Well finally gotta popup from Firefox telling me they won't be supporting windows7 anymore and the whole internet will crash if I try to go to a website with the old version, or something like that.

Since I mainly use Firefox cause it has the addons, I like, and I don't use my web facing machine for making music. just webrowsing and mp3, playback and also to run the projector. I can move the web browsing to another machine, and it looks like it will a be a Linux distro as I need to begin to taper away from Windows.

I'm leaning towards the Linux Mint Cinnamon distro, since i know it and have it downloaded in my software folder.

was just wondering what other folks had planned, or if there is a distro they like better.

so question, "Whats your Favorite Linux Distro?"

 

Mint is in first place from DistroWatch Page Hit Ranking
https://distrowatch.com/dwres.php?resource=popularity

Linux Mint Xfce 'Xia'

Advantages
- Very low system requirements
- Entry-level Linux with pre-installed programs
- Additional programs can be easily installed

Latest changes: Linux Mint Xfce 'Xia' was last updated on January 15, 2025 and is available for download here in version 22.1.

"Linux Mint Xfce" is a top Linux distribution that runs wonderfully even on older computers.

www.linuxmint.com

 

Try CachyOS

 

Linux Mint is the ONLY Linux distro i never got any trouble with it.
And you can choose graphical interface easily with 3 interfaces.

 

Linux Mint Cinnamon is my favorite, between all Linux distro's, macOS and Windows. It's bit of everything in between, had it on numerous machines over the years and it's the one I recommend everyone who needs solid everyday OS for their machine, so another vote for it.

 

Long time Linux user here.I ve tried most of the Linux distros out there in real hardware and i can tell without a doubt the best Linux distro is Pop Os,particularity if you have nvidia gpu it has the best compatibility out of the box.Recently i ve installed another linux distro called Big linux based on manjaro but far more superior and i am pleasantry impressed.Give them a try

 

Best Linux Distro... for everyday tasks? it's all very relative, man. So many choices, so many factors and priorities, and so many different tastes. Thankfully, with Linux you have a choice, but otoh having a choice can be overwhelming. I think, you should do a research on your own to find the best distro of Linux. Define your priorities and find the one you like best. A good Distribution will have a Live CD/DVD/USB ISO available, too, so you can get a taste of it, see how it behaves with your particular PC. I could help much more if I knew your priorities for it.

I have started doing my research over a decade, almost 2 decades ago, in the late noughties to be more precise. Started with following a few websites like Distrowatch and Phoronix, LinuxMusicians, Reaper forum. Arch Wiki and Debian Wiki have been really great friends to me, too. Downloaded a few live CDs and tried them. Some of them can be very useful in my line of work - computer techie, for general computer maintenance. Yeah, it's interesting doing Windows and Mac maintenance with Linux. I've learnt a lot about Linux that way, before even installing it, which I did a few years later, and tried using it for general desktop tasks first, before using it for making music. I loved it and I felt really exhilarated by it. It's the freedom of choice and general freedom factor, you know? The one that makes Windows and Mac users more than a bit uncomfortable because they haven't any of that , so they say it's a Linux' weakness. No, no... , but it is a weakness when many people don't do any research, don't make any effort to learn Linux' ways, and make wrong choices of a Distro-DE-WM combination, so then they spread "info" about Linux being worthless shit all over the Interwebs. Because, you know... it's not their fault. It's Linux' fault it's not good for them. Oh holy narcissism and entitlement! People generally love to shift accountability to everybody and everything else, rather than act responsibly, like a grown up.

My priorities were always stability, compatibility, simplicity, customisability, and resource-friendly Distros, Desktop Environments, and Window Managers, that can run easily on everything from Raspberry Pi, to laptops, and average PCs. Being a computer techie, I also wanted a distro that is well maintained and known amongst computer techies. The contenders were at the time just Debian, Red Hat, CentOS, maybe Slackware and Arch. Out of these, only Debian checks the music and general multimedia making boxes, and with flying colours if I may say so. AV Linux, Ubuntu Studio, all the multimedia oriented Linux distros are based on Debian, with a very good reason - stability, good testing and maintenance of the packages. This thing is of utter importance on Linux, and that's why I went with Debian. A few very important distros like Ubuntu and Mint (Debian edition) even use Debian as a source for their packages because of the aforementioned really important testing part. Ubuntu is based on Debian, and a good choice of DE, too. Ubuntu with Gnome's Metacity WM, KDE or Xfce, or LXDE DEs are all great versions of Ubuntu. Mint distro with Debian packages is also a very solid choice for a distro. Very minty and kinda nifty.

