This is my all-time Linux distro – and I’ve tried them all

September 24, 2025 TH Author

The default elementary OS desktop. — elementary OS is as easy to use as it is classy.

Jack Wallen\ZDNET

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ZDNET’s key takeaways

Over the years, one Linux distribution has risen above the rest.
That distribution is based on Ubuntu, so it’s user-friendly.
The best of the best is equal parts beauty and usability.

Ubuntu (and all of its spins), Fedora (and all of its spins), Red Hat (before Fedora was a thing), openSUSE, Linux Mint, Arch, Gentoo, Pop!_OS…

The list goes on.

Also: The easiest way to try out Ubuntu Linux

I’ve used and/or tested so many Linux distributions that it makes my head spin. I’ve even tested distributions that are no longer with us (remember Caldera OpenLinux?). Scattered within that overly-long list is a handful of distributions that I would call my favorites (or those I would be happy to use as my default). That list would look something like:

Pop!_OS is interesting because, while it may not be my favorite Linux distribution (although COSMIC desktop is making that harder and harder to say), I use it as my default because it ships with System76 hardware. Because both hardware and OS are created by the same company, Pop!_OS runs like a dream, and that’s why I continue using System76’s OS.

Regardless, there is also one particular Linux distribution that I would call my all-time favorite Linux distribution. I’ve written about this particular open-source OS countless times and have regularly deemed it “your best first distribution.”

That OS, as Sherlock Holmes would put it, is elementary… as in elementaryOS.

Why elementaryOS?

I could say that it’s all about the elementaryOS desktop environment, Pantheon. That’s a great place to start, but the reasoning behind my decision doesn’t start or end there.

It all begins with the elementaryOS tagline, “The thoughtful, capable, and ethical replacement for Windows and MacOS.”

Thoughtful, capable, and ethical. If there were any three words I would like attached to my OS, it would be those. I know, you’re probably thinking, “We’re talking about an OS! Wouldn’t an OS be better served with something like powerful, user-friendly, and efficient?” Sure, if you only saw your OS as a means to a productive end.

From my perspective, an operating system is about so much more. Above all, the motive behind an operating system has to be thoughtful, in that the developers have to be thoughtful of its purpose and potential user base. An OS also needs to be capable, but not just in a business sense. An OS needs to be capable of many things, such as education, entertainment, and community. Finally, if an OS cannot be ethical, why should it even exist?

ElementaryOS is all of those things.

But it doesn’t end there.

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The elementary audience

When I think of elementaryOS, one thing that always comes to mind is its audience. Who is this distribution best suited for? From my perspective, the answer to that question is everyone. But what this is really about is how the developers of this OS know the audience has proven, since it first came into being, that they know and understand their audience.

This Linux distribution doesn’t appeal to new users by talking down to them. Rather, it celebrates them by being easy to use without holding the user’s hand. Instead, the developers have created an operating system that guides the user with simplicity. By taking this path, the developers make it such that seasoned users aren’t turned off by the OS.

Again, elementaryOS is an OS for everyone.

Also: 5 of the easiest, quickest Linux distros to install – and I’ve tried them all

The UI

OK… you knew I was going to bring this up. How could I not? I’ve been a huge fan of the Pantheon environment for a long time. It strikes the perfect balance between aesthetics and usability. ElementaryOS is what would happen if MacOS and Windows made a baby, only if said baby were open-source.

If you’ve read my work enough, you know that I like my desktops to be elegant. This is one of the reasons why I was so excited for Apple to release Liquid Glass. It’s one of the reasons why I believe System76’s COSMIC desktop will eventually become the most widely used DE on the market.

That dock and top bar layout has proven, over and over, to be the most elegant and efficient available. And although elementaryOS lacks the level of theming capability found in say, KDE Plasma or COSMIC, it’s the only OS I’ve ever used that didn’t make me think, “How can I make this prettier?” ElementaryOS is a Linux distribution that doesn’t need to be tweaked and twisted.

Consistency

Consistency tends to get overlooked within the realm of Linux. If you take a look at the evolution of elementaryOS, you’ll find that it has mostly looked the same since its early days. Even with major releases, the look and feel of elementaryOS is always the same. This is something you can count on, and I cannot imagine this Linux distribution will ever see dramatic, earth-shattering changes.

This is important. When new users look at how some of the other distributions are always changing or offer multiple desktop environments, it can be confusing or off-putting. With elementaryOS, you always know what you’re getting. That kind of consistency keeps users coming back.

Let’s face it: one of the first things that attracts new users to a specific distribution is the desktop used. You go to Ubuntu because you like Canonical’s take on GNOME. You opt for Fedora KDE because Plasma is brilliant.

Also: The best Linux distributions for beginners: Expert tested and reviewed

You are attracted to elementaryOS because of Pantheon.

So, why would distributions want to make dramatic changes to the desktop? The elementaryOS developers understand this, which is a key component to the desktop being so consistent.

Repeat after me: Users like consistency.

Why? Most people fear change. Consider the backlash the GNOME team had to withstand when they migrated from GNOME 2 to GNOME 3 (aka GNOME Shell). That was fierce, and I was surprised the team didn’t roll back that change.

As the saying goes, “If it isn’t broken, why fix it?”

Put it all together

When you put all of these reasons together, you might see why I’ve chosen elementaryOS as my all-time favorite Linux distribution. If System76 didn’t ship with Pop!_OS (and work so seamlessly with it), you can bet my go-to would be elementaryOS because all of those things come together to make an extraordinary Linux distribution.