Part 1
Which Island to Hop to Next
Because a first impression is a lasting one, many people request recommendations on which Linux distribution (distro) to try. Many discussions go back and forth about trying to find a shoe that fits you, and everyone else in the house. I will say this: do not get too hung up on it. Distros are like toys; some you keep, and others you throw away for better or for worse. Keeping your system and data partitions separate is a good idea because it is often done even with beginner. Out of the barrel, only some are monumental.
The Cake is not a Lie
Many times, distros tend to be very similar to the untrained user. Like making a cake, the base ingredient is the Linux kernel and hardware support. On top of that, are the GNU utilities that speak between system and users. Then we add the censored word like ready-made mixings, or we make our own fixings. Scramble it up with user interfacing like audio, video, and other inputs and outputs.
The graphical user interface (GUI) is like the toppings; some like it sweet, while others do not. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. My favorite course is usually sticking to something lite but complete, like LXQT, then building on top of that with desktop environment independent apps. I particularly prefer multiplatform apps if possible to keep transitioning over smooth. I try to keep the sugar down, but when I need something stronger, it is ready to launch.
A Try Hard
As a non-computer (hardware, software etc) specialist like myself who has hobbies in computers, I wanted a challenge. Trying their luck with Linux From Scratch (LFS) and beyond as just random. As someone who completed the journey on a whim, it was worthwhile as I got to see a system built. The course takes about a week with trial, error, and sheer willpower. It is like a coming-of-age tale; complete it once and never speak of it again.
Which of the Two
What thinly separates distros (apart from the GUI) is the package manager (PM). There are two main distinctions: source and binary based. Source-based distros are managers that download the source files, and then build them while following their recipes. We must build everything ourselves, including the core system components. The most notable examples come from the Berkeley Software Distribution (BSD) family and Gentoo from Linux. Some BSD forks try to be more user friendly, and there are also forks of Gentoo available. These are geared toward easier maintenance for their dev team.
These distros are mainly for those who do not really trust anyone. Distros like these are often skipped as they take tons of effort to maintain ourselves. Reading sources may be fun as we get to see unique options not included by default, or even add custom patches to the fixings. A common example of this is the Suckless utilities. After trying out a few, I swore to never try these again. It was way over my pay grade.
Then we have binary-based distros which are the ones usually used because they are built for us. Packages are built either by our distro maintainers, various external first and third-party maintainers, or by ourselves. Windows and Mac fit into this category, and with many toolkits available may see a different option soon enough. They run as ready to rumble with little bloodshed for us users.
A Third Wheel
Some break out of the mold like portable applications, NixOS packages, and Bedrock Linux. These can further be added on top of the base OSs, and theoretically, on top of source-based distros as well. Having choices like these open up routes to more degrees of freedom. It can also be a double-edged sword for non-experienced users. Experience is the best teacher.
While not as trustworthy as an official repository, they can greatly benefit both users and maintainers. Who is to say their distro of choice can be completely trusted? Why not ask Windows users, this can and has happened in Linux, too. Relying on off site packages can also be a blessing, many applications are starting to consider portable applications distributions. This allows for maintainers more time to allocate elsewhere, and some are already doing so.
This is why keeping system and data partitions separate is good practice. After hopping from one distro to the next, many of our preferred settings can be picked up on another system. There may be issues with incompatible apps like an accidental downgrade, but most of the time the app can panic a bit and fix itself up, if not wipe the settings clean again. People also love having their user configs backed up elsewhere like on GitHub or other cloud storage providers.
The Town of Beginnings
Picking a starting distro is like playing a game, it does not take long for us to stay in our starting town. With various informative sites like DistroWatch, and even a testing site like distro test, our options are endless. Beginners should not get too hung up on deciding which game they want to play as there are tons available. Sooner or later in life, some even leave their starting towns, and even their countries.
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