Ubuntu still the most user friendly distro?

PaulieG · Apr 6, 2021

So, I'm looking to use a linux distro on 2 of my WCG crunchers. I haven't tried anything Linux in 7-8 years. Is Ubuntu still the most user friendly when moving away from windows 10? Just an fyi, I don't even know enough about Linux to be dangerous. Any help is greatly appreciated.

TheLostSwede · Apr 6, 2021

Mint maybe?

Ja.KooLit · Apr 6, 2021

I also think it is mint but you could try Pop OS as well. Still ubuntu based

PaulieG · Apr 6, 2021

Sorry guys. I was skipping over words this morning. Fixed.

R-T-B · Apr 6, 2021

I'd say yes, that or one of the official alternative desktops (kubuntu, etc).

bug · Apr 6, 2021

Ubuntu is all Gnome3 now, which is quite alien coming from Windows. You may want to look at OpenSuse instead.

R-T-B · Apr 6, 2021

bug said:
Ubuntu is all Gnome3 now, which is quite alien coming from Windows. You may want to look at OpenSuse instead.

hence me advising kubuntu. I agree gnome 3 was made for aliens.

bug · Apr 6, 2021

R-T-B said:
hence me advising kubuntu. I agree gnome 3 was made for aliens.

Kubuntu is still a strange beast. If you want Ubuntu with a KDE face, Neon is the way.

R-T-B · Apr 6, 2021

bug said:
Kubuntu is still a strange beast. If you want Ubuntu with a KDE face, Neon is the way.

I honestly did not find it that strange. But I suppose I am more adaptable to weird desktops, lol.

abactuon · Apr 6, 2021

Ubuntu was a promising "startup". But it didn't work out. Now it's just a regular Linux distribution. No better than others.
Arch Linux the most ineresting.

bug · Apr 6, 2021

R-T-B said:
I honestly did not find it that strange. But I suppose I am more adaptable to weird desktops, lol.

It's not strange visually, but under the hood. It eats a lot more resources than Neon (I've read once it's because it doesn't get rid of unnecessary leftovers from Ubuntu - haven't checked myself). Ubuntu also packages ancient Qt versions which are always a good source of bugs. Neon trims all the fat and packages the latest Qt, making it a much better distro overall. Fwiw, I've used Kubuntu for over 10 years, Neon for about 2.

WatEagle · Apr 6, 2021

also manjaro kde is good... installing it on my laptop while writing this

PaulieG · Apr 6, 2021

I appreciate how some of the distros are more interesting etc but what I'm looking for is ease of use coming from Windows. I want it to require as little as possible to get comfortable with it. Visually, I'm fine having the desktop looking different etc., but I want to avoid needing to do extra work to have the OS be functional for everyday activities.

bug · Apr 6, 2021

PaulieG said:
I appreciate how some of the distros are more interesting etc but what I'm looking for is ease of use coming from Windows. I want it to require as little as possible to get comfortable with it. Visually, I'm fine having the desktop looking different etc., but I want to avoid needing to do extra work to have the OS be functional for everyday activities.

Ubuntu can do all that, if you can get to terms with Gnome. If you can't, the best KDE distros are OpenSuse and Neon (Ubuntu derivative).
Manjaro mentioned above is also nice, but idk whether it fits your "everything should just work" requirement.

I think that's the gist of it.

Edit: Tbh, many things are easier to do in Linux than they are on Linux (e.g. setting up a VPN connection, updating all your stuff with a simple CLI command). But not all. And there will always be peripherals that are no more than paperweights on Linux, because of lack of drivers.

PaulieG · Apr 6, 2021

bug said:
Ubuntu can do all that, if you can get to terms with Gnome. If you can't, the best KDE distros are OpenSuse and Neon (Ubuntu derivative).
Manjaro mentioned above is also nice, but idk whether it fits your "everything should just work" requirement.

I think that's the gist of it.

Edit: Tbh, many things are easier to do in Linux than they are on Linux (e.g. setting up a VPN connection, updating all your stuff with a simple CLI command). But not all. And there will always be peripherals that are no more than paperweights on Linux, because of lack of drivers.

When you say "if you can get to terms with gnome", what do you mean?

