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What are the best Linux operating systems for personal use?

11

Options
Considered

29

User
Recs.

Feb 16, 2020

Last
Updated

Here’s the Deal

11 Options Considered

Best Linux operating systems for personal use	Price	Default Desktop Environment	Based On
-- ArchLabs Linux	-	Openbox, Xfce, i3, Bspwm, Awesome	-
-- Ubuntu	FREE	GNOME	Debian Stable(core) Testing/Unstable(universe/multiverse)
-- Siduction	free	KDE, Xfce, Cinnamon and LXQt	Debian Unstable>Aptosid
-- Linux Mint	Free	Cinnamon, MATE, Xfce	Debian>Ubuntu LTS
-- Salix	-	Xfce	SLS>Slackware

ArchLabs Linux

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Top Pro

Retains the minimalism of Arch

ArchLabs provides an easy-to-use installer without including unnecessary packages by default, unlike Manjaro. See More

Specs

Default Desktop Environment:Openbox, Xfce, i3, Bspwm, Awesome

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Ubuntu

Top Pro

Wide range of software out of the box

The default apps available in Ubuntu cover the gamut of most anyone's needs. From music, video or office applications Ubuntu has an app that will cover the users needs. See More

Top Con

No rolling release

New Ubuntu versions are released two times a year, during this period almost all software receives only security updates and minor bug fixes. See More

Specs

Default Desktop Environment:GNOME

Based On:Debian Stable(core) Testing/Unstable(universe/multiverse)

Init-System:Systemd

Package Manager:Debian Package Manager

Top Pro

Simplicity

Ubuntu is designed to be used by everyday people. Because of that, Ubuntu has tried hard to make a user interface that's intuitive and looks pleasant and clean. See More

Top Con

A tweaked Gnome version

Instead of original Gnome desktop with Ubuntu you get a tweaked Gnome and most of the tweaks makes user experience worse. See More

Top Pro

Great long term support release schedule (2 years)

This allows for users to always have a new supported release available without long unkown wait times in between. See More

Top Con

Relatively high system requirements

The default GNOME desktop environment is a resource hog which requires hardware accelerated graphics rendering in order to run smoothly, making out of the box Ubuntu unsuitable for low end systems and older hardware. Even mildly aged hardware, you'll get far better performance out of a lighter desktop environment like LXDE or XFCE. See More

Top Pro

Just works out of the box

Lots of support for hardware, lots of pre-installed software, and a smooth install process means less time downloading drivers, less time digging through configuration files, and less time deciding on software to use just to get up and running. It also means less time digging through forums looking for support. See More

Top Con

Canonical (author) is proprietary

Canonical is focused on making money so you can see many proprietary offers by them and the OS has built-in trackers (Amazon). See More

Top Pro

Perfect for collaboration on open source projects

This is probably the best option when collaborating on open source projects in hardware. This is mostly because packages and tools are readily available via software center. See More

Top Pro

Looks good

Ubuntu looks clean even when running from a LiveCD. See More

Top Pro

Stable

It‘s one of the most stable Linux Distros. See More

Top Pro

Unified search

Type any query into the Dash Home, and search will look through files, stores and web-pages to find what you are looking for. See More

Top Pro

UTF-8 is the default character encoding

Beginning with Ubuntu 5.04, UTF-8 became the default character encoding, which allows for support of a variety of non-Roman scripts. See More

Top Pro

Good PPA repositories available

PPA repositories allow you to install the latest version of your preferred software while keeping the rest of the operating system "stable". See More

Top Pro

Flexible

The setup for personal use is simple enough for anyone to achieve, and can easily be modified to act as a server. Programs and all features are easy to find and use, and first-timers can easily pick up on how to use it. See More

Top Pro

Good UI for small monitors

Because the menu usually is in the title bar and the launcher auto-hides, the whole screen can be used by an application. See More

Top Pro

Use it on almost any device

Not just for laptops - Ubuntu was designed with tablets and touchscreen devices in mind, and with phone support on the way. Ubuntu also has Long Term Support releases, as well as a version oriented toward servers, so you can use the same OS at work or on mobile as you do on your desktop. See More

Top Pro

Lots of support

As the most popular Linux distribution, there's a wide range of sources for support online if you ever need help, including the Ubuntu Wiki, Ubuntu Forums and the Ask Ubuntu Stack Exchange site. See More

Siduction

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Top Pro

Debian based

Specs

Default Desktop Environment:KDE, Xfce, Cinnamon and LXQt

Based On:Debian Unstable>Aptosid

Init-System:systemd

Package Manager:Debian Package Manager

Linux Mint

Top Pro

Supports proprietary software

Linux Mint does maintain a free software environment, however, it does offer full support to proprietary software (Chrome, Skype, Teamviewer). See More

Top Con

Cheap Windows substitute

Mint tries to be like Windows when it could be different and provide options. See More

Specs

Default Desktop Environment:Cinnamon, MATE, Xfce

Based On:Debian>Ubuntu LTS

Init-System:Systemd

Package Manager:Debian Package Manager

Top Pro

Has more desktop options

You can choose between Cinnamon, MATE and XFCE. See More

Top Con

Mint 19 forces unwanted updates

Since version 19 Mint adopted Windows 10's policy to force the user to install unwanted updates and even if the user deselects them and marks them not to be installed, they're still being installed. See More

