How to Choose a Linux Distribution 

how to choose step one: pick the distro step two: repeat step one

Me: Linux beginner Me: Installs Arch Few days of struggling Love it now

I use Manjaro cause of one simple reason: It‘s the only Linux that works with my Keyboard. I tried Mint, Ubuntu, Fedora and some other distros and I tried various things I found on the Internet, but all of them failed. I couldn’t use the Keyboard. I always had to plug in an external mouse and Keyboard into my Laptop to use them, which was quite annoying. But one day I thought I give Manjaro a try and it just worked. Keyboard and Trackpad worked and I didn’t need to install any drivers for the Wifi to work. I use a MacBook Pro (13“ 2016, no Touchbar) with MacOS Catalina and Windows 10 Bootcamp and Manjaro Linux (Gnome Desktop) is installed on an external SSD. First I just wanted to test Linux, but now I use it quite often.

You're probably not gonna see this as this is over two years old, but bless you Titus, you opened up the door to a whole new world for me. My laptop now runs Linux, and the only real reason I still daily drive Windows on my main is the Adobe suite which unfortunately is necessary for work. But yes, Linux is awesome and I took the plunge thanks to your work here on RU-vid (did some of your Windows stuff too and it works like magic. That script!). Keep it up.

Btw I use an Manjaro which is an arch-base distro got em

I did it! After a year of watching Chris I finally installed Linux! I had a bit of trouble but it's running and I'm loving it so far, so much to discover. Thanks Chris!

My daughter she 7 she plays around with peppermint OS she loves it my wife has no clue about computers I got her on Linux Mint they never have to know about the evil windows

18:10 “Now let’s break down what kind of a person would use what...”

I made the switch from W10 to Linux Mint Cinnamon 1 month ago on my main machine and I'm absolutely happy with it. I think I'll hardly go back to Windows after being a user since Windows 3.11...

I switched from Windows to Linux Mint Cinnamon, around two years ago, I just love it, I am not interested in trying any other distros, Mint pushes all the buttons for me. Love your videos man.

After doing a lot of distro hopping these are the questions I used to evaluate distros when I decided to settle down and find a home. My primary goal was to find a something that got out of the way so I could focus on productivity: * Can I easily install and update proprietary software, especially nvidia drivers? * I "need" certain up to date programs, but also want a stable tested system that's resilient to user error. What distro balances those needs best? * If I do break the system how time-consuming is the process to reinstall and set up the environment the way I previously had it? * How many dev tools and other programs would I have to manually update and build from source (for instance ccls)? * Is there an active knowledgeable community and good documentation? Curious to see guesses about what I ended up picking :P

I know I'm watching 2 years later but this man knows what is talking. Recommends Debian over Ubuntu and others famous deb based systems. Thanks to not proliferate the same opinion from all over the internet. Debian is excellent, you just need to learn how to use it.

For the first time you didn't start with "In this video, I am going to..."

I use Linux Mint and Mate as the desktop environment. I love it so much that I donated some money to them. Highly recommended.

16:45 - "You can make it look and feel like windows 95" 7u6frtjyfd5rik8 YESSSS! I'm soo getting this.

Been using Manjaro KDE Plasma 5 for 9 months after distro hopping for nearly 2 years. The longest and sustained distro for me till now. Also compatible with my GPU drivers and can really take stress.

It's because of you that I'm using linux mint right now. Thank you.

2:30 Distribution is not just how it installs packages but also what packages it has in the repository, how often it receives updates, how stable it is, what kind of support/community it has, etc.

Best way to sum up your videos: sober. You have a no-nonsense take on this, and you're not repeating what a lot of people already say. Your recommendations are very close to how I approached it back in '05: Mint --> K/X/L/Ubuntu --> Debian --> Pop!/Neon --> Fedora Gnome --> Manjaro/Antergos --> Arch (btw). How come no coverage on OpenSUSE in this?

Great vid! The first distro I installed was Ubuntu back in 2007. I used it for a year, and while I liked it very much I ended up switching to Linux Mint in 2008, and am still using Mint as my main OS today. Back in the day I loved Windows 95, 98 and XP. I even embraced Windows 7, and still keep it as a dual boot option, but since then Windows has become such a mess. I'd much rather use a Linux distro.

_"There is no distribution that you're gonna go, 'This is awesome! Everything works! It has everything I need.' "_ Linux Mint: hold my beer...

As a noob, I appreciate this straightforward explanation of the genealogy. Thank you.

The fun part is the distro hopping. In the process you will soon discover what is compatible with your hardware.

Terrific breakdown. Thank you. I would like to see you do a more task focussed breakdown to follow up with. eg. which distros and services to consider for server functions (maybe even including prepackaged installs like Zentyal, NethServer etc.), and which distros to consider for desktop uses (most reliable, flexible and usable for daily office tasks). This video is a great starting place for anyone wanting to dabble into the Linux world.