Speaking of being resource friendly, that doesn't exactly depend on the distro, but mainly on the Desktop Environment and Window Manager used. This is actually where you can make the gravest mistake - choosing the wrong DE and WM for you, according to your priorities.

Choosing the right, stable, and well supported Desktop Environment, is absolutely crucial for your Linux experience, as you end up either praising Linux up to heaven... , or shovelling crap at it for eternity, due to YOUR CHOICE, and YOUR ABILITIES, to HANDLE a NEW and VERY DIFFERENT OS. And you're probably not a very open-minded and curious enough person, too. Keep using whatcha've been using so far then, really. It's fine, and for the best. :shrug:

A good DE will come with a good Window Manager, too, and there are only a few of such DEs. Gnome, KDE, Xfce, LXDE and MATE at the time; which is the one I still use, but due to being badly maintained, lately I'm considering changing to Gnome Flashback, which is very similar to MATE, actually MATE is a fork of Gnome 2 (previously Fallback, now called Gnome Flashback), or Xfce, maybe KDE. There's really not much choice of DEs when you consider the priorities I've set up for it. ;) Modern Gnome is too far from being resource friendly, but Gnome 2 (and now Gnome Fallback) was and is really good, and looks very familiar, if you know what I mean. I've had used Windows since mid 90s to early '10s... and this DE reminds me of Windows XP and W7. Any Gnome DE is reasonably stable and easy to use. Gnome 2>Fallback>Flashback comes with a great Metacity Window Manager which is light on resources, fast, and very stable. Same goes for Marco, which is MATE's WM, a fork of Metacity.

KDE DE is really nice and polished, stable, comes with great apps (Kdenlive is one of the best video editors for Linux) and it's more resource friendly than Gnome. You can't go wrong with KDE. It is also the DE of choice of Valve's SteamOS. I think SteamDeck's OS is based on Arch, though. Why am I not going with KDE? I don't like that it's not as resource friendly as MATE, Xfce, or Gnome 2>Fallback>Flashback, but it's absolutely great otherwise. Maybe I'll give it a spin again. Who knows?

But my next choice of DE will most probably be Xfce DE (still Debian Distribution), which I tested a long time ago and it was great, stable, resource friendly... and all that. Xfwm4 is a great Window Manager, especially as of late. Works smoothly, stably, gentle on resources.

LXDE DE is also very resource friendly and a great choice for older PCs, especially older laptops in my opinion. LXDE or Xfce are great for laptops. Debian, Ubuntu, or Mint distro versions, too.

️ <------------------------------------------[ EDIT ]----------------------------------------->️️️️

If you've made it this far, congratulations! This was a great chance for me to test my new backlit keyboard that my fading eyesight adores soooo much! It's a Logitech G413 SE TKL US-INTL ASCII (not ISO) version (there is a full version keyboard, too). Very simple, black, with simple, white backlight. Love this bugger to the bone! Plus, it is not expensive. Got it for 59€! If you have eyesight problems like I do (I'm both short-sighted and far-sighted now in my late 50s, short-sighted since childhood) and find yourself making typing errors way too much for your taste, I can wholeheartedly recommend it, if you prefer a simple and elegant, good and quality backlit keyboard, not an RGB Christmas tree on your table!

Cheers! Peace! and all that crap... love you all! ️️️

Please forgive me for, at times, a bit harsh language in this post. I love Linux, and I'm quite passionate about it...
...and have a very merry Thanksgiving!

 

Last edited: Nov 30, 2025

Linux Mint Cinnamon Edition, I deleted all videos from my YouTube channel, it was all about Linux Mint.

 

• Manjaro / Arch Linux
• Linux Mint / Ubuntu
• Kali

Went through an anti-windows phase, and these are the OSes I ran during those couple of years.
Mostly for educational purposes, but also just to try something new.

 

I went with LInux Mint after having all sorts of issues with other distros. My only gripe with Mint is (was) Whenever I hadn't used it for a while and it updated, I found myself having to type lines of code in for the updates to be successful.