SomeOne99h · Apr 6, 2021

I guess he means if you have no problem with having gnome as a desktop environment.
Pop!_OS (a Ubuntu-based one) is easy and simple too. It is my choice when I am going to install Linux, I just need a laptop.

Pop!_OS by System76

Imagine an OS for the software developer, maker and computer science professional who uses their computer as a tool to discover and create. Welcome to Pop!_OS

pop.system76.com

ZenZimZaliben · Apr 6, 2021

Ubuntu is still the easiest to use. A nice mix/cross between Mac OSx, Windows, Android.

Liquid Cool · Apr 6, 2021

PaulieG,

+1 for ubuntu if you're looking for ease of use. I'm not a fan of the desktop(since leaving unity) environment, but use it anyway ~ for that very purpose.

Everything..."usually" just works.

Best,

Liquid Cool

Solaris17 · Apr 6, 2021

If you want Ubuntu with enough interesting can give ubuntu budgie a try.

Ubuntu Budgie

Ubuntu Budgie is a community developed distribution, integrating the Budgie Desktop Environment with Ubuntu at its core

ubuntubudgie.org

Ubuntu in general I would say is the go to if you want simple in a lot of aspects, its pretty friendly and very well documented.

bug · Apr 6, 2021

PaulieG said:
When you say "if you can get to terms with gnome", what do you mean?

I mean I've tried for years and it still feels awkward to me. Last I tried it took me like 10 minutes to figure out how to make the file explorer go to the root folder.
It's not a bad desktop environment, many people are fine with it. I just think coming from Windows, you won't feel at home with it.

Still, you can download whatever distro you want to try, put it on USB stick and run it from there. That should be enough to figure out if Gnome is made for you or not, before committing to a full-fledged install.

ThrashZone · Apr 6, 2021

Hi,
Forget about the little linux spawns stick with the bigs like mint mate or I use 20.1 mint cinnamon
Linux hasn't gotten any easier sadly.

WatEagle · Apr 7, 2021

bug said:
Still, you can download whatever distro you want to try, put it on USB stick and run it from there. That should be enough to figure out if Gnome is made for you or not, before committing to a full-fledged install.

whithout the hassle to create a live you can also use https://distrotest.net/index.php to try it live really fast and easy

PaulieG · Apr 8, 2021

WatEagle said:
whithout the hassle to create a live you can also use https://distrotest.net/index.php to try it live really fast and easy

I've never seen this before. It's perfect. Thanks!

vectoravtech · Jun 2, 2021

Linux Lite OS is nice also ubuntu based https://www.linuxliteos.com/ https://betanews.com/2021/04/01/ubuntu-based-linux-lite-54-stable/

[Ubuntu-based Linux Lite 5.4 is here to replace Microsoft Windows 10 on your PC] https://distrotest.net/Linux Lite/5.4

I have it on a usb stick.

PaulieG · Jun 2, 2021

vectoravtech said:
Linux Lite OS is nice also ubuntu based https://www.linuxliteos.com/

I may have to give this one a try. Thanks!

Processor	5800x(2)/5700g/5600x/5600g/2700x/1700x/1700
Motherboard	MSI B550 Carbon (2)/ MSI z490 Unify/Asus Strix B550-F/MSI B450 Tomahawk (3)
Cooling	EK AIO 360 (2)/EK AIO 240, Arctic Cooling Freezer II 280/EVGA CLC 280/Noctua D15/Cryorig M9(2)
Memory	32 GB Ballistix Elite/32 GB TridentZ/16GB Mushkin Redline Black/16 GB Dominator
Video Card(s)	Asus Strix RTX3060/EVGA 970(2)/Asus 750 ti/Old Quadros
Storage	Samsung 970 EVO M.2 NVMe 500GB/WD Black M.2 NVMe 500GB/Adata 500gb NVMe
Display(s)	Acer 1080p 22"/ (3) Samsung 22" 1080p
Case	(2) Lian Li Lancool II Mesh/Corsair 4000D /Phanteks Eclipse 500a/Be Quiet Pure Base 500/Bones of HAF
Power Supply	EVGA Supernova 850G(2)/EVGA Supernova GT 650w/Phantek Amps 750w/Seasonic Focus 750w
Mouse	Generic Black wireless (5)
Keyboard	Generic Black wireless (5)
Software	Win 10/Ubuntu

