What is the best OS for an old Macbook?

Calamares installer and MHWD is the reason why this distribution is good for desktop user- friendliness! Audio codecs, latest packages,latest kernel and easy upgrade to the latest build makes it the best choice for new users. See More

Manjaro Linux

Top Pro

Installation is a breeze

Top Con

Installer from USB has issues

The boot installer from USB freezes around the 90 percent mark. Requires some finangling to get it to work. See More

Specs

Based On:Arch Linux

Package Manager:pamac

Default Desktop Environment:XFCE, KDE Plasma, GNOME

Init-System:systemd

The Manjaro community is very helpful, and there are lots of tutorials. See More

Top Pro

Good documentation and forum

Top Con

Bad dependencies

This is similar to the mac0S experience in that you're not allowed to remove plank. See More

Top Pro

Friendly community

If you ask questions of users in their forums or on other platforms, they are willing to help you. Also according to the developers, they are open to new ideas in order to make the distro better. See More

Top Con

Can still be unstable

Here are the details of it. See More

Top Pro

Arch User Repository access

Manjaro allows the user to access of the Arch User Repository, a very large user-maintained repository of packages for Arch Linux and derivatives. See More

Top Pro

Uses low memory

By using XFCE (or LXDE, Fluxbox, supported by community) as the default desktop on an install, Manjaro is able to have a low memory footprint. See More

Top Pro

Different editions to select from + Manjaro community

You can choose between different Manjaro editions which have their own change in features, and there is also Manjaro community editions where the community can make their own changes. See More

Top Pro

Based on Arch and user friendly

Manjaro is an Arch-based distribution with all the benefits of the Arch ecosystem and community but with the added benefit of being much more user-friendly than Arch. See More

Top Pro

Stable and consistently up to date

Manjaro receives regular updates, but more importantly these updates are stable. The updates are rolled out, which means you can easily update the software without needing to re-install. See More

Top Pro

Improved stability due to a longer testing period for new packages

Packages from Arch's repositories are tested (about two weeks) longer for stability and compatibility issues. Patches are applied, when necessary, before being made available in the stable repositories. See More

Top Pro

Support for multiple kernels

Manjaro has built-in support for multiple kernels as well as a way to easily install them. See More

Wrong answer to the question of OS for an old macbook. Anyone asking, already doesn't want OS X, and El Capitan doesn't even install on the older Intel Macs. See More

OS X El Capitan

Top Con

Doesn't support older Intel hardware

Top Pro

Impressive performance

El Capitan can bring a noticeable speed increase to devices, especially older macbooks. Apple claims an increase from Yosemite between 1.4 and 4 times (depending on the task). See More

DecentHermes's Experience

Ran El Capitan without issue for four years. Fast, little clutter, simple. After upgrade to bloated Catalina 10.15.6 came website load delays, etc. Upgraded all apps as suggested by Apple as made available with no improvement. MacBook Pro (Retina, 13 inch, Late 2013) Processor 2.4 GHz Dual-Core Intel Core I5 Memory 8 GB 1600 MGz DDR3 Graphics Intel Iris 1536 MB See More

Arch is based on Rolling Release model, which means you don't have to upgrade the system every once 6 months or so. It keeps on updating through packages itself, and therefore does not contain any proper version number. See More

Arch Linux

Top Pro

Rolling Release

Top Con

Not as easy to install

Arch is not easy to install, especially if you are new to linux, because, it requires you to use command line and install softwares which you want. Arch Wiki does make it a lot easier, but still, it will require quite some reading to do. See More

Electrux Redsworth's Experience

Works great, is very customizable, and contains pretty much every software/package you would probably require - through Arch User Repository. See More

Specs

Based On:Independent

Package Manager:Pacman

Default Desktop Environment:N/A

Arch has its Arch User Repository (AUR), which contains pretty much all the packages you will need. Most software built for Linux will be available in AUR, which therefore is easy to install. See More

Top Pro

Endless amount of software

Top Con

Problems with driver/kernel/gpu consistency

Arch has no proper desktop support, you must craft your system together. Things may work for the first but generally it takes days to configure a stable and working system. This is not ideal for a desktop user. See More

Top Pro

Very customizable

You install most of the software by yourself (Desktop Environment, etc.) so you are in control of how things look and feel. See More

