WHAT IS THE BEST LINUX DISTRIBUTION, WHICH SHOULD I USE ?

[Brickwizard]

This is the most asked question we receive, and the answer is, NO one distribution is better than any other, some may be a little easier for the newbie moving from Windows, some are designed for a specific task, and a few are for experienced Linux users only.
THE BEST DISTRIBUTION
Is the one that works best on your machine, The one you like the look and feel of, the one that lets you perform your daily tasks.
We recommend that you download around 6 different distributions with different desktops, and test them out "live" from a Pen-drive, You will not get a full speed experience, but you will be able to see if you like the look and feel of a particular distribution, and if everything works [wi-fi, camera, touchpad etc.]
YOUR MACHINE
Any machine built with an amd64 [or intel] and has at least 4Gb of ram will be capable of running any Linux distribution you choose
If you only have 2Gb of ram, then there are many lightweight distributions you can run,
If your machine is more than 10 yrs old with a 64bit CPU then personally I would recommend you use one of the medium or lightweight builds,
What is best for me or any other member, Is not necessarily the best for you,
ONLY YOU CAN CHOOSE

 

[f33dm3bits]

Any machine built with an amd64 [or intel] and has at least 4mb of ram will be capable of running any Linux distribution you choose
If you only have 2mb of ram, then there are many lightweight distributions you can run,

I think you meant 2G and 4G of ram?

Also that last topic "For beinners" the poster was asking what a good beginner distribution is not what the best Linux distribution is. In most cases for beginners Linux Mint or Ubuntu will be good enough.

Installation/SystemRequirements - Community Help Wiki

2 GHz dual core processor
4 GiB RAM (system memory)
25 GB (8.6 GB for minimal) of hard-drive space (or USB stick, memory card or external drive but see LiveCD for an alternative approach)
VGA capable of 1024x768 screen resolution
Either a CD/DVD drive or a USB port for the installer media

Frequently Asked Questions - Linux Mint

Linux Mint is an elegant, easy to use, up to date and comfortable desktop operating system.

linuxmint.com

2GB RAM (4GB recommended for a comfortable usage).
20GB of disk space (100GB recommended).
1024×768 resolution (on lower resolutions, press ALT to drag windows with the mouse if they don’t fit in the screen).

 

[Brickwizard]

I think you meant 2G and 4G of ram?

Also that last topic "For beinners" the poster was asking what a good beginner distribution is not what the best Linux distribution is. In most cases for beginners Linux Mint or Ubuntu will be good enough.

Installation/SystemRequirements - Community Help Wiki

Frequently Asked Questions - Linux Mint

Linux Mint is an elegant, easy to use, up to date and comfortable desktop operating system.

linuxmint.com

well spotted... amended
I was trying to avoid naming any one distribution

 

[kc1di]

Good write up @Brickwizard. I think much of the problem is for newbies coming from Windows world. Where there is basically only one choice. Here in the Linux World we have hundreds of choices. And often their confusion is compounded by friends to supposedly tried linux once and gave up. The sheer number of choices is overwhelming to most of them. So I suspect we will continue to see these types of questions far into the future. Which may not be a bad thing. Because it introduces the newbie to more experienced ops that can help direct them into the linux world.

 

[f33dm3bits]

well spotted... amended
I was trying to avoid naming any one distribution

It's still 2m and 4m in your original post.

I personally think that Linux Mint and Ubuntu are good options most of the time for beginners to Linux, with the exception of if they have really low-end hardware. People who are wanting to try Linux are already overwhelmed by how many Linux distributions there are so just giving them two good options is already a big help to them to get them started. If for example I or you reply to a beginner topic that they can try Linux Mint and then they have trouble installing then they can then create a topic here about installation troubles and then we will most likely ask for their hardware and then probably advise a more lightweight distribution. That's just my view on it, to keep it as simple as possible since it's already a big step for someone taking the step to try Linux.

Also great topic!

 

[Brickwizard]

It's still 2m and 4m in your original post.

I personally think that Linux Mint and Ubuntu are good options most of the time for beginners to Linux, with the exception of if they have really low-end hardware. People who are wanting to try Linux are already overwhelmed by how many Linux distributions there are so just giving them two good options is already a big help to them to get them started. If for example I or you reply to a beginner topic that they can try Linux Mint and then they have trouble installing then they can then create a topic here about installation troubles and then we will most likely ask for their hardware and then probably advise a more lightweight distribution. That's just my view on it, to keep it as simple as possible since it's already a big step for someone taking the step to try Linux.

Also great topic!

got it this time [changed battery in wireless board/mouse]

 

[Deleted member 137406]

Linux Lite Easy to Use Free Linux Operating System

Linux Lite is a free easy to use linux based operating system that is suitable for people who are new to linux.

www.linuxliteos.com

Linux Lite - Help Manual

Description to go here.

www.linuxliteos.com

 

[Brickwizard]

I personally think that Linux Mint and Ubuntu are good options

Both of which normally appear on my list of suggested builds [as you know I do not recommend] but equally Debian stable + driver pack, linux-Lite, MX-Linux , Parrot home edition, often also appear on my list, depending on machine specifications.

I do have to agree with the comment "People who are wanting to try Linux are already overwhelmed by how many Linux distributions there are" and there is still the old misconception that Linux is for geeks, and Linux doesn't work, which is usually down to a bad choice of distribution and the failure of the user to read ALL the documentation from the relevant developers before installing. And also those who want a free windows distribution, and get Pi**d off because Linux is not Windows and has a learning curve.

 

[f33dm3bits]

Both of which normally appear on my list of suggested builds [as you know I do not recommend] but equally Debian stable + driver pack, linux-Lite, MX-Linux , Parrot home edition, often also appear on my list, depending on machine specifications.

I don't think it's necessary for a beginners to share their hardware specifications in their first post, just recommend something and if they run into problems they will return back with an installation troubles topic and at that point it would be a good time to ask about hardware specifications. If you ask for hardware specifications in their first post it just adds to the stress of trying Linux or switching to Linux since they never had to think about it with Windows either, the same reason why I don't start about the different Desktop Environments in their first post but just recommend something and let them experience it for themselves. In most cases the system they are wanting to install Linux on was running a version of Windows before and if it can run Windows it can most likely run Linux Mint or Ubuntu as well, with some exceptions but most of the ones I've seen come across lately can run Linux Mint and Ubuntu.

 

[KGIII]

This page has had a whole lot of visits:

Finally, an Answer to What is The Best Linux Distro? • Linux Tips

Finally, an attempt to answer to the age old question: Which Linux distro is the best? Read on to find out which distro is the best Linux distro.

linux-tips.us

 

[wizardfromoz]

This Thread is already pinned but it needs cleaning up so I am locking it, and will clean up.

Thanks to all contributors, and to @Brickwizard for starting it.

Wizard