Re: First time Linux user – Best distro to start?

On 2026-03-21, Lawrence D’Oliveiro <[email protected]> wrote:
> On Fri, 20 Mar 2026 12:57:19 -0000 (UTC), Borax Man wrote:
>
>> Likewise, if you are helping someone move to Linux, and you are
>> going to help them, just get them to install a distro YOU know well,
>> perhaps the one you use yourself.
>
> Choosing a Linux distro is like buying a car (without the monetary
> cost). There is a bewildering variety of choice, but they each address
> a different market segment.
>
> Or, to put it another way, if you’re looking for something modest,
> that will handle the weekly shopping and maybe an out-of-town trip or
> two, and the friend you’re asking advice from owns a tricked-out,
> down-low, souped-up brrm-brrmobile with aftermarket spoiler ... let’s
> just say your daily driver may end up being a bit more exciting than
> you expected.

When I started with Linux, I just bought a magazine which had a cover
disk, and used that.  Next distro, was one a friend had, when I found
the distro on the coverdisk didn't do something I wanted it to.  In
actually it could, I just didn't know about Linux enough to solve what
was a simple problem and I thought the distro itself was broken.

But I never really shopped.  I just used the first one I got, and stuck
with that for 20 years.  Most of what I wanted to do, could be done
within the same distro.  Want a light desktop environemnt?  A light
window manager?  Change the theme?  Usually no issue.  Change default
apps?  Easy.

Its like buying a car, but many brands are just reskins of others
brands and the overlap of features is huge.

Some distros, like Puppy Linux or Omarchy do try to do something quite
different.  These could actually be good first distros for some
people. But its really hard to make a recommendation to someone who
doesn't have any reason more than "I just want to use Linux and not
Windows".  Thats where I would just get them to use the one I can help
with, and which has great support.