Home News LinuxCommunity LearnLinux Directory Jobs

Home News Software Applications TheTop11BestLinuxDistrosfor2015

TheTop11BestLinuxDistrosfor2015

ElementaryOSisthemostbeautifulLinuxbaseddistro.

Linuxisomnipresent,evenifyoudon'trealizeit.IhavebeenusingLinuxasmyonlyOSsince2005andwitheverypassingyearIcometorealizethatithasmuchmoretoofferthanIinitially,backin2005,understood.Thereissomethingforeveryone.Inthisarticle,IhavepickedsomeofthebestLinuxdistrostohelpyougetthejobdone.

Themostbeautifuldistro:elementaryOSThereistherenodoubtelementaryOSisthemostbeautifulLinuxbaseddistro.Thereasonissimple:Itisbeingdevelopedbysomeofthegreatdesignersactiveintheopensourceworld,sotheyhavetakenthedesigntoeverynookandcornerofthedistro.

Inordertoprovideaconsistentexperienceacrosscoreapps(suchasbrowserortexteditor),theyhaveeithercreatedtheirownapplicationsorpickedtheoneswhichfitneatlyintotheirowndesignphilosophyforexampletheyareusingMidoriinsteadofFirefoxorChrome.

Nowthatdoesposesomechallengesasthisbrowserwon'tbeabletoofferthefeaturesthatChromeorFirefoxoffersthankstoextensionsandplugins.

ElementaryOSisclearlyinspiredbyMacOSXastheyhaveadock,toppanelandapplicationshavebuttonsatleftsidethegreythemealsoremindedmeofmyMacbook.

It'saneatOStotry,whichlooksaestheticallygreatanddoesworkoutofthebox.

Bestdesktopdistro:openSUSEIspendamajorityofmyworklifeonmydesktopit'sapowerfulmachinecapableofdoingstufflikevideoencoding,imageeditingandregularwriting.

IfoundopenSUSEtobethemostpolished,matureandprofessionaldistroaround.TheytakeextrapaintointegratethechosendesktopenvironmentwiththerestoftheOS,soyougetanativeexperience.

UpcomingLinuxFoundationCourses

LFS201EssentialsofSystemAdministration12Jan30MarOnlineSelfPacedDETAILS

LFS220LinuxSystemAdministration18May21MayVirtual(GUARANTEEDTORUN)DETAILS

LFS230LinuxNetworkManagement25May28MayVirtual(GUARANTEEDTORUN)DETAILS

ViewAllUpcomingCourses

30LinuxKernelDevelopersin30Weeks

LinuxKernelDeveloperWorkSpacesVideo:StephaneGraber,LXC

LinuxKernelDeveloperWorkSpacesVideo:TejunHeo,RedHat

LinuxKernelDeveloperWorkSpaces,Unplugged(Video):JohnLinville

30LinuxKernelDeveloperWorkSpacesin30Weeks:JesSorensen

30LinuxKernelDeveloperWorkSpacesin30Weeks:ShuahKhan

Le 10 migliori distribuzioni #Server #Linux nel #2015 Prima Partebit.ly/1F3TbS9 pic.twitter.com/iQqLvkL9CI

HostingTalk @hostingtalkit

Show Photo

Getting Started with #Ubuntu #Linux 14.04 Second Edition FREE Guide buff.ly/1ASb6XW pic.twitter.com/T52c3ZWvYN

Java Code Geeks @javacodegeeks

Show Photo

How to view threads of a process on Linux bit.ly/1J8x8N2 #Linux

1n7h35y573m @1n7h35y573m

Bolagsverket @Bolagsverket

14h

14h

14h

14h

Tweets

Tweet 40 813

Monday,16February201511:12 SwapnilBhartiya | Exclusive

379Like

searchlinux.com

LinuxFoundation Training Events Video

IfoundopenSUSEtobethemostpolished,matureandprofessionaldistroaround.

openSUSEhasmadeitextremelyeasytoinstallthirdpartysoftwarethroughtheir'OneClickInstall'fromsoftware.opensuse.org(IfounditeasierthanmanuallyaddingPPAsinUbuntu).TheyhaveahugerepositoryofsoftwareandyouarelikelytofindyoursoftwareforopenSUSE.

openSUSEhasagemofatoolcalledYaSTit'slikea'commandcenter'oftheentirePCandyoucancontrolalmosteveryaspectofit.

openSUSEalsomakesitextremelyeasytoinstallmultipledesktopenvironmentsincludingLXDE,Enlightenment,Gnome,Mate,KDE,andXfce,onthesamesystemsidebysidethroughYaST.

Bestdistroforpersonalserver:DebianIfyouarerunningyourownserverforyourownuse,Debianisthedistrotogofor.DebianisknownforitsrocksolidfoundationnothingcouldpossiblygowrongonaDebianserver.Thenit'sextremelyeasytomanageaDebiansystemandaplethoraofinformationisavailablethroughforums.

Bestlaptopdistro:UbuntuMATELaptops,unlikedesktopPCsmaynotbethatmightywhenitcomestohardwareandtherearepossibilitiesofproprietaryhardware,that'swhereUbuntuMATEdoesthejobthebest.BasedonUbuntu,MATEmakesitextremelyeasytodealwithanyproprietaryhardware.

MATEmakesitextremelyeasytodealwithanyproprietaryhardware.

Inaddition,MATEoffersagreatbalancebetweenperformanceandusingresourcesefficiently.TheinterfaceofMATEisfriendly,nolearningcurve,andlooksextremelypolishedonlaptops.

MATEbelievesinusingfewerresourcesleavingthemforyourapplications,whichalsotranslatesintobetterbatterylife.

Themostcustomizabledistro:ArchLinuxArchLinuxisthebestdistributionwhenitcomestopickingsomethingwhichistotallyunderauser'scontrol,wherethedistroplaysthereloadofa'distributor'withoutaddingitsownpatchestoupstreamprojects.

WhenauserinstallsArch,theyareactuallybuildingtheirentireOSbrickbybrickandchooseonlythosecomponentstheyneed,keepingitsleekandoptimizedforthejobofcourseitdoesrequireausertobefullycapableofmanagingLinuxdistros.

