What distro should YOU try?

The most common question from anyone first looking at Linux is, "there are so many options, I don't know what to pick." Here are some suggestions, based on skill level and use case, I like to recommend:

"I'm new, I just want to play games, and am afraid of breaking anything."

Check out bazzite:
https://bazzite.gg/
Probably the closest you're going to get to something like SteamOS, that isn't from Valve. It uses a new-ish idea for Linux distributions called "immutable" or "atomic". Essentially, all of your system files are part of an "image" and all updates come as new "layers" to your image. It's difficult to break and easy to roll-back if an update goes wrong.

For a more productivity oriented version of the same thing, check out Fedora Silverblue:
https://fedoraproject.org/atomic-desktops/silverblue/
This is the upstream distribution on which bazzite is built and uses the same immutable/atomic design.

"I'm a Windows/Mac PowerUser and want some extra options, but I don't want to have to build everything from scratch like pure Arch."
Check out CachyOS or EndeavourOS:
https://cachyos.org/
https://endeavouros.com/

Both are based on Arch, come with GUI installers, and sensible defaults. CachyOS is currently the "new hotness" on the scene. While EndeavourOS has been around a bit longer and is now typically recommended over alternatives like Manjaro.

"I love reading docs, getting stuck, and messing around at the command line."
You should checkout Arch, btw. (But you probably already knew that. ;-) )
https://archlinux.org/

"Okay, but what about $otherdistro"
Some of the more historically recommended "beginner friendly" distros, like Mint, have fallen out of favor due to choices being made upstream by Canonical, the company that releases Ubuntu, such as an increasing reliance on `snap` which can add complexities around permission issues. Also, Ubuntu LTS provides mostly security updates so, while systems are secure, they sometimes lack the latest version of certain software. For example, Python is stuck on version 3.10.x in Ubuntu 22.04 and its derivatives.

If you'd like to compare and read more about Linux distribution, I'd recommend heading over to https://distrowatch.com and checking the top distributions in their right-hand sidebar.


Happy Linuxing!