New to Linux? 4 things to focus on before you switch

After using Linux for a while, switching from one distribution to another becomes a fairly easy task. You know the landscape, and you understand the choices and how they are pieced together, so the decision becomes second nature.

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But those early days can be filled with confusion, especially when trying to choose a distribution.

The list goes on and on and on. In fact, my best guess is that there are over 1,000 Linux distributions available to use. That is a massive choice. Now, before your eyes jettison from their orbits, many of those distributions are so niche that you would never consider them, and some of them are built for servers, routers, and embedded systems.

That still leaves a lot of distributions. Even if you narrow it down to only the main choices, you are still looking at 10 to 20 options. 

What do you do? Well, I have a suggestion.

The first things to focus on if you’re new to Linux

1. The desktop environment

The desktop environment is your window into Linux, so why would you want to make that window challenging to open, clean, and see through?

When you select a Linux distribution, the first thing you should focus on is which one appeals to you the most. Are you so accustomed to Windows that you want to start off with a desktop environment that looks very much like Windows 10 or 11? Or maybe you spent your formative years with Windows 98 or XP. You could be coming from MacOS, at which point aesthetics are probably important to you.

If you start your journey on familiar ground, the beginning of that trip will be much more pleasant. Of course, it is not just about the look of the desktop. You also have to take into consideration how the desktop works.

Also: The 4 best Linux desktops based on GNOME – and what I most like about each one

Consider GNOME, which is considered a rather elegant desktop metaphor. But when you see how GNOME functions, you realize just how different it is from what you have been using. Without modifications, there is not a desktop menu to use, and you also find yourself clicking the mouse so much that you might feel it is an inefficient UI (it is not really, but it can come off as such).

And then there is KDE Plasma, which not only (sort of) resembles a Windows UI, but it is also highly configurable.

You can go through every single Linux desktop environment to discover just how different and similar they can be.

But that is the trick. Take the time to do this. Watch some videos of the desktop environments in action, so you can determine which one best suits your needs and personality.

2. Hardware detection

Why hardware detection next? You could pick out the best-looking, most highly functioning desktop environment, but if the distribution is incapable of detecting all of your hardware, what good is it?

Understand that most Linux distributions have become very good at hardware detection, and in most cases you will not have to bother installing drivers for most of what you need.

Why not start yourself off with as little up-front, post-install work as possible?

Also: Thinking about switching to Linux? 10 things you need to know

The best Linux distributions for hardware detection are:

Although Ubuntu and Mint are at the top of that list, you cannot go wrong with a rolling release (such as Arch, Manjaro, or Garuda).

3. Package management

Package management is an important aspect of Linux because it is how you manage all aspects of installing, updating, and removing applications from your system. Every Linux distribution has a package manager, such as apt (Ubuntu-based distributions), dnf (Fedora-based distributions), pacman (Arch-based distributions), and zypper (openSUSE-based distributions). Most package managers now have outstanding GUIs, so you can manage software installation and updates without using the terminal.

Also: The Linux tool you forgot about: How Synaptic makes software installation a breeze

Even with these default package managers, I recommend making sure the distribution you choose also includes one of the universal package managers, Snap or Flatpak. On top of that, find a distribution that integrates the universal package manager into the GUI app store, so all your software needs are managed in a single location.

4. Security

Finally, we have security. Most Linux distributions are quite secure, but you want to find a distribution that does not require too much work on your part to ensure those security systems are not so challenging to use that you have to be an elite Linux user to make heads or tails of them. For example, SELinux is a very powerful security tool, but with that power comes complexity. Most often, SELinux just works, but when there is an issue, it can be challenging to resolve. Fortunately, if you are using a distribution that includes SELinux (which is any based on Fedora) on the desktop, the chances of SELinux causing you problems are slim.

I have placed security as the last thing to think about when selecting a Linux distribution because it is splitting hairs. Yes, there are some distributions that are more secure than others (like Qubes), but nearly all Linux distributions are more secure than the operating system you have been using (unless you are coming from a different distribution).

Also: Leaving Windows 10 for Linux? 5 security differences to consider first

When choosing a Linux distribution, if you start at the top of this list and work your way down, you will find the decision is much easier than if you were just randomly looking or asking around on this vast world called the internet.