GeorgeRecently I decided that I wanted to switch from Windows 10 to a Linux distro as my primary operating system. Mainly because I've always found that the dev environments are a lot better on Linux (personally) and that I have a lot more freedom to mess around with the OS.
But the hardest decision was which do I chose? Linux is an
Open source, meaning anyone is free to commit code and obviously create their own operating system. Personally I went with Linux Mint (Cinnamon) for my new OS. But I still had other options in mind.
I made a table to showcase what I took into consideration, hopefully it may help you if you switch to Linux.
| OS | Environment | Purpose | Based on | Expertise required |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mint | Cinnamon, MATE, XFCE, KDE | General | Ubuntu, Debian | Low |
| Debian | GNOME, KDE, XFCE. LXDE (many more) | Community based, server, general use, other distros | N/A | Medium |
| Ubuntu | Unity | General | GNOME (Recent return) (Parts in Debian) | Low |
| Manjaro | Cinnamon, Enlightenment, XFCE, GNOME (+ others) | General | Arch | Medium |
| Arch | Cinnamon, GNOME, KDE | General use, server | N/A | High (pain to install) |
| Fedora | GNOME, KDE | General, testing sandbox | Red Hat | Medium |
| CentOS | GNOME, KDE | General, server | N/A | High |
I looked into quite a lot of Linux Distros before coming to my conclusion, these are the key factors I took into consideration before selecting. Before selecting I suggest you have a look at This website it allows choosing a distro based on your preferences and usage a lot easier.
In addition if you're dual booting it can be a pain in the ass to switch your OS every time in the BIOS. A friend of mine has shown me the rEFInd project it presents a customizable interface on boot to allow you to select your chosen OS.
Happy deving!
