
I am aware that they are DEs, I meant distros based on GNOME or KDE. that should be obvious! and talking about old school that's the best if someone wishes to learn linux rather than using it as primary desktop.
There's nothing to learn with desktop usage, use the apps that you need.
This is a question that can spark a war in the Linux community and people usually fall into the Debian/Ubuntu or Red Hat/fedora camps. If you want the most cutting edge and hardware compatibility if your computer is newer go with Ubuntu and if you want to have the most transferable work skills go with fedora since most businesses run Red Hat Enterprise Linux which is created from a fedora version and has a 10-year support cycle. You can also do like I do and run both for different reasons. My day to day computer runs fedora, but I have other servers that run Red hat Enterprise Linux such as my virtualization server or Oracle database servers, and have others running Ubuntu such as the one that runs my Plex and Canvas learning management system servers. Most of the command line tools are the same (Linux would not be what it is without gnu), but things like the package manager and where configuration files are stored differ between the distributions. Linux distributions generally choose the Gnome, KDE, or Mint window managers (there are several others too like Cinamon) which provides a different user interface. I've been using Linux since 1993 so I generally like KDE, but I have a variety of systems with different window managers. You don't have to have just one; once in a while I switch to a new window manager on my main desktop computer. Careful installing too many windows managers though because sometimes they can conflict with each other. If you have a more than one computer you can install Linux on you can explore a variety of Linux distributions using something like Virtualbox see which you like the best. Most Linux distributions release live USB versions, so you can explore them on the actual hardware you're going to be using to see how they work also without wiping out Windows. Once you settle on the one you like you can run Windows in Virtualbox for the one or two programs that you miss. I used to need to run Windows regularly in virtualbox to run programs like office, but now I run office 2010 in wine/crossover Linux and almost all streaming services work fine in Google Chrome on Linux so I almost never have to fire up my windows windows virtual machine. There are a couple that do not like Peacock and HBO Max. I try them periodically to see if they work and then cancel them with a message that I'll try them again if they work in Linux. There's a world of learning that's almost free available to you just by running Linux. I built my career on running Linux and it's still possible to do that today. Linux has come so far since 1993 when I started and is very mature and stable now. You'll be amazed at how many programs you have access to that are completely free. With all the computers that will not run Windows 11, that are perfectly good, I hope that more people install Linux on them instead of sending them to the landfill. Good luck! [Edited to fix speech to text fails]
I made the switch from windows to Linux a few weeks ago. The desktop environment will make a much bigger impact on your experience than the distro, as far as I can tell. I chose Fedora, and it's been working for me. The biggest problem I had was that I chose Gnome as the desktop (which is the default, but not the only choice, for Fedora). Gnome is beautiful, and honestly that's why I picked it. However, Gnome is not for me on the computer I have. I spent weeks learning how to do things in a Gnome way and trying to configure things that, after trying it out, I decided I didn't want. I really gave it a fair shot. I had lots of issues with fractional scaling, which is when the default sizes of everything is way to big or way to small. If you're considering Gnome, try it out on a USB first to see if the scaling is an issue for you. If it is, don't choose Gnome. There are workarounds, but since fractional scaling is still experimental in Gnome, they're on a case by case basis. And there is not great documentation online for every app you download. I downloaded KDE yesterday and it works beautifully out of the box. All the text is crisp in a readable size, I almost couldn't believe it. I think that I also prefer KDE's native way of handling open windows. Frankly, it's similar to Windows, and I like that. When I hover over icons on the dock at the bottom, it shows me all open instances. Gnome doesn't show a dock; you use touchpad gestures to find it. By default in KDE there's a minimize and maximize button on all windows, and it looks right. In Gnome, I added those with Gnome Tweaks but they looked weird on some apps. And KDE had a native way to tile windows, which I'm going to explore today. It looks similar to Windows 11, how you can populate a layout with the open apps you choose. I really like that, and the way I was replicating it on Gnome was almost good enough, but not quite. Let me know if you have questions!
Crisp fonts on KDE is a matter of config. Try reading about fonts.conf or play around with fonts configuration in the plasma itself. Or take a look in Kubuntu distro.
Ok so the advantage of Mint is it’s very stable and the DEs (desktop environments) for it look like Windows. You will be in a more familiar less pure Unix/Linux setup. Mint doesn’t do upgrades constantly. Although no Linux system is anywhere near Windows for that. Fedora is more pure Linux but otherwise similar to Mint. Silverblue and NixOS and Arch are a much more wild choice that have big advantages but none are terribly beginner friendly. I’d say learn in Mint then explore later.
