Selecting a Linux distribution isn’t as crucial as you might think, and other articles might tell you.

Choosing a distribution

There are many excellent distributions out there, some are more geared towards experienced users, whilst others are designed to make it as easy for you as possible to get started. I always recommend Pop!_OS from System76, Linux Mint, EndeavourOS or TuxedoOS.

Pop!_OS

Pop!_OS is a Linux Distribution developed by System76, a Linux Laptop and PC Manufacturer. It provides its own specific Desktop Environment. It is very easy to use and set up. Whilst it might not have the very newest drivers, they aren’t old either.

Linux Mint

Linux Mint also has its own kind of desktop environment called Cinnamon, but can also be downloaded using other DEs. Mint is much less up-to-date than Pop!_OS is, so there might be some very recent hardware that doesn’t work as well as older hardware does.

TuxedoOS

TuxedoOS is developed by the German Linux device manufacturer Tuxedo and comes with KDE Plasma out of the box. It is very stable, but ships with more up-to-date drivers and kernel.

EndeavourOS

This distribution is based on Arch Linux, compared to the other three, which are based on Ubuntu. This means, it is very much up-to-date, but is more likely to break. I have though not yet heard of anybody’s EndeavourOS break out of the blue.

Conclusion

There are a lot of interesting distributions out there. In the end, it comes down to personal preference:

• If you want a very much up-to-date Operating system, then go with EndeavourOS
• If you like to customize your desktop, then go either with EndeavourOS or TuxedoOS
• If you like to have a very easy setup, then go with Pop!_OS or Linux Mint
• If you want to have something that is very stable and very well tested, go with Linux Mint.
• If you want to have the utmost customization, then go with Arch Linux, Gentoo or similar. This is not recommended for beginners.