I don't generally comment on videos, but I just wanna say - I really appreciate this video, and your passion and efforts for newcomers, for "marketing" Linux.

Very informative and helpful video. I tried Ubuntu, and it was fine. Now, I'm running Linux Mint because I wanted to try a different distro. So far, Linux Mint is great.

10:03 It's good to mention that Red Hat was recently acquired by IBM

Have had Arch for many years as my daily driver and installed Manjaro on my new laptop. Love the convenience it adds on top of the flexibility that Arch offers

I think new users should always be told about arch wiki so that they can learn (if they want to), it always generates more Interest in people imho

I was quite impressed with Linux Mint out of the box. It has pretty much all I wanted as a media server like 5 years ago and it's been working just fine.

You cleared up a lot of things for me. Like package managers. Thanks!

Hey Chris, I am a linux user for quite a while now. And I have watched a lot of "the best distro" movies. Tho your version is the one that hits the nail on the head. It is so true that linux doesnt have a PR department. Thank you for this clip.

My first Linux installation was Slackware, about 20 years ago. I barely remember how I did it. GNU/Linux has come a long way.

To be honest, I used Ubuntu and Mint for a while but then settled on Fedora. It works very well and it's bleeding edge yet not as crazy as Arch. For me, it works like a charm.

I think we should start explaining Linux to new users by comparing the parts of it from Windows and Mac OS. Questions like "what is does apt mean in Windows or Mac environment?" It'll be easier..

I been using Linux since 2005. "Use". Not an expert as I'm still learning... lol. I enjoy your videos as they are both informative and the presentation is even easy for 'me' to follow... Thank you for promoting Linux. 'This' user appreciates your efforts...

Just migrate from windows to Manjaro and I'm pretty happy about it. BTW arch wiki helped me a lot! Strongly recommend it to new Linux user like me

Total beginner here looking to make the swap to Linux. I completely agree with what this guy says at the beginning, but not gonna lie I'm mostly going with him because of the Weyland Yutani shirt. Guy clearly knows what's up.

After distro hopping for a long time. My first long term distro was Zorin OS 12.4, i loved it but Ubuntu 16.04 is reaching eol i thought about getting a new distro. This time I said no to derivatives and went straight to Solus Budgie, i can't even describe how good and stable it is, the community is great and helpful. It like the distro was tailor made to me lol.

I’ve always recommended arch. It’s just so easy once you figure out git and the basics of Pacman. I’ve had absolutely 0 issues with arch. Unlike the complete opposite experience with ubuntu, pop, and Manjaro.

Started using GNU/Linux - Debian distribution after reading "In the Beginning... Was the Command Line" by Neal Stephenson; thanks for the taxonomy, great video!

For daily use I recommend Ubuntu, MX Linux or PopOS.. Mint is also good though

Thanks for being REAL and forthcoming! Refreshing.

Fedora is what I started with back in 2007 as an undergrad because a couple of folks from the Fedora Electronic Lab spin team gave a presentation on how we could have free circuit simulation software on Fedora. I broke my installation twice or thrice in the same week because I modified files as root (there was no one to tell me why I shouldn't do this). But I learned the hard way and I can confidently say that it was worth it. Fedora is why I got admission for my postgrad in analog ic design - they needed a system admjn for the VLSI Lab. Now that I've graduated and am working as a circuit designer, my familiarity with Linux is what is helping me at every step - from being at home in a Linux environment to being able to quickly write scripts to automate simple tasks. If you're a student and you're on the fence, I say go for it. It's a lot easier to get started with Linux (technically GNU/Linux) that it was, say 5 or 10 years ago. The only reason I dual boot with Windows is because of Age of Empires :D (Civilization is the other game I like but they support Linux).

thx, my First Linux Distro in 1998 was Debian and will be.

Cheat sheet. -Advanced: Anything with Arch in the name, or based on Arch, Gentoo, LFS -Intermediate: Void, openSUSE, Slackware -Noob: Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, Mint. The top of the mountain is 2 parties, For Bleeding Edge and the newest & best packages, Arch Linux. If you want stability more than new stuff, Gentoo.

Finally, after going through dozens of videos, I found one that explains the basics in simple language. Thank you!!!

Started using linux with Kali...this video has helped alot to choose distros suited for me...Thank you.

That description of the "perfect distro" sounds like Gentoo and Arch post install. However the install is it's own animal that's not for everyone.

My journey was: Ubuntu > Debian > Linux Mint > Fedora > Arch > Gentoo > LFS > Debian This was over a span of a decade, and I think I learned a lot during the Arch (vanilla), Gentoo, and LFS (Linux From Scratch) phases of my journey. I think the Arch Linux wiki is amazing and I enjoyed experimenting with new releases of software. But that was back when I had a lot of time. After having fun checking out various Linux distros, I have settled with Debian stable to get work done.