Top Con

Not for the faint of heart

Arch only holds your hand a little bit of the way. While documentation is great, you are expected to know what you're doing. The result is that when you find the solution for a problem on a forum or elsewhere, the response may be completely over your head. If you're not well-versed in Linux, what would be a minor issue on another distribution can become a drawn-out research project on Arch, as you learn all the inner workings of the operating system, until you understand it well enough to solve your problems yourself. See More

Top Pro

Amazing Wiki

Arch Wiki is probably the best Wiki around. Most of the problems which you might encounter are detailed in the Arch Wiki thoroughly. See More

Top Con

Packages can break

Arch has latest packages. But that does not mean that they are the most stable ones. Packages in Arch can break once in a while and you will have to look up and find for fixes, although they are fixed quite quickly as well. See More

Top Pro

Teaches a lot of how Linux works

You have to build a lot of the OS yourself according to how you want it to work. That requires configuration which in turn requires understanding of some of the working of the OS. Therefore, it teaches quite a bit of how it works. See More

Top Con

Instability can be an issue

Sometimes you can have a surprise, but in most cases it can be fixed quickly. See More

Top Pro

Latest software

Arch Linux is a bleeding edge distribution - meaning, it has latest packages/software in its repository. See More

Top Con

Fragile packages

Updating an Arch system is always a gamble. The problem could be as simple as a package having a bug causing a program to crash on start or it may be something bigger like the WiFi or Bluetooth no longer working. There is also the slight chance the system may not even boot at all after a large update. If the user does not plan to read the forums weekly/daily or update fairly often, things can go wrong very fast. See More

Top Pro

Stripped down to the bone

Since its stripped down, it is fast and you don't have to deal with bloatware. See More

Top Con

Package manager is so naive

For example, it doesn't allow you to purge (remove package and its configuration files). See More

Top Pro

Helpful community

If searching through the wiki or the forums for any problems turns nothing, any question on the official forums, Arch subreddit or the IRC channel will be answered within minutes. There will probably be no hand-holding however, Arch users prefer to point anyone to a resource that may help them instead of trying to outright solve their problem in a forum thread. This is quite helpful for people who want to really learn how their system works but also for other people who may stumble in that thread considering how most problems don’t have a universal solution. See More

Top Con

Too many package upgrades that require manual intervention

Every year or so there is a update to ArchLinux that will break your system unless you first read the front page of archlinux.org. This happened with SystemD and with a few other updates that require you to do prior steps befor pacman -Syu. See More

Top Pro

Helpful 3rd-party installers

There are extremely helpful 3rd-party installers such as Anarchy Linux (Formerly Arch Anywhere). See More

Top Con

Manual install process

The installation process for Arch Linux is not as streamlined as it is in other distributions. You have to install the OS, Desktop Environment, Network software and configure everything by yourself. See More

Top Pro

Simplicity is absolutely the principal objective behind Arch development

The design approach of the development team focuses on elegance, code correctness, minimalism, and simplicity, and expects the user to be willing to make some effort to understand the system's operation. See More

Top Con

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

Going in with zero Linux knowledge is not really recommended when wanting to install Arch, though it can be a good learning experience for those that are dedicated to trial and error as well as reading many faqs. See More

Top Pro

Support for a large variety of hardware

From latest wacom pads to obscure wireless cards in laptops Arch's hw support has been and continues to be good. It has worked on laptops where other leading distro's like debian/ mint/ ubuntu failed to detect and work with all hardware. See More

Top Con

Documentation only makes sense if you know how to adjust it

While the documentation is a very valuable reference for experts, the recipes often don't actually work on your own computer. Some articles are outdated, incomplete, contradictory or duplicated. Only if you are expert enough to know which steps to skip, to adjust or which other documentation parts to plug in, you can make it work. See More

Top Pro

Excellent package management with the AUR

The AUR is a repository with a very extensive catalogue of build/install scripts that are contributed by users. While these scripts are inherently less secure than conventional packages maintained by a distro's authors, it's still way easier to verify the security of install scripts than it would be to write them yourself. It's very usefull. See More

Top Con

Rolling release requires bandwidth

Arch uses a rolling release model for updates. Unlike, for example Ubuntu where a new version is released every six months, packages are updated when they are ready. The advantage is a very up to date system and that the work of upgrading can be spread over a longer span of time to a point where it is hardly noticeably effort. However it can be difficult for people without a high bandwidth connection, or with limits on how many GB can be downloaded imposed by their internet service providers. A GB a month of downloads is quite possible. This can be somewhat offset by Arch being lightweight, besides the relatively small core, the user selects what is installed (and has to be updated). See More

