How to choose Linux distro - choose a Desktop Environment

To understand what I mean, you should understand how Linux is built. Linux is a kernel and is useless on its own. The Linux kernel plus a set of software is what makes a Linux distribution.

Different distributions add different software: the amount of it varies, program versions vary, default settings differ, etc. However, all modern popular distros are more or less the same. The differences are negligible if you need your PC as a daily driver to watch videos, write texts, or do whatever most people do nowadays.

What actually differentiates them is the DE, or Desktop Environment. That’s what determines the look and feel of your computer: icons, window (no pun intended) management, hotkeys, status bar, animations, and all that. On Windows or Mac, you have only one option for each, but on Linux, there are a bunch of them. The big three are:

• KDE
• GNOME
• Cinnamon

There are many others, but there’s no need to focus on them now. You will discover them later on your own if needed.

So, how do you make a choice? See screenshots!

• Cinnamon looks much like old school Windows.
• KDE is modern and extremely customizable - my personal choice.
• GNOME provides a tablet-like experience.

Once that is done, feel free to go with:

• OpenSUSE or Fedora KDE for KDE.
• Fedora or Ubuntu for Gnome.
• Mint for Cinnamon.

I’ve added multiple options just in case you face some hardware-related issues, so you have an alternative to fall back on.

Remember that Linux can be loaded just for testing and playing around with no installation! You can download the OS, boot into it, try it out for a couple of minutes, and then either install it with the installer app or try another one.