A Mac OS User's Review of 10 Common Linux Distros

All right guys! The time has come! I have completed my review of the Top Ten Linux, and Unix, Distros that are commonly available! 

This review will becoming from a Mac users perspective! Unlike normal Linux reviews that typically come from a Windows style perspective! This review also includes one Unix distro as well, as a comparison to Linux, as Mac OS is built on Unix and Linux is Unix-like, also known as Unix Compliant! This will matter a lot in the review!

Before the review begins, I need to include some general info about how the review was done, what specs it was tested under, and a few distros I was unable to test, and therefore unable to review. Firstly, all of the reviews are based on the individual Distro itself, not in a comparison to each other. This is important for a reason! The review was conducted in VirtualBox, which means the possibility of an individual Distro working better than another in the VirtualBox is quite possible, although it seemed to have no effect to me. 

The review itself consist of 5 different categories to be ranked! They are: Installation easiness, Familiarity, Design, Ease of use, and Usability. 

“Installation easiness” means how easy was it to install the Distro? Were there any complicated steps that needed to be done during the process? 

“Familiarity” means how easy was it to recognize features of the Distro? Did everything seem organized in an easily understandable manner? 

“Design” means how does the Distro look? Is it well designed? Does it look good? 

“Ease of use” means how easy is it to use to Distro? Is it easy or a struggle to understand how to navigate and operate the Distro? 

“Usability” means how useable is the Distro? Does it have a large variety of abilities and functions? Note, this is separate from “Ease of use” as something may be easy to use, but if it’s lacking features because of it, it will struggle in the usability category! 

Although some of these may sound related or redundant, they all serve important functions in choosing and using a Distro! The average of the scores of the 5 categories will become the final score for the Distro

The review specs of the VirtualBox are as follows:

CPU Cores: 3

RAM: 8gb

Video Memory: 64mb

Hard-Drive Size: 20gb

I had planned on reviewing two other Distros, Arch-Linux and FreeBSD Unix. However, FreeBSD is only a command line interface, which makes reviewing rather difficult! For Arch-Linux, I was unable to figure out how to install it, as it does not come with auto-install scripts! I know it's a good distro, but without being able to install it, I can't review it! The most I could do is give it a 1/5 for installation easiness. Maybe in the future I will be able to test it, but for now it will have to remain unreviewed. Now, on to the review!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*10. True OS (FreeBSD) — www.trueos.org

Mac OS is built on the same branch of Unix that FreeBSD is, so I thought it would be fitting to review what is literally the brother of Mac OS. Since FreeBSD by itself is only a command line interface, I chose instead to review a GUI version of the Distro created by a different company. I was expecting something, maybe not like Mac OS itself, but something maybe similar to it at least, and was I completely wrong! The installation process was not straightforward, the interface was ugly and difficult to navigate, the whole system sorta reminded me of a bad looking Windows setup! There is no obvious app or software store/market, no apt-get (being Unix and all) and an overall unfriendly setup that earns this Distro of FreeBSD Unix the bottom place my review!

The official review category scores are:

-Installation ***..

-Familiarity **...

-Design **...

-Ease of use **...

-Usability **...

Total 2.2 / 5

I want to make an addendum here. I don’t want this to reflect on FreeBSD itself, or the Unix operating system. Unix, and FreeBSD, are widely celebrated in the community! One only has to do a search on Google to discover that! This is just a Distro that added a GUI to the FreeBSD Distro that is so terrible. Unix makes for an incredible underlying foundation for an operating system! One only has to look at Mac OS to see that! 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*9. Debian — www.debian.org

I heard Debian was called the grandfather of Linux. If that’s true, then it’s showing its age really badly! Installation was easy enough, no tougher than the other Distros that were reviewed. Some features of Debian were annoying. Having to access everything from a drop-down menu in the top-left corner, as well as lacking an active desktop, meaning folders, apps, and files can be placed on it, made Debian a less than enjoyable experience! From what I was told, Debian is built for stability first and features second, and I believe that model is making Debian fall behind in terms of abilities! For a Distro that powers a number of other well known and well loved Distros, some of which are also on this list, Debian itself is an unenjoyable Distro to use.

The official review category scores are: 

-Installation ****.

-Familiarity ***..

-Design **...

-Ease of use **...

-Usability ***..