Top Pro

Fast and simple package management

Pacman has performance advantages over apt-get and yum in both database operations (thanks to being written for speed) and download times (by virtue of using better mirrors than other distributions tend to select by default). There are also fewer default repositories to download from, and all package management is combined into one tool instead of being split into dpkg, apt-get, and apt-cache like on Debian distros. See More

Top Pro

As slim or copious as you want it

Arch keeps its core repositories slim and free of unnecessary dependencies. At first installation only a bare system is set up. You can easily get the other applications through the package manager. The repositories are nearly as full as those of Ubuntu, while they are often more up to date. That way you don't have to waste time with software you don't need or want. See More

Top Pro

No restrictive handholding, pure control over everything

Arch is mainly aimed at experienced Linux users, there is no hand-holding and not much in a way of UI elements when trying to install or tweak settings. See More

Top Pro

A package for almost everything

If you need to install something, chances are someone in the Arch community has already made a package for it. This makes it incredibly easy for you to install and maintain all of the non-media content on your computer. See More

Top Pro

Excellent documentation

Arch's goal of simplicity means there's usually one preferred way to get things done - through organized and well documented configuration files. This focus, combined with the community's recognition that configuration files can be intimidating, has resulted in excellent documentation that's accessible to newcomers, and very instructive about how Linux actually works. The documentation is often so thorough that, when searching for solutions to problems while using other distributions, such as with video card drivers, oftentimes you'll find the most effective solution in the Arch Linux wiki or on the forums. See More

Top Pro

Can have very low system footprint

Since you install the OS as and how you want, you can make it as minimalistic as you like, which in turn would make the system's use of resources quite low. See More

System boots quickly and stays responsive. Does what operating system should do, and does it really well. See More

Solus

Top Pro

Responsive

Specs

Based On:Scratch

Package Manager:eopkg package manager (PiSi fork)

Init-System:systemd

Release Schedule:Rolling

Wich means you don't have to suffer from version to version updates that can break it. See More

Top Pro

Rolling Release Model

Top Pro

Great package management

The software center makes it really easy to install the latest software through Snappy and Flatpak. Including third party software. See More

Top Pro

Easy installation

The installation procedure for this distribution is quite simple. It's GUI based and all you have to do is to follow the instructions given by the installation window itself. See More

Top Pro

Rock-solid Distro

Very stable and well curated. See More

Top Pro

Stable

The system itself is very stable. All packages in the repository seem to be carefully picked, well prepared and run stable. See More

The default Unity 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

Ubuntu

Top Pro

Cares about stable drivers

Top Con

Relatively high system requirements

ConscientiousCandaules's Experience

stable and easy to use and set up See More

Specs

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

Package Manager:Debian Package Manager, Snap Store

Default Desktop Environment:GNOME

Ubuntu is a very popular distro. Thus there are a lot of wikis and others making people switch to Ubuntu. Btw I am using this guide. See More

Top Pro

A lot of Guides are available.

Top Con

Not a good option if you rely on/prefer OSX apps

Switching from OS X to Linux isn't going to work for you if you have a preference for OSX apps. See More

DexStarr's Experience

A lot of stuff is available for Ubuntu. I use this guide with my setup. 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

Unity and other Ubuntu-specific software is problematic

Unity is awesome and user-friendly at many places. But it's not customizable at much extent. Getting rid of it can be either not possible or very problematic. Same is true about other Ubuntu-specific software. A lot of things don't work as expected. Even though the repository is based on Debian, some ways to do stuff don't actually work. It's better usually to use GUI whenever possible, than to manually edit files. This is frustrating. See More

DeterminedBebinn's Experience

It operated for about a week and then completely crashed. I would avoid Ubuntu See More

Top Pro

Runs at low resources

Run far faster than Windows on Dell laptop. See More

Top Con

Unity offers very limited customizability

The Unity desktop environment is practically non customizable with the user only being able to change certain themes and icons and adding a dock. See More

Top Pro

Company behind it

This means that the system must run well, otherwise they will lose money. See More

Top Con

Unstable

Some people pointed out that updating Arch is a high risk affair. And one should carefully read forums before doing it. The same is true about Ubuntu. Making system updates (like it was with 10.04 to 11.04) that screw so many things up became a routine. Even LTS releases should not give confidence that it will work. See More

