As a beginner, figuring out how to choose a Linux distro that's best for you can be an intimidating proposition.
There are literally hundreds (upon more hundreds) of Linux distros in the market, with distrowatch.com listing just the top 100 in order of popularity.
And because Linux is an open-source operating system, there are still even more distributions in active development.
So where should you begin?
How do you choose a Linux distro suits your needs?
Do you even know what your needs are yet?
In this guide, we shed light on the key factors to consider to make an informed decision about the best distro for starting your Linux adventures.
Choosing a Linux distro:
What all flavors of Linux have in common
Before we talk about how to choose a Linux distro, let's take a step back and talk about some aspects that all distros (or flavors) have in common.
At the core of any Linux distribution is the kernel.
The kernel interfaces the hardware components of your PC such as the keyboard, and monitor with the software. The kernel was first written by Linus Torvalds in 1991. Since then, tons of contributions have been made to the kernel by a large community of developers-- so many, in fact, that over 8 new updates are accepted every hour!
Another fundamental aspect common to all distributions is the presence of the bash shell.
The bash shell descended from the original Unix Bourne shell. Although there are other shells like zsh or ksh, bash shell is the de facto shell in most flavors.
The bash shell ships with tons of GNU utilities or bash commands. These commands include cp, mv, ls, mkdir, rm, pwd, and touch, just to mention a few. The basic Linux commands (bash commands) are universal and will work the same way regardless of the Linux flavor.
What are the key differences between Linux distros?
Package management
One of the differences between various Linux distributions is package management.
Package management refers to how a Linux system manages its software packages. This involves installing, updating, upgrading and removing packages.
Debian-based distributions such as Ubuntu, Mint, Debian and Kali use the package manager APT.
YUM is used for RedHat-based flavors such as
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