Sinceit'sarollingreleasedistro,Icallit'shootandforget'onceyouinstallArchLinuxyoudon'thaveto'upgrade'theentireOSeverysixmonths.LikeChromeOS,yoursystemisalwaysuptodatejustkeepthe'pacmanSyu'fireburning.

SignUpFortheLinux.comNewsletter

FirstName

LastName

Email

Country

Subscribe

ViewourPrivacyPolicy

LatestSoftwareNews

Q&AwithKritaProjectLeadBoudewijnRempt

DistributionRelease:BlackLabLinux6.5SR1

NoobsLabOffersAmazingMacOSXTransformationPackTutorialforUbuntu15.04

OneOfIntel'sNewestLinuxGraphicsDevelopersIsAFormerUbuntuDev

FacebooktoReleaseItsOwnSearchEngine

SugarisaFedorabasedLinuxdistroaimedateducators.

ArchLinuxisthebestdistributionwhenitcomestopickingsomethingwhichistotallyunderauser'scontrol.

ThebestdistroforRaspberryPi:SnappyUbuntuCoreRaspbianistheundisputedleaderonRaspberryPis,howevertherecentlyannouncedSnappyCoreUbuntu,whichrunsonthelatestRaspberryPi2isagamechanger.Withtheir'ChromeOS'likeupdates,auserwillneverhavetoworryaboutkeepingtheirOSupdated.

Thebestdistroforkids:SugarSugarisaFedorabasedLinuxdistroaimedateducators.WhiletherearesomeotherLinuxdistrosforkids,IpickedSugarbecauseitisnotjustacollectionofsoftwareforkids,it'sactuallybackedbyateamwhosesolegoalistocreateaplatformforeducation.TheprojectwasacollaborationbetweenTheOneLaptopPerChild,Pentagram,andRedHat.

Thebestdistroforgaming:SteamOSSteamOSwasdesignedasValveSoftware'sanswertoWindowsforPCgaming.TheycreatedthisOSfromscratchwithgaminginmind.TheOSisbasedonDebianandoffersgreatsupportforoptimizingyourGPUforoptimalgameperformance.

Valveisknownfortakingtheirtimetobakethesoftwarebeforereleasingitpublicly,sotheOSisstillinbetastagebecausethingsmaybreak.

TheonlyflipsideofusingSteamOScomparedtosomegenericLinux,suchasArchLinux,isthatSteamOSwillformattheentiredrive,thereisnooptiontochoosethepartitiononwhichyouwanttoinstallSteamOS.

Thebestdistroforprivacy:TailsWeareheadingtowardsanagewhereourdemocraticallyelectedgovernments(intheUSandsomeEuropeancountries)arebecomingmoreandmoresecretiveandcitizensarelosingalloftheirprivacyrights.Intheageofcompaniesminingourdataandtrackingouronlineactivitiesmaintainingprivacyisbecomingagameofchessyouhavetostayonestepahead.

Tails(TheAmnesicIncognitoLiveSystem)isthebestdistroyoucangettomaintainprivacyandanonymity.TheOSforcesallconnectiontoberoutedviaTorandalldirectconnectionsareblocked.SincetheOSisdesignedtorunasaLiveCDthereareno'traces'leftontheharddrive.

Tailsdoesn'tneedanyfurtherrecommendation,accordingtoaDerSpiegelarticletheNSAitselfdeclaredita'majorthreat'toitsmission.That'sthebestendorsementofTailsyoucangetinthe21stcentury.

ThebestdistroforaudioandvideoproductionLinuxdoesn'thaveanyoftheconsumergradeaudiovideoeditingsoftware,evenifHollywoodprettymuchrunsonLinux.Thatsaidtherearemanydistrostargetedataudio/videoproduction.Whatsetsthesedistrosapartfromothersisthattheyusedifferentcomponentsthanthosefoundontraditionaldesktops.ThesedistrosusearealtimeorlowlatencyLinuxkernaloptimizedtohandleheavyaudioandvideowork.Theyalsodon'ttouchPulseAudio,whichisfinefordesktopbutnotsuitableforaudio/videoproduction.InsteadofPulseAudiotheyuseJACK.

TwoofthemostreputabledistrosforthistaskareKXStudioandAVLinux.Thesedistrosarealsoknownforbeingextremelylightweight,forobviousreasonstheydon'twanttoconsumeyourresourcestheykeeptheresourcesfreeforyourproductionwork.TokeepsystemresourcesfreethesedistrosarepickyabouttheirdesktopenvironmentswhileAVLinuxusesthelightweightLXDE,KXStudiousesanaggressivelystrippeddownversionofKDE.

Thebestdistroforenterprise:SUSELinux&RedHatRedHatandSUSEarethetwogiantsoftheLinuxworldthathavecontributedheavilytoamajorityofopensourceprojects,includingtheLinuxkernelitself.RedHathasshownprudenceandistransformingitselffromaclientservercompanytoamobilecloudcompany.WhileSUSEmaybestrugglingwithgettingmovedaroundasitsownerchange(fromNoveltoAttachmatetoMicroFocus),RedHatisstrengtheningits

positionthroughacquisition(suchasFeedHenry)andworkingcloselywithotheremergingplatformssuchasOpenStack.

WhileRedHatwasthefirstcompanytoregisteroverabilliondollarsinrevenuethrough'pure'opensourceproducts,SUSEseemedtobestrugglingforsurvivalunderNovell.TheNetWaremakerwassplit(justlikeSunMicrosystems)betweentheirownproprietarysolutionswhichwerecompetingwithSUSE'sopensourcesolutions.WhileSUSE'sLinuxmarketwasgrowingNetWarewasbecomingaliability.WhenAttachmateboughtNovelltheyseparatedSUSELinuxfromNovell,makingthemanindependentdivisiontobetterfocusontheLinuxmarket.

NowSUSEisinnewhandsandwehopethatthefocuswillbemoreontheLinuxsidewhichisagrowingmarket.

BothSUSEandRedHatareknownforthebestofthebreedtalentandextremelyprofessionalsupportsystemforcustomers.EveniftheirsalesteamscompetewitheachothertograbcustomerstheirdevelopersworktogethertocreateandstrengthenthebackboneoftheLinuxempire.

