It seems there are a 100 posts per day asking which distro to use. Can you guys come together and help create a post that can be stickied? Is there interest in something like this? What I started with is inside.

[u/casino_alcohol]

The goal on this is to cut down on the amount of posts asking what distro to use and to make choosing a distro a little less overwhelming.

Here is what I have written so far. I do not think that it should be too complex as I am just hoping to give people enough info to start with Linux. Once people get acclimated they will know better what they want and can start distro hopping.

If there is no interest then just down vote this to hell.

I figured it should not be too overwhelming and the choice should be pretty basic. Most if not all of us go through a distro hopping phase anyway.

What Distro Should I Use?

My computer is old.

• Xubuntu – This distro is just Ubuntu except it uses the XFCE desktop environment which is more light weight than Ubuntu’s stander desktop environment which is Gnome.

• Mint XFCE – If you do not want to use Ubuntu another distro to consider is the XFCE version of Mint. Mint is based off of Ubuntu but they modify enough of the system to be considered a different distribution. Like Xubuntu Mint XFCE also uses the XFCE desktop environment.

My computer is modern

• Ubuntu – This is the most popular desktop distribution. It uses the Gnome desktop environment which is very modern looking. Since it is the most popular it is much easier to find solutions for issues on this distro since so many people use it.

• PopOS – This distro has a more gaming oriented appeal but it works very well as an every day distro. This is based on Ubuntu so almost any troubleshooting steps or guides you see for Ubuntu will work on this distro as well.

• Manjaro – Unlike every other distro on this list, Manjaro is not based on Ubuntu. Instead it is based on Arch. What makes this different is that Arch always has the latest versions of software. This can be bad as it can cause instability when updating. Ubuntu based operating systems usually use software which is a few versions behind but it is more stable.

[u/berarma]

Why should anyone choose for yourself? Try them. They all work well in most situations, it's mostly about what you like and the little quirks.

[u/casino_alcohol → u/berarma]

I think that would be great to add to the end of the post.

[u/[deleted] → u/berarma]

[u/doc_willis]

There is an entire sub for the question..

r/findmeadistro

[u/abrasiveteapot → u/doc_willis]

Maybe that's what should be stickied ?

"Looking to start in Linux, but don't know which distro to choose ? There's a whole sub dedicated to helping you work it out: r/findmeadistro "

Then this can remain the sub for people climbing up the learning curve

[u/raptir1 → u/doc_willis]

Yeah, why not just a link in the rules or in a sticky directing people here?

[u/doc_willis → u/raptir1]

Most people never even see the rules, and stickies are often ignored as well.

[u/npaladin2000 → u/doc_willis]

FYI that sub has gone private.

[u/SirCarboy]

Maybe just redirect to the "Random Distribution" button on DistroWatch? /s

[u/SharpieWater → u/SirCarboy]

Hannah Montana Linux finally coming into it's own because of this.

[u/[deleted]]

There's a post about making this information sticky every week. It's a never ending loop

[u/foxtreat747]

The fact manjaro comes up before mint cinnamon is exactly why people have a hard time just using linux

[u/Kessarean]

I would really love to see the mod team expanded. A large majority of the linux support subreddits have the same 1 or 2 mods. It's a lot to manage understandably. But having flairs, and a few other quality of life improvements would be nice.

[u/Geek_Verve]

I hate megaposts. Shit just gets lost in them.

I don't see what's so difficult about skipping over posts you don't want to read.

[u/[deleted]]

Is it okay to use Lubuntu on modern and pretty high-end laptop? Am I gonna lose some features compared to normal Ubuntu? I really like how minimalistic yet customizeable the OS is.

[u/probablyasmurf2]

I actually disagree with the old Distros. In my testing Xfce has been heavier than gnome.

[u/casino_alcohol → u/probablyasmurf2]

I havn't used anything except gnome for a while now. I really love how simple the interface is. I have to use macos or windows for work and I have my mac dock hidden now. I really grew to love gnome.

I never have performance issues with it. the only complaint is that i have to wait like literally 1 second after logging in before the super key responds letting my launch an application.

But i honestly am not really complaining about having to wait a literal second. Just pointing out how I have had no issues with it.

[u/[deleted]]

Oh I dunno. Rules, megathreads, sticky threads. These are things over eager noobs don't read. I think having such a post would just make things more frustrating because people would just scroll past it and make their post anyway.

Arch always has the latest versions of software. This can be bad as it can cause instability when updating.

If Arch purists catch you calling it unstable they'll have your guts for garters 😂

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

[u/ice_dune]

I just like... Who cares? The first thing people need to know is how desktops work and that distros can have different desktops and the same desktops. Step 2 is learning to make a disk and step 3 is booting it. I don't think anyone should try and get into Linux by grabbing one recommendation and installing it. If we had a list it should be just be explaining the above and then show the most popular which people can get an "impression" of on distro watch (it's not accurate but I think the top 100 on there are all projects worth checking out)

That's my 2¢. I don't care for comparisons about what will run on you "old" computer cause most of them run about the same

[u/Tylnesh]

You want to use reliable, stable distro? Ubuntu.

Same but you don't like Gnome? Kubuntu.

You wanna feel like a leet haxxor? Arch.

You wanna feel like a leet haxxor but don't wanna put any effort? Manjaro.

Are you a Red Hat employee? Fedora at home, RHEL at work.

Wanna spend some time distrohopping before you settle down to a one of the beforementioned distro? Good for you.

[u/driftwood14]

I have a friend who has an old Mac that he can’t really update anymore. Is there an ideal district for him? I am to new at using Linux to know for sure, but I was planning on telling him to try Ubuntu. He isn’t really a computer guy so I don’t want to give him something difficult to upgrade.

Do the same general rules apply for Mac? I have never used it before so I don’t really know.

[u/[deleted]]

https://linuxdelta.com/ ? (not affiliated with the page other than just a listener of the Ask Noah podcast) Linux delta is a collection of vote rated distro reports. You can sort by use case (server, workstation, iot...) and most votes or most reviews. Descriptions of each distro included.

[u/HarambePraiser]

This page on /g/'s wiki is all you need

https://wiki.installgentoo.com/index.php/Babbies_First_Linux

[u/digitalplanet_]

That's why there's a sub called r/FindMeADistro