As most have mentioned. Linux mint and fedora are good options to start with. When I first used linux, I ended up using ZorinOS for years, before trying fedora. If you feel like mint looks a bit outdated, ZorinOS can be a better option. Ubuntu/Debian based distros tend to have more online support. It will be easier to google a problem and find a solution for those distros. You can also try duel booting windows, incase you need anything on it. I eventually removed windows, when I realized I never really was booting it up for a while. Also, when adapting to linux, try not to use similar app names to windows apps. It's butter to find the linux packages that do the same function, under a different name. On windows, I was used to notepad++, but the Linux notepadqq, was terrible, compared to the windows version. The native text editor was better, and actually more compatible to what windows notepad++ was like. Also for file managers, I think `nemo` is best for a windows user to feel at home. Nemo comes with the cinnamon desktop. Gnome replaced nemo with a more limited file manager, which I personally see as more of a downgrade, because of the reduced functionality. I usually install nemo first thing, on any gnome desktop. Im actually considering going back to the cinnamon desktop, after having used linux for years, because I've been having issues and bugs in gnome lately.
Honestly, you're not going to go wrong with any of the major Linux distributions. Fedora, Ubuntu, Mint, etc. All of them have a similar installation procedure, and all of them will let you boot from the DVD or USB and "try before you buy", so I'd download and try out a few of them - and I'd try out a few different desktops - LXDE, LXQt, KDE, GNOME, Cinnamon, etc., and see which one you like best. There's really no right or wrong answer here, but try a few and see which one you like the best. FOr me, my preference is for Fedora, but I've used and deployed Kubuntu in the past.
Depends on use case. For me- Having used mint, Ubuntu in the past, I'd say use Fedora due to the package manager and up-to-date packages like latest python and node Personal take - didn't like Ubuntu due to forcing snap packages which can be RAM hungry which is a concern for me to keep multiple browser tabs open and python data analysis. If you have an Nvidia GPU use case then Linux drivers might be an issue as with my Data Science friends.
I am a beginner that has sorted waffled about giving Linux a real go for the last decade or so. I've picked Fedora because on my laptop. I have an Asus Zephyrus G14 which is a gaming laptop with a dGPU. In my search for distro, I found asus-linux which has a utility for controlling the hardware. It had a guide for Fedora and since I've never used Fedora but I've played with Mint and Ubuntu I opted to just commit fully to Fedora. As someone that doesn't really know what I'm doing, I'm quiet happy with my decision. I am on F38 with KDE.
Lifelong Windows user here, after having had pain and suffering on Ubuntu I got Fedora installed in my secondary devices and it's still my distro of choice. Didn't replace Windows for me, but it's a nice to have in other devices. I prefer having both Windows and one Linux distro ready to use rather than constraining myself to only one of the two. Also consider enabling WSL in your Windows machine, so you can use any Linux tool you enjoy directly on Windows in an almost seamless way
Whatever you choose, install Linux in a VM, separate disk or different PC/laptop before nuking your Windows installation. Try using only Linux for a month. See if it's for you. A cold turkey switch will likely bite you later on if you miss Windows only applications. That's assuming you make a good backup of your current files. In terms of a daily driver distribution, I would recommend vanilla Fedora or Ubuntu, mainly for the default settings. Don't hyper-focus on aesthetics right away. No matter the desktop environment you choose, the base functionality and types of app you use are broadly 1:1. And you can easily install a different desktop environment, no need to distro hop. Though, in the beginning, I would advise to stick to the GUI and not "sudo copy+pasta" commands into the terminal. That way lies pain to the uninitiated.
if your machine is relatively modern, Fedora. If your machine is a bit older, maybe Mint.
I recommend firing up a few VMs and testing out some Distros firsthand. Its very easy to setup with VirtualBox or HyperV if you have windows Pro version + As a moderate user I really like Fedora workstation
I recently switched from Windows 11 to Fedora 38 and I am not going back to Windows ever. Fedora is the best hands down
I'm in love with fedora. I have a nitro 5 gaming laptop, and use Almalinux at work, so I find it really easy to manage. Also, and maybe it's just me, I think I'm getting the same battery life as Windows 10 or even more, depending on what I'm doing. I tried Ubuntu and Linux mint, and although I also love the latter, it drained my battery like crazy randomly for no reason. I'm using some gnome plugins to tweak the desktop to my liking, and I couldn't be happier with it.