This Is My All-time Linux Distro - And I've Tried Them All

2 months ago

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ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

Over nan years, 1 Linux distribution has risen supra nan rest.
That distribution is based connected Ubuntu, truthful it's user-friendly.
The champion of nan champion is adjacent parts beauty and usability.

Ubuntu (and each of its spins), Fedora (and each of its spins), Red Hat (before Fedora was a thing), openSUSE, Linux Mint, Arch, Gentoo, Pop!_OS…

The database goes on.

Also: The easiest measurement to effort retired Ubuntu Linux

I've utilized and/or tested truthful galore Linux distributions that it makes my caput spin. I've moreover tested distributions that are nary longer pinch america (remember Caldera OpenLinux?). Scattered wrong that overly-long database is simply a fistful of distributions that I would telephone my favorites (or those I would beryllium happy to usage arsenic my default). That database would look thing like:

Ubuntu
Pop!_OS
Ubuntu Budgie
Bodhi Linux
Linux Mint
Fedora

Pop!_OS is absorbing because, while it whitethorn not beryllium my favourite Linux distribution (although COSMIC desktop is making that harder and harder to say), I usage it arsenic my default because it ships pinch System76 hardware. Because some hardware and OS are created by nan aforesaid company, Pop!_OS runs for illustration a dream, and that's why I proceed utilizing System76's OS.

Regardless, location is besides 1 peculiar Linux distribution that I would telephone my all-time favourite Linux distribution. I've written astir this peculiar open-source OS countless times and person regularly deemed it "your champion first distribution."

That OS, arsenic Sherlock Holmes would put it, is elementary… arsenic successful elementaryOS.

Why elementaryOS?

I could opportunity that it's each astir nan elementaryOS desktop environment, Pantheon. That's a awesome spot to start, but nan reasoning down my determination doesn't commencement aliases extremity there.

It each originates pinch nan elementaryOS tagline, "The thoughtful, capable, and ethical replacement for Windows and MacOS."

Thoughtful, capable, and ethical. If location were immoderate 3 words I would for illustration attached to my OS, it would beryllium those. I know, you're astir apt thinking, "We're talking astir an OS! Wouldn't an OS beryllium amended served pinch thing for illustration powerful, user-friendly, and efficient?" Sure, if you only saw your OS arsenic a intends to a productive end.

From my perspective, an operating strategy is astir truthful overmuch more. Above all, nan motive down an operating strategy has to beryllium thoughtful, successful that nan developers person to beryllium thoughtful of its intent and imaginable personification base. An OS besides needs to beryllium capable, but not conscionable successful a business sense. An OS needs to beryllium tin of galore things, specified arsenic education, entertainment, and community. Finally, if an OS cannot beryllium ethical, why should it moreover exist?

ElementaryOS is each of those things.

But it doesn't extremity there.

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The simple audience

When I deliberation of elementaryOS, 1 point that ever comes to mind is its audience. Who is this distribution champion suited for? From my perspective, nan reply to that mobility is everyone. But what this is really astir is really nan developers of this OS cognize nan assemblage has proven, since it first came into being, that they cognize and understand their audience.

This Linux distribution doesn't entreaty to caller users by talking down to them. Rather, it celebrates them by being easy to usage without holding nan user's hand. Instead, nan developers person created an operating strategy that guides nan personification pinch simplicity. By taking this path, nan developers make it specified that seasoned users aren't turned disconnected by nan OS.

Again, elementaryOS is an OS for everyone.

Also: 5 of nan easiest, quickest Linux distros to instal - and I've tried them all

The UI

OK… you knew I was going to bring this up. How could I not? I've been a immense instrumentality of nan Pantheon situation for a agelong time. It strikes nan cleanable equilibrium betwixt aesthetics and usability. ElementaryOS is what would hap if MacOS and Windows made a baby, only if said babe were open-source.

If you've publication my activity enough, you cognize that I for illustration my desktops to beryllium elegant. This is 1 of nan reasons why I was truthful excited for Apple to merchandise Liquid Glass. It's 1 of nan reasons why I judge System76's COSMIC desktop will yet go nan astir wide utilized DE connected nan market.

That dock and apical barroom layout has proven, complete and over, to beryllium nan astir elegant and businesslike available. And though elementaryOS lacks nan level of theming capacity recovered successful say, KDE Plasma aliases COSMIC, it's nan only OS I've ever utilized that didn't make maine think, "How tin I make this prettier?" ElementaryOS is simply a Linux distribution that doesn't request to beryllium tweaked and twisted.

Consistency

Consistency tends to get overlooked wrong nan realm of Linux. If you return a look astatine nan improvement of elementaryOS, you'll find that it has mostly looked nan aforesaid since its early days. Even pinch awesome releases, nan look and consciousness of elementaryOS is ever nan same. This is thing you tin count on, and I cannot ideate this Linux distribution will ever spot dramatic, earth-shattering changes.

This is important. When caller users look astatine really immoderate of nan different distributions are ever changing aliases connection aggregate desktop environments, it tin beryllium confusing aliases off-putting. With elementaryOS, you ever cognize what you're getting. That benignant of consistency keeps users coming back.

Let's look it: 1 of nan first things that attracts caller users to a circumstantial distribution is nan desktop used. You spell to Ubuntu because you for illustration Canonical's return connected GNOME. You opt for Fedora KDE because Plasma is brilliant.

Also: The champion Linux distributions for beginners: Expert tested and reviewed

You are attracted to elementaryOS because of Pantheon.

So, why would distributions want to make melodramatic changes to nan desktop? The elementaryOS developers understand this, which is simply a cardinal constituent to nan desktop being truthful consistent.

Repeat aft me: Users for illustration consistency.

Why? Most group fearfulness change. Consider nan backlash nan GNOME squad had to withstand erstwhile they migrated from GNOME 2 to GNOME 3 (aka GNOME Shell). That was fierce, and I was amazed nan squad didn't rotation backmost that change.

As nan saying goes, "If it isn't broken, why hole it?"

Put it each together

When you put each of these reasons together, you mightiness spot why I've chosen elementaryOS arsenic my all-time favourite Linux distribution. If System76 didn't vessel pinch Pop!_OS (and activity truthful seamlessly pinch it), you tin stake my go-to would beryllium elementaryOS because each of those things travel together to make an bonzer Linux distribution.