Ranking Linux Distributions for 2024: a tier list for my use case !
Summary
TLDRIn this video, the host presents their annual Linux distribution tier list for 2024, ranking various distros based on their suitability for content production and business use. They discuss the evolution of distros, personal preferences, and sponsor Square X, a privacy-focused web browsing tool.
Takeaways
- đ The video is a 2024 Linux distribution tier list update, reflecting the presenter's personal rankings based on their usage for content production and business.
- đ The video is sponsored by Square X, a browser extension and web app that offers private and secure browsing with features like a burner browser, disposable file viewer, and email address.
- đ» The presenter discusses the evolution of Linux distributions, noting improvements and changes since their last tier list, and shares personal preferences for different distributions.
- đ Ubuntu is placed in the 'average' category due to its renewed focus on GNOME and performance patches, but the presenter dislikes its push for snap packages over flatpak.
- đ Linux Mint retains its 'great' ranking for offering a complete out-of-the-box experience, with improvements like Wayland support and an edge ISO for newer hardware.
- đ Zorinos moves to 'average' due to its slow release cycle, with the presenter noting that it will be outdated by the time the next LTS is released.
- đ« Elementary OS remains in the 'no thanks' category due to its slow updates and lack of compelling features in the current version.
- đ± Fedora's Workstation is in the 'great' category for its stability, frequent updates, and innovation, despite being based on Red Hat.
- đ Debian is in the 'average' category, with the presenter preferring more up-to-date desktop environments and apps.
- đź Tuxedo OS is the presenter's current choice, placed in the 'good' category for its semi-rolling release model, stability, and updates to critical components.
- đ Pop!_OS is in the 'no thanks' category for the presenter due to its outdated GNOME version and lack of significant updates in the past two years.
Q & A
What is the main topic of the video?
-The main topic of the video is a tier list ranking of various Linux distributions at the beginning of 2024, focusing on their suitability for content production and running a business.
What is the purpose of the tier list?
-The purpose of the tier list is to rank Linux distributions based on their performance, updates, and overall suitability for the creator's personal use case.
What is the sponsor of the video and what do they offer?
-The sponsor of the video is Square X, which offers a browser extension and web app that provides a suite of disposable tools for private and secure web browsing.
What are the categories used in the tier list?
-The categories used in the tier list are 'Great', 'Good', 'Average', 'No Thanks', and 'Hell No', indicating the creator's likelihood of using each distribution.
What is the creator's current stance on Ubuntu?
-The creator ranks Ubuntu in the 'Average' category, acknowledging its progress but criticizing its reliance on snap packages and Canonical's treatment of open-source projects.
Why does the creator place Linux Mint in the 'Great' category?
-Linux Mint is placed in the 'Great' category because it provides a complete graphical experience out of the box, has fixed most annoyances, and is beginner and advanced user-friendly.
What is the creator's opinion on Zorin OS?
-The creator moves Zorin OS to the 'Average' category, noting that while it has improvements, its release schedule makes it outdated by the time a new LTS is released.
Why does the creator rank Elementary OS in the 'No Thanks' category?
-Elementary OS is ranked in the 'No Thanks' category due to its slow updates and lack of compelling features in its current version, despite the upcoming version having some improvements.
What is the creator's view on Fedora and why is it ranked in the 'Good' category?
-Fedora is ranked in the 'Good' category because it is a solid improvement over previous versions, delivering better performance and a suite of useful pre-installed tools.
What are the creator's thoughts on Tuxedo OS and why is it in the 'Good' category?
-Tuxedo OS is in the 'Good' category because it is a semi-rolling release that provides regular updates and has been very stable for the creator, making it the best KDE distribution they have used.
Why does the creator rank Pop!_OS in the 'No Thanks' category?
-Pop!_OS is ranked in the 'No Thanks' category because its desktop is outdated, and the experience has not changed in two years, which is not acceptable for the creator.
What is the creator's final verdict on Chrome OS Flex?
-The creator ranks Chrome OS Flex in the 'Hell No' category due to its poor performance, basic features, and privacy invasive nature.
What is the recommendation for those looking for a Linux-compatible device?
-The creator recommends Tuxedo Computers for those looking for a Linux-compatible device, as they offer a range of customizable hardware that is tested and supported for Linux.
Outlines
đ New Year Linux Distribution Tier List
The script introduces a new Linux distribution tier list for 2024, reflecting changes in the Linux ecosystem and the author's personal experiences. The author mentions a previous list and acknowledges the evolution of distributions since then. The video is sponsored by Square X, a privacy-focused browser extension and web app, which offers a suite of disposable tools for secure browsing, file viewing, and email without risking user data or system security.