Thebestdistroforoldhardware:LubuntuAllofushaveoldhardwareitisnotwaste.Linuxcanbreathenewlifeintothishardware,youcanuseitasacommonPCforthefamily,ordonatetotheneedy.Themilliondollarquestionforthisoldhardwareis:WhichOSwillworkbetteronit?TheanswerissimplyanydistrowithandLDXEdesktopenvironment.

Personally,IuseArchLinuxonsuchhardwarewithLXDEslappedontopofit,butArchcanbeabittrickyforanaverageusersothebestdistrothatyoucangetisLubuntu.

Lubuntu,thankstoitsUbuntubasewillworkfineonyourolderhardware.SincethereareLTSversionofLubuntuyoucaninstall14.04onamachineanditwillgetsupportfor3yearsnoneedtoupgradeiteverysixmonths.Ifyourhardwareisinservicethenextthreeyearsyoucaneasilyupgradetothenextversionwithoutreformattingyoursystem.

Herewe'velookedatLinuxdistrosthattakecareofalmosteverycomputingneedwemayhave.Thereissomethingforeveryoneandthat'snotusingsome"onesizemayfitall"solution.Thesedistrosareoptimizedforaparticulartask.

Goaheadmakeyourchoice.It'sanopenworld.

SwapnilBhartiya

Comments

17FebSteveDupuis:

ThanksSwapnilVerygoodarticle.IenjoyyourenthusiasmabouttheLinuxopensourceworldandlookforwardtoyourwriting.IrunArch/XFCEonmyoldhardware,andSparkyLinuxonmybiggermachines.TakealookatSparkyItswelldesigned,isarollingbasedonDebiantesting/sidandhassomeoftheirownhomegrownadminutilitiesadded.Itissolidandwellsupported.Regards,SteveDupuisOttawaCanada

Report Reply

17Febmichelfilion:

GreatlistbutIwould'veincludedPuppyLinux(andderivatives)forthebestcommunitydistro.Ican'tcounthowmanytimesthislittlemarvelasbeenofuse..especiallyreinstallingGRUB.Also,alwaysbeingROOTmeansneverhavingtosayyesorno.MichelFilion,MorinHeights,Quebec,Canada

Report Reply

18FebRodrigoBash:

Thanksbuddy...reallygoodarticle......BestRegardfromManaus/AMBrazil

Report Reply

18FebTravis:

Um,what?NoLinuxMint?Justhowisn'ttheCinnamonDesktopEnvironmentnot"beautiful?"Justhowisitnotgoodfordesktopsorlaptops?I'mstunnedthatLinuxMintisn'tmentioned.

Report Reply

19FebJohnWebb:

Mintisnotlovedbyeveryoneforit'slooks.Mintishighlycompetentandeasilyoneofthetopthreedistro'sbutformeitisquiteugly(intheformitcomesinonafteritsinstall).Elementaryislightyearsaheadofitwhenitcomeslooks.

Report Reply

03AprAriTorres:

Isecondthat,LinuxMintMateadnCinnamonareverygooddistrosbuttheirlooksisUGLYmaybeClementwilllistenonedayandadoptsUbuntuThemesafterallMintowesawholelottoUbuntu:)IalsoagreethatElementarylooksgoodbutisquitebuggyasofrightnowandsomeofthemostusefulappswon'tevenruninitandactuallybreaksthesystemdown,pleaseshoottheguywhointroducedSnapinelementary.Daniel,doyouneedapush?SeeElementaryin2020

Report Reply

24Febpaul:

LinuxMint17,1mateversionsuperbbestoftherestbyalongway

Report Reply

21MarGeorge:

Paul,Iagreewithyou.AftertestingandtryingoutawholelotofLinuxdistros,manyofwhomarelistedheretoo,IfindtheLinuxMintdistrosthemosteasiesttoworkwith.Liketheysay,"Mintjustworks!"I'msure,though,thatSwapnilwouldhavehisreasonsfornotputtingMintonthelist.Butintheend,Iguess,itisapersonalchoice.ThereisnosingleLinuxdistrothatsuit'severybody'sneeds.However,lookingatthedownloadstrackerontheDistrowatchwebsite,itappearsasifLinuxMintisdefinitelythemostlikedLinuxdistro.

Report Reply

7daysagoJe:

IwouldliketoseeaMintwithyumasitbaserepomanager.IlikeyumbutCentOS7isntdoingitforme.

Report Reply

01MarOogway:

Dependsonpersonalfeelings.FormeelementaryOSisalmostasuglyasOSX,AndCinnamonMintoveranyotherdistrosbyitslookandfunctionality.

Report Reply

04AprTariq:

NottoforgetthefactthatLMis'the'mostwidelyusedone.Itisamazinghowsometimestheauthorshavetheirheadinthesand.HemightaswellnamesomeLinuxOSTROasthebestofeverythingorsomething.

Report Reply

18Febamjjawad:

Lubuntuisverygoodsystembutitisnotthebestchoicesadlyforveryoldmachines.ThatiswhyToriOShasbeenfounded(torios.net)whichismuchlighterthanLubuntuandbydefault,supportsNONPAEmachines.Nottomention,itdoesnotusethesameinstallerthatLubuntuisusingsoitdoesnotneedbiggerRAMtobeinstalled.ItisbuiltfromUbuntuMiniISOandrequires60MBRAMwhenidle.We'resoclosetoreleaseitanditisunderveryheavydevelopmentatthisverymomentbutwearesoclose:)

Report Reply

18FebRobbothewonderllama...:

Kindalookslikeenoughcategoriestomakesureeveryonegetsagong...butseriously,Redhatdoesn'tbelonganywhereonthatlist...

Report Reply

18FebLizziSwane:

seriously?Ubuntumate?MatehasbeendevelopedbyLinuxMintyeayougiveallthecredittoUbuntuforcopyingtheirworkandLinuxMintMateisthebetterversion

Report Reply

18FebJoshMason:

Exceptit'snotcopyingwhenyourDEismadeavailableforeveryoneelse.

