Nobody could make Linux simple.
It is as complex and layered as the biological world, if not more. Arch users can feel free to get their snickering out of the way now.
You can however, simplify the way you make Linux—a Linux distribution, that is.
And that’s exactly what the teams behind three leading Linux distributions, or distros for short, have done by implementing user-friendly environments that can be setup in minutes.
Perhaps you have heard of them while perusing CNET, TechRadar, or even Reddit.
Pop!_OS: maybe the most popular entry on this list. It is developed by System76, a Colorado based computer company, to run smoothly both on their own machines as well as virtually any 64-bit computer you pull from the shelves.
Solus OS: the open source underdog compiled from the ground up with no reliance on prior code.
Elementary OS: a long running and trusted Ubuntu derivative, which isn’t exactly free like most distros but has features to far outweigh its price tag.
Each Operating System (OS for short) has been designed to be accessible to the casual computer user, Linux novices and FOSS veterans alike.
Today we are going to take a look at why these three distributions are ideal for the beginner and for those who would like to speed date through the world of open source software.
Pop! Was System76’s brain baby to be used as their exit strategy from only offering stock Ubuntu on their machines. When Ubuntu’s parent company, Canonical, announced the system’s reversion from the Unity desktop environment to its predecessor GNOME, System76 went in pursuit of options.
And ended up at GNOME, themselves, ironically.
Not just any GNOME desktop environment, though. GNOME found here has been specially tweaked for the brand of System76.
The theme, design, and system options make it apparent that this OS is as brilliant with personality as it is with usability.
For instance, graphics driver support for AMD, Intel and NVIDIA chips right out of the box is a milestone for those interested in Linux gaming.
A slick and trimmed software center called Pop Shop makes it a joy to navigate through both open source packages and proprietary 3rd party apps. This comprehensive design is likely to shift focus from installation via terminal, though the function is still there for old-school code junkies.
The OS installer also allows easy disk encryption for assured privacy in an evolving digital world.
The standout feature of this distribution is its effort to minimize the learning curve. Every feature and application seems to be right in place. Within a few minutes you could fool your friends into thinking you’re a red-pill swallowing reality hacker whose DNA is coded in Python—or just that you’re a tech guru.
You can download Pop!_OS here: https://system76.com/pop
Solus OS was like an outlaw busting through the swinging doors of the Open Source saloon.
Not everyone was sure what to say when it arrived on the scene. It wasn’t derivative of Ubuntu or Debian or Redhat. It wasn’t taken from a slightly repackaged rib of Arch.
It was just Solus. And this was the concept they ran with.
It was the Solus team who introduced the Budgie desktop. Budgie has since been adopted by Ubuntu, Manjaro, and more.
Why? Because it’s so damn beautiful is why! The Budgie flavor contributes largely to Solus OS being on this list (no discredit to its other groundbreaking features)
Budgie has roots in the GNOME 3 Desktop as well, but wears its heritage more as an innovative badge of honor than a developmental burden.
Budgie is twice as simple to traverse and uses a fraction of the hardware resources of its relative.
It’s an office professional’s Linux distribution. Frills and endless tinkering are sidelined in favor of sensibility and ease of use. You want Spotify, Plex, or Skype? Don’t go hunt down the source code or even type t for terminal in the app search.
Solus OS makes licensed 3rd party software available to download straight from the software center. You can even find studio quality Audio mixers like Bitwig Studio.
The included office suite, Libreoffice, comes loaded with free and open source alternatives to Word, Excel, Publisher, and more.
You’ll have the ability to save in ‘open document’ formats as well as the proprietary DOC and DOCX. So you never have to worry about files not opening when they reach the other side.
And of course the Raven widget makes a calendar, notifications, and even system tweaking just a mouse hover away. Always there to be seen but never intrusive.
I’d like to think that Solus took the introduction of a new package system as an opportunity to create distance from hardline terminal use. Updates and software installation can be run solely from the software center. No more lines of dizzying code.
I’ll consider it a tipped hat to us m’normies.
You can download SOLUS OS with desktop environments including Budgie, GNOME, and MATE here: https://getsol.us/download/
The oldest of the bunch despite its name.
Like many modern Linux distros, Elementary OS found its code in Ubuntu and expanded from there. It simply took a few left turns, rerouted and dropped off some baggage along the way.
It’s specifically marketed as a “fast, open, and privacy-respecting replacement for Windows and macOS.”1 No, really, it says so on their homepage.
It even resembles MacOS to a degree, if that’s any indication of the company’s target.
The lightweight interface was designated as a friendly tool for everyone. A system you could open up right from where you left off. The fiddling, the minutia of customization, the daily disaster-prevention management—all tossed aside.
It’s in no sense incapable of anything a Linux system is expected of. It just doesn’t make you think about those things.
You shouldn’t always need to adjust the ribbon or unjam the keys of a typewriter. Sometimes you just need ‘pen on paper.’
You could say that Elementary OS is the pen on paper of open source computing.
It’s still a Mont Blanc on a high quality moleskine. Simple, but satisfactory.
The stage of Elementary’s application is set by the Pantheon desktop, which you’ll find to be less customizable than say GNOME or Cinnamon. This could be said to act as “damage control” for the inexperienced Linux user.
It’s easier than you would think to break your environment in the excitement of mix-matching themes, icon packs, and installing widgets designed for other DE’s.
That headache is alleviated with Elementary, which adheres a straightforward take me as I am approach.
And when you take your first look at the home screen, I doubt you’ll find it a drawback.
For those who want to get some work done in peace and quiet, you’ll find:
As well as a handful of other neat applications. Nothing too neat that it stops being essential though. Zero bloatware or spyware.
The key to Elementary is simple essentialism.
Writing that novel at a lakeside cabin? Tuning up this year’s budget? Or are you finally going to email that someone you met over Winter break?
In any case, it’s Elementary.
You can find and download Elementary here for a fee of your choice: https://elementary.io/
It would make sense, all features considered, that Pop!_OS would suit the likes of media professionals, avid gamers and developers.
Where Solus OS might be optimized for the business professional with a full schedule.
For casual home use, or emailing your family and friends your new favorite Youtube video, I’d recommend Elementary OS.
The question is, which one best suits you?
Stay tuned for more Linux and Tech news here, and thanks for reading!
Sources: 1) https://elementary.io/