đ§ Ranking Criteria and Distributions Overview
The author outlines the criteria for ranking Linux distributions based on their suitability for content production and business use. The rankings range from 'great' to 'hell no'. The author reviews several distributions, including Ubuntu, Zorin OS, and Elementary OS, discussing their updates, performance, and community support. Ubuntu is placed in the 'average' category due to its reliance on snap packages and Canonical's treatment of open-source projects, while Zorin OS is criticized for its slow updates, and Elementary OS remains in the 'no thanks' category due to its slow development pace.
đ» Personal Experiences with Linux Distributions
The script continues with the author's personal experiences and opinions on various Linux distributions. Fedora, Debian, and openSUSE Tumbleweed are discussed, with Fedora being praised for its stability and innovation, Debian being considered outdated despite its stable release, and openSUSE Tumbleweed being appreciated for its admin tools and stability. The author also mentions Arch Linux and its derivatives, expressing concerns about the stability and suitability of Arch-based distributions for daily use.
đ„ïž Desktop-Specific Rankings and Sponsor Mention
The author provides a detailed analysis of desktop-specific Linux distributions, such as Pop!_OS, Solus, and KDE Neon, discussing their features, stability, and suitability for different use cases. Pop!_OS is placed in the 'no thanks' category due to its outdated desktop environment, while Solus is considered unreliable due to its uncertain future and development direction. The author also discusses the sponsor, Tuxedo Computers, which offers Linux-compatible devices and contributes to the Linux community by submitting patches for hardware support.
đź Gaming and Specialized Linux Distributions
The script concludes with the author's thoughts on gaming and specialized Linux distributions, such as SteamOS, Nobara, and Vanilla OS. SteamOS is praised for its seamless gaming experience on a PC console, while Nobara is recognized for its performance and toolset. The author expresses disinterest in Vanilla OS for its container-based approach and Chrome OS Flex for its performance and privacy issues. The author also reiterates the recommendation of Tuxedo Computers for Linux-native hardware and encourages viewers to support the channel.
đ Closing Remarks and Call to Action
In the final paragraph, the author wraps up the video with a summary of the Linux distributions discussed and invites viewers to share their own rankings and opinions in the comments. The author also promotes the sponsor links and encourages viewer engagement through likes, subscriptions, and comments, while playfully acknowledging potential dislikes due to personal ranking preferences.
Mindmap
Keywords
đĄLinux Distribution
đĄDro Tier List
đĄContent Production
đĄSnap Packages
đĄLinux Mint
đĄZorin OS
đĄElementary OS
đĄFedora
đĄPop!_OS
đĄTuxedo Computers
đĄHolo ISO
Highlights
Introduction of a new Linux distribution tier list for 2024.
Sponsor announcement for Square X, a privacy and security-focused browser extension and web app.
Ubuntu's ranking as 'average' due to performance improvements but issues with snap packages and Canonical's open-source treatment.
Linux Mint's retention in the 'great' category for its complete out-of-the-box experience and updates to support newer hardware.
Zorin OS's move to 'average' due to slow updates and reliance on an outdated Ubuntu LTS base.
Elementary OS remains in the 'no thanks' category due to slow updates and lack of compelling features.
Fedora's placement in the 'great' category for its stability, frequent updates, and innovative approach to Linux.
Debian's ranking as 'average' due to its stable nature but outdated software with the release of Debian 13.
OpenSUSE Tumbleweed's 'good' ranking for its solid rolling release and unique admin tools.
OpenSUSE Leap's 'average' ranking due to its slower pace and enterprise focus.
Arch Linux's 'average' ranking reflects the reviewer's personal experience with system updates and stability.
Manjaro's 'no thanks' ranking due to package version mismatches and instability.
TUXEDO OS's 'good' ranking for its semi-rolling release model and stability on TUXEDO hardware.
Pop!_OS's 'no thanks' ranking due to outdated software and slow development pace.
Solus's 'hell no' ranking due to uncertainty about the project's future and changes in its development approach.
NixOS's 'no thanks' ranking because of the reviewer's lack of need for its unique features.
KDE Neon's 'average' ranking for its rolling release model but concerns over stability.
aahi Linux's 'average' ranking due to its feature-complete nature but incompatibility with the reviewer's hardware.
