Hello fam. I am really interested in joining the linux family. I have windows 10 which I enjoy the wide variety of shortcuts it has. Which is the best linux type that I can start from that is not complex for a windows user?
Best Linux for beginner
- Thread starter Olly
- Start date
Hello @Olly and welcome to linux.org 
... is a bit like "How long is a piece of string?". It is a case of looking at a few, perhaps many, and seeing what takes your fancy.
A good starting point is at DistroWatch's page hit popularity, which is here
Each Distro involves an .iso file 1 - 3 GB in size typically, which you download from an official website, and then burn the file to either USB or DVD (USBs of course can be reused, format them to FAT32). There are burning methods available to Windows 10, or for USB there are options such as Unetbootin or Etcher .
Once you have that "Live Medium" (Live USB or Live DVD), you can modify your computer's BIOS to boot from it, insert and reboot and try it out.
There is much more, of course, but see what you find and ask questions.
Cheers
Chris Turner
wizardfromoz
... is a bit like "How long is a piece of string?". It is a case of looking at a few, perhaps many, and seeing what takes your fancy.
A good starting point is at DistroWatch's page hit popularity, which is here
Each Distro involves an .iso file 1 - 3 GB in size typically, which you download from an official website, and then burn the file to either USB or DVD (USBs of course can be reused, format them to FAT32). There are burning methods available to Windows 10, or for USB there are options such as Unetbootin or Etcher .
Once you have that "Live Medium" (Live USB or Live DVD), you can modify your computer's BIOS to boot from it, insert and reboot and try it out.
There is much more, of course, but see what you find and ask questions.
Cheers
Chris Turner
wizardfromoz
Hi @Olly, and welcome! Not sure what you mean by "shortcuts" in Windows. Many "keyboard shortcuts," like CNTL-C to copy, and CNTL-V to paste, are also available in Linux.... in fact, many of those are the same. If you mean "desktop shortcuts," (to launch a program or open a file) then Linux has those too.... called by a few different names: symbolic links, symlinks, or soft links.
Many Linux distributions (distros) will have a somewhat familiar feel to using Windows. There is a graphical desktop, a taskbar (called a "panel" in Linux), and a Start button of some kind for you to find the installed programs so you can launch them. Sometimes the panel is on the bottom of the screen, like Windows, but it may also be at the top of the screen, or on the left side.... and you can have more than one if you want. When you click the Start button, you will usually find software grouped into categories, like with Windows.... Internet, Office, Graphics, Sound, System Tools, are some examples.
There are many dozens of different Linux distros that are very common (and about 300 or so that are actively used and developed). We can steer you to those most common ones, but the best thing to do is to download 2 or 3 (or 5 or 6) and burn them to a DVD if you have a DVD drive (a USB can be used instead of a DVD) and then boot your computer on these DVD's to test Linux out in "live mode." This lets you get a feel for it before without installing it or making any changes to your computer. Have multiple DVD's lets you switch back and forth between them and allows you to test them all over a period of days or weeks before deciding which you like best and want to install.
Remember that Linux is an operating system, like Windows.... it is not as simple as installing a program. Since you seem to like Windows, and probably want to keep it, you need to learn about the different ways you can install and use Linux, and also the risks of installing to your computer. As I said... it is not a simple program, and there are risks.... you will want to be sure to make good backups of anything important in Windows (photos, documents, etc) because if something goes wrong, there is a chance that you will have to erase the computer and start everything over again, including re-installing Windows. It doesn't usually come to that, but new users are sometimes prone to mistakes, or to not following directions. We will try to guide you carefully, but you need to take precautions to protect your data.
Cheers
Yes and the cool thing is that you can run from the "Live" DVD or flash drive, and unless you install it, your windows is still intact. A Win-Win situation (pun intended). Welcome to the group, and be sure to check out the Distrowatch, as Wiz suggested.
