What are the best Linux distros?

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13 Options Considered

Best Linux distros	Price	Based On	Default Desktop Environment
-- Arch Linux	-	(independent)	CLI
-- Debian GNU/Linux	-	None	CLI, GNOME(Xfce on non-Linux Ports)
-- Linux Mint	Free	Ubuntu LTS	Cinnamon, MATE, Xfce
-- Manjaro Linux	-	Arch Linux	XFCE, KDE, Gnome, Budgie, Cinnamon, Deepin, i3, LXDE/lxqt, and MATE
-- Fedora	-	Fedora	Gnome Shell

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13 Options Considered

My Recommendation for Arch Linux

My Recommendation for Arch Linux

Helpful community

Not ready out of the box

Cutting edge rolling release

Manual install process

Excellent documentation

Requires some background with Linux and the command-line to setup

Excellent package management with the AUR

Not for the faint of heart

Fast and simple package management

Not so great overall

As slim or copious as you want it

pacman is a slow package manager

Simplicity is absolutely the principal objective behind Arch development

Fragile packages

No restrictive handholding, pure control over everything

Instability can be an issue

Stripped down to the bone

Rolling release requires bandwidth

A package for almost everything

Support for a large variety of hardware

Helpful 3rd-party installers

It is Linux at the core

Good overall system quality

An opportunity to improve

Helpful for understanding how Linux is installed.

My Recommendation for Debian GNU/Linux

My Recommendation for Debian GNU/Linux

Very stable

No default support for non-free hardware

Comes with over 37,500 packages available

You have to dig deep for non-free

A lot of ways to install software

Old software is not useful, but is stable

Standard vanilla Linux desktop

Ridiculous package splitting

Wide choice of hardware platforms

No choices

Rolling or Release based

Internal quarrels harm the project

Extremely easy to find help with any problem

Slow boot

Highly secure system

Buggy and non-user friendly

Install and forget

Great for gaming

Well-working team

Wide choice in desktop environments

Live install images for CDs, DVDs and USB thumb drives

My Recommendation for Linux Mint

My Recommendation for Linux Mint

Compatibility with Debian and Ubuntu software builds and repositories

Outdated software centers

Already functional out-of-the-box

Mint 19 forces unwanted updates

Complete and stable

Looks ugly

There is a "system restore" tool to restore the OS if something breaks

System updates can lead the system to being unstable

Easy installation and configuration

The Linux Mint website once provided malware

Provides LTS (long term support) versions

Cheap Windows substitute

The OS is great for both beginners and advanced users

Upgrade process between version can be painful

Familiar user interface

My Recommendation for Manjaro Linux

My Recommendation for Manjaro Linux

Can still be unstable

Installation is a breeze

Nothing new

Arch User Repository access

Daily manual updates

A rolling-release distribution

The Manjaro unstable repository is slow to sync with the Arch stable repository

Based on Arch and user friendly

Bad way of handling dependencies

Friendly community