Report Reply

18FebScott:

Iagreethatteammintdeservesanodonthislist,buttocomplainaboutUbuntucopyingMintisjustcomical,consideringthatMintisanUbuntuderivative.Havingsaidthat,Lxleprobablyshouldhaveanodoverlubuntu

Report Reply

18FebKirkM:

Actually,MATEwasnotdevelopedbyLinuxMint,itwasandstillisanindependentprojectthatexistsoutsideofanyLinuxdistribution.ClementLefebvre(leaddeveloperofLinuxMint)wasinvolvedwithit'sdevelopmentintheearlydays(asamemberoftheMATETeam)butisnolongerinvolved.

Report Reply

18FebKirkM:

Actually,MATEwasnotdevelopedbyLinuxMint,itwasandstillisanindependentprojectthatexistsoutsideofanyLinuxdistribution.ClementLefebvre(leaddeveloperofLinuxMint)wasinvolvedwithit'sdevelopmentintheearlydays(asamemberoftheMATETeam)butisnolongerinvolved.

Report Reply

18FebKirkM:

Sorryaboutthedoublecomment.Ihitthe"Postcomment"buttonandnothinghappened.Idisabledmyadblockerandtriedagain.Ihadtorefreshthepageseveraltimesbeforebothcommentsshowedup.

Report Reply

21FebDeekshithAllamaneni:

Thisisfunny!DoyouknowthatLinuxmintisjustamakeupoverUbuntu?IftherewasnoUbuntu,thereisnoLinuxMint.

Report Reply

21FebKirkM:

No,LinuxMintisnotjustmakeupoverUbuntu.NomorethanUbuntuisjustmakeupoverDebian.I'mactuallysomewhatsurprisedthatthatoldfallacyisstillaround.It'strueenoughthatiftherewerenoUbuntutherewouldbenoLinuxMintbutthat'sasfarasitgoes.LinuxMintisalmostasfarremovedfromUbuntuasUbuntuisfromDebian.ifyoureallywanttoknowwhythisisthenpostaquestionontheLinuxMintforums.You'llfindthemajorityofmembersaswellasthedeveloperswhofrequenttheforums,tobeobjectiveandimpartialevenabouttheirowndistribution.

Report Reply

01MarRizzo:

LastIcheckedUbuntuwasbasedonDebian.Also,LinuxMintnowhasbothUbuntu(basedonDebian)andstraightDebianbasedversions.

Report Reply

16MarLeo:

MatewasdevelopedbyaArchLinuxdeveloperI'mtold.CinnamonisMint'sbaby.

Report Reply

18FebPedroKoblitz:

Iamskepticofthisarticle.IalwaysusedUbuntu.OnmyjobtheymademeuseOpenSUSE.AtfirstIwasthinkingIdidnotlikeitbecauseIwasntusedtoit.IliketheGUIenv,butafter3yearsIamconvinceditreallysucksoneveryotherlevel.Enterpriseeditionsucksevenmore.

Report Reply

18FebMichaelGaringarao:

greatreview..totallyagreedineveryaspect/category..

Report Reply

18FebHunkah:

IbelievethatLinuxonlyhastworealcamps.RPMvsDEB.Withinthosetwocampsare(RedHat,CentOS,Fedora)vs(Debian,Mint)ThepeoplewiththemoneyandfinancialsupportareintheRPMcampandthedirtyhackersareintheDEBcamp.(BydirtyImeanthebeardedcavedwellers).WithRedHat,yougetthemoneyandsupport,soIifyou'reabusiness,followthemoney.Ifyouwanttostartaprojectthatyouhopewillturnintoanenterpriseproject,thenstartwhereyouwanttoendupRPM.Ifyou'reanythingelse...juststickwithMint,becausetheyseemtoknowtheiraudience.LetDebiancavedwellersdotheirthinganddon'tpokethemwithsticks.

Report Reply

18FebJoshMason:

ItisworthnotingthatCanonicalofferstheoptionofapaidsupportcontractforUbuntu,asfarastheDEBcampisconcerned.

Report Reply

18FebHunkah:

ThereisahugedifferencebetweenacompanythatisJUSTinthegameforprofit,andonethathasanopensourceagenda.RedHat,contributesalmosteverythingitcreatesbackintotheopensourcepool.Weallgettobenefitfromitandgrowfromit.YearafteryearRedHathasbeenthetopopensourcecontributingcompanybothfinanciallyandwithcode.Canonical/Ubuntuishardlyseen.IfweallstartedusingUbuntu,theopensourceriverwoulddryuptoameretrickle.IwouldrathersupportRedHatoroneofitschildrenprojectsandseethewholeopensourceecosystemthrive.WhichiswhyIdidn'tmentionUbuntu.

Report Reply

10AprAdamStroud:

Howdoyoufigure?YoucaneasilygetthesourcecodefortheCanonicaldevelopedbitsofUbuntu.Ubuntuisopensource.Period.Alwayshasbeen.Yourargumentisbaseless,sir.

Report Reply

12Aprcarelbosch:

ubuntuandcanonicalsuckslikenothingonearth.shuttleworthiskillingit

Report Reply

18FebRonG:

IjustwonderwhatyouwouldthinktheSlackwareuserslooklike...LOL

Report Reply

18FebJoshMason:

I'dkindaputArchandGentooatatieformostcustomizabledistro,Archfortheabilitytosetyourinstallupexactlyhowyouwantitsetup,whichGentooalsogivesinstallerstheoptionofdoing,howeverIwouldincludeGentoointhatnominationaswellfortheabilitytooptimizeyourinstallspecificallyforyourhardwareatthesourcecode,ifyouhavetheknowhowtocompileacustomkernelforyourhardware,forexample,andyouhavethepatienceaswell.

Report Reply

18FebJoshMason:

Andonemorething,consideringtheinfightinggoingonwithintheDebiancommunity,andthatDebianStable'spackagesareancientevenforserveruse,I'dpreferusingCentOSforapersonalserverifIwerelookingforarockforthatpurpose,mainlyasCent7'spackagesareslightlynewerthanDebianStable's,andbecauseofitbeingliterallyrebadgedRHEL,ithastheassuranceofknowingthatpeoplearepaidtodevelopitsupstream,andhaveahuuuugereptoupkeepintheenterpriseworld,ofwhichthebenefitswouldbereapedbyCentOSorSLusers.

