What Linux Distro Should I Start With As a First-Time User?

For new Linux users, Mint and Ubuntu are consistently the top recommendations. They're both user-friendly and offer a great starting point. You can always try out other distros later, but these two are solid for beginners.

I just made the jump too! I initially tried Mint but ended up going with Ubuntu, mainly because I noticed a lot of my favorite tech influencers use it. Honestly, there's not that big of a difference between them that I've seen, so you can't go wrong with either.

Linux Mint is often considered the best for beginners since it just works right out of the box. There's a great YouTube channel called Explaining Computers that has an installation guide specific to Linux Mint. Just make sure to follow the official installation guides of the distro you decide to go with, as some of the online tutorials might be outdated. And don’t forget to test your hardware in the live environment before fully committing! That way, you can troubleshoot any issues with WiFi, audio, and printers upfront.

When you're asking about distros, it's important to understand that recommendations often come from personal experience. Rather than fixating on a specific distro right away, check out a couple of desktop environments first on a virtual machine and see what fits for you. Once you've chosen a DE, you can pick a distro that supports it. Just keep in mind that some distros, like RHEL, have strict DE ties. In short: 1) Choose a DE, 2) Decide if you want an easy option (like a fork) or a learning experience (like an upstream distro), 3) Just kidding about installing Arch!