System Name	Overlord Mk MLI
Processor	AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D
Motherboard	Gigabyte X670E Aorus Master
Cooling	Noctua NH-D15 SE with offsets
Memory	32GB Team T-Create Expert DDR5 6000 MHz @ CL30-34-34-68
Video Card(s)	Gainward GeForce RTX 4080 Phantom GS
Storage	1TB Solidigm P44 Pro, 2 TB Corsair MP600 Pro, 2TB Kingston KC3000
Display(s)	Acer XV272K LVbmiipruzx 4K@160Hz
Case	Fractal Design Torrent Compact
Audio Device(s)	Corsair Virtuoso SE
Power Supply	be quiet! Pure Power 12 M 850 W
Mouse	Logitech G502 Lightspeed
Keyboard	Corsair K70 Max
Software	Windows 10 Pro
Benchmark Scores	https://valid.x86.fr/yfsd9w

System Name	Gen2
Processor	Ryzen R9 5950X
Motherboard	Asus ROG Crosshair Viii Hero Wifi
Cooling	Lian Li 360 Galahad
Memory	G.Skill Trident Z RGB 64gb @ 3600 Mhz CL14-13-13-24 1T @ 1.45V
Video Card(s)	Sapphire RX 6900 XT Nitro+
Storage	Seagate 520 1TB + Samsung 970 Evo Plus 1TB + lots of HDD's
Display(s)	Samsung Odyssey G7
Case	Lian Li PC-O11D XL White
Audio Device(s)	Onboard
Power Supply	Super Flower Leadex SE Platinum 1000W
Mouse	Xenics Titan GX Air Wireless
Keyboard	Kemove Snowfox 61
Software	Main: Gentoo+Arch + Windows 11
Benchmark Scores	Have tried but can't beat the leaders :)

Processor	5800x(2)/5700g/5600x/5600g/2700x/1700x/1700
Motherboard	MSI B550 Carbon (2)/ MSI z490 Unify/Asus Strix B550-F/MSI B450 Tomahawk (3)
Cooling	EK AIO 360 (2)/EK AIO 240, Arctic Cooling Freezer II 280/EVGA CLC 280/Noctua D15/Cryorig M9(2)
Memory	32 GB Ballistix Elite/32 GB TridentZ/16GB Mushkin Redline Black/16 GB Dominator
Video Card(s)	Asus Strix RTX3060/EVGA 970(2)/Asus 750 ti/Old Quadros
Storage	Samsung 970 EVO M.2 NVMe 500GB/WD Black M.2 NVMe 500GB/Adata 500gb NVMe
Display(s)	Acer 1080p 22"/ (3) Samsung 22" 1080p
Case	(2) Lian Li Lancool II Mesh/Corsair 4000D /Phanteks Eclipse 500a/Be Quiet Pure Base 500/Bones of HAF
Power Supply	EVGA Supernova 850G(2)/EVGA Supernova GT 650w/Phantek Amps 750w/Seasonic Focus 750w
Mouse	Generic Black wireless (5)
Keyboard	Generic Black wireless (5)
Software	Win 10/Ubuntu

System Name	Pioneer
Processor	Ryzen 9 9950X
Motherboard	MSI MAG X670E Tomahawk Wifi
Cooling	Noctua NH-D15 + A whole lotta Sunon, Phanteks and Corsair Maglev blower fans...
Memory	64GB (2x 32GB) G.Skill Flare X5 @ DDR5-6200(Running 1T no GDM)
Video Card(s)	PNY RTX 5080 OC
Storage	Intel 5800X Optane 800GB boot, +2x Crucial P5 Plus 2TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSDs, 1x 2TB Seagate Exos 3.5"
Display(s)	55" LG 55" B9 OLED 4K Display
Case	Thermaltake Core X31
Audio Device(s)	TOSLINK->Schiit Modi MB->Asgard 2 DAC Amp->AKG Pro K712 Headphones or HDMI->B9 OLED
Power Supply	FSP Hydro Ti Pro 850W 80Plus Titanium PSU
Mouse	Logitech G305 Lightspeed Wireless
Keyboard	WASD Code v3 with Cherry Green keyswitches + PBT DS keycaps
Software	Gentoo Linux x64 / Windows 11 Enterprise (yes it's legit)

Ubuntu still the most user friendly distro?