NY OS's 'average' ranking reflects the reviewer's appreciation for its unique features but lack of necessity for their use case.
Holo ISO's 'great' ranking for gaming-related use cases and seamless installation experience.
Nobaria's 'good' ranking for improved performance and pre-installed tools, with caution due to its smaller project size.
Vanilla OS's 'no thanks' ranking as the reviewer does not require its container-based approach for their use case.
Chrome OS Flex's 'hell no' ranking due to poor performance, limited features, and privacy concerns.
Deepin's 'hell no' ranking because of its telemetry, outdated base, and limited app ecosystem.
Tuxedo Computers' recommendation for Linux-native hardware that is customizable and supports open-source development.
Transcripts
did you know we moved into 2024 now
which means I now have the right to do
another Linux drro tier list because
yeah I'm limiting myself to one of these
per year and since the last one I tried
a lot of other distributions either in a
video on the channel or in my own time
and the dros I ranked last time have
also evolved so let's see how I would
rank everything at the beginning of 2024
and what I would personally use and what
I would pass on but what I wouldn't pass
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private so obviously it is is all
subjective and I decided to rank all of
these distributions in terms of How
likely I would be to use them for my own
use case which is content production and
running a business and everyone will
have different criteria so don't get
offended if I ranked your drro lower
than what you would have and don't
hesitate to let me know in the comments
if you would have ranked it higher and
why so we'll have the following
categories we'll have great as in I
could absolutely recommend this with my
closed we'll have good which is I would
use that drro we'll have average which
is it's good but it's not for me we'll
have no thanks as in I would not run
that and we have hell no as in I'm not
touching that ever so let's start with
the big one obuntu I feel it has
progressed a lot since last time the
obuntu team has a renewed focus on
improving their implementation of gnome
with plenty of patches to improve
performance and newer addition in the
form of extensions like a tiling
assistant you know it is going to work
reliably it has tons of help online and
if an app exists on Linux it has an
auntu package but their insistence on
pushing snap packages for desktop
applications really irritates me because
I feel flat pack would be a far superior
solution and also I'm not a big fan of
how canonical treats various open-
Source projects recently so I'm only
putting this one in average it's like
last time it's not incredible and to use
it I would have to remove snap and
reinstall some stuff so it's not great
it's just decent and I would place all
its derivatives at the same spot because
they suffer from the same problem Linux
Mint though I feel still deserves its
place in the great category not only
does it provide the most complete
graphical experience out of the box with
utilities for everything but they also
fixed most of my annoying with it as in
they have started work on whan support
to Future proof their drro and their
first draft of a whan session is
actually not bad at all and they now
have an edge ISO with a newer kernel so
you can actually install it on recent
Hardware so it is definitely still a
great Linux Dr recommended for any
beginner or even for advanced users the
only reason I'm not using Linux Mint as
a daily driver is because I'm not a huge
fan of the cinnamon desktop for myself
now zorinos is going to move up to the
average category it's not a bad Dr it
looks good it has plenty of improvements
and layouts for Gnome but for a desktop
drro it is still moving way too slow
zorinos S7 just came out and it's based
on auntu
22.4 which is going to be replaced in a
few months by a new LTS it's not a
terrible choice but with their current
release reschedule you will get
something that is half recent in 2025
and that's just not acceptable for a
desktop in my opinion it is not as much
of a problem as it once was because with
flatback you can basically get recent
applications even if your base is pretty
old but the desktop they use is old and
I just could not see myself sticking
with that for 2 years Elementary OS will
unfortunately stay in the no thanks
category for now as well I love the drro
I love their desktop but I just cannot
use it nowadays it's updated way too
slowly and Elementary os8 will bring
some cool stuff they'll finish the
transition to gtk4 they'll bring a
Wayland session so it will move into the
modern Linux era but it just doesn't
offer enough for me anymore today it's
not a bad drro but as it stands right
now with Elementary os7 it is just not
for me now for Dora is a drro I used for
a long while as a daily driver until
very recently and this drro I'll place
in the great category it is very stable
it is updated often it is pushing the
new Linux desktop stack with portals
whan pipe wire and flatback and it's the
embodiment of everything I enjoy about
Linux constant improvements and
Innovation and risk taking that pays off
and sure it's a red hat thing red hat is
not my favorite company right now but as
a distribution it's one I could
recommend to everyone especially if you
want to move into the present or the
future of Linux they're not afraid to
drop all the things to help everyone
progress and I love that as per Debian I
only ever used the stable version and I
will put it in average for my use case
deian 12 was released relatively
