Top 10 Most Stable Linux Distro – How many Linux distros are there in total? What Linux distros are suitable for beginners? What Linux distros are devoted to programmers and hacking activities? Find all the answers in this article. Please use the table of contents below to jump straight to your topic. Thanks.
The operating system is a software that bridges between the user and the hardware, in which other software is embedded that supports the user to do a job.
Linux is an operating system. However, even so, Linux is a unique operating system when compared to Windows or MacOS. Why? Because among the three operating systems, only Linux is open source.
That is, Linux is free to be developed by anyone without having to pay for a license, and free to be downloaded by anyone without having to subscribe. In addition, its open source nature makes Linux easy to adapt to the needs of an organization or group, as long as you understand how this operating system works.
Thus, it can be concluded that there are thousands of Linux distributions in this world. It’s just that there are several distros that are popularly used because they are being developed seriously by certain organizations or groups.
So, in this article we will briefly and concisely discuss the various lightest and most stable Linux distros, be it for programming, hacking, education, photo and video editing, or for general use.
Most Stable Linux Distro in 2023
We will start this discussion from the most Stable Linux distro, aka the many users. Be it from beginners to experts .
Ubuntu
When you search for information about Linux on the internet, it’s impossible for you not to find Ubuntu there. Yes, Ubuntu is one of the most Stable Linux distros and tends to be suitable for beginners.
Linux is always closely related to the terminal or CLI (in the Windows operating system it’s called CMD). However, the Ubuntu distro always tries to create a universal impression by adding features and designing its appearance in such a way that it is easy to use even by a beginner.
This is certainly in line with the Ubuntu Linux for Human Beings motto . So, you don’t need good technical skills to operate this distro, although there’s nothing wrong with learning some basic Linux commands .
Ubuntu offers a fairly easy installation process. What is clear, the installation guide is made with a simple appearance but easy to understand even for laymen. You can read the full review here: how to install Ubuntu.
The appearance of the Ubuntu distro is also very attractive. In fact, we think it’s more interesting than Windows. One that might attract attention is Unity, a dock located on the left side of the screen, which contains shortcuts for applications.
Well, the accumulation of these advantages has made Ubuntu grow rapidly and is liked by many users around the world.
Mint
Linux Mint is one of the most Stable distros by the Linux user community. Why? Because Mint is known to be easy to access, use, and offers a simple interface.
Apart from that, this distro offers three different desktop environments that you can choose according to your taste, namely MATE, Cinnamon, and XFCE. The three DEs are known to be quite reliable, stable, and have many features to make your work easier.
The fun fact is, it turns out that this distro was developed or is a product of the Ubuntu coder group. So, if you’ve ever installed Ubuntu or haven’t even tried Linux at all, Linux Mint might be the right choice.
MX Linux
Judging from distrowatch.com (a kind of portal for Linux distros), MX Linux ranks first as the most searched distro for the last 6 months. This means, this distro should be juxtaposed with Ubuntu and Mint which at the time this article was published only ranked fifth and third.
MX Linux is an open source distribution built on antiX and MEPIS. Both are Debian based distros. From the start, MX Linux was designed to support work efficiency, without neglecting the interface or desktop appearance.
This distro is classified as a middle-class Linux distro. That is, performance and elegance are balanced so that they can work on old PCs, are easy to develop, and are also easy to use even for novice users.
You can directly install this distro via USB. You can read the full explanation here: how to install Linux from a USB.
Manjaro
In fourth place for Stable Linux distros is Manjaro. Manjaro is a distro based on Arch Linux, which is known to be ‘fierce’. But don’t worry, the Manjaro community aims to make this distro more acceptable to many people even though they don’t have qualified technical skills.
Manjaro is available for 64-bit architectures with a choice of KDE, XFCE, and GNOME desktop environments ; also in 32-bit architecture and ARM.
Zorin OS
The next distro is Zorin OS. Structurally, the code for this distro is based on Ubuntu, but the development team makes Zorin OS look very similar to Windows. This is nothing but a step to make Windows users (especially pirated ones), to slowly switch to a halal operating system.
Although many distros and DEs claim to look similar to Windows, Zorin OS, in our opinion, is the most serious in this regard.