PaulieG

TheLostSwede

News Editor

Ja.KooLit

PaulieG

R-T-B

bug

R-T-B

bug

R-T-B

abactuon

bug

WatEagle

PaulieG

bug

PaulieG

SomeOne99h

Pop!_OS by System76

ZenZimZaliben

Liquid Cool

Solaris17

Super Dainty Moderator

Ubuntu Budgie

bug

ThrashZone

WatEagle

PaulieG

vectoravtech

[Ubuntu-based Linux Lite 5.4 is here to replace Microsoft Windows 10 on your PC] https://distrotest.net/Linux Lite/5.4

PaulieG

Processor	Intel i5-12600k
Motherboard	Asus H670 TUF
Cooling	Arctic Freezer 34
Memory	2x16GB DDR4 3600 G.Skill Ripjaws V
Video Card(s)	EVGA GTX 1060 SC
Storage	500GB Samsung 970 EVO, 500GB Samsung 850 EVO, 1TB Crucial MX300 and 2TB Crucial MX500
Display(s)	Dell U3219Q + HP ZR24w
Case	Raijintek Thetis
Audio Device(s)	Audioquest Dragonfly Red :D
Power Supply	Seasonic 620W M12
Mouse	Logitech G502 Proteus Core
Keyboard	G.Skill KM780R
Software	Arch Linux + Win10

System Name	The Worker/ Laptop
Processor	Ryzen 5 3600/ i5 1035g1
Motherboard	MSI b450 Tomahawk Max / Lenovo proprietary
Cooling	Arctic Freezer 33 eSport One
Memory	16Gb DDR4 3200 Mhz Corsair vengeance LPX / 12gb ddr4 3200Mhz (4gb are soldered :( )
Video Card(s)	Gigabyte gtx 1660 Ti OC @2030Mhz core and 7400Mhz memory / Intel G1 UHD
Storage	1 970Evo plus 500gb, 2x250Gb Samsung 850 Evo,3 TB HDD / 250gb WD SN530
Display(s)	Asus mx259h / 15.6 FHD TN
Audio Device(s)	Onboard / Onboard
Power Supply	CoolerMaster G750M
Software	W10 64bit

System Name	Specs Last Update: 8/April/2024
Processor	Intel Core i5 9400f 2.9GHz/4.0 Turbo (NoOC)
Motherboard	Gigabyte Z370M D3H rev. 1.0
Cooling	be quite! Dark Rock Slim 180W TDP (The Silent Wings 3 120mm Fan)
Memory	Corsair Red Line 8x2 16GB 3000MHz (NoOC) DDR4-3000 15-17-17-35 (CMK16GX4M2B3000C15R) V1.35 ver 4.24
Video Card(s)	NVIDIA GeForce MSI 980 Ti Golden Edition (NoOC)\| Spare: GTX 650 Ti 1 GB
Storage	Samsung 870 EVO 4 TB \| Samsung 860 EVO 1 TB \| Cold Backup: WDC Black 930 GiB WD1003FZEX
Display(s)	Asus VG248QZ 1920x1080 144hz 24" (Current: 60hz)
Case	Corsair Air 540
Audio Device(s)	Realtek ALC892
Power Supply	Corsair 850W RMi
Mouse	Logitech M187 wireless (First day of use 30-9-2021)
Keyboard	Logitech K270 wireless
Software	Windows 10 21H2 LTSC 2021 / Linux: Candidates: Bazzite - Linux MX - Tuxedo - Kubuntu

System Name	TheReactor / HTPC
Processor	AMD 7800x3d 5050Mhz / Intel 10700kf (5.1ghz All Core)
Motherboard	ASrock x670e Taichi / ROG Strix z490-e gaming
Cooling	HeatKiller VI CPU/GPU Block -2xBlackIce GTX 360 Radiators - Swiftech MCP655 Pump
Memory	32GB G.Skill 6000Mhz DDR5 / 32GB G.Skill 3400Mhz DDR4
Video Card(s)	Nvidia 3090ti / Nvidia 2080ti
Storage	Crucial T700 2TB Gen 5 / Samsung Evo 2Tb
Display(s)	Acer Predator xb271hu - 2560x1440 @144hz
Case	Corsiar 550
Audio Device(s)	on board
Power Supply	Antec Quattro 1000W
Mouse	Logitech G502
Keyboard	Corsair Gaming k70
Software	Windows 10 Pro 64bit

