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ZDNET's cardinal takeaways
- Over the years, 1 Linux organisation has risen supra the rest.
- That organisation is based connected Ubuntu, truthful it's user-friendly.
- The champion of the champion is adjacent parts quality and usability.
Ubuntu (and each of its spins), Fedora (and each of its spins), Red Hat (before Fedora was a thing), openSUSE, Linux Mint, Arch, Gentoo, Pop!_OS...
The database goes on.
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I've utilized and/or tested truthful galore Linux distributions that it makes my caput spin. I've adjacent tested distributions that are nary longer with america (remember Caldera OpenLinux?). Scattered wrong that overly agelong database is simply a fistful of distributions that I would telephone my favorites (or those I would beryllium blessed to usage arsenic my default). That database would look thing like:
Pop!_OS is absorbing because, portion it whitethorn not beryllium my favourite Linux organisation (although the COSMIC desktop is making that harder and harder to say), I usage it arsenic my default due to the fact that it ships with System76 hardware. Because some hardware and OS are created by the aforesaid company, Pop!_OS runs similar a dream, and that's wherefore I proceed utilizing System76's OS.
Regardless, determination is besides 1 peculiar Linux organisation that I would telephone my all-time favourite Linux distribution. I've written astir this peculiar open-source OS countless times and person regularly deemed it "your champion archetypal distribution."
That OS, arsenic Sherlock Holmes would enactment it, is elementary... arsenic successful elementaryOS.
Why elementaryOS?
I could accidental that it's each astir the elementaryOS desktop environment, Pantheon. That's a large spot to start, but the reasoning down my determination doesn't commencement oregon extremity there.
It each begins with the elementaryOS tagline, "The thoughtful, capable, and ethical replacement for Windows and MacOS."
Thoughtful, capable, and ethical. If determination were immoderate 3 words I would similar attached to my OS, it would beryllium those. I know, you're astir apt thinking, "We're talking astir an OS! Wouldn't an OS beryllium amended served with thing similar powerful, user-friendly, and efficient?" Sure, if you lone saw your OS arsenic a means to a productive end.
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From my perspective, an operating strategy is astir truthful overmuch more. Above all, the motive down an operating strategy has to beryllium thoughtful, successful that the developers person to beryllium thoughtful of its intent and imaginable idiosyncratic base. An OS besides needs to beryllium capable, but not conscionable successful a concern sense. An OS needs to beryllium susceptible of galore things, specified arsenic education, entertainment, and community. Finally, if an OS cannot beryllium ethical, wherefore should it adjacent exist?
ElementaryOS is each of those things.
But it doesn't extremity there.
The simple assemblage
When I deliberation of elementaryOS, 1 happening that ever comes to caput is its audience. Who is this organisation champion suited for? From my perspective, the reply to that question is everyone. But what this is truly astir is however the developers of this OS cognize the assemblage has proven, since it archetypal came into being, that they cognize and recognize their audience.
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This Linux organisation doesn't entreaty to caller users by talking down to them. Rather, it celebrates them by being casual to usage without holding the user's hand. Instead, the developers person created an operating strategy that guides the idiosyncratic with simplicity. By taking this path, developers guarantee seasoned users aren't turned disconnected by the OS.
Again, elementaryOS is an OS for everyone.
The UI
OK... you knew I was going to bring this up. How could I not? I've been a immense instrumentality of the Pantheon situation for a agelong time. It strikes the cleanable equilibrium betwixt aesthetics and usability. ElementaryOS is what would hap if MacOS and Windows had a baby, lone if said babe were unfastened source.
If you've work my enactment enough, you cognize that I similar my desktops to beryllium elegant. This is 1 of the reasons wherefore I was truthful excited for Apple to merchandise Liquid Glass. It's 1 of the reasons wherefore I judge System76's COSMIC desktop volition yet go the astir wide utilized DE connected the market.
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That dock-and-top-bar layout has proven, implicit and over, to beryllium the astir elegant and businesslike available. And though elementaryOS lacks the level of theming capableness recovered in, say, KDE Plasma oregon COSMIC, it's the lone OS I've ever utilized that didn't marque maine think, "How tin I marque this prettier?" ElementaryOS is simply a Linux organisation that doesn't request to beryllium tweaked and twisted.
Consistency
Consistency tends to get overlooked wrong the realm of Linux. If you look astatine the improvement of elementaryOS, you'll find it has mostly looked the aforesaid since its aboriginal days. Even with large releases, the look and consciousness of elementaryOS is ever the same. This is thing you tin number on, and I cannot ideate this Linux organisation volition ever spot dramatic, earth-shattering changes.
This is important. When caller users spot that immoderate different distributions are ever changing oregon connection aggregate desktop environments, it tin beryllium confusing oregon off-putting. With elementaryOS, you ever cognize what you're getting. That benignant of consistency keeps users coming back.
Let's look it: 1 of the archetypal things that attracts caller users to a circumstantial organisation is the desktop used. You spell to Ubuntu due to the fact that you similar Canonical's instrumentality connected GNOME. You opt for Fedora KDE due to the fact that Plasma is brilliant.
You are attracted to elementaryOS due to the fact that of Pantheon.
So, wherefore would distributions privation to marque melodramatic changes to the desktop? The elementaryOS developers recognize this, which is simply a cardinal constituent to the desktop being truthful consistent.
Repeat aft me: Users similar consistency.
Why? Most radical fearfulness change. Consider the backlash the GNOME squad faced erstwhile they migrated from GNOME 2 to GNOME 3 (aka GNOME Shell). That was fierce, and I was amazed the squad didn't rotation backmost that change.
As the saying goes, "If it isn't broken, wherefore hole it?"
Put it each unneurotic
When you enactment each of these reasons together, you mightiness spot wherefore I've chosen elementaryOS arsenic my all-time favourite Linux distribution. If System76 didn't vessel with Pop!_OS (and enactment truthful seamlessly with it), you tin stake my go-to would beryllium elementaryOS due to the fact that each of those things travel unneurotic to marque an bonzer Linux distribution.
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