 

More than 3 years now using MX 21, XFCE. I found that MX 21 is fitting my needs and also rather understandably in its logic. That compared to Manjaro which for me is a bit more difficult to understand.
I also found out that Wine makes it possible to run a lot of windows programs, even VST(i)'s. And Reaper also has a Linux distro.
So for day-to-day work I found that MX21 is perfectly doing the job: most of my used programs were available in MX (amongst with Thunderbird, Firefox, Chrome, Reaper) or had an alternative like LibreOffice as replacement for m$ Office and Double Commander for Total Commander. I am used to use IrfanView as my image browser and light image handler and that runs very well under Wine.

The problem with most Linux distro's is the same as with windows: after some years they become obsolete. That is the main advantage of Manjaro: that's a rolling release which means it gets updated all the time without getting obsolete. But the logic of Manjaro is a bit more difficult to understand for me. Everything I added to MX, is not working out of the box in Manjaro. So I decided that use MX for all my usual things and a lot of music programs and only use Manjaro for special music programs.
The beauty of Linux is that you can run it from an external USB drive. I have an SSD with Manjaro on it. Works great.

My advice: start with a Linux distro to your choice and install it on an external drive. Just play a little around and feel if it suits your needs. If it fits, start using it as a day to day system. If that works too, start using it for making music. At least, that's what I did 3 years ago. I never felt the need to return to windows. But....that's my experience. YMMV!

 

For someone unfamiliar with the system, the sheer number of versions and difficulties that arise is more than daunting.
Why are there so many versions anyway? Does everyone just do what they want and no one what they're supposed to?

 

Since my opinion is better than your opinion, my way of thinking is better than your way so my solution to a problem is better than yours. And there it is: a new program or a new distro is born....
The only problem is that even when a solution is being adapted by a majority, it doesn't necessarily mean it's the best.

 

Okay, I get it…! Thanks!

Which version of Linux would you recommend, please, with a link? I wanted to save a Linux link that I can also recommend, or that I have a suitable link handy in case Windows fails. Not for making music; I have an old Windows 7 computer that's ready to go for that.

 

PopOS is the best Linux distro for modern driver support (including NVidia) and mimics a Mac-like experience visually, while giving you linux freedom. Its based on Ubuntu. The latest 24.04 beta edition of PopOS is worth checking out.

 

Thank You @iswingwood !

 

Yes, that's the point.

Everyone does what they want, and eventually one or two approaches emerge as the preferred solution for a plurality of people. This approach is implemented and widely accepted as the default option. Over time, people begin to question the default. They start 'doing what they want' again because they're dissatisfied, and the process continues until the next standard bubbles to the top. Repeat ad infinitum.

Some people thrive in an environment of freedom, some don't. If you need a paternalistic figure, Apple, Google and MS have you more than covered. But these companies are now far too big for real users to ever influence OS design ever again. Take it or leave it, it's too late to vote with your wallet in any case.

 

That's exactly it in a nutshell!


--------------------------------------------------------

You can install portable copies on to a USB stick using software called Rufus (https://rufus.ie)


By doing this, you can try out any Linux Distro (I Think any) without altering the Win7 installation. Then when you find one that takes your fancy, you can either dual boot or remove 7 completely.

 

Well, I got the advice from a Linux expert to choose MX since it solves things in a elegant and secure way. It comes with a set of very useful tools called MX Tools. The Package Manager works very intuitively.
For MX there are three desktop versions: XFCE which I use and looks for me most simular to windows, KDE which looks "better" as they claim but for me more unclear, and Fluxbox which is suited for older systems.
- https://distrowatch.com/
All Linux distributions with a Top list.
- https://distrowatch.com/table.php?distribution=mx
Specific information on MX
- https://distrowatch.com/?newsid=12629
More info about MX25, such as screenshots, manuals, videos, forum etc
- https://mxlinux.org/
MX homepage, with explanation of the difference between XFCE, KDE and Fluxbox

My advice:
Take or buy an external USB 3.2 and put Ventoy on it. Then just copy all 3 MX distros on this Ventoy disk and you can freely play around with the 3 live systems. You don't like neither of the three? Choose another distro, eg Mint, and copy it onto the Ventoy disk and play with that live system. You can try all distros that are advised and see for yourself. And if it works, it works!

Good luck!

 

Thank You @paul_audioz !