If there’s one thing that makes Linux more appealing than either Windows or Apple’s OS, it’s undoubtedly the choice. Linux boasts a wide variety of distributors – also known as distros – with each offering their own desktop environments (DE). Each one is different, aimed at both new Linux users and seasoned veterans. For anyone interested in taking a foray into the world of Linux desktop environments, these are the best 5 worth testing.
1. Ubuntu
The reigning king in the world of Linux, Ubuntu is the brainchild of Mark Shuttleworth, a South African that had a vision of matching Windows in terms of user friendliness, along with a series of cutting-edge features. Ubuntu is one of the most polished and stable DE’s available right now, and is based directly on Debian. This means that it can run any .deb file, which comprises thousands of programs and apps.
2. Linux Mint Cinnamon
Mint Cinnamon is often considered the best distro for beginners due to its similarities to Windows, both in terms of its overall themes, layouts, and the programs available. Cinnamon is the flagship of the Mint community, but they do offer other desktop environments, such as XFCE. Mint is known in the industry for its friendly community, making it a great place to start for anyone hoping for an easy transition into Linux, and perfect for the casual user wanting Mint for work, or for accessing the best Australian betting sites.
3. Manjaro XFCE
Manjaro is another extremely popular Linux distro, except they base their desktop environments off of Arch Linux rather than Ubuntu. Arch Linux offers rolling updates on a frequent basis, meaning that while Manjaro environment can be unstable sometimes, any bugs are usually found and squashed much faster than with any Debian-based DE. And where Arch Linux is known for its instability due to its bleeding edge technology, the Manjaro team takes the time to test any updates before releasing them to the public.
4. Arch Linux
Often heralded as the best distro around for advanced users, Arch Linux is one of the oldest and most customisable, built with bleeding edge tech that won’t make it to other distros and environments for some time. With its rolling updates, Arch Linux is a great tool for keeping up to date with the latest and greatest software that the open source world can offer. It should be noted, however, that even installing Arch Linux requires some technical knowledge, and due to the nature of bleeding edge tech, it’s not uncommon for Arch Linux to break. This is part of the reason why so many people prefer to use a service such as Manjaro to ensure that all new updates have been adequately tested.
5. Lubuntu
The little cousin of Ubuntu, Lubuntu is the perfect environment for anyone that needs to get an old or slow computer up and working again. As one of the least resource-intensive environments in the world, Lubuntu promises the snappy feel of a modern desktop, along with all of the tools needed for browsing and productivity, while also keeping CPU and RAM usage as low as possible.