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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).

Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.

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PSA: When people ask you "What distro should I use?", try pointing them here (distrochooser.de)

submitted 1 year ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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I found this site a while back - basically it will ask you a bunch of questions on your usage of your PC, and will came out with a list of recommended distros, and a list of reasons why YOU could like or not like it.

https://distrochooser.de/

There are some similar sites to this one, but since I'm not familiar with them, I won't post them. They are simply DuckDuckGo-able though.

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[–] [email protected] 21 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

I kinda feel like this is better for folks who've been at it for a little bit. There are way too many distros claiming to be beginner friendly for a tool like this to be helpful.

I think it's better to just send them to an easy to install, up to date distro that will suit their needs that has a DE that's easy to understand but different enough from where they're coming from to keep them from expecting it to work like windows. Stable updates from a GUI, software availability, and easy to use backup tools are all a plus.

Which OS am I talking about? Hell, I have no idea. Fedora? Maybe Vanilla 2 when it comes out? Certainly nothing Arch based (sorry, guys, I love arch too but it's not for beginners...).

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Which OS am I talking about? Hell, I have no idea. Fedora? Maybe Vanilla 2 when it comes out? Certainly nothing Arch based (sorry, guys, I love arch too but it's not for beginners...).

I honestly think it's Ubuntu. If we put aside the biases many of us "experienced" users have against Ubuntu/Canonical/snaps, Ubuntu seems like the best choice. Well supported, wide community, sane defaults.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

I'd agree if it weren't for the Snaps bullshit. Because of that, I don't want to recommend it to anyone because I don't want to encourage Canonical.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

If I'm looking it from a new user's perspective, snaps offer an easy way to install many apps. If people actually care about their downsides they will eventually find out and stop using them on their own.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Yeah, I'm not talking about the technical issues. Those are just growing pains. Snap is really no better or worse than, say, Flatpak. I don't like dealing with it, but that's not why I wouldn't recommend Ubuntu.

It's stuff like redirecting apt installs to snaps. It's Canonical I have issue with, not Ubuntu itself.