First, let’s clarify something: Linux is not an operating system! Linux is a kernel, to get an operating system, you need to choose a distrubution which will pack Linux as the kernel. There’s also other Unix-like operating systems which will pack BSD as the kernel instead of Linux. Both are good, but they have differents pros and cons.
I’ve been using Linux both profesionnally and personally for 12 years now, Linux have evolved overtime. My answer to «What is the best Linux distro» would have been different 10 years ago.
There’s so many distribution, you will certainly one that will more likely fit your needs. In this posts, I will try to help you clarify which one is the best for you.
Here’s a lot of the best Linux distribution out there right now :
Ubuntu
Pros
- Simplicity
- Just works out of the box
- Care about stable drivers
- You can pay for support
- Good documentation
- Good release cycle (5 years support for LTS)
Cons
- History of bad decisions made by Canonical
- Include a spyware (more info)
- Canonical dosen’t care about FOSS philosophy
Debian
Pros
- Highly stable and secure
- The largest number of installed packages
- Developed by a mature community
- Massively supported
- Works on all architectures
- Great degree of Freedom (100% FOSS)
Cons
- No default support for proprietary drivers
- Archaic installer
More to be added soon.