Linux Mint replaced Ubuntu as the best first distro, and Ubuntu's own choices explain why

Published Sep 29, 2026, 8:00 PM EDT Simon is a Computer Science BSc graduate who has been writing about technology since 2014, and using Windows machines since 3.1. After working for an indie game studio and acting as the family's go-to technician for all computer issues, he found his passion for writing and decided to use his skill set to write about all things tech. Since beginning his writing career, he has written for many different publications such as WorldStart, Listverse, and MakeTechEasier. However, after finding his home at MakeUseOf in February 2019, he would eventually move on to its sister site, XDA, to bring the latest and greatest in Windows, Linux, and DIY electronics. If you went a decade back in time and asked someone in the Linux community what the best beginner distro was, there's a good chance they'd reply with Ubuntu. It's what I heard a lot about when I first dipped my toe into the world of FOSS operating systems, and for good reason. Fast forward to today, and that has changed. Ubuntu isn't the beginner's dream anymore; not because it's bad, but because the world of Linux has evolved to make it easier than ever to get started. Ubuntu used to be a beginner's ideal first distro... It lowered the bar for a lot of adopters When I first used Ubuntu around 2010, I remember that one of its biggest draws was that it installed like a regular operating system. At the time, using Linux was pretty obtuse, and it was great to have something I could install similarly to Windows. There were even Ubuntu install disks you could pop into your CD tray and run. Ubuntu was surprisingly easy to run. It recognised most of my hardware right off the bat, looked somewhat similar to Windows, and even came with an incredible boot-up sound that I found endearing. And that was a huge part of Ubuntu. In fact, that's why it's called Ubuntu; the name is based on a Nguni Bantu philosophy meaning "humanity towards others." And that's why it was the default recommendation at the time. It was made for people and was approachable for someone like me, who didn't want to have their head stuck in the guts of an operating system just to have something workable. Unfortunately, gaming support at the time was pretty abysmal, so I'd float back to Windows and wouldn't touch Linux again for another 15 years. ...but it had lost that title when I came back to Linux The bar had somehow gotten even lower for newcomers When I wanted to give Linux a second stab in the middle of 2025 to give my aging Windows 10 PC a longer life before end-of-support, I did some research into which OS would be good for a beginner. I still had Ubuntu in the back of my mind, but when I did research on what OS would be best for me, I found that Linux Mint was the one everyone recommended for a Windows user. So, I gave Linux Mint a try, and now, almost a year and a half later, I'm still on Linux. Not on Linux Mint (it's openSUSE Tumbleweed right now), but very much a big fan of Team Tux. Linux Mint hit on all the things that got me interested in Ubuntu 15 years ago, and then some. It was simple to install, worked out of the box, and treated me like a human being. However, it also had much better support for the apps I enjoyed on Windows, such as Chrome and Steam. On top of that, it had a very similar look and feel to Windows, meaning I felt right at home from day one. Ubuntu just doesn't have the beginner-attracting power anymore I really dislike how it evolved over the years Eventually, Linux Mint would become too small for my ambitions. I didn't want "Linux but Windows-flavored" anymore; I wanted an OS that challenged me with something new to explore. So, I went distro-hopping, and part of my tour landed me on my old favorite, Ubuntu. I don't think I rebounded off Ubuntu harder than any OS I tried during that session. The reason was GNOME, something I would quickly learn was very much not for me. As soon as I logged on, everything felt alien; bars were placed where I didn't like them being placed, buttons didn't do what I thought they did, and I felt like I was fighting the desktop environment more than I was using it. Eventually, I would discover that KDE was my desktop environment of choice. And, yes, there is Kubuntu, which is Ubuntu with all the KDE trimmings; however, by the time I had even learned what distro flavors were, I had already fallen in love with Fedora KDE and Flatpaks. And after learning that Ubuntu was more of a fan of Snaps, I never went back. Ubuntu is fine, but there are better options now While Ubuntu was the ideal beginner OS back in the early 2010s, I would second-guess recommending it to a newcomer today. I think Linux Mint does a far better job of getting people introduced to the world of FOSS, although that doesn't mean people can't discover it for themselves later.