Top Pro

The OS is great for both beginners and advanced users

The OS has different update settings for different users and has easy manual within the OS. See More

Top Con

Political

Clement Lefebvre, the lead developer of Linux Mint said “I don’t want any money or help coming from people who support the actions of the Israeli government.” See More

Top Pro

Easy installation and configuration

Linux Mint uses the same installer as Ubuntu. It is very easy to use for beginners, and also allows more advanced users to choose their own partitions. Linux Mint's Cinnamon desktop is highly customizable and can be made to look however preferred. See More

Top Pro

Complete and stable

It's based upon Ubuntu LTS or Debian. It depends on which one you select - Linux Mint or Linux Mint Debian Edition. The Debian Edition is even more stable. See More

Top Pro

Already functional out-of-the-box

Mint comes bundled with software for browsing the web, editing pictures, browsing files, watching videos and even a full office suite (LibreOffice). An average user can use Mint right away after a fresh install, using all the software that comes with the distribution to complete most of their daily tasks. See More

Top Pro

Compatibility with Debian and Ubuntu software builds and repositories

Mint gains a very strong package ecosystem and software manager of Debian, including more than 30,000 packages available from the Debian repositories. See More

Salix

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Top Pro

User friendly

Specs

Default Desktop Environment:Xfce

Based On:SLS>Slackware

Init-System:SysVinit

Package Manager:Pkgtool

Anarchy Linux

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Top Pro

Good for gaming

Smooth and cool. Easy to get going. See More

Top Con

The installer has many bugs

Especially during the manually partitioning and the additional software installing procedure. If you do the automatic partitioning and you don't install additional softwares it's ok. See More

Specs

Default Desktop Environment:Budgie, Cinnamon, Gnome, OpenBox, Xfce

Based On:Arch Linux

Top Pro

Friendly community

The community and developers are willing to solve any kind of inconvenience. See More

Top Pro

Low setup time

Even a person without prior knowledge will figure out how to set it up quite quickly. See More

Top Pro

LVM on LUKS encryption of whole disk possible

It works! Whereas neither the calamares installer used by arcolinux or manjaro nor the archlabs installer produces a working result. See More

Top Pro

Supports 32-bit architecture

Use ArchLinux32 instead of the traditional Arch Linux to support 32-bit architectures. See More

Top Pro

Fully developed in Bash

Being programmed entirely in Bash, it is relatively easy to find and solve errors or propose improvements. See More

Top Pro

Looks good by default

Top Pro

Everything you need in a small and fast Arch distro

Top Pro

Many preconfigured Desktop environments supported

Top Pro

Full access to Arch repositories as well as Aur

Top Pro

Saves a lot of time to set up an Archlinux system

Once you had your experience to set up an Archlinux system manually from scratch this distro saves a lot of setup time. See More

Top Pro

The end result is a well configured standard Archlinux system

BunsenLabs Linux

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Specs

Default Desktop Environment:Openbox

Based On:Debian Stable

Init-System:Systemd

Package Manager:Debian Package Manager

Deepin OS

Top Con

Very slow installer

Because the servers are in China. See More

FunGamer's Experience

Slow with a capital S. See More

Specs

Default Desktop Environment:Deepin Desktop Environment

Based On:Debian Stable

Init-System:Systemd

Package Manager:Debian Package Manager

Top Con

Deepin store apps not up to date

TrustingTrebaruna's Experience

user friendly, deepin repair inbuilt program, WPS office excellent. See More

Top Con

Slow default repos

Download speed for packages from the default repos, is abnormally slow if you don't choose the correct sever. See More

Top Con

Based in China

Top Con

Team doesn't know what to do

Deepin has changed the base 4 times, and the name 3 times. The Desktop Environment also has been changed 4 times. See More

Top Con

Cannot customize desktop environment.

Because the developers have locked down desktop customization is A HUGE detractor against the idea of setting things up how you want. See More

Top Con

Customization is a bit hidden

GUI is not straight forward for changing GTK+ or QT themes. See More

Fedora

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Top Pro

Integration with GNOME

It perhaps has the best integration with GNOME (GNOME software works out of the box). See More

Top Con

Proprietary drivers are unsupported

Fedora does not support proprietary drivers, meaning that users may have problems with a lot of hardware when using Fedora. The software to make that kind of hardware work can be installed, but it can be done only through third-parties and it's not easy for the average user. See More

Specs

Default Desktop Environment:GNOME

Based On:Red Hat Linux

Init-System:Systemd

Package Manager:RPM Package Manager

Top Pro

Fast performance

Top Pro

Fast and stable updates

Top Pro

Backed by one of the biggest Linux kernel contributors

Fedora is backed by RedHat, the 2nd biggest Linux kernel contributor in the world. Using a distribution made by RedHat means that it will be fine-tuned to work as efficiently as possible since it's made by the same people who work extensively on the kernel and know its ins and outs. See More

Top Pro

Create user after the installation

Very good for selling PC‘s with Fedora. See More

Top Pro

Spins and Labs

Spins are images with a different WM/DE, and Labs are filled with a specific theme of packages. See More

Linux Lite

Specs

Default Desktop Environment:Xfce

Based On:Debian>Ubuntu LTS

Init-System:Systemd

Package Manager:Debian Package Manager

Mint

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Specs

Platforms:Mac Linux Web

Price:Open Source

Site:https://www.mint-lang.com

Current stable version:0.5.0

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