System Name	Graphics Card Free...
Processor	Ryzen 5 5600G
Motherboard	MSI B450 Gaming Plus MAX Wifi
Cooling	Cryorig M9a w/ BeQuiet! PureWings 2 ~ 92mm
Memory	Corsair Dominator Platinum DDR4 3200 ~ 16GB(2x8GB)
Storage	Samsung EVO 870 SSD - 1TB
Display(s)	AOC 24G2
Case	Cardboard...
Power Supply	eVGA SuperNova 550w G3
Mouse	Logitech t400 Zone Touch Mouse
Keyboard	IBM Model "M" Keyboard
Software	Manjaro ~ KDE Plasma
Benchmark Scores	She's a Runner!

System Name	RogueOne
Processor	Xeon W9-3495x
Motherboard	ASUS w790E Sage SE
Cooling	SilverStone XE360-4677
Memory	128gb Gskill Zeta R5 DDR5 RDIMMs
Video Card(s)	MSI SUPRIM Liquid 5090
Storage	1x 2TB WD SN850X \| 2x 8TB GAMMIX S70
Display(s)	49" Philips Evnia OLED (49M2C8900)
Case	Thermaltake Core P3 Pro Snow
Audio Device(s)	Moondrop S8's on Schitt Gunnr
Power Supply	Seasonic Prime TX-1600
Mouse	Razer Viper mini signature edition (mercury white)
Keyboard	Wooting 80 HE White, Gateron Jades
VR HMD	Quest 3
Software	Windows 11 Pro Workstation
Benchmark Scores	I dont have time for that.

System Name	Ghetto Rigs z490\|x99\|Acer 17 Nitro 7840hs/ 5600c40-2x16/ 4060/ 1tb acer stock m.2/ 4tb sn850x
Processor	10900k w/Optimus Foundation \| 5930k w/Black Noctua D15
Motherboard	z490 Maximus XII Apex \| x99 Sabertooth
Cooling	oCool D5 res-combo/280 GTX/ Optimus Foundation/ gpu water block \| Blk D15
Memory	Trident-Z Royal 4000c16 2x16gb \| Trident-Z 3200c14 4x8gb
Video Card(s)	Titan Xp-water \| evga 980ti gaming-w/ air
Storage	970evo+500gb & sn850x 4tb \| 860 pro 256gb \| Acer m.2 1tb/ sn850x 4tb\| Many2.5" sata's ssd 3.5hdd's
Display(s)	1-AOC G2460PG 24"G-Sync 144Hz/ 2nd 1-ASUS VG248QE 24"/ 3rd LG 43" series
Case	D450 \| Cherry Entertainment center on Test bench
Audio Device(s)	Built in Realtek x2 with 2-Insignia 2.0 sound bars & 1-LG sound bar
Power Supply	EVGA 1000P2 with APC AX1500 \| 850P2 with CyberPower-GX1325U
Mouse	Redragon 901 Perdition x3
Keyboard	G710+x3
Software	Win-7 pro x3 and win-10 & 11pro x3
Benchmark Scores	Are in the benchmark section

System Name	Gaming PC from bestby
Processor	I7
Motherboard	Ibuypower
Cooling	Stock
Video Card(s)	Nvidia 3080
Storage	1TB shared with windows 11 and FerenOS
Display(s)	MPG ARTYMIS 323CQR
Case	nice big case with rainbow fans allover it
Audio Device(s)	realtech
Software	OS is Windows 7 home premium, sometimes I use linux mint mate or sabayon both live
Benchmark Scores	CL-RCD-RP-RAS Write Speed 2x DDR3-1333 SDRAM 9-9-9-23 CR1 10484 MB/s

Ubuntu still the most user friendly distro?

News Editor

Super Dainty Moderator

[Ubuntu-based Linux Lite 5.4 is here to replace Microsoft Windows 10 on your PC] https://distrotest.net/Linux Lite/5.4​

[Ubuntu-based Linux Lite 5.4 is here to replace Microsoft Windows 10 on your PC] https://distrotest.net/Linux Lite/5.4