Total 2.8 / 5

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*8. Fedora — getfedora.org

Coming in at number 8 on the list is a Distro I honestly expected more from! Fedora was also easy enough to install, with no major steps needed to install it. It has a better design than Debian does, but it still has a lot of features that I had angst with Debian about! Again, there is no active desktop, everything must be accessed through the menu in the top-left corner. The menu does have a better looking dock and app menu once activated, but just the fact that it has to be activated to be shown is an annoyance. Fedora is easier to you than Debian in my opinion, but not by much. Not in it’s default state at least! I find it hard to believe so many like this Distro, including Linus Torvalds, the creator of Linux! Maybe there is a large availability of customization that can be done! Even so though, if that’s not activated by default, I would still lower it’s score just for that! Again, Fedora was more useable than Debian, but not by much.

The official review category scores are:

-Installation ****.

-Familiarity ***..

-Design **...

-Ease of use ***..

-Usability ***..

Total 3 / 5

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*7. Zenwalk (Xfce) — zenwalkgnulinux.blogspot.fr

When I was looking for a Distro to review that used the Xfce interface, I didn’t want to use a Distro built on another more well known Distro. I already did that with Kubuntu! So instead I opted to go for a built from the ground up option instead with Zenwalk. I was worried I was gonna end up with something similar to what I had with TrueOS, however I ended up being very pleasantly surprised! Zenwalk was admittedly not very easy to install, with several parts needing to be done manually. However, once that process was done, and the Distro was installed, I found it to be a very enjoyable Distro! It is well designed, well laid out, and easy to use! It had a feel reminiscent to that of Mac OS, although with some differences. I did find it occasionally annoying trying to find individual apps because of the style of the menu interface, but I have little doubt one would become familiar with it over time.

The official review category scores are:

-Installation **...

-Familiarity ****.

-Design ****.

-Ease of use ***..

Usability ****.

Total 3.4 / 5

The reason why Zenwalk only places 7th on this list is due to the slightly less than straightforward installation process! If that was made to be more automated, and the menu system was maybe improved just a bit, I could easily see Zenwalk being a top 5 Distro easily! If you get past the installation process, you will have a very enjoyable Distro to use!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*6. Kubuntu (KDE Plasma) — kubuntu.org

Kubuntu is the Ubuntu Distro using the KDE Plasma interface! So it has the underlying power of Ubuntu, just with a different user interface! This means installation was as straightforward as it gets! That’s however where similarities between Ubuntu and Kubuntu come to an end. The interface is familiar enough, with common features seen in some other distros. However, the KDE Plasma interface for Kubuntu is not always the easiest to use! Kubuntu does have most features of Ubuntu, including the software market! Unfortunately Kubuntu’s menu and UI designs make it not nearly as easy to use! It’s not the worst to use, Debian and TrueOS win those awards, but it could certainly be better!

The official review category scores are:

-Installation *****

-Familiarity ****.

-Design ***..

-Ease of use ***..

-Usability ***..

Total 3.6 / 5

The main reason Kubuntu is 6th is because of the fact it is built on Ubuntu’s underlying system, therefore making it overall not a bad Distro to use, it just isn’t the best.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tied for 4th place are two Distros: Open-Suse and Linux-Mint

**4. Open-Suse — www.opensuse.org

Also using the KDE Plasma interface as its default setup, Open-Suse shows how much better it can be utilized! Installation is as easy and straightforward as it can be! The interface is much more navigable than Kubuntu’s KDE Plasma interface, with menus being organized in a sensible fashion that are easy to use! Open-Suse seems a lot friendlier to use as well! Features abound with Open-Suse and I don’t believe anyone will have an issue navigating its menu system and user interfaces! I will say that the lack of a central app launcher makes it a bit annoying having to only use the menu system, but it’s hardly a deal breaker!

The official review category scores are:

-Installation *****

-Familiarity ****.

-Design ****.

-Ease of use ***..

Usability ****.

Total 4 / 5

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**4. Linux-Mint (Cinnamon Edition) — linuxmint.com

Linux-Mint is built on top of the Ubuntu Distro, meaning it has a great stable platform under the hood running it! Installing Linux-Mint was also as easy as could be! The user interface is very easy to navigate, with menus laid out in a sensible and organized fashion! I will admit, I did get a bit of a Windows feeling from using the menus, which is probably why Linux-Mint usually scores as the number one Linux Distro when reviewed by others! Overall, Linux-Mint is a great Distro that is easy to use, familiar, and has great functionality! I chose the Cinnamon flavor interface, although there are several other options to choose from including KDE Plasma, Xfce, and others!