Top Pro

Stable

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

Top Con

Unity interface might be confusing for new users

Unity does not align itself with the normal desktop paradigm and thus has a bit of a confusing UI in comparison to the norm of a Windows user. 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

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 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 Pro

Dedicated software center

The Ubuntu Software Center offers a GUI interface for installing new apps which is extremely easy and welcoming for beginners to Linux. But it should not be used by more advanced users since the method of installing through the terminal is much faster and easier after one is used to it. 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 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

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

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

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

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

Top Pro

Good UI for small monitors

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

Need to install Discord on cell phone and computer. Fastest way to receive help. Community is mostly European on Discord so getting help at midnight may be a challenge. See More

ArcoLinux

Top Pro

Community support is great

Top Con

Multiple types makes new user confused

Due to multiple types, new user might get confused and leave this all along. See More

Specs

Based On:Arch Linux (Rolling)

Package Manager:pacman

Default Desktop Environment:Openbox + Xfce + i3

Price:FREE

Has option to install NVIDIA proprietary drivers. Runs great. See More

Top Pro

Easy to install NVIDIA Drivers

Top Pro

Easy to install, handles system memory well, and a great way to learn Arch Linux

Incredibly fast, easy to install, tons of software pre-installed and easily installs more. See More

Top Pro

XFCE, Openbox and I3

Finished Product with almost every tool a experienced user will use. See More

Top Pro

Easy to isntall desktop environments

Thanks to the manuals provided by the developers it is really easy to install more than 10 different desktop environments that'll work at the same time. See More

Top Pro

Helps you to become a Arch Linux user

Top Pro

Blazingly fast

Startup time, shutdown time, everything in between. See More

Top Pro

Easy to install

Unbelievably fast for ArcoLinux with XFCE, Openbox, I3. See More

Having Deepin installed also means you have thousands of quality apps to choose from. The apps which come with installation will suit your needs to browse the Internet, listen to music, watch videos, talk with friends, editing documents or simply any task you want to do at home or in your office. See More

Deepin

Top Pro

Excellent apps

Top Con

Slow on some computers

Very slow - launching apps takes more time than other distros. On the other hand - booting and shutting down is very fast on SSD. See More

Specs

Based On:Debian

Package Manager:Debian Package Manager

Main Usage:Desktop, Showcase for the Deepin Desktop

OS Family:GNU+Linux

It's very easy to use. You can easily uninstall a program by going to the menu then right-clicking on the preferred app and selecting "Uninstall" option. See More

Top Pro

Easy to use

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 Pro

Easy to install

Installing Deepin OS is very easy. See More

Top Con

Customization is a bit hidden

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

Top Pro

Great applications available

It has some exciting applications, such as Deepin Graphics Driver Manager which can easily change between free and proprietary drivers without any issue. See More

Top Con

Automated blur issues on some wallpaper extensions

If you set any wallpaper other than a .jpg image file and more than 5k resolution, you might have black screen (not fully) on launcher menu and login screen. To fix that, use .jpg image file as a desktop background and also below 5k resolution. See More

Top Pro

Great support for graphics cards

Deepin OS includes a program called "Deepin Graphics Driver Manager" which can easily install a good driver for the graphics card. See More

Top Pro

Based on Debian

It is based on Debian which is the best Linux distribution for desktops. See More

Top Pro

Best for daily use

Top Pro

VLC media player works without any issue

In some cases, VLC media player has some problems with Ubuntu or Ubuntu-based Linux distros. That isn't the case with Deepin. See More

Top Pro

Blur and transparent design

Deepin has a blur and transparent design throughout the OS, which makes it one of the most beautiful Linux distros. See More

Top Pro

Great design to the app store

The app store is gorgeous. See More

Top Pro

Well-designed in every detail, developers have a professional aproach to the system

Deepin has a sane default set of apps including custom apps of their own design that gives the distro a very consistent look and feel. By working with the community on these tools as well as custom translations there is a great sense of polish when using it that is not often seen when using such a new desktop environment. See More

Top Pro

Very stable

Even though it is based on Debian unstable, it is still pretty stable and you will hardly ever get a dependency issue. See More

Top Pro

Enjoy the simplicity of Deepin's desktop

The desktop interface and apps feature an intuitive and elegant design. Moving around, sharing and searching, etc. has become simply a joyful experience. See More

Top Pro

Rolling release

It is a rolling release Linux distribution which is quite popular these days. See More