Report Reply

01MarBush:

that'swhatDebianbackportsarefor.Iuseafewpackagesfrombackportslikesystemdandthekernel.

Report Reply

18FebAlgutiz:

LinuxMintisthebestforlaptops,desktops.:)

Report Reply

18FebEarl:

yesbetterthanSuseandUbuntuMate.Debianforpersonalserver?IwouldrunNASAonDebianandeverystockmarketifitwasmychoice.howeveritsjustthisguyopinion.

Report Reply

18FebKen:

IfIamnotmistaken,whereisthebestdistroforpenetrationtestingorsecuritydefense(firewall)?

Report Reply

18FebRandyGG:

Kali..

Report Reply

18FebSvendus:

TotallyFishyhehasmissedLinuxMintCinnamon,Mate,XfceandKDEhttp://www.linuxmint.com/

Report Reply

18Febsonority:

"Linuxdoesn'thaveanyoftheconsumergradeaudiovideoeditingsoftware"???WhataboutLightworks,ArdourandBitwigStudio?Runsgreatonxubuntu!

Report Reply

18Febvolly:

Verygoodattemptatkeepingthisshortandsweet,butIamafraid,likemostpeoplehere,Idonotthinkthatyoudidjusticetowhatisreallyotthereandhaveinnowayreallyspentenoughtimeandrealeffortingettingtothereallistofthebestdisrosfor2015.Let'scallthislist,withallduerespect,inyouropinionandthosewhoreallyhavenotbeenaroundlinuxinallthatdepthatall.Let'shopesomeonewillcomeupwithabettermoreaccuratelistfor2015,giventhatweareonlyinFebruaryofthisyear.Respectfullysaid........butinmyview,averymediocreattempttothereallist.

Report Reply

18Marrustguard:

"whileAVLinuxusesthelightweightLXDE"Youmayberight.SomeoneshouldpointoutthatAVLinuxusestheXfcedesktop.Iwouldbemorecomfortablewithalistlikethisifthetestingandjudgingprocesswasalludedto.

Report Reply

18FebJeroen:

WhatdistrowilworkbestonaChromebook?

Report Reply

19FebTypo:

IthoughtthedefaultChromeOSisagoodchoiceforChromebook.

Report Reply

18FebColinKing:

IreallywanttodebunkthemyththatCanonicaldoesnotproduceopensourcesoftwarethatnobodyelseuses.Justoneofmyprojectsisbeingusedbyafairfewotheropensourcecompaniesandisnotjusta"Canonicalonly"contributorproject.https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Kernel/Reference/fwtsandhowaboutsomeoftheprojectshere:https://qa.debian.org/developer.php?login=colin.king@canonical.comjustnamejustafewmore.

Report Reply

18FebHunkah:

Statistically.RedHathasbeenthetopcontributor.Ubuntubarelymakesitonthegrid.Ifyou'reapartofUbuntuandyou'recontributing,thenyou'retheguythatgetsUbuntuonthegridatall.Goodforyou:)

Report Reply

18FebNick:

OKOKYoutalkedmeintoarun@OpenSUSE!:)

Report Reply

18FebNyilasMISY:

bestlaptop/desktopdistro::Fedora(withmatedesktopenvironment):)bestpersonalserver::centosFedoraisalsoverygoodforgaming,justinstallsteam(I'mnotagamer!)Fedoraisalmosthasthelatestversionsofapplications/packagesFedorahasJamKDEspinformusiceditindg(andmaybegoodforvideoediting),thatisnotmydesk..butonmateyoumayinstallallofthemandyouhaveKDENlive,avidemux,devede,pitivi,openshot,lmms,....foraudio/videoeditingthereisubuntu'svariant,ubuntustudio,asIknowthathasxfcede....forme,Fedoraisthewinner:)

Report Reply

18FebAlvaroCervantes:

DIdLinuxcopiedAppleorApplecopiedLinuxonthedesktopstyle(dock?IrememberDreamlinuxhaditsdesktopthemebackin2007,butIdon'trememberwhenAppleintroducedtheirs(maybebackin2002?).

Report Reply

18FebNyilasMISY:

....inthisworldeverybodycopiesfromeverybodyeverybodystealsfromeverybody....

Report Reply

20AprAC:

Everyone,includingApple,copiedthedockfromNeXT.(SoApple,infact,copiedfromthemselves.)

Report Reply

18FebJoe:

IsthatUNITYonOpenSuse??LOL..looksnicetho.

Report Reply

18FebJoshMason:

Nope,that'sGNOMEShell.

Report Reply

18Febclaudiu.sergentu:

SayingthatMateUbuntuisatopdistroistotallyunfair.ForthefirsttimeMatehasbenpromotedbytheMintcommunityandforsureLinuxMintdoesitbetterthanUbuntu.ThemostsuiteddistroforalaptopismaybeArch(withmanyriskstaken),sinceUbuntu+unityistoooslow.

Report Reply

18FebEperbab:

Thebestdistroforoldhardware:AntiXrunscirclesaroundlubuntu.The32biteditionuses~42MBRAM.AnditisDebianbased.Noneedtoupgradetwiceayear.

Report Reply

18FebBob:

SurprisednomentionofSabayonforPersonaldesktop,andOracleforbusinessdesktop

Report Reply

18Febamjjawad:

Itisverygoodsystem.ItriedtoinstallitonmyP2with64MBRAMbutitneverworked.However,Ubuntubasedsystemworked.Also,AntiXhassomeproblemswithdrivers,etc.IhavestartedmyownprojecttoofferFULLfeaturesOSwith60MBRAMwhenidleanditiscalledToriOS(torios.net).Afterall,itisallaboutpreferencesandnothingisperfect:)

Report Reply

19FebTypo:

Thatsoundprettylightandawesome!:DIgotaPCthatveryold,evenLubuntucannotinstalledinit(becauseit'sdon'tsupportPAEsystem?)..doesToriOScanbe

installedinaPCthatisnotamodernwithoutPAEsystem?Itrytogotowww.torios.netThatsoundprettygoodatthemainpagewhenreadingthespecsandthefeaturesofToriOS.Sadly,Ican'tdownloadtheisoyet?Whentheactualreleasedateactually?

