Beginner distros

There are dozens of distributions aimed at new and inexperienced Linux users. Shashank Sharma narrows the selection down to five.

There are dozens of distributions aimed at new and inexperienced Linux users. Shashank Sharma narrows the selection down to five to help you take the plunge.

The 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 been true 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 section.