Suggested Linux Distributions for beginners

[Brickwizard]

@KGIII ok i will start it off..

WELCOME NEWBIE
Before you make a leap of faith, please read the first two threads in this forum [How do I try Linux, & What is the best Linux distribution]

now down to business, these are my suggestions [ I do not recommend one distribution over another]

Mint LMDE - nice looking with cinnamon desktop easy to install on most kit, it is the lightest and slightly quickest of the mint offerings,also works well on older machines.
Any of the Ubuntu family -, one of the earliest Debian derivatives, has a good in house forum and documentation
MX-Linux- especially the AHS version if you have the latest kit as it carries more new drivers than most other distributions, the negatives are, it is design for business use and so has more security features than most desktops this can annoy some users.
Parrot Home edition- A smart looking and user-friendly edition which comes with some pen-testing [hacking tools] pre-installed, a good all round distribution
Linux-Lite,- a lightweight distribution excellent for minimal resources [early 64 bit cpu's & 1gb ram]

All the above can be used with point and click for most tasks, although you will need [at some point] to learn how to use the terminal

Whether you choose one of these or another suggestion, Please make sure you read the release notes and full documentation for each distribution

Brickwizard

edit to include links

 

[KGIII]

Lubuntu is just Ubuntu with different default packages. This means that it fits in the Ubuntu ecosphere, has the vast documentation available, and has plenty of resources available. It is intuitive to use with things being where you'd logically expect them to be. Lubuntu is stable, has plenty of software available, and is recognized as an official Ubuntu flavor. It will look familiar to Windows, helping new people adjust and feel more comfortable when they first use it.

Linux Mint Cinnamon is based on Ubuntu, stable, easy to use, and full of features. It is also easily themed to different colors, for those of us who want to use a dark theme for everything. If you have modern hardware, try their 'Edge' version.

OpenSUSE Tumbleweed If you know what a 'rolling-release' is and you want to try that as a new user, that's okay. Tumbleweed is remarkably stable and easy to use. There's reasonably good support available at the various forums as it's still a fairly popular operating system. It's based on their enterprise distro and updates regularly, leaving you at the cutting edge of tech.

Edited: I forgot and wrote this a few minutes later and don't want to duplicate the list for Ubuntu. I did specify an Ubuntu distro but wanted it to be more specific and more thorough than just saying "Ubuntu family" as a new user isn't necessarily going to understand that.

Edited: I added Tumbleweed. It's about the easiest rolling-release available and very approachable by a new user. I've never had it cause me any undue issues. If a new user wants a rolling-release, this would be the one I'd recommend.

Let's try keeping the list clean and easily read.

 

[charlie.corder]

Fellow Linuxers,
The two posts by Brickwizard and KGIII are just what I was thinking about yesterday.
Give the newbie a few distros to look at, along with reasons they are good.
Good job guys!
OG
TC

 

[APTI]

Here I think is the best advice for the newbie and choosing what distro....

1.... DO NOT USE KALI IT IS NOT MEANT FOR YOU.
2... Use Fedora, Ubuntu, or Mint it is meant for you.
3... Use Fedora, Ubuntu, or Mint it is meant for you (can't stress this enough)

 

[charlie.corder]

Why I think that Linux Mint is better for newbies.


1 - There is no need to even look at the Terminal.
You can do everything by using the mouse, which newbies are familiar with.
2 - If you want to burn another Linux distro, Mint comes with USB Image Writer already installed. No need to download another burner. Could not be simpler than that.
3 - Mint also comes with USB Stick Formatter already installed for erasing a memory stick. Also lets you re-name the stick.
4 - Updates are very easy to do. A couple clicks of the mouse and they are done. And, you can continue doing whatever you were doing while the updates are operating in the background.
5 - Linux Mint just works Out Of The Box. These are just a few of the reasons I recommend Linux Mint to beginners.

Old Geezer,
Tango Charlie

 

[APTI]

Why I think that Linux Mint is better for newbies.


1 - There is no need to even look at the Terminal.
You can do everything by using the mouse, which newbies are familiar with.
2 - If you want to burn another Linux distro, Mint comes with USB Image Writer already installed. No need to download another burner. Could not be simpler than that.
3 - Mint also comes with USB Stick Formatter already installed for erasing a memory stick. Also lets you re-name the stick.
4 - Updates are very easy to do. A couple clicks of the mouse and they are done. And, you can continue doing whatever you were doing while the updates are operating in the background.
5 - Linux Mint just works Out Of The Box. These are just a few of the reasons I recommend Linux Mint to beginners.

Old Geezer,
Tango Charlie

I think we notice your bias for mint. but Fedora and Ubuntu work out of the box too. And they have GUI and mouse works everything also. So lets just say any of the 3 big ones.

 

[KGIII]

Let's also try to keep the thread concise and on target.

It should contain only information about which distros we legitimately believe are suitable for newbies.

We should be able to refer to this thread from other threads when a new user asks what is a good distro to start with. It should contain only posts that are actionable by the new user, ideally.

Thanks!