Report Reply

19FebDanC:

Youcanmanuallyadd"forcepae"totheendofthebootoptionsstringandinstallLubuntuonanonPAEsystem.

Report Reply

19FebSean:

whyisgentoonotonthislist?itshouldbeundercustomizabledistros,aswellasservers.

Report Reply

19FebPradeep:

Goodpost.Reallyhelpfulforanyonetochoosetheoswhichsuitstheirneedsandhardwaresupport.

Report Reply

19FebLus:

Sorrybutyouforgorlinuxmint.

Report Reply

22Febali:

OpensusearebadestdistroinmyhistoryItestedsomedistrofedoraarchparabola(thebest)ubuntuButopensuseisreallybadonkde....

Report Reply

11Marstf:

badonKDE?face_palm

Report Reply

24FebAdonis:

Idon'tknowwhat'smoresinful:consideringCentOSequivalenttoRedHat(althoughitisnotsaid),ornotmentionningitatall!

Report Reply

24FebAllen:

IthinkthebestforoldercomputerslikeP42.8GhzcomputersisPointlinuxyouhavelongtermsupport.AllthebenefitsofUnuntuhalftheprocessorpowerneeded.IfyouhaveantiquecomputersthenPuppylinux.IwouldlovetotryOpenSuseonmydesktopathomeIuseUbuntuonit.90%ofthetimeIonlyuseXBMCKODI,Handbrake,MakeMKVdoesitworksameorbetteronOpenSuse?

Report Reply

24FebAaron:

IhaveusedLinuxMint,andnowIuseZorinOS.Surprisedthatneithergotamention.

Report Reply

05Aprrezan:

+1forzorinos

Report Reply

24FebAgostinhoMatos:

Trustingourprivacyorsecuritytothirdpartiesmaynotbeagoodidea.TORnetworkhasalreadybeenhacked,soIdon'tthinkusingTaildistromaybenotthebestideaconcerningprivacy.

Report Reply

25FebShaunHunter:

"MATEbelievesinusingfewerresourcesleavingthemforyourapplications,whichalsotranslatesintobetterbatterylife."Mr.Bhartiya,adesktopenvironmentusinglessRAMhasneverbeenshowntomakeacomputerfasterormorepowerefficientrunningLinux.IfyourPCrunslowonRAMandhastoswaptodiskitwillandthat'sunlikelyonamodernPC.HerearesomerelevantPhoronixarticles:http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=ubuntu_1210beta_desktops&num=1http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=ubuntu_1310_desktops&num=1http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=linux_desktop_vitals&num=1http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=linux_mint17_desktops&num=1ThisapetpeeveofminebecauseitseemsLinuxjournalistsareignoringtheevidenceandmisinformingtheLinuxcommunity.

Report Reply

25FebShaunHunter:

I'msorrythatlooksunintelligible,doesthecommentsectionalwaysstripthereturns?

Report Reply

25Febme:

Therewillbenobestlinuxdistroin2015.Theywillallbesystemd.

Report Reply

25FebHiya:

IthinktheselistsareofnousetopeopleexperiencedwithLinux.Theyaresuitedtonewandrelativelynewusers.Regardless,therearealternativesdependingonyourneeds.Forexample,alaptopcanbeanythingfromanoldwinxpbasedonetoanetbooktoanewgaminglaptop.PersonallyIamgrossedoutbyMATEandbyLXDE.IfIwantalightweightspeedyenvironment,IgowithXfce.AndeventhatischangingwiththewayIseehowelementaryOS'sPantheonrunningnicelyonoldhardware.Basically,ifyou'renewtoLinux,thislistmighthelpyougetageneralideabutremember'best'hereissubjective.

Report Reply

26FebChristopherBrenk:

OnedistributionIwanttoaddtocommentlist:Trisquel.Inmyopinionit'stheonly100%OpenSourceLinux,whichalsobrings100%OpenSourceKernelcalledlinuxlibre.That'snottrueforalmostalldistributionsIknow.Itdoesn'tuseanybinaryBlobs,evenintheKernel,likethestandardLinuxKernelsdo.Thats'swhyitdoesn'tsupportasmanyproprietaryhardwareasUbuntu,butthereareguysdoingareallygoodjobimprovingonthisissue.ButIhadnoproblemsinstallingitonmynewmachinewithAMDHD7800,mostotherdristributionsItriedtoinstallneededspeciallykernelparametersbeforeIwasabletogetpictureonscreenfortheinstallprocess,evenfedoraandUbuntu...

Report Reply

26FebRui:

Whataboutthebestdistroforolderpeoplewhoneverusedacomputer?Somethingwithlessbuttons,lessoptions,twoorthreeuseslikeBrowsing+Skype+Text?Nononesensesimple?

Report Reply

27FebChristopherBrenk:

Ihaven'ttried,butcheckoutVinux.I'dstumbleuponthatdistributionaftersomegooglesearches.Importantkeywordsare"Braille"and"Orca".Ithinkthechoicewilldependonthegradeofhandicapnessthoseoldpeoplehavetodealwith.Maybethey'renotdisabledatallandfamiliarwithWindows?ThenyoumightwanttotryoutoneofthosedistroslistedinthemainarticleorZorinOS.

Report Reply

28FebChristopherrenk:

AnotheroptionwouldbeabootableliveCD.UsingabootableliveCDissimple,becauseyoudon'tneedtoinstallandconfigureyourcomputeratall.ForexampleyoucouldusePuppyLinux.ItcomeswithMidorforbrwosingthewebandAbiwordforofficerelatedissues.Bothprogramsarelightweightandfast.

Report Reply

01Marjosedancer:

Themostbeautifuldistro:isnotelementary:pThemostbeautifuldistro:deepin

Report Reply

01MarJustDona:

Maybe...inauniversewheretherewasnoMintLinux...

