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There are no beginner GNU/Linux distributions
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<h1>There are no beginner GNU/Linux distributions</h1>
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<div id="article-date">2024-11-10</div>
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<p class="tags">
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<a href="/index/gnu/linux.html" class="tag">gnu/linux</a>
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<a href="/index/linux.html" class="tag">linux</a>
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<a href="/index/free software.html" class="tag">free software</a>
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<a href="/index/opinion.html" class="tag">opinion</a>
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<p>I see this so often and it's so wrong. That if you know GNU/Linux, you must
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switch to Arch, Gentoo, Fedora, OpenSUSE or at least Debian. That if you use
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Mint or Ubuntu, you're not a real GNU/Linux user.
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</p><p>These distributions happen to be perfect for someone who hasn't used GNU/Linux
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before: everything can be done graphically, they have lots of apps in the
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repository and a large community. But this isn't Android; you aren't forced to
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not use the terminal, add your own repositories, modify the kernel, or compile
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your own software.
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</p><p>I use Linux Mint, but not because I can't use Debian or Arch. I use it because,
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besides being user-friendly and having introduced me to GNU/Linux, it is very
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stable, Cinnamon is a good desktop (not perfect, but good), it has a good
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community, supports most hardware, is very customisable, and most importantly,
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the developers are really nice, and not doing stupid things for profit.
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</p><p>Distribution 'difficulty' is not about how smart you have to be to use it, but
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about how much time you're willing to spend in order for it to work. You can
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still customise any (regular) distribution to your liking; the 'beginner' ones
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are just easier to get started with. But there's no reason why one should be
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ashamed of using a 'beginner-friendly' distribution, if they like it.
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