Top Pro

Can be made to look like Windows easily

By default, Deepin looks kinda like macOS but it can be made to look like Windows by right-clicking on the dock and changing the mode from "Fashion Mode" to "Efficient Mode". See More

Top Pro

Company behind it

The Wuhan Deepin Technology is behind this Linux distribution. See More

Top Pro

Has its own toolkit

It has its own toolkit called "Deepin Tool Kit". And the maintainers themselves use it. See More

Top Pro

Not based on Ubuntu

Some people don't like Ubuntu nor its derivatives. See More

Top Pro

Automatically cleans package cache

Deepin automatically cleans package cache. Cleaning package cache is a good thing as it will make the OS much faster and lighter. See More

Top Pro

Launches programs faster

Programs load and launch faster in Deepin than other Linux distributions. It takes only about 3 seconds to launch Chrome. See More

Top Pro

Exciting applications

It has some exciting applications, such as Deepin Graphics Driver Manager which can easily change between free and proprietary drivers without any issue. See More

Top Pro

Supports Flatpak

Deepin OS supports Flatpak. It also has some Flatpak programs installed by default. See More

Top Pro

Includes "Laptop mode"

Deepin 15.7's new "Laptop mode" extends battery time by 20%. See More

Top Pro

Quite lightweight

Deepin 15.7 is lighter than Windows 10 and Ubuntu. See More

Top Pro

Includes both Windows and macOS style interface

Top Pro

Gives warning messages when upgrading packages using apt

Deepin uses their own modified version of apt. When there is a distribution upgrade available and if we try to upgrade by running "sudo apt upgrade", then this modified version of apt gives this warning message, "DDE programs will work abnormally if run this command. Run sudo apt dist-upgrade or sudo apt full-upgrade instead." See More

Top Pro

Includes a lot of packages in the official repository

The official repository of deepin OS includes over 73,000 packages. See More

Kubuntu is a fantastic OS for beginners. It has a super sleek, incredibly customization interface. It's also great for advanced users whos needs are much more complicated. Kubuntu is stable, good looking, user-friendly, and perfect for everyone! See More

Kubuntu

Top Pro

Light

PositiveNjirana's Experience

Specs

Based On:Debian>Ubuntu

Package Manager:Debian Package Manager

Default Desktop Environment:KDE

As it is based on ubuntu. Many things are available for Kubuntu as well. Most stuff can be fixed or added via wikis. As a suggestion, you can go here. See More

Top Pro

A lot of guides are available.

Top Pro

Stable as hell

Super stable, never crashes. See More

Top Pro

Full featured desktop environment that is actively developed

Unlike some abandoned, unfinished distros, Kubuntu is up to date and offers a fully functional desktop environment that targets workstation users. See More

Top Pro

Customizable

You can easily adjust the workspace to your needs. See More

Programming Language:mostly C

MATE

Widget Toolkit:GTK+

Available on:*nix

Zorin OS

Top Pro

Bundles tools for changing the look and feel of the distribution

Zorin includes look changer and theme changer. See More

Top Con

Not connection program for iPhone or iPad

Feels strange to connect an Android mobile to an Apple desktop. Would rather use iPhone and iPad. See More

DaringBabaYaga's Experience

Installs without issues, smooth and performant desktop, good package management, very Mac-like if you want it to, very restrained and clear UI, much clearer than Deepin or Pop! See More

Specs

Based On:Debian>Ubuntu LTS

Package Manager:Debian Package Manager

Default Desktop Environment:Gnome / Xfce

Zorin includes WINE and PlayOnLinux to run many Windows applications and games. See More

Top Pro

Partial Windows compatibility

Top Con

Limited desktop styles in free version

All free editions only offer Windows XP, 2000, and 7 and Gnome 2. You have to pay $9-10 in order to get Unity (Ubuntu) and Mac OS X themes. See More

Top Pro

Installer can set up dual boot

Top Pro

Good Selection of pre-installed software

New users may be unaware of what software is available for Linux, but Zorin includes a good selection for everyday tasks out of the box. See More

Top Pro

Windows desktop style

The desktop UI was made to resemble Windows 7, but alternative settings are available. See More

Based On:Gentoo>Chromium OS

Chrome OS

Package Manager:Chrome Extensions, Android Package Installer

Default Desktop Environment:Aura

Init-System:Upstart (core-only)

One can install pantheon DE from new ubuntu's repo but Elementry OS is not making new ISO's nor is it supporting them. It makes confuzzled to new users. See More

