My best Debian based distros 2022

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crosscourt
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My best Debian based distros 2022

Post by crosscourt »

For those who don't want to have to deal with standard Debian, here are my picks from last year.

Best Vanilla Debian based distro- Q4OS KDE
It offers some additional tools and features, easy to install and all you need is there out of box. Its not app heavy and allows you to customize it with what you prefer to use, rather than having to rip out a lot of apps.

Best full featured Debian based distro- MX Linux
MX Linux is designed to make all aspects of running Debian very easy, with many features that make doing typical tasks a one click affair. MX package installer allows you access to a variety of apps and all Debian repos, such as testing. Excellent distro for beginners, who really need these types of features.

Best lightweight Debian based distro- Peppermint
Peppermint uses a minimalistic install with XFCE, that is fast,very light and offers and excellent experience for those of you with older systems, but has enough features to make it easy to use.


Best ultra lightweight Debian based distro- Q4OS TDE
Could be the best distro available for users of very old hardware, using the Trinity desktop with some nice tools and features.

Best Debian based newcomer distro- Spiral Linux
It offers BTRFS file system, some added user features and a clean, well thought out design ,with a variety of DE's.

I wanted to add that all these distros have very active forums, who readily offer help if you need it.
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tlmiller
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Re: My best Debian based distros 2022

Post by tlmiller »

Oooooh, I'd love to do this one for me. :D :D :D

Best Vanilla Debian based distro- Debian Netinstall

Best full featured Debian based distro- Debian Netinstall

Best lightweight Debian based distro- Debian Netinstall

Best ultra lightweight Debian based distro- Debian Netintall

Best Debian based newcomer distro- ????
I don't really think any Debian distro qualifies as this, there's just so many easier to use distro's than what any of the ones based on Debian offer IMO.
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Re: My best Debian based distros 2022

Post by wove »

I was leaning that way, but I could not figure out how to say it without just sounding snarky. I watched a video on YouTube yesterday saying essentially the same idea. It started with the question, "Why do you think there are so many Debian derivatives out there?" And they answered right off that by saying, "It is because they are so easy make." It then went on to elaborate. And it all started with using Debian's Netinstall. I was easily over a decade into using Linux before I picked that up on my own.
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Re: My best Debian based distros 2022

Post by tlmiller »

For me it's not snarky, it's that most of the distro's that are based on Debian have themes I dislike, add lots of cruft I don't want or like, so they're worse than base Debian Netinstall to me. Want ultralight? Debian Netinstall and install Awesome/fluxbox/i3/fvwm + LightDM. Want full featured? Debian Netinstall and install Plasma/Gnome/XFCE + sddm/gdm3/gdm3. It's simply faster and easier than installing any of the distro's based on it FOR ME to get a system I like looking at and using.
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Re: My best Debian based distros 2022

Post by crosscourt »

For starters Dai's website is more focused on Debian and a bit of Q4OS so having some content in that direction is a natural. Second thing is both of you are advanced Linux users and this thread isnt about you. Its for newbies and mainstream users who might want to try Debian and want alternatives. MX Linux offers a lot of newbie features and does things in an easy to understand manner, thats excellent for drawing in new Linux users. Dozens of well known websites like ZDNet have done comparisons of Debian based distros. ZDNet recommended MX LInux as one of their top 5 distros for beginners, not Debian itself. Dedoimedo say what you will about his reviews but he wasnt kind to Debian but likes MX Linux and a hes brutally honest with what he thinks about all distros he tries.

Lets try to encourage people who are discovering Linux and try to be a bit more balanced with our comments.
Ill also agree that Debian alternatives are easy to make but good ones are not easy to make. Currently MX Linux is the top distro not only on Distrowatch but on other rating forums. If people didnt think there was an advantage to it, then why dont they just use Debian and be done with it.

Newcomer distro refers to Spiral Linux a new release(newcomer to distro ratings) not just a choice for newcomers to use.
That said if I was going to recommend a distro to new users it would be Zorin,MX Linux or Mint.
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Re: My best Debian based distros 2022

Post by crosscourt »

That works for you tlmiller but not for most and they like having other alternatives frankly with all distros not just Debian based. Id like to think that we can see things from other perspectives even though it may not be ones own personal choice,
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Re: My best Debian based distros 2022

Post by dai_trying »

I have to say I'm with tlmiller on the choice of Debian, I have most DE's set up in VM's and hold my own Debian mirror to make installation even faster, I can perform a full desktop installation in less than 15 minutes (sometimes considerably less). Although with that said I would rarely (if at all) suggest it for new users and CC's choices are more in line with a recommendation for someone new to Linux.
If I were providing full support on a system I might go for Debian, but if the user wanted to play around to get used to linux I would most likely tell them to try Ubuntu instead, after all it is where I started really (although I dabbled with several other distros but Ubuntu was by far the easiest) which must say something.
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Re: My best Debian based distros 2022

Post by crosscourt »

If this thread was about the best Linux desktops for beginners the following link contains the choices I would make,which includes MX Linux as one of them.

https://www.zdnet.com/article/best-linu ... beginners/

Im going to repost this as a new thread as well.

Whats interesting is Ubuntu has a much lower user rating than Zorin,Mint or MX Linux.
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Re: My best Debian based distros 2022

Post by crosscourt »

I started with Xandros, but Mandriva was my first long term distro, followed by PCLinuxOS, then Ubuntu. I eventually ended up on Mepis and that took me down the Debian path. Mepis much easier to use and install versus Debian standard.
Linux has a lot of issues with gaining more mainstream users and the plethora of distros really doesnt help. Linus Torvald's comments on this back in 2014 and more recently I totally agree with. Thats why it is so important to point users to good choices and help them understand they can use Linux as an everyday OS successfully. Advanced users can really make a difference by using their experience to help newer users.
Most of my clients use Ubuntu based distros, Zorin being a very popular one along with Mint, but MX Linux is well liked and popular among new users.
If you look at many of the polls on larger Linux/tech sites that are more mainstream, Mint, Ubuntu, Zorin ,MX Linux and PCLinuxOS are mentioned a lot, and they all have strong online communities that are helpful.
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