Happy Trails
Paul
P.S. Wiz, do you leave a smoke trail when you leave also? nyuk, nyuk
(pun intended). Welcome to the group, and be sure to check out the Distrowatch, as Wiz suggested.Happy Trails
Paul
P.S. Wiz, do you leave a smoke trail when you leave also? nyuk, nyuk
D
Deleted member 35560
Guest
Hi Olly, As Wiz has said Distrowatch is a great place to look as us It's Foss and How to Geek Linux - most other places will only confuse you to be honest. The other way of doing it is for you to do a a live version of the ones you like so you can try them and see what see suits you. It really is a matter of what suits you. I did this and went for Mint in the end as it suits you. On here you'll find links to all the distros - just don't rush it as you've come this far
Well said, mate!
D
Deleted member 35560
Guest
Thanks it is confusing and the more you look the harder it becomes, this is where this forum is great for people - once you have it the one you like -that forum is okay, but although through health I've not been back here for a while this is IMHO perhaps the best forum of the lotWell said, mate!
Eloquently put, "grumpy old man retired" and we hope the health is back on track.
@Olly - what Ptahhotep has said, I am right behind.
The Live scenario is also a perfect opportunity to test your devices and peripherals, eg WiFi, Printers, Sound, Video &c.
It they work under Live, they should work once installed.
Cheers
Wizard
and we hope the health is back on track.@Olly - what Ptahhotep has said, I am right behind.
The Live scenario is also a perfect opportunity to test your devices and peripherals, eg WiFi, Printers, Sound, Video &c.
It they work under Live, they should work once installed.
Cheers
Wizard
D
Deleted member 35560
Guest
Thanks Wizard - happy 2018 to youEloquently put, "grumpy old man retired"
@Olly - what Ptahhotep has said, I am right behind.
The Live scenario is also a perfect opportunity to test your devices and peripherals, eg WiFi, Printers, Sound, Video &c.
It they work under Live, they should work once installed.
Cheers
Wizard
D. Longfield
New Member
Hi @Olly ! Great that you want to switch to Linux. Recommending any certain distro is always hard since what is good for one may not suit the other.
I'd recommend installing VirtualBox and then downloading various different distros and trying out which suits you best. Try also different Desktop Environments since a distro can feel very different with a different Desktop Environment.
Try out the popular choices (Ubuntu, Mint, Debian, Fedora, etc.) and other distros such as Manjaro, Solus, PopOS, etc.
Hope this helps you out!
I'd recommend installing VirtualBox and then downloading various different distros and trying out which suits you best. Try also different Desktop Environments since a distro can feel very different with a different Desktop Environment.
Try out the popular choices (Ubuntu, Mint, Debian, Fedora, etc.) and other distros such as Manjaro, Solus, PopOS, etc.
Hope this helps you out!
anvvsharma
New Member
Hi all, I am new to Linux.org
Recently I have decided to move to Linux as my primary OS, tried different variants of Linux like Ubuntu 14,16,17, Linux Mint (cinnamon, mate etc.,) CentOS, debian & elementary OS for about a month.
I tried CentOS (RHE based), Linux Mint (debian based)
Based on my personal preference, I choose debian based variants, as it provides 38,000 packages for installations as against RHE provides 3,000 packages (it can be configured in certain file, but for a new beginner, its difficult)
among various Linux variants, I choose Linux Mint & Elementary OS (look n feel similar to macOS). out of these I installed elementary OS in my PC.
you can search for pros & cons of different Linux variants and choose the one that is more appropriate for you.
hope this helps..
Recently I have decided to move to Linux as my primary OS, tried different variants of Linux like Ubuntu 14,16,17, Linux Mint (cinnamon, mate etc.,) CentOS, debian & elementary OS for about a month.
I tried CentOS (RHE based), Linux Mint (debian based)
Based on my personal preference, I choose debian based variants, as it provides 38,000 packages for installations as against RHE provides 3,000 packages (it can be configured in certain file, but for a new beginner, its difficult)
among various Linux variants, I choose Linux Mint & Elementary OS (look n feel similar to macOS). out of these I installed elementary OS in my PC.
you can search for pros & cons of different Linux variants and choose the one that is more appropriate for you.
hope this helps..