recently and so it is not utter L
outdated yet but it will be utterly
outdated by the time Debian 13 gets
updated the desktop it uses the apps in
the repost they will all be terribly
terribly old and for apps it's not as
much of a problem because obviously now
you have flat pack that can solve the
problem but for the desktop you use it's
just not for me I like my stuff to get
updates when the new desktops comes out
and Debian just doesn't give me that
maybe the unstable version would be
worth a shot to see if it changes my
opinion still Dean offers a solid
experience it's easy to use there's
plenty of documentation and they now
have proprietary firmware ready to be
installed if you need it so it's a solid
drro no matter the use case now open
soua tumble weed is next and I will put
this one in the good category it's a
really good rolling release and while my
experience with soua is limited they do
have some really good admin tools to
configure a bunch of things that other
disos simply do not have a graphical
user interface for and in my testing it
was rock solid as far as rolling
releases go I could definitely see
myself using it as per op soua leap I'll
put it in average it's virtually the
same experience as with tumble weed in
terms of the benefits of using open
Souza but it's just not interesting to
me as a distribution it it's a bit too
slow moving it's a bit too Enterprise
focused for my own tastes and the
current way this dis R Works will be
changed soon with the future of leap
lying with Alp making it an image-based
operating system so it is not bad not at
all but I just don't find it interesting
or suitable for my needs now the good
old Arch Linux will go in average for me
because I would personally not use it on
my computer but it's not not because
it's a bad Dro it's because it's not for
me all my experiences with Arch and Arch
based dros were cut short by issues
after updating my computer and I cannot
deal with that on a daily basis I need a
system where I can just click the update
button with my eyes closed reboot and
expect everything to work when the
computer comes back alive without having
to read update notes or look over
various install scripts to check if they
are safe or not and Arch just does not
provide that experience for me and I
understand why people love and use Arch
and a bunch of its derivatives and if
you have the time to invest in making
sure it's solid it can be very very
stable but for me it's just not cutting
it and speaking of arge derivatives
manaro I will place in the no thanks
category again this year the way it is
built just doesn't make sense to me
you're getting access to the a but since
you're also not using the latest Arch
packages you will have issues with that
as there will be mismatches between
libraries and package versions and if
you don't use the Aur on it you're left
with a roding release that takes bad
decisions like shipping unstable
versions of apps that developers don't
want them to ship yet and not testing
updates that come from Arch adequately
like the grub incident I feel there are
better rolling releases to use like
tumble wheat for example so yeah it's
just not for me it's too
unstable now tuxedo OS is the Dr I use
these days and I will place it in good
it's a semi- rolling release meaning you
don't get major updates every six months
like what obuntu does but you're getting
regular updates to the kernel to the
drivers and the apps plus a rolling
release model for the KD plasma desktop
it has been super stable for me it's the
best KD distribution I have ever used
and while it is based on a bunch to
22.4 since you're getting updates to the
critical Hardware support components
it's not really an issue and the tools
tuxedo ads like their control center are
also really good on a tuxedo laptop so I
love using it and the only reason why
it's not in the great category is
they're still basing themselves on a b 2
LTS and yes they do update the hardware
support components like drivers and the
kernel but the packages in the repos are
pretty damn old it's not been a big
issue for me but it could be so I'll
wait to see how fast they will rebase on
24.4 before placing this one in the
great category now as per popos it will
be in the no thanks category for me this
year it is not a bad disc R it's pretty
much the same behavior as tuxedo OS you
get updates to the drivers and the
kernel but the desktop they ship is just
completely outdated it's based on a very
old gnome version with a bunch of
extensions and the experience has not
changed in 2 years and that's just not
acceptable for me and I would expect
that to change by the time
24.4 releases for pop OS which is going
to be apparently in the Summer with the
brand new Rewritten from scratch Cosmic
desktop but for now installing
22.4 on my desktop or on my laptop would
be a big big regression in terms of
workflow and performance and features
now Solus is a Dr I expected to not even
mention in that tier list since it was
pretty much dead last year but since
then it apparently revived and it looks
like they have plans now it is still
going to go in hell no for me because I
cannot tell if this is a temporary
Revival or if it is here to stay I need
more time to see if they will repeat the
mistakes of the past and since they also
want to completely change how the drro
is built and works for soless 5 I cannot
place any long-term trust in them for
now when I install something I like it
to last for a year or two and soless
just does not give me the confidence I
need to reliably have that experience so
it's in hell no for me now Gen 2 I will
