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A few months before Windows 10 went into extended support, I knew I wanted to move to Linux. I wasn’t a fan of having to jump through hoops to keep using the OS that I love, and regardless of how long I held on for, Microsoft was inevitably going to boot me off Windows 10 and funnel me into 11. And I really did not want to use Windows 11.
There was just one problem: I had no idea which distro to pick. You’d think that Googling the question would clear things up, but all it did was present me with the endless distro wars that have rocked the internet since the dawn of time. I’d open a Reddit post asking which distro to start with, and I’d leave the thread with more options than when I arrived.
The thing is, looking back, I was looking at the wrong thing. Distro choice is very important, don’t get me wrong. However, when it comes to first impressions and getting comfortable with Linux, I’d argue that the desktop environment is far more important.
When people want to make the jump to Linux, I feel we really don’t explain how impactful the desktop environment is. We usually get our trusty distro-branded pitchfork and use it to stave off people recommending anything that doesn’t suit our view. However, the desktop environment is where things change drastically on a visual level; you could show a Linux newcomer a GNOME and a KDE Plasma setup, and they’ll believe they’re looking at two totally different computers, even if all you did was swap out which environment you’re using.
As such, picking the wrong desktop environment can really hamper someone’s experience with Linux. I have zero qualms with default Ubuntu, but if someone were coming over from Windows and wanted to find a Linux distro that suits them, I wouldn’t recommend it at all. Ubuntu’s GNOME feels so alien for someone making the jump from Microsoft’s ecosystem, and it runs the risk of making newcomers believe that all Linux desktop environments are like that.
I’d argue that people coming over to Linux should focus on the desktop environment first. They should find something they gel with and enjoy using. Picking the perfect distro is a nice bonus, but I don’t think someone approaching Linux for the first time will know what they’d even want from a distro yet. They will, however, know what kind of UI they’d prefer, and solving that problem is a lot easier.
Another cool thing about initially focusing on the desktop environment is that it’s far easier to swap them out than to change distros. Exploring different distros can be pretty exhausting; you’ll need to back up the old distro if you feel like returning to it, then go through the installation process of the new one and get everything set up the way you want it. Compare that to the desktop environment, where you can swap between them from a terminal command or a menu option in the login screen.
Solving the problem of which desktop environment you like best is far easier than choosing a distro. You can just download all the ones you like the look of, then start flicking between them to see their pros and cons. If you really dislike one, you can bail to the login screen, change your desktop environment, and return to greener pastures without needing to reinstall anything or suffer any data loss.
So, does this all mean that distro choice is unimportant? Absolutely not. Getting comfortable with Linux does hinge on someone’s choice of distro, and sticking with the wrong one can really put people off using Linux. However, I’d argue that you can only really get to grips with the distro after you’ve found the desktop environment you gel with first.
The desktop environment gives you the tools with which you can interact with the distro. As such, it’s important to get familiar with the desktop environment before you begin focusing on the distro. It’s kind of like driving; someone who has never driven a car before will find it near-impossible to instantly find a car that gels with them. However, once they learn to drive and get to grips with the controls, they can then test other cars and see which one fits their driving style the best.
Once you’ve gotten a lock on a desktop environment you like, you can then hop around distros pretty comfortably. Once I had gotten to grips with KDE Plasma, I could use that as a stepping stone to try all kinds of distros. KDE, Fedora, Arch, openSUSE, EndeavourOS, Parrot OS, you name it; if you can throw Plasma on it, I’ve likely given it a spin because you can throw Plasma on it. It gave me the tools I needed to properly interact with the distro and find the one I would eventually gel with, which was Fedora.
Settling on a distro is very important if you’re planning on sticking with Linux in the long run. However, the desktop environment is the main way you interact with that inner core. As such, I believe people should find their favorite way to interact with the distro before they figure out which one suits their needs best.