26 LXF260 March 2020 http://www.linuxformat.comROUNDUP Beginner distros
Shashank
Sharma
By day Shashank
is a New Delhi trial
lawyer, but by
night he’s an open
source vigilante!WE COMPARE TONS OF STUFF SO YOU DON’T HAVE TO!
Deepin Elementary OS Manjaro
Solus Zorin OShe end of support for Windows 7
in January 2020 is just one of the
many reasons that might compel
new users to switch to Linux in the new
year. If you’ve never used Linux before, or
have limited experience, choosing a Linux
distribution out of an ever-growing list can
be a very daunting task. Linux distributions
can be categorised on the basis of many
different criteria, such as the default desktop
environment, their package management
system and even the resource requirements.
Conventional wisdom suggests that
rolling-release distributions are best suited for
advanced users. While this might have beentrue in the early to mid-2000s, it’s no
longer the case, with the myriad sources of
information, vast amounts of documentation
and informational video tutorials scattered
across the internet. This is why our selection
features two rolling-release options.
Regardless of your computing experience
or background, our selection of distributions
will serve as the perfect starting point for your
open source journey. We understand that
being new to Linux doesn’t necessarily mean
you’re new to computing. Some of the
distributions in our selection might seem too
simplistic, and if that’s the case you may find
a useful option in the Also Consider section.Beginner distros
There are dozens of distributions aimed at new and inexperienced
Linux users. Shashank Sharma narrows the selection down to five.
All the distributions were
tested on the same dual-core
machine with 4GB RAM, and
we’ve selected the latest stable
release for each distribution.
Documentation is one of the
most important deciding
factors when choosing a
distribution if you’re a new
user. And just as important is
the installation process. Since
our focus is on users who’ve
probably never installed a
Linux distribution before, this is
a key criteria. Another
important factor is software
management and the kind of
apps that are shipped with
the distribution.
Apart from these, the
distribution also needs to be
easy to use for day-to-day
activities. As you spend time
with Linux distributions, you’ll
learn that adaptability is one of
their best qualities. An ideal
distribution for newbies is one
that does all of the above and
also makes it easy for them
to tweak settings and make
other changes to mould the
distribution to their liking.Roundup
T
HOW WE TESTED...
26 LXF260March 2020 http://www.linuxformat.comShashank
Sharma
BydayShashank
isaNewDelhitrial
lawyer,butby
nighthe’sanopen
sourcevigilante!WE COMPARE TONS OF STUFF SO YOU DON’T HAVE TO!
Deepin ElementaryOS Manjaro
Solus ZorinOShe end of support for Windows 7
in January 2020 is just one of the
many reasons that might compel
newusers to switch to Linux in the new
year. If you’ve never used Linux before, or
have limited experience, choosing a Linux
distribution out of an ever-growing list can
be a very daunting task. Linux distributions
can be categorised on the basis of many
different criteria, such as the default desktop
environment, their package management
system and even the resource requirements.
Conventional wisdom suggests that
rolling-release distributions are best suited for
advanced users. While this might have beentrue in the early to mid-2000s, it’s no
longer the case, with the myriad sources of
information, vast amounts of documentation
and informational video tutorials scattered
across the internet. This is why our selection
features two rolling-release options.
Regardless of your computing experience
or background, our selection of distributions
will serve as the perfect starting point for your
open source journey. We understand that
being new to Linux doesn’t necessarily mean
you’re new to computing. Some of the
distributions in our selection might seem too
simplistic, and if that’s the case you may find
a useful option in the Also Consider section.Beginner distros
There are dozens of distributions aimed at new and inexperienced
Linux users. Shashank Sharma narrows the selection down to five.
All the distributions were
tested on the same dual-core
machine with 4GB RAM, and
we’ve selected the latest stable
release for each distribution.
Documentation is one of the
most important deciding
factors when choosing a
distribution if you’re a new
user. And just as important is
the installation process. Since
our focus is on users who’ve
probably never installed a
Linux distribution before, this is
a key criteria. Another
important factor is software
management and the kind of
apps that are shipped with
the distribution.
Apart from these, the
distribution also needs to be
easy to use for day-to-day
activities. As you spend time
with Linux distributions, you’ll
learn that adaptability is one of
their best qualities. An ideal
distribution for newbies is one
that does all of the above and
also makes it easy for them
to tweak settings and make
other changes to mould the
distribution to their liking.Roundup
T
HOW WE TESTED...