A List of Linux Distros
Written by: Nilin for NightForums
Published under the GPLv3 license
Choosing the right distro can sometimes be hard, especially if you're new to using Linux. So I've decided to list as many as I could to make it easier to find something that works for you.
I will also keep this updated as various Distros can get added or receive major updates.
1. Beginner's Distros
2. Experienced User's Distros
3. Power User's Distros
4. Security Oriented  Distros
Please do not reply until all these sections are filled out.
Beginner's Distros
Ubuntu
Pros:Â
- Easy to use interface
- Pretty graphics
- Software Manager
- Not much command line knowledge needed
Cons:
- Very bloated, too many useless packages
- Uses way too many resources just to run, rivals Windows
- Unity isn't as great as people say it is.
Notes:
It comes in Xubuntu, Lubuntu, Kubuntu, etc. for different Desktop Environments and sometimes different installed packages.
Debian
Pros:
- Most Distros are based off of this
- Not very bloated
- VERY stable.
- The creator literally killed himself because he was getting harassed by the government. If you want to piss off officials, use this.
Cons:
- Not as much control as the other distros
- Not quite as pretty, relatively dated
LinuxMint
Pros:
- Looks pretty
- Very basic
- Not as bloated as Ubuntu
Cons:
- systemd botnet
- Not great on resources when running
- Babby's first loonix. It's basically a less shitty version of Ubuntu.
- Still very little control over system
ElementaryOS
Pros:
- This is literally the nicest thing you have seen
- Very lightweight, very little bloat.
Cons:
- Those graphics take a big chunk out of your resources.
- Not too much customization unless you install a new DE, in which all your pretty graphics go away.
- People might think you're on a Mac.
Notes: I personally use this one. I really like it. I switch often between desktop environments to go between prettiness and control.
KaOS
Pros:
- Lightweight
- Nice graphics
- No 32-bit support
Cons:
- No 32-bit support
- Runs KDE which is bad on resources
- Needs 64-bit capable CPU (You probably have this.)
Pros:
- Rivals ElementaryOS in prettiness
- Much better on resources than Elementary
- Chinese dev team, so site is in Chinese. Hard to navigate without Chrome translator, or until you can switch it to English.
- Relatively bloated.
- People might think you're on a Mac.
Experienced User's Distros
OpenSUSE
Pros:
- Good for developing stuff
- Stable
- Not very bloated
Cons:
- Despite not being bloated it still has a 2gb+ .iso file. Lots of libraries included. That's also a good thing.
- VERY resource intensive.
- I just don't really like it.
NixOS
Pros:
- OS is built around their package manager, Nix. It's pretty good.
- The logo is BAE.
- Not hard on resources, not bloated.
- Lots of control.
Cons:
- You'll have to learn their package manager before you can do just about anything.
Notes: I'm pretty biased towards this one. I used it a lot back in its early stages.
Fedora
Pros:
[*]Easy to use
[*]Stable
[*]Very little bloat
[*]Not many resources used by it.
Cons:
- It's basically Debian with a different package manager.
CentOS (servers)
Pros:
- The grand-daddy of server software
- Very lightweight, almost no resources used.
- Not even a DE. Just shell into it whenever you need to.
Cons:
- If you're a beginner, don't even touch this.
- You better not use it for anything other than servers.
- Get to work on your terminal skills, that shell is going to be the bane of your existence.
Raspbian (For RaspBerry Pi)
Pros:
- It's Debian for Raspberry Pi.
- It's good on system resources.
- Very good for learning the Linux environment, although better for learning to program.
- Supports ARM and nothing else.
Cons:
- It's very bloated, I prefer Raspbian Lite.
- It only supports ARM.
Mageia
Pros:
- It has some nice visuals.
- They are their own nonprofit organization.
- They have their own licenses.
Cons:
- I've never heard of it either.
- Kinda resource heavy. Not too bad though.
Manjaro
Pros:
- Based off Arch, keeps it lightweight but builds on it to make it usable.
- Relatively solid. You might need some poweruser knowledge to use this.
- Very clean visuals
Cons:
- As it is based off Arch it would be wise to learn more about Linux before diving into this.
Poweruser Distros
[*]Gentoo
Pros:
- Great for development
- There is literally a cflag for everything
- VERY stable.
Cons:
- This is for power users. Installing is a pain.
- It's only stable because it hasn't received any major updates except stability fixes for the past decade.
Arch
Pros:
- VERY lightweight (under 1gb)
- VERY low on resources
- Almost no bloat whatsoever
Cons:
- Oh god, if you thought installing Gentoo was a pain...
- You'll spend hours upon hours breaking and fixing things (xorg.conf)
- The bottom of a logo looks like the silhouette of a neckbeard because you're gonna become one if you use this.
Void
Pros:
- Jesus fuck if you think Arch wasn't bloated... (This is 450mb ~)
- Also incredibly low on resources used
- Available on pretty much all architectures of CPU
Cons:
- Let's follow the install difficulty trend
- This thing has nothing so you're basically gonna program drivers for this fucker. Fun.
- xbps isn't as great as they say it is.
RedHat (servers)
Pros:
- Everything CentOS has to offer.
Cons:
- It's basically CentOS for rich kids (You have to buy it.)
Slackware
Pros:
- Built from scratch by devs
- Surprisingly easy to install
- Very good development environment
- Relatively lightweight
- Good on system resources
Cons:
- You're gonna be looked down on by all the Arch users. But don't worry, they already look down on everyone.
Security Distros
[*]Qubes
Pros:
- Extremely Secure, basically have to give hackers permission to hack you.
- Hierarchical VMs, unique concept
- Not bloated aside from their VM system.
Cons:
- Install can sometimes be a little bit broken
- Very slow, as everything is in a VM.
TAILS
Pros:
- Will keep you very anonymous if used correctly
- Boots live
- Has an option to make it kinda look like Windows so it's acceptable to be seen in a coffee shop using it.
Cons:
- Don't you dare try to install it and risk your privacy.
- Have to set up every time you boot, can take 10min.
- Relatively slow with all the anonymity features running at the same time. Slows your internet too.