Id personally say that fedora worstation is one of the best beginner distros

[freezingpenguin]

I say this just because of the fact that it's not too simple in a sense and has decent security especially for a beginner distro and is not watered down like other beginner distros like mint I actually dont really like mint all that much just because it is just like a "windows emulator" of sorts and doesnt require you to actually learn the system in any way so fedora is better in my opinion.

 

[CaffeineAddict]

Good job.
Next step, learn about fedora's drawbacks.
Then find a distro that's even better than that.

 

[Fae3iSUx]

I say this just because of the fact that it's not too simple in a sense and has decent security especially for a beginner distro and is not watered down like other beginner distros like mint I actually dont really like mint all that much just because it is just like a "windows emulator" of sorts and doesnt require you to actually learn the system in any way so fedora is better in my opinion.

No, Fedora is not beginner-friendly. It is an advanced distro, relatively speaking. You say it because you have not experienced better distros yet. And have not discovered Fedora disadvantages - yet. I am saying it as a Fedora user (not for long though, I am not upgrading to Fedora 44, but migrating instead).
Furthermore, security barely matter for a newbie who is learning what is what, so no point should be given here.

actually dont really like mint all that much just because it is just like a "windows emulator" of sorts

You should not dislike something you barely know anything about.
Give yourself some time. Good luck with your journey!

 

[Vektor]

I steer people toward live distros first. No install headaches and easy to hop to a different one. Then decide on one to install or keep using it as an indestructable live OS. Like MX or Porteus. Puppy is very good too.

Vektor

 

[PuppyHome]

Puppy is very good too.

It sure is!

But not beginner friendly. There is a learning curve even for seasoned Linux users.

If OP would start with Puppy (like) distros EasyOS is a great start since the installation method is less 'complicated' then regular Pups or Dogs.
A simple "DD" command will do. Or even a native Linux USB Writer.

 

[kc1di]

I agree that fedora is a fine distro but so is Mint Mint has a great forum for newbies and that is one of it's strengths. Fedore at leas Fedora 44 does have an easy installer and that a plus so both are good. They take different paths but end up in much the same place I use Fedora and have used Mint on and off since it's beginning. would still be using mint if they had not dropped KDE desktop from their line up. But understand why they did that. Any linux distro is more secure than Windows and can be made more secure. One of the complaints I often here from newbies is I don't want to have to use my password to do things. They don't yet understand that that is one of the security parts that is important.
Often send people who want to learn linux. not just use linux to this site.

https://labex.io/linuxjourney

 

[MikeWalsh]

@PuppyHome :-

Me, I take a somewhat more pragmatic view. I won't recommend that Linux noobs begin with Puppy. My view is that noobs should get the hang of how mainstream Linux works first.....for the simple reason that Puppy is sufficiently different that you need to learn a somewhat different way of doing things. Even "veterans" have problems with our Pup. You must know this as well as I do.

If you already have the hang of how the mainstream works, try Puppy, then decide you don't like it, you can always return to the mainstream and you're still used to how things function. No harm, no foul. However:-

IF a noob begins with Puppy, and THEN decides to branch out and explore the rest of the ecosystem, they've then got to learn the whole shebang all over again.....from scratch. I don't think that's fair on anyone, so I always say to come to Puppy in your own good time.....WHEN you've reached the stage where you feel comfortable with Linux in general.

Perhaps I'm peculiar, but that's been my view for a long time.


Mike.

 

[APTI]

I say this just because of the fact that it's not too simple in a sense and has decent security especially for a beginner distro and is not watered down like other beginner distros like mint I actually dont really like mint all that much just because it is just like a "windows emulator" of sorts and doesnt require you to actually learn the system in any way so fedora is better in my opinion.

I agree with you in all of that. but saying it here with so many mint lovers is dangerous. I find mint to be rather limited at least in its default DE. Fedora is the distro I have been using for long time and it does have issues that I really do not like but overall the good far out weighs the bad. I put beginners on fedora with gnome and they take to it very easy and fast. No complaints so far.