UbuntuDDE

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Elementary OS

Top Con

Doesn't support 32-bit hardwares anymore

Top Pro

Lightweight & fast

Runs well on limited-resources hardware, including netbooks or chromebooks. See More

DynamicCottyto's Experience

wifi drive not compatible with the OS See More

Specs

Based On:Debian>Ubuntu

Default Desktop Environment:Pantheon

Main Usage:macOS-like Desktop, Showcase for the Pantheon Destop

It has some animations that don‘t run well on older hardware. See More

Top Con

Heavy animations

Top Pro

Fast and reliable

Runs well on limited-resources hardware, including netbooks or chromebooks. See More

One Design LLC's Experience

Elementary OS is a stable system until it's time for an update, then it just goes crazy from there. It's a simple interface and it's so attractive, but it needs more security underneath. The firewall in elementary, I love it and wish it was brought over to Pantheon. See More

Top Con

Very slow development cycle

Elementary does not offer any release date for their stable releases going more with an "it's done when it's done" attitude. Making depending on newer apps a difficulty as well as a poor choice for those that need consistent release schedules for their OS. See More

Top Pro

If you like MacOSX the UI/UX is similar

AbdelKarim BenAbdallah's Experience

I have been using EOS for a couple of years with an old mi-2009 old macbook and it works just amazing, fast and reliable See More

Top Con

Problems with basic functions

Problems often arise with functions like keyboard layout and touchpad. See More

Top Pro

UI design consistency

Excellent uniformity between all the stock application and an overall extremely clean design with simple animations. See More

DexStarr's Experience

Has the most beautiful desktop environment known as Pantheon. Also, I have used guides with this for adding apps and optimizing many stuff. See More

Top Con

Outdated or bad default applications

Top Pro

Extremely user-friendly

This distribution promises you a very tailored user experience and it does deliver on that promise. The developers provide you with a custom desktop environment and a set of neat programs. And the whole desktop looks simply gorgeous. See More

Top Con

No proprietary driver installer

Elementary OS removed the driver installer of Ubuntu. See More

Top Pro

Simplicity, limited configurability

Sane defaults with less confusion for new users. See More

Top Con

The desktop doesn't let you to put icons by default

Top Pro

With new tweak tools customization is not a problem

Now the OS is amazingly customizable. See More

Top Con

Old base and applications

The slow release schedule makes the applications outdated. It drags behind Ubuntu LTS (on which it's based) which itself drags behind Ubuntu which is often still quite far behind Arch for example. See More

Top Pro

Customizable Terminal

You can change the Look and Feel of the Terminal, don't just accept what you're given. See More

Top Con

Quite buggy

Top Pro

Constantly being updated

Contrary to what people think, running the latest kernel and nothing changed, no weird updates. See More

Top Con

Not very configurable

Top Pro

A fast and reliable version of Ubuntu

Taking out Customization means resources are evenly spread and not hugged by apps or extensions. See More

Top Con

Poor Linux community reputation

The devs of ElementaryOS feel anyone not paying for their Ubuntu respin are not worthy of using it. Which upset a good bit of people. Obviously, the core dev team have issues with their community outreach and PR. See More

Top Pro

Paired with Geary email app

You're always ready to work and receive your emails immediately. See More

Top Con

UI doesn't let you change anything

Every installation of elementaryOS looks exactly like the same. See More

Top Pro

Ubuntu guides can be used

As this is based on ubuntu. Most ubuntu guides work with elementary. Try using this guide. See More

Top Con

Upper panel requires extra spaces

The upper panel in Elementary OS requires more space. This can be a problem for computers with small monitors. See More

Top Pro

Consistent development practices

All Elementary apps are written in Vala and hosted on Launchpad, and there are standard APIs such as contractor for applications to interact with one another. This is different from most distros, in which apps are written in a variety of languages. This design decision makes it easy to get started developing for Elementary and to understand how the various pieces fit together. See More

Top Con

Window control button placement may be unintuitive to some

Elementary OS has window controls on the left side of the window. It may be less intuitive to users coming from other operating systems that put window controls on the right. See More

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Built on Ubuntu

Built on Ubuntu LTS with all its qualities and support. See More

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Boring UI

It can be very boring. See More

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A dedicated StackExchange site

Elementary OS has a dedicated StackExchange site where users can easily find answers to common questions. See More

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Emacs doesn't work

Emacs crashes due to a partial gnome library update. See More