Report Reply

01MarPlazma:

steamosfromascratch?Orbasedondebian.Itsbetabtw,addthelistlinuxmintpls,netrunner,manjaroetc

Report Reply

01Marjonumate:

triedinstallingubuntumateonadelllaptopandmanyothers,butnonetworkdriversforanyofthem,thedownsidetolinuxmintistherepoorforumwhennewusersaretoldtolearncodingorgobacktowindows.shamereallybutsurprisedthatManjaroisnotlisted,buteveryonethinksarchcoversit.butsorryguysitdontcutit.shamenoonedoesaintrotousinglinuxfornewusers,andnotjustaboutwhatisthebest.suchasmint,ubuntu,puppy,debian,manjaro,thinkthelistismassive.butmoreinfofornewuserswouldbebetterfornewusers

Report Reply

01Martheuser:

LinuxmintisthebestandmostadvancedDistributionwhenitcomestoHardwareRecognitionandcompatability

Report Reply

01Marcarlos:

Swapnil,justtoletyouknowIreallyappreciateyourarticles.Theyareveryusefulandwellwritten.Thanks.

Report Reply

01MarJamieCoates:

Myvoteforbestenterprisedistroanddistroforallaroundgeneraluse,stillandundisputedwinnerfrom2014isBlackLabLinux.http://www.blacklablinux.orgIuseitathomeandmyworkhasarunningsubscriptionwithBlackLabSoftware.Itsverystable,worksreallywellandIlovethepresentationandthelookandthecompanyputsalotofworkintheirnewreleases.ButwiththeLinuxworldthatsagoodthingthatwehavechoiceandImnotknockingSwapnil'schoices.WheneverIgetanewsystem,BlackLabisthefirstthingIload.

Report Reply

01MarStu:

Averywellthoughtouttop11.maybethereshouldbe12!Surelytherewouldbeaspaceforportabledistros.Thereareplenty,nowadaysmanyinstallspreboottoisolinuxtohelpconfigure.IwouldmentionKnoppix,TinyCore/DSL,Puppyetc.ithasbeenapopularchoicesincetheadventoftheusbdriveandabioscapableofusbbootingbutmuchcanalsobedonewitha20yearoldmachineafloppydriveandacdromwithorwithoutharddisk.

Report Reply

02MarGauravJain:

ZorinOS9,LinuxMint&Deepinarethebestlinuxforbeginner.EspeciallyZorinforwindowsuser..verygoodlinux..

Report Reply

02Marval:

themostefficeint::duodebiani3!!

Report Reply

02MarBen:

I'mreallygladthatUbuntuMATEisgainingmoreattention(andjustrecentlygotacceptedasanofficialvariant).MATEisfantastic,butI'vefoundthathavingmorethanonedesktop,orinstallingadesktoponadistronotbuiltexclusivelyforthatdistrocanbeapainsometimes.

Report Reply

02Marmauve:

Bestdesktopforme,afteryearsoffedoraandmultipledeadendstryingothersolutions(lookingatyou,ubuntu),isManjaro.It'sbleedingedge,almostastweakableasarch,it'sarollingrelease,itjustworksandIhaven'tusedviyettocorrectanythingintheconfigurationfiles(whichisabigplusinmybook).Idealsofar.

Report Reply

02Marryan:

Manjaro,Manjaro,Manjaro.Fast,simple.ARCHbased!

Report Reply

02MarRon:

Damn,youforgotoneofthebestdistro'soutthere...LinuxMint

Report Reply

02Marchewe:

anylinuxdistrothatworkonyourlaptopordesktopthatthelinuxforyouiusepclinux.OSoneofthethingidowentibuyanewlaptopordesktopistotakem.s.rightoutandinstalllinuxandidonethisforthelasttenyears.

Report Reply

03Maretyrnal:

WhatisyourreasoningforexcludingUbuntu?Ifindthatwheniuseotherdistros,theirpackagesareoftenoutofdate.Forexample,Ubuntu'ssoftwarecenterwillhaveversion2.72ofasoftwaretitle,whileanotherdistro'spackagemanagerwillhavethesamesoftware,buttiwillbeon2.69,oron2.70.NotsurewhyUbuntuhadbeenexcluded.

Report Reply

10MarKennethV.:

ThanksSwapnil,Verygoodarticle,Ilikedtheenthusiasminyourwriting.NormallyIstartreadingthiskindarticlesanddon`tmakeittothenumber5.IfoundexactlyIwhatIneeded.Goodinformation,keepitup!

Report Reply

22MarRajaSaksena:

Thanks.Wonderfularticle.Youmayalsoseethisarticlehttp://www.debadityo.com/2015/03/reviewedtop15musthaveubuntuapplications.htmlforthebestubuntuapplications

Report Reply

27Maramirrm:

hiwhatisyourideaaboutParsixlinux

Report Reply

30Marhottyson:

LinuxMintrulestheuniverse.IloveLinuxMintXFCE.Iamgoingtomarryit.Kororaisthebestforoldlaptopsbecausewirelesswillactuallyworkoutofthebox.VoyagerhaseverythingthatanoldornewPCneedsoutoftheboxincludingKODI.ThecutestdistroforolddesktopsisSimplicitybasedonPuppy.IhasTor,Netflixworkingoutofthebox.TheprettiestisChaletOS.IusedtolustafterElementary,buttheylabeledmea"Cheater."BestOSIhaveeverusedisChromeOS.However,IstillneedmyMicrosoftWindowsbecauseIneediTunes,WMC,easywindowtiling(porn),andeasyprintersetup.

Report Reply

02AprCesar:

Thereisnobestdistroforthis,bestdistroforthat.Theycanrunprettymuchthesameprograms.Itjustreallycomesdowntopersonalpreferencebetweenthingslikedebandrpm...orgnomevsunityvscinnamonvsmate....etc

Report Reply

03AprBarrybumpkin:

IcanbelievethatnoonehasmentionedthebestdistroasbeingtheOpen2GettingALifedistro,especiallywhenextendedwiththePossiblyGetAMateoption.Justsayin'

Report Reply

03AprM.Kelley:

IhaveusedatonoflinuxdistrosovertheyearsandnoneofthemisasuserfriendlyandvisuallypleasingthanLinuxMint.Sometimes,Igetcuriousaboutanotherversionoflinux,likemageia,suse,rebellin,etc.But,IALWAYScomerightbacktomint.Toeachhisown.But,asforme....Mint!