However one thing while we can bicker about distros, it all boils down to one simple mathematical statement.....

Linux > Windows

 

[Fae3iSUx]

Linux > Windows

I like that statement

 

[wendy-lebaron]

topic name: I'd personally say that fedora workstation is one of the best beginner distros

mostly true. if it installs successfully. after version 37 the thing just hates my computers. tried three times to install version 38 on my "main" laptop. managed to succeed with ultramarine flagship. (with budgie desktop. probably based on version 39 though.) with the same awful anaconda installer, imagine that?

also for as long as the user remembers to update. every two weeks to a month. or whatever is recommended. leave it too long. and it causes deep sorrow. but this is true for any rolling-release "cut with a knife so you bleed" distribution.

i have an installation of fedora 36 that i go to once in a while. frozen in time. but annoying that i'm needing to install certain things. but can't because of limitations on that system. i put "csound" in there. so i go back to it occasionally to produce music from it. made it useful like that.

 

[dos2unix]

with the same awful anaconda installer, imagine that?

Of course fedora44 doesn't use that anymore.

 

[kc1di]

I've said else where that the new Fedora installer is one of the easiest to use I've seen.

 

[CaffeineAddict]

I've said else where that the new Fedora installer is one of the easiest to use I've seen.

They need to make it possible to create bootable USB with any USB tool one chooses.
Why users need to use their specialized USB tool? it sucks.

 

[kc1di]

They need to make it possible to create bootable USB with any USB tool one chooses.
Why users need to use their specialized USB tool? it sucks.

Ventoy works great. I've had no problem using Mint's iso burner with the Fedora .iso either. Have used etcher and it has worked.
But Fedora does have one also.

 

[dos2unix]

hey need to make it possible to create bootable USB with any USB tool one chooses.
Why users need to use their specialized USB tool? it sucks.

Most work. Media creator works, etcher works, dd works. About the only one that usually doesn't work is Rufus,
This is about security and image cheksums. Some iso's give you a checksum, and thats good enough.
Fedora/rhel/clones enforce the checksum, it's off, they don't let you install. This verified from within the iso itself.

 

[gvisoc]

As a 5-year+ Fedora user, 28-year+ Linux user: Fedora is simple for many, but it is not for beginners.

A beginner doesn't need to know anything that other operating systems do as part of their informed defaults, such as:

1. Encrypting your data, or not.
   • "Crypt? That sounds vampiric"
2. Using command-line commands to copy and paste (or understand) in order to be able to stream Netflix
   • "What is a codec? What are you talking about?"
3. Leaving you to use the new system to your own perusals and fix "hey, is any device not performing as expected?" on your own terminal
   • "Where is The Web?"
   • "Why graphics flicker? Why can't I click-a-button fix it?"

Mint is not a Windows emulator, it is a very fine linux distribution that can cope with the most demanding expert uses, and does the above very finely. They ask you whether you want to watch nextflix or not (in that language), and they have a very fine, scholarly and gentle(wo)manly welcome step-by-step guide that acts for you on a click of a button and in your own, pedestrian terms.

That's a beginner friendly distribution. As in beginner to computers, not beginner to Linux. Many beginners to Linux may know more operating system concepts than most current Linux users.

Fedora project forces itself away from beginner (computer) users because they deliberately took a specific stance around free and open source licenses and a very specific position about copyrighted software that prevents the system to ship the stuff that would enable them to implement the points (2) and (3)

 

[f33dm3bits]

Hot take: Arch Linux is beginner friendly as it takes the user through the process during the official installation of what components are needed to be installed and configured for a working installation. Even if you choose the archinstall script and don't want to go through all that, it's easier to for a beginner to get access to all the software they need without needing to add third-party repos, as with Fedora because of licensing you tend to need to add third party repos(ie: rpmfusion, copr or others) a lot of of the time and updating from one major version to the next can be confusing for a lot of new users.