I am a UbuntuStudio user.. Since 2014! Comes packed with everything! Dual boot with Win10 PS - Clonezilla can Image Dual boots!

Thoughts on mate desktop for enterprise.....Using Mate on oios I would think it would be very useful in Enterprise to be able to change the text labels in the panel of the single drop down menue and draw addons? The idea behind this is to allow users or administrators to stack,customise the menues in the panel to suite their needs.Theoretically you could build menues to be customisable like lego. Changing the schema individually would also be an advantage for the visually impaired?

If every "Linux-Marketer" would be like you, we wouldn't have marketing-problems.

I use Manjaro on Btrfs and backup with Timeshift before any update. I love it. AUR has all the software I could ever wish for. And I dig deep in some areas.

I tried different ones, but I seem to always come back to Mint.

I switched from windows to Linux Mint in 2010 and am never going back. My main computer usage is just web browsing, some spreadsheets and playing games. It has always worked flawlessly for me.

Is Linux Mint great. I likeLinux mint the most.

As someone who has never used Linux and is therefore watching RU-vid videos for guidance, I think the most confusing statement is, 'the best distro for you is the one that's right for you.' Whuut? Can I install my favorite Windows program in Linux? By the way, I appreciate this video, very helpful. Marketing man!

Besides the AUR the Arch wiki is such a big thing for me.

Fedora is my go to Distro, like you I have a relatively old version of Fedora on that old laptop and I didnt bother to update it more cause honestly I just use it to browse some stuff every moon or so. I run Fedora on Desktop as well with Windows which I use for work cause they use tools that can only be used on Windows sadly.

First thing... does it have an awesome name and logo. PUPPY... DAMN SMALL LINUX... PEPPERMINT... SPARKYLINUX yeah yeah, "features, stability, support"... those are nice too, but whats the point if you are stuck with an OS with a weaksauce name

I love this video so much. You're so right. Fundamental analysis is so important as a salesperson but not so much as someone just wanting to try Linux for the first time.

When I first started working with Linux a few years ago these videos would have helped greatly. I am still no expert by any means but these are quite informative and glad someone is trying to properly teach new people what Linux is really like

Arch with KDE & SDDM is legit. Got a dual boot on my MacBook Pro Retina 13” (early 2015) using rEFInd. Took a couple days to really get everything the way I wanted it but I love it. I use it more than MacOS itself

KDE Neon has everything including the kitchen sink.

Oh, just install VirtualBox and try everything you like to do so. Then you'll learn what you like. If you like the more technical stuff: Also try another unix such as FreeBSD. From the Linuxes: Arch is nice. Very educational process to setup everything yourself. Most powerfull thing is when you are handy with virtual harddisks, mounting and using dd-commands to copy disk/partition data and everything around it. Especially FreeBSD and Arch Linux are two systems that I installed on a VM first, and then moved to "bare metal" to try them.

This is hands down, the definitive video on how to choose a distro.

The one to choose is the one that installs. If they all install then choose Fedora. Everything is elegantly done. Linux mint gives more options.

"there is no marketing..." laughs in Canonical

6:38 I was impressed by how Linux Mint automatically loads the DVD player app when you put in a DVD and how easily it is to access and browse pictures on an inserted SD card. Little things I know, but still nice features.

Open suse is great for new and experienced users even though in my experience it's glitchy and it crashed frequently

I think a great start is Ubuntu. With it's high support for applications, and easy learnability, while being lightweight, it should be a good starting point.

The biggest reason I think Linux distros dont have mass appeal aside from not having some power functionalities that Windows or Mac has is..That the community doesn't think of the platform as a business proposal. I like that you are taking that approach and I hope more do so in the future. It will lead to commercialization, standardization and that will bring those "Power-Features" into linux.

Thanks so much for this video. It was incredibly helpful. I was beginning to have distribution fatigue among the hundreds of choices. I like your philosophy of being a "purist" (I think that was the language), by which you mean using the base-level distro, which seems to be Debian, Red Hat / Fedora, and Arch. I want a distribution that I will pick and stick with basically forever, and I think I will probably be going with Debian.

Great video! Have been running Fedora on my personal machines since it came out. Never felt a need to move off. Upgrade to new versions is pretty seamless now. I also run a lot of Ubuntu servers and agree with your point that distro doesn’t matter that much. It’s good to be familiar with a few package managers, but the rest is pretty much the same. I use Gnome and I like it’s minimalistic look and feel, although it’s heavier than other true minimalist desktops. My approach is go for bleeding edge for development and stable distro for production.

glad you understand, sometimes toooo much choice between distrubitions. thanks

I first experience Linux with Ubuntu but when time goes by I started to ditch and hate Ubuntu and install vanilla Debian as daily OS

No matter what I do I always end up back at arch. You've shown me the ways of btrfs as well. For me it really is everything I want. I boot it up and it works exactly with everything I need in less than 20 minutes post install.

