Best Linux Distro Privacy/Usability for a mid level user
What do you think is the best linux distro for a user who wants to migrate from windows in terms of privacy, usability and respect for the FOSS spirit?
I’m thinking to give a chance to #ElementaryOS https://elementary.io
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@carloshr @Openhuman @privacy @linux I think Zorin OS is good for this.
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@carloshr @privacy @linux i think you should.
It’s not made for customization, but I’ve not found a better install and run experience.
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@carloshr @privacy @linux
From Windows? Mint. After Mint? Manjaro. After Manjaro fucks again with the signing keys thing and their amnesia? Mint. Or MX Linux. Once you are past the learning curve, Debian. Want to get your hands dirty? *buntu based distro. Hype? EndeavourOS.
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@carloshr
For privacy and “FOSS ideals” stay away from Ubuntu and RedHat.
For “easy for a Windows user”, I tried switching to Linux 6-7 times over 15 years, different distro every time.
The one that finally “stuck” for me was #Mint.
Although honestly, nowadays, most of the top distros are very good. I’m also a fan of #Pop_OS
@privacy @linux
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I would recommend what looks most promising/fun to you.
personally I am staying with the “big ones”. on my gaming pc I have installed fedora with kde. on my notebook(with touchscreen) I am trying Debian with gnome and eventually arch when I am clear on how I want my system to be exactly
for work and network stuff I use debian with kde.
If you are unsure I’d recommend either debian or fedora with kde. Ubuntu isn’t really something for me because snap is really annoying (apt installs sometimes default to snap but don’t tell you outright)
Do you just care about privacy, or is it your primary focus?
There are Linux distros like Tails which will be very hard to use day to day, but if you are laser focused on privacy, it’s between that and CubesOS (not Linux).
Most Linux distros will give you reasonable privacy from an OS standpoint, from there it’s up to you to have good practices with your data.
QubesOS. Also TailsOS isn’t too bad if you do persistent memory and don’t mind slow internet traffic over Tor. I find it plenty usable for simple browsing and downloadikg small files.
TAILS
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Linux mint
Fedora, mint or open suse tumbleweed. Pick your favorite DE and just give It a try. If you want to make distro hopping easier make a /home partition
@privacy @linux
According to most of the responses so far, Eeementary is not the best choice. So I think I will try #LinuxMint as the first option.
https://linuxmint.com #Linux
Linux Mint is great for beginners and is simular to Windows.
@carloshr @privacy @linux Elementary used to feel way ahead of its time, now it feels a bit behind instead. Not exactly a bad distro, but also not my top pick. Linux Mint has been rock solid for me for many years.
@carloshr @privacy @linux good choice
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The desktop environment is much more important, I recommend going with Fedora, it’s easy and has a large community and has a large amount of desktop environments to pick from.
Distro doesn’t really mater that much, desktop environment (de) is a more important choice for a new user.
Comming from windows you might like cinnamon, mate, kde plasma or gnome with ArcPanel and Dash to Dock extensions. There’s also lxqt and xfce for low spec systems.
You can install any de on any distro but if you are new to linux you might want to stick with the default one.
If you want cinnamon or mate go with linux Mint.
For gnome ZorinOS looks decent. I think it comes with wine already set up to make running windows programs easier. If you have an nvidia gpu Pop!_OS comes with nvidia drivers but you’ll probably want some gnome extensions like ArcMenu and Dash to Panel.
Before installing any distro you should try them out in a live usb mode or a virtual machine.
Personally I started with Cinnamon Mint but it had issues with my multi monitor set up and poor gaming performance so now I’m on gnome Pop!_OS with ArcMenu and Dash to Panel on desktop and lxqt lubuntu on laptop.
I switched from windows about a year ago and now I’m absolutely certain I’m never comming back. The first 2 weeks or so are the most difficult because you feel like you have to learn a brand new skill every time you do something basic that would take you 30 seconds in windows but once you have everything set up and are more familiar with how things are done on linux it will feel completely natural.
Good luck on your linux journey, I hope you see it through. :)