The official review category scores are:

-Installation *****

-Familiarity ****.

-Design ***..

-Ease of use ****.

-Usability ****.

Total 4 / 5

I can easily see why Linux-Mint ranks so high when reviewed by others, coming from a PC perspective! It has a great setup going for it! However, coming from a Mac, the Windows feel isn’t a compliment and it the reason why Linux-Mint isn’t in the top three of the review list! If a flavor was ever created that catered to Mac OS users, you might very well see a 1st place winner with Linux-Mint!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Now we enter into the top three on the list! I have to say first, that with any of these top three, I would be totally happy to use as a main Linux Distro, and in fact I do use one of them! There is a reason these place in the top three from a Mac OS users perspective!

Tied for 2nd place are: Kali-Linux and Elementary OS

**2. Kali-Linux — www.kali.org

Kali-Linux might be an odd Distro to see tied for second place on the list, but when you use it, you will quickly learn it is a very well polished and functioning DIstro! Installation is a breeze, like the top 5 should be! To be based on Debian, you would never know it, as Kali-Linux has some of the best laid out menus of any of the Distros I reviewed! It is highly enjoyable to use and saying it is highly functional would be an understatement! It has a surprising Mac OS feel to it! Not completely like a Mac, but I feel a Mac OS user would have no issue picking up this Distro and using it! One thing that might catch people by surprise is the amount of software aimed at security testing and penetration that is included with the Distro. One issue I could see in the average user using the Distro is that, by default, the user logs in as the root user, which can present some security and safety issues! To quote AbdouBouam, “if you type in the terminal to delete your hard drive, it will delete your hard drive!” Besides this though, an informed user will find Kali-Linux to be one of the best Distros that a normal user could ever choose to use!

The official review category scores are:

-Installation *****

-Familiarity ****.

-Design *****

-Ease of use ****.

-Usability ****.

Total 4.4 / 5

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**2. Elementary OS — elementary.io

To say a Mac OS user would be right at home using Elementary OS would very likely be an understatement! Elementary OS is the closest look and feel of a Mac you can get using Linux! Built on top of Ubuntu, Elementary OS is already a very stable and well functioning Distro, even to still be in Beta! With a familiar dock for your apps, files, and folders, Elementary OS has created a brilliantly easy to use interface! The menu system is clean, the app store is well laid out, and the system as a whole is exceptionally easy to use! One issue I had with the Distro is that the desktop is not active, meaning you can’t place files, folders, and apps on it, which I consider to be an important feature they left out! Hopefully it will be added in eventually! Being that it is still in Beta, I did encounter a few issues that may be related to that, for example apt-get was not functioning properly in the terminal and the app store had a few stability issues! When Elementary OS leaves beta though, I wouldn’t be surprised what so ever to see it be a contender for number 1 in reviews!

The official review category scores are:

-Installation *****

-Familiarity *****

-Design ****.

-Ease of use ****.

-Usability ****.

Total 4.4 / 5

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*1. Ubuntu 16.04 — www.ubuntu.com

There’s a reason Ubuntu places number 1 on this list! Ubuntu has practically become synonymous with Linux itself! Installing Ubuntu is an extraordinarily easy process! Ubuntu is packed with amazing features right out of the box! The Unity interface, so often maligned by others in the Linux community, will feel like home to a Mac user! Indeed, the sidebar style menu can actually be achieved in Mac OS by just changing a settings option! Ubuntu makes it as easy as possible to install apps and software through its software center! Ubuntu is highly functional and extremely easy to use! If you are looking for a great Linux Distro to use as your main operating system, you won’t find one better than Ubuntu! Indeed, Ubuntu is the Linux Distro I use on my Linux laptop! It is by far the easiest and best Distro to use!

The official review category scores are:

-Installation *****

-Familiarity ****.

-Design *****

-Ease of use *****

-Usability *****

Total 4.8 / 5

So there you have it! The Mac OS user’s review list of 10 common Linux, and Unix, Distros! I know there might be some angst and controversy over the placement of some of the Distros, namely Debian and Fedora, but I feel that most Mac users would agree with my assessment! If you want to check out each Distro for yourself, a link is provided by each of the names of the Distro’s for you to visit their site! I recommend checking out several Distros before deciding on which one you want to primarily use! That way, you can decide for yourself, which is the best Distro to use!