http://www.techradar.com/pro/linux March 2020 LXF260 31Beginner distros ROUNDUP
1st
2nd
4th
3rd
5th
n operating system is not just its appearance, package
management capabilities, the choice of default
applications, etc. All the disparate elements, many of
which have been the subject of comparison in this Roundup, must
gel together to provide an enjoyable user experience.
To recommend a distribution that only gets some of these
elements right to a newbie would be a recipe for disaster. While
experienced users can work their way through and around a
distribution’s weaknesses, novice users must be provided with a
system that’s usable in every sense of the word.
It is with this limited focus that we’re looking at the
distributions featured in this Roundup. The outcome is not
necessarily an indictment of the distributions. They may still make
a good choice for advanced or skilled users but are perhaps ill-
suited for absolute beginners.
Elementary OS is a lightweight and fast distribution. But
it fared poorly in a couple of the tests we conducted here,
especially documentation, where it lagged behind all the others,
ensuring its position at the bottom.
Zorin OS’s reliance on the Gnome 3 desktop environment
makes the distribution ill-suited for machines with less than 4GB
of RAM. We experienced some performance issues on our test rig,
which is reason enough to deny it a podium finish.
If not for these performance issues, Deepin would never have
made it onto the podium, with its limited documentation.
When working with a rolling-release distribution, it’s important
to create backups to be able revert to a previous state when
something breaks. Solus doesn’t offer one by default, but you can
install one from the software repositories. Its installer has long
been a bone of contention with us, and we have also criticised its
lack of features in past issues, going as far back as LXF178, and
more recently in LXF240. A more capable integrated disk
partitioner will go a long way towards attracting new users.
It’s no secret that this author has long been a fan of Arch Linux.
While many may view the final outcome of this Roundup as
nothing more than a result of this bias (where’s my pitchfork?–
Ed), we believe that the results from the different tests the
distributions were put to justify Manjaro winning the top spot.A
ALSO_CONSIDER
The choice of your first Linux distro depends on a variety of
additional factors outside of a its capability. Your past
computing experience and willingness to troubleshoot
problems are just as important.
For those who are willing to embark on a journey through
trial and error, it’s an open field. You may well pick any
distribution from the top 10 list on Distrowatch.com (careful
now–Ed) and begin a new adventure.Debian, Mint, Fedora and Ubuntu all have pros and cons and
boast large user communities. They have all been around long
enough to have been recommended at one time or another as
ideal for new users. However, they aren’t always designed with
novices in mind.
Regardless of the distribution you settle on, we would advise
you to persist with it for a spell and then switch to another
distribution and begin the journey afresh.Web: https://manjaro.org Licence: GPL and others
Version: 18.1.5
Doesn’t put a foot wrong. Perfect for newbies and experienced users alike.Web: https://getsol.us Licence: GPL and others
Version: 4.0
Needs a backup utility out of the box and an improved installer.Web: https://zorinos.com Licence: GPL and others
Version: 15.1
Some performance issues, but otherwise incredibly competent.Web: http://www.deepin.org/en Licence: GPL and others
Version: 15.11
Would be fourth if not for Zorin OS’s issues. Needs better documentation.Web: https://elementary.io Licence: GPLv3
Version: 5.1
Limited applications and lack of documentation make it ill-suited for novices.Beginner distros
The Verdict
Solus 9/ 10
Manjaro 10/10
Deepin 8/ 10
Zorin OS 7/ 10
Elementary OS 6/ 10
2226March 0 h6rDepihDpnElmt March 2020 LXF260 31
Beginner distros ROUNDUP
1st
2nd
4th
3rd
5th
n operating system is not just its appearance, package
management capabilities, the choice of default
applications, etc. All the disparate elements, many of
whichhave been the subject of comparison in this Roundup, must
gel together to provide an enjoyable user experience.
To recommend a distribution that only gets some of these
elements right to a newbie would be a recipe for disaster. While
experienced users can work their way through and around a
distribution’s weaknesses, novice users must be provided with a
system that’s usable in every sense of the word.
It is with this limited focus that we’re looking at the
distributions featured in this Roundup. The outcome is not
necessarily an indictment of the distributions. They may still make
a good choice for advanced or skilled users but are perhaps ill-
suited for absolute beginners.
Elementary OS is a lightweight and fast distribution. But
it fared poorly in a couple of the tests we conducted here,
especially documentation, where it lagged behind all the others,
ensuring its position at the bottom.
Zorin OS’s reliance on the Gnome 3 desktop environment
makes the distribution ill-suited for machines with less than 4GB
of RAM. We experienced some performance issues on our test rig,
which is reason enough to deny it a podium finish.
If not for these performance issues, Deepin would never have
made it onto the podium, with its limited documentation.
When working with a rolling-release distribution, it’s important
to create backups to be able revert to a previous state when
something breaks. Solus doesn’t offer one by default, but you can
install one from the software repositories. Its installer has long
been a bone of contention with us, and we have also criticised its
lack of features in past issues, going as far back as LXF178, and
more recently in LXF240. A more capable integrated disk
partitioner will go a long way towards attracting new users.
It’s no secret that this author has long been a fan of Arch Linux.
While many may view the final outcome of this Roundup as
nothing more than a result of this bias (where’s my pitchfork?–
Ed), we believe that the results from the different tests the
distributions were put to justify Manjaro winning the top spot.
A
ALSO_CONSIDER
The choice of your first Linux distro depends on a variety of
additional factors outside of a its capability. Your past
computing experience and willingness to troubleshoot
problems are just as important.
For those who are willing to embark on a journey through
trial and error, it’s an open field. You may well pick any
distribution from the top 10 list on Distrowatch.com (careful
now–Ed) and begin a new adventure.Debian, Mint, Fedora and Ubuntu all have pros and cons and
boast large user communities. They have all been around long
enough to have been recommended at one time or another as
ideal for new users. However, they aren’t always designed with
novices in mind.
Regardless of the distribution you settle on, we would advise
you to persist with it for a spell and then switch to another
distribution and begin the journey afresh.Web: https://manjaro.orgLicence: GPL and others
Version: 18.1.5
Doesn’t putafootwrong.Perfect for newbies and experienced usersalike.Web: https://getsol.us Licence: GPL and others
Version: 4.0
Needs a backuputilityoutofthe box and an improved installer.Web: https://zorinos.com Licence: GPL and others
Version: 15.1
Some performanceissues,butotherwiseincredibly competent.Web: http://www.deepin.org/en Licence: GPL and others
Version: 15.11
Would befourthifnotforZorinOS’s issues. Needs better documentation.Web: https://elementary.ioLicence: GPLv3
Version: 5.1
Limited applications and lack of documentation make it ill-suited for novices.Beginner distros
The Verdict
Solus 9/ 10
Manjaro 10/10
Deepin 8/ 10
Zorin OS 7/ 10
Elementary OS 6/ 10