In addition, this distro already uses the concept of a packet manager which is only included in the latest Linux releases. This is because Zorin OS has a fairly complete and a lot of pre-installed applications.
If that’s still not enough, you can also install Windows software or games using Wine and PlayOnLinux, which are installed on this distro by default. You can read more about it here: how to install Windows software on Linux.
Then from the theme side, Zorin has a feature called Zorin Look Changer which provides quite complete display customization options, so that it can make this distribution similar to Windows 7, XP, 2000, and even MacOS.
Read Also: 11 Most Popular Linux Distros For 2023
Best Stable Linux Distros for Gaming
Linux is widely known to the general public as an operating system that is closely related to coding and hacking. However, if you dive deeper, it turns out that there are Linux distros specifically made to support your gaming activities. Well, what are they?
SteamOS
Which gamers are not familiar with Steam. It is, you know, a digital distribution platform for PC games. Well, Valve Corp as the creator of Steam created a distro called SteamOS. So simply SteamOS is designed to run games on Steam.
This distro is one of the developments from Debian 8 (Jessie) but takes GNOME as its desktop environment . But even so, there are some customizations and optimizations that have been made, such as making it easier for users to connect joysticks and keyboards.
Because this distro is devoted to games, the hardware requirements for installing SteamOS are quite high. For example, 64-bit Intel or AMD processor, 4GB RAM or more, 200GB minimum storage, VGA Nvidia/AMD Radeon 8500 and above or Intel, and UEFI firmware.
Batocera Linux
The second Linux distro for games is Batocera. Like the logo, this distro is quite impressive for playing retro or arcade games like games made by Atari, Super Nintendo, GameBoyAdvance, Dreamcast, etc.
Uniquely, this distro does not need to be installed on the hard drive. You just need to use a USB and boot from it to immediately play the game. With a note, you can’t play heavy games here; only retro games only.
Apart from that, this distro includes Kodi Media Center integration, so you can switch to watching movie mode when you get bored playing games.
Linux Consoles
Next is the Linux Console. Is a Linux distro that tends to be lightweight for playing game consoles and making servers for playing games.
You can do the installation process for this distro using a live USB or VMWare/VirtualBox.
Most Stable Linux Distro for Hacking and Forensics
Since the beginning Linux is closely related to the ‘black world’. Many films featuring hackers use this operating system as a medium for hacking.
And it is. Many developers try to make Linux useful for hacking and forensics activities. The result is that many distros, when installed, have lots of tools to carry out these activities in full. Among them…
Kali Linux
After the extinction of Backtrack – the top Linux hacking and penetration testing distro of its time – Kali Linux appeared to take its place. This distribution was developed by Offensive Security by taking the core components of its predecessor Backtrack.
By source, Kali Linux comes from Debian. In this distro there are lots of tools for hacking and network security. By implementing the rolling release model , the tools available in Kali Linux will always be up-to-date.
When compared to other similar distros, Kali Linux is the most modern hacking and penetration testing distro today. Besides supporting a wide variety of hardware devices, the Kali Linux community is very active and provides super complete documentation.
BackBox Linux
If Kali Linux was developed from Debian, BackBox was even developed from Ubuntu. BackBox was created with the main objective of doing penetration testing and testing security in a system. BackBox is one of the most Stable distributions in its field.
The distro has its own software repository which guarantees stable versions of the various hacking, network analysis, and forensics tools available. BackBox is designed quite minimalist by cooperating with XFCE as its desktop environment .
Best Linux Distributes FAQ
What’s the best Linux distro for beginners?
If you’re just migrating from Windows to Linux, it’s better to use a distro with a good GUI, for example Ubuntu or Mint.
What is the best Linux distro for hacking and forensics?
There are Kali Linux and Backbox Linux.
Is there a Linux distro specifically for gaming?
There is. SteamOS, Linux Console, and Batocera.
What Linux distros are good for servers?
It depends, really. Usually most people use CentOS, Debian, or Ubuntu distros.
The final word
Thereby. Those are the best Linux distros according to their fields; the lightest and most stable. Be it for beginners, programmers, hackers, network analysts, etc. Let’s start to take advantage of this free operating system instead of using pirated operating systems.