Introduction
you’ve ever tried to install Linux, chances are you were immediately overwhelmed by the number of Linux “versions” available for download, ranging from free to paid ones. Well, in this article we’ll tackle the question of what the best Linux distro is and why there isn’t a single best distro. We’ll also answer the age-old question: “Is Arch Linux suitable for beginners?”
Why Are There So Many Linux Distros?
ubuntu family tree (distros)
Before you ask yourself, “Which Linux distro should I choose?”, we first need to define what a distro is.
You can think of a distro — or more accurately, a distribution — as a flavor of your favorite ice cream. It has the same core ingredients; it’s the additional parts that make it unique.
Likewise, a distro consists of core ingredients, starting with what we call the Linux kernel. (For now, all you need to know is that the kernel is the software closest to the actual hardware.)
Continuing with the ice cream analogy, now that we have our plain ice cream (the kernel), we need to add some flavor and toppings.
In our case, to have a useful and accessible operating system, we need a desktop environment so we can interact with the computer through a GUI (Graphical User Interface). We also need system tools and libraries. These are essential for maintaining and using the system. (Keep in mind that some distros come with more or fewer utilities depending on their use case — we’ll address that later.)
Last but not least, we need a package manager to install additional software beyond what comes preinstalled with the distro.
What Are the Most Commonly Used Distros?
If you want to take a look at some of the most commonly used Linux distros, here’s a short list:
Ubuntu: Huge community, easy to install, great for beginners.
Linux Mint: Plug-and-play, easy to use, and beginner-friendly.
Fedora: Newer software, close relationship with Red Hat.
Debian: Stable, reliable, and a favorite for servers.
Arch Linux: Latest software, huge community, and an excellent wiki.
Choosing a Distro Shouldn’t Take Long
One thing I want to warn you about is getting stuck in analysis paralysis.
Choosing a distro is, like I said before, similar to choosing an ice cream flavor. Reading the ingredient list and doing a quick comparison between the different flavors is all it takes.
But if you’ve never eaten ice cream before, you should simply try one. Then, with that experience in mind, you’ll be able to choose a better flavor next time.
The same goes for Linux distros.
Limit yourself to two days of research at most. The choice doesn’t have to be perfect.
One of the biggest mistakes beginners make is spending more time choosing a Linux distribution than actually using Linux.
How to Choose Your First Distro
Now, with all this food talk behind us, let’s get into the meat of things.
Why did I say there isn’t a single best Linux distro?
Because it depends on many factors.
We could spend hours arguing Ubuntu vs. Fedora or Arch vs. Debian, but let’s keep this focused on beginners.
Here are the factors I would consider when making my choice.
First of all, don’t focus on your technical proficiency. Instead, think about your willingness to dedicate time and effort to learning difficult concepts.
The second factor is your goal for switching to Linux.
Some examples include:
You want more control over your system.
You want an easy replacement for Windows.
You want to set up a web server.
Let’s go over some possible choices for those goals (this is by no means a comprehensive list):
Want more control over your system: Arch Linux, Gentoo (not for the weak).
Want an easy Windows alternative: Linux Mint, Ubuntu.
Want to set up a web server: Fedora, Debian, Ubuntu.
Should You Start with Arch?
If you’ve researched Linux distributions for beginners, you’ve probably noticed that hardly anyone recommends Arch. On the contrary, you’ll find countless articles urging beginners to stay away from it.
Well, I’m here to argue differently.
I started my Linux journey in a virtual machine running Kali Linux — not for any particular reason other than the fact that it was the first Linux tutorial I watched.
To be honest, I learned next to nothing other than a few basic command-line instructions.
In contrast, when I first downloaded Arch, I was already learning during the installation process itself. Installing Arch was a huge task. Browsing the Arch Wiki to find the best structure and choices for my system introduced me to concepts such as processes, the Linux Filesystem Hierarchy, and much more.
Another reason I encourage starting with Arch is the exposure to bleeding-edge software. Along the way, you’ll naturally pick up programming concepts. You’ll notice a pattern here, discover another concept there, and before you know it, you’re ahead of many programmers in terms of understanding how Linux works.
So what are you waiting for?
Go ahead and fail as many times as it takes.
It gets much smoother after those first few attempts.
You’re a programmer — you should already be familiar with that concept.
Conclusion
We explored why there are so many Linux distributions, looked at some of the most popular options, and discussed how to choose one that matches your goals.
Every Linux user starts somewhere, and your first distro doesn’t have to be your last.
If you could recommend one distro to a beginner, which would it be, and why?
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