Report Reply

03AprAriTorresz:

IfeelthesamewayasyoudobutIalwayscomebacktoUbuntuandnowUbuntuMate:)

Report Reply

04Apretyrnal:

useMintifyourwantyour3rdpartypackagestobeanumberofversionsolderthanubuntu's

Report Reply

04Aprhamid:

magsi

Report Reply

04AprAriTorres:

noMinthereUbuntuMatealltheway

Report Reply

05AprMike:

YoucouldaddUbuntuStudiofortheAudio/Videosection.It'sbeenaroundforawhilebutgivesyoueverythingyoucouldneedoutofthebox.http://ubuntustudio.org/

Report Reply

06Aprclf:

Ilikeit.Verygood!

Report Reply

09Apravm31982:

thanksman,justwhatIwaslookingfor.Iwasn'tawarethatSTEAMOSwasforanythingbesidesSTEAMmachinesandIhadonlyheardofArtistXandUbuntuStudioforAudio/Video.IhadneverheardofTails.Goodarticleman.

Report Reply

09AprRadioFreeMe:

IhavealwayspreferredplainoldUbuntu.After11yearsofusingit,it'sneverdonewrongbyme.IevenlikeUnity.I'vetriedMintandabunchofotherUbuntuderivatives,andevennonUbuntuderivativesandintheend,IkeepcomingbacktoplainoldUbuntu.Formypurposes,itworksperfectlyandconsistently.Intheend,itsallthesameLinuxunderneathwhatevereyecandyyouthrowontopofit.Buthey,toeach,theirownandshareandsharealike,butgivecreditwhereit'sduethat'swhatopensourceisallabout.

Report Reply

14Aprnitecrawler:

nolistiscompletewithoutmentioningslackware.....slackware14.1isthemostreliabledistrooutthere....

Report Reply

15AprMutwiraFarikai:

opensuseisthebestaccordingtome

Report Reply

20AprLinuxpower1001:

Showsomemoregoodoperatingsystems

Report Reply

23AprVarg:

I'vebeenrunningNetrunnerRollingforawhilenowit'sverypolished,anditappearstobestableenoughthatitwon'tbreak(toobadly).Theforumsarealsoactiveandthereseemstoalwaysbeapostintheforumdescribingwhattodoforbigupgrades.Itwasnotdifficulttoupdatethelastsnapshot(year2014)tothecurrentstate.TherewasalsoaguideformigratingfromKDE4toPlasma5,andthenextsnapshotwillhavetheoptionofeitherKDE4orPlasma5.I'mveryimpressed,andIwouldrecommendNetrunnerRollingtoanintermediatetoadvanceduser.Ihaven'ttriedit,butIcouldimaginethatNetrunner15wouldworkjustfineforabeginner.

Report Reply

25AprAlan:

ElementaryOSisbeautiful,buttheydon'tallowit'sdownloadforfree.Andtheysayit'safreeandopensourceOS.Whereisthefreedownloadlinkforthesystem?Cananyonehelpme?

Report Reply

05MayGauravDhingr:

It'sfree.Youhavetogototheirwebsitehttp://elementary.io/andthenclickontheCustombutton.Inthattypetheamountyouwanttopay,whichmayevenbe$0.LinuxOperatingSystemshavealwaysbeenfreeandwillalwaysbe.

Report Reply

15hoursagoEduardGotwig:

Youdontunderstandthedifferencebetweenfreeasinbeerorfreeasinspeech.therearelinuxdistroswhichindeedcostmoney,seeenterprisesector.

Report Reply

26AprMist:

http://sourceforge.net/projects/elementaryos/

Report Reply

27AprAndy:

Alan,ElementaryOSisfree.Justkeyin0inthedonationfieldandyoushouldbeabletodownload.ElementaryhasbeenoneofthebestthatIhaveinstalled.Goforit!Andy

Report Reply

28AprJR:

Mageiarules!

Report Reply

03MayLinuxFan:

Haveyouhardabout'OzonOSHydrogenBeta'?IthinkitshouldreplaceSteamOSasthebestLinuxdistroforgaming.Hereisthelink:http://ozonos.github.io/

Report Reply

04MayLinuxgeek123:

HasanyonetriedEBOSSpeedEdition.Itisveryfastbutstillgoodlooking.IhadwindowsXPonaOldcomputer(1.4GHz512mbitwasSOslowsoIreinstalledXPbutitwassoslow.ThenIinstallUbuntu14.04ItwasStillslow!!SoIinstallEBOSSpeedEditionItISfasterthenever.ISeriouslyrecommendEBOSSpeedEdition.Youcandownloaditathttp://emmett31.wix.com/cubeos.

Report Reply

04MayPaul:

WhencantheLinuxworldconsolidatestheefforttobuildONEkillerdistro?Justtoomanyconfusingandcontradictingchoicesandopinions.

Report Reply

4daysagoNobby:

What...slackwarenevermademention?comeonnow...itmightnotbeaspointand

WHOWEARE?

TheLinuxFoundationisanonprofitconsortiumdedicatedtothegrowthofLinux.

MoreAboutthefoundation...

FrequentQuestions

Join/LinuxTraining/Board

EXPLORE

Answers

Blogs

Forums

Directory

STAYCURRENT

Netbooks

CloudComputing

Enterprise

Embedded&Mobile

ABOUTLINUX.COM

HowtoParticipate

Contact/About

Advertise

Privacy/Terms/EditorialPolicy

Linux.com2015Linux.com.Allrightsreserved.TheLinuxFoundationSymbolisatrademarkoftheLinuxFoundation.LinuxisaregisteredtrademarkofLinusTorvalds.

PostComment

Name:

Email:

Comment:

SubscribetoComments

clickyasRedHatbutitrunsallourservesrocksolidformanymanyyears.Totallyagreewithopensusethough!

Report Reply

13hoursagoandreas:

GentooorArchnothingmore!!!!

Report Reply