Is choice of Distro really that big a deal? When someone asks which distro to use, just tell them to look at the "big ones" and roll a die. About everything a linux system can do can be done with about any one of them. Your choice of Mint and Pop! is about as good or valid as any other.

Vanilla Debian is what I installed in my mother in laws old laptop because of its stability. I can’t believe how good it’s running.

"I don't like Ubuntu", yet you recommend Mint which is just Ubuntu with Cinnamon, but without that Amazon-thing. That confuses me. Sure, when Mint Debian matures, then the story changes. But so far every n00b who installs Mint will install the Ubuntu version. In my experience Mint is not better configured than the vanilla Ubuntu (Kubuntu, Budgie...). As a matter of fact, my soundcard never worked well with Mint, I didn't have that problem with Ubuntu (or Manjaro).

Debian can be light enough to run on raspberry pi and is simply useful for just everyday use or work. You can also download many programs, becouse of ubuntu popularity.

I've tried dozens over the years but I keep going back to Fedora

My first Linux was Open SuSe in the mid 90's, that put me off Linux until this year. I loaded Ubuntu first but found that unstable on the second hand 8gb Dell Studio 1550 laptop that costed £25. Getting an old laptop up and running was part of the challenge. I have the iMac that was £2k new, for my photography etc. I have a decent Windows laptop for working tethered and since C-19 working from home. I don’t want another good computer. Now I run Mint Mate which does what I want it to quickly with no bloat, I’ve also just loaded Endeavour OS Xfce which is a gentle learning curve with Arch. My favourite at the moment, and I can understand why people get obsessed, is my Raspberry OS on my 8Gb Pi4. One of the things a Linux distro should be INMHO is fun and that’s what Raspberry Pi does.

make video on how to install nvidia drivers....

Excellent video and informative for new users. I've been using Debian for nearly ten years. Great OS.

huh, my experience with arch was bulletproof for about 3 years until a dying keyboard and a poorly vetted rm

Thanks for making the efforts to explain this ... as a 20 year Mac user I’m ready for more customization.. vs updates !

It’s weird how this ended up in my recommended one year too late

The fact that you are questioning Windows and macOS is a _good_ thing. Yes, choosing a Linux distro is a bit difficult because while there are only a few _base_ systems, everyone has an idea of what the desktop environment should look like, so it gets confusing. I tried Zorin and Ubuntu but went with Mint Cinnamon over 5 years ago and have not been disappointed. I know that Zorin and Mint use the Ubuntu base. I hated the Zorin DE because it was flat and unappealing. I also didn't like the Ubuntu DE. But Mint Cinnamon works and works well.

Can't get enough of KDE Neon here!

@CTT Fyi. Fedora dropped yum 2015. It was totally replaced by dnf. It also seems, they put a symlink to dnf for yum. So when you call yum it will link that command to dnf.

Installed Manjaro as my first distro *I too like to live dangerously*

I loved Antergos before it recently passed away ... basically pure Arch made easy via graphical install ... and I preferred it to a hybrid like Manjaro. Now I use vanilla Arch full stop... took me two days to install a full graphical desktop the first time ... now it takes me 25 mins as I've made my own installation guide gleaned from bitter experience of time-consuming command-line failures. Funnily enough the three OSs I currently run are Arch, Debian and Fedora with an XFCE desktop. I don't do gaming but these three are definitely the best for me at least ... just good, solid workstations without the need for fancy frills and, in any case, I can always install my own frills if I wish which suit me and not the developers. I am all for challenges so I recently tried Gentoo ... then gave up ... that's definitely one that is not for the Linux newcomer. I've been using Linux for 21 years and still had to admit install defeat. I'm not sure really what Gentoo can offer than the other three cannot ... apart from needless hair-tearing and head-banging? Tbf, Linux experts do say it's the best way to properly learn how Linux actually works so maybe one day I'll have another go!

I think Linux is like clothing, lots and lots of choices, not one distro is necessarly the best, you just have to try it and see if it suits you, according to your personal tastes and needs!

A very good and well explained video on Linux distros. I like that someone is out there supporting Linux. I absolutely love Linux I use Pop OS on my System 76 Lemur Pro laptop and Linux Mint dual booted with Windows 10 in my home desktop. I use Windows for just in case I need to play some new games even though Linux gaming is getting better every day but still Windows is still the benchmark for gaming os.

I've used Linux Puppy for years love puppy

I have used manjaro and pop os for awhile now. I think that Manjaro is the best if you want nothing to do with the terminal. EVERYRHING is in the AUR this is fricking amazing! I wished pop os had so so so many packages.

Xubuntu, my favorite. At home with it

I am using MX because I have an older machine. Very lite and fast. Love it