Which distribution of linux should I use?

I have been thinking of dual booting my computer, so that I can use windows only for gaming, and linux for programming and everything else. I’m a bit confused about all of the different distributions, and it’s hard to pick one. So which distribution should I download?

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It depends on what you are comfortable with. If you have no linux experience at all then I would stick with one of the more popular distributions as you will be able to find help more easily when needed. I found this article which has good suggestions based on what you might be looking for.

Basically, you will be able to do everything you need to do for web development with any distribution you pick, so don’t worry about that aspect of it. You can also test them in a virtual machine on your Windows computer using VirtualBox, so you can test drive a few of them before you make a commitment.

But really, you can’t go wrong with any of the big ones, such as Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Debian.

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Have you looked in to Windows Subsystem for Linux at all?

That’s what I use for my development environment, and it has worked quite well for me. Very streamlined, and I avoid the Windows quirks that come with programming while also skipping the hassle of a dual boot.

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I don’t have any linux experience whatsoever so perhaps Ubuntu would be the best choice? Why are there different distributions of linux, what is the reason?

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Hmm, what is Windows Subsystem for Linux?

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WSL is essentially a fancy Virtual Machine for a Linux distribution (Ubuntu and Kali are the ones I have seen available, but I’m sure there are more). The key difference is that it’s still tightly integrated with Windows, so I have access to things like the Windows File Explorer or my Windows VSCode installation.

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If you’ll go with Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) then go for WSL2 (you’ll need the latest W10 update).
WSL2 is much faster and less buggy.

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Each distribution has its own quirks, such as default desktop and choice of package manager. As to why, because that’s the nature of linux :slight_smile: There isn’t one company that controls what your computer looks like, what software is included by default, and how it behaves.

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I forget that WSL1 is a thing :sweat_smile:

Yes, WSL2 is the way to go. Here are the installation instructions.

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Honestly, if you’re installing software that you’re worried is going to be that intrusive, I’d strongly reconsider installing it.

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I think you should use POPOS.
It is really easy to install deb packages just click on them(just like exe files)
And it is meant for developers, and also for scientific research and stuff.
It is really awesome and I’m using it right now!!

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Hi. There are different distributions because there is a basic UNIX kernel in a open source licence, which made various people work on their own version of OS.

As a consequence, you have versions like Ubuntu, which is meant for a large audience with less experienced users, where you can set up a GUI interface (called “GNOME”) to use it like Windows; And systems like Archlinux for very experiences users where everything is made through the command line. So, the very reason is perhaps that each version is “tailoured” to a specific audience.

As for chosing, consider that Ubuntu has a large community support and forums so it’s the best choice for a beginner. Consider anyway get accustomed to work with UNIX systems by doing a course like “The Unix Workbench” – when I made it, I had to install a subsystem, but today you can train yourself just by opening Windows Terminal and find a Linux terminal.

I had to upgrade to WSL 2 in order to use Docker, I don’t know if you really need.

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Use Ubuntu if you’re new to Linux. If you have a good grasp of Linux, then Fedora is nice and ships cutting edge software but you may struggle to get Broadcom Wifi devices set up if you’re new whereas Ubuntu has a tool to easily enable Broadcom drivers.

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Hi,

I’m an enthusiastic amateur and I’ve been using ubuntu for a few years now. I’m happy with it. It’s user experience is close to windows but it shares the linux kernel. I use atom for programming (you can install a terminal inside atom) but windows has visual studio and I read lots of praise for that. You’ll have to learn new stuff but there’s lots of info on the forums if you’re stuck and you’ll soon get used to installing packages. I don’t miss windows except for paint.net (ubuntu has gimp, powerful but not user friendly) and the jigsaw puzzles.
Greets,
Karin

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My recommendation is going with either of the below for a start. Once you’ve got a decent grip on some of the Linux quirks, you should be able to decide on a long term choice yourself.

Ubuntu - there’s a big community using it and you can usually find solutions to any issues easily.

Manjaro - it’s an easy-to-get-into branch of Arch Linux and Arch has a ROBUST wiki.

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There are two flavors of Visual Studio: Visual Studio Code is cross-platform across Windows, Linux, and macOS. Visual Studio Community, which is a completely different IDE for specifically Microsoft technologies (.NET, WPF, DirectX, et al), is Windows-only, however.

Also, Linux has Pinta, which somewhat resembles Paint.NET.

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That’s what all the noise about VS is about. Didn’t know that. And Pinta, I am checking that out immediately. I just want to do simple things with drawings and Gimp gives me the Imp every time I use it.
Thank you very much!

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I’d start with an Ubuntu flavor, because you find a lot of help and tutorials for Ubuntu.

Do this for some years to learn how Linux works.

Then do your own thing, e.g. rolling releases like Arch.

Don’t skip Ubuntu if you’re currently not resilient against frustration.

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I think this topic should go under “General”

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Ubuntu…especially if you are new to linux. It has the biggest community to help you get started. The distro doesnt really matter, just the fact that you will be using and learning linux matters.

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