How to Choose the Best Linux: Features to Consider

Linux is a huge ecosystem. If we have ever been interested in trying this operating system, the first thing we have asked ourselves is, what distribution should I choose ? Although we can always resort to the typical ones, such as Ubuntu or Mint, in reality it may happen that these are not the ones that best suit our needs, either because of the performance they offer, because of their characteristics or because they are too complicated (or too basic ) for us.

If Linux has something good, it is that it has distributions, systems, for all users . It doesn’t matter if you are new or have been using this system for decades. Regardless of whether it is for personal use, for a company or simply for leisure. You can always find a distribution that suits your needs. The only thing we have to do to choose the best Linux is to think about what we are going to need it for.

Choose the Best Linux

Do you have previous knowledge of Linux?

The first thing we should think about is, do we know how to use Linux, or is it the first time that we get into this operating system? Base distributions, like Ubuntu , offer a balance that is generally good for both novice and experienced users alike. This distro falls in the middle, so it covers the majority of users, but it may not be the best.

There are distros that, for inexperienced users, can be much better suited because they basically mimic the appearance of Windows. An example is Linuxfx. And there are also much more specialized distributions (or what is the same, difficult) for users with previous knowledge, such as Arch.

Performance vs pretty desktop

There are Linux distros designed to be able to run on all types of computers, regardless of the time they have or the hardware they use, and others that sacrifice this performance a bit in favor of offering a more beautiful and careful desktop.

If we want a fast Linux that can work without problems on our old computer, we can choose a system such as Linux Lite. However, if we want a system that has a very nice desktop, we will have to look for alternatives that use, for example, GNOME 40 (if we like a macOS-style appearance, or KDE , if we are looking for a Windows aesthetic. Within Manjaro , for example, we can find images prepared with these desks.

Lanzador GNOME 40

How do you want the updates?

There are two ways to update Linux . The first one is through lifecycles, just like Windows or macOS. Ubuntu, for example, updates in this way. Each version of this Linux has a life of 9 months (5 years in the case of LTS) during which it receives all kinds of updates. Once that time has passed we have to update to a new version to continue having support.

But, if what we want is to always be up to date, then we should look for a continuous update distro, Rolling Release, such as Arch Linux , for example. These distros do not have versions, but they constantly receive all the new packages (even the Kernel) to be always up to date. Of course, it is recommended to have a certain degree of knowledge since, in this way, problems can occur.

Instalando Arch Linux

Are you going to use Linux for something special?

If you are going to use Linux for personal use, perfectly any distro of common use can serve us. Ubuntu, Debian, Linux Mint, Manjaro … these distros, with their differences, can meet the needs of any user. But there are also other distros focused on a much more specific use. For example, if what we are going to do is edit image, audio and video, then an alternative that we can choose is AV Linux. If what we want is to set up an arcade system, we can choose Lakka , or if we want a multimedia center, with Kodi, LibreELEC .

Taste is in variety, and Linux has many flavors to choose from.