put in no thanks for my own use case
again I understand why people want to
use it but personally I do not find it a
compelling proposition at all I don't
want to compile any of my programs to
gain one to 3% performance and using the
binary packages on Gen 2 why just use
any other drro that has binary packages
so if you love Gen 2 that's cool but the
very concept is simply just not working
for me at all now KD neon will go in
average I like the rolling release model
for the desktop and the rebasing on a
new LTS when it's available but also it
hasn't been extremely stable the last
time I tried it and I feel that nowadays
tuxa os does the same job but much
better so I just wouldn't use neon
personally now aahi Linux and Fedora
aahi are in a weird spot here I cannot
use any of these myself but it's not
because they're bad it's because it runs
on Hardware I don't like my MacBook Pro
M1 will be sold soon it's way too heavy
and it lacks useful ports and it is arm
so there is no D Vinci resolve on that
meaning that I can just not use these
disos but aahi as a Dr is awesome and
almost feature complete so I will put it
in average because placing it lower
would not really be justified now let's
talk about NY OS and this one will make
some people grid their teeth but it's
only going in average for me meaning I
could see myself using it but currently
I don't see the point having a
reproducible system is great and I loved
learning the syntax to configure the
system but some things were just
annoying to get to work like the Venture
res which the studio version I could
never run or NVIDIA drivers and for my
use case there is no point really I
don't reinstall often enough that I need
a config file that would recreate my own
system and other dros are stable enough
that I don't feel like I need to use
something like NYX it is a really good
Dr and I loved experimenting with it but
I just don't see the point for my own
use case personally now Holo ISO is a
weird one because you don't use it for
desktop use it's for gaming related
stuff and for that specific use case I
will place it in great I have recently
reinstalled it on my own console which
is basically just a tower PC from toxedo
and this time I had nothing to configure
or change it just installed and worked
perfectly right at the bat so for my
gaming needs it's basically the steam
deck experience on a big TV with good
hardware and performance and for that
it's wonderful now for more mixed gaming
and desktop usage I would place nobara
in good it's a solid improvement over
Fedora it actually delivers better
performance the suite of tools that are
pre-installed is great the only thing I
don't quite like is that it's a smaller
project and as such I would be wary of
running it as a daily driver because
it's not seeing a ton of external
contributions and I am not sure I would
find enough help online if I needed it
now for vanilla OS I would place that in
no thanks for my own use case I like the
concept of running dros in containers to
get access to any package or app you
want but also I don't need that I can
already run any app on any dros these
days and it's more men for development
purposes and that is not my use case so
I would not run vanilla OS as my main
operating system now for fun I will
include Chrome OS Flex because it's
basically a regular Linux dis these days
with a proprietary desktop and I will
place it in hell no because well it
completely sucks it lags the most basic
of features the desktop is Bare Bones
and performs badly and installing
anything that is not a web app requires
you to use but it's basically a VM so
performance is really bad it is a bad
operating system a bad desktop there's
proprietary stuff all around and it's
also privacy invasive so hell no for
chromos flex and as per deepen it's
still going in hell no as well because
it has Telemetry baked in it's using a
very old Debian base and the desktop
might look nice but all of its apps are
super limited and installing anything
else on top of that just breaks the
unified look and feel I would never use
that Dro but if you like the desktop the
deep in desktop I would recommend maybe
using it on another Dro because it can
look really good so that's it for all
the dros I have used on my own time or
on the channel and how I would rank them
for my own use case obviously yours
might be different so let me know where
you would have placed all those
distributions yourself using the same
ranking system and in the meantime I
will let you know about sponsor it's
tuxedo computers if you need a new
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they have laptops desktops and N at all
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and upgrade it these are really good
it's all I use these days I run this
channel on a tuxedo Infiniti Book Pro 16
and all my gaming is done on a tuxedo
Cube which is just a PC I install Holo
ISO on so if you want a new computer you
want to Linux on it and you want to
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yourself a computer from tuxedo I can
only recommend them so thanks everyone
for watching the tier list I hope you
enjoyed it if you did don't hesitate to
like to subscribe to turn on
notifications and to write a comment and
if you didn't like the video well you
can always click the dislike button and
let me know why in the comments it's
probably because I rated Arch not in the
great category probably so if you and
also if you really like the channel
there are plenty of ways to support it
in the description below just check out
any of those links and you'll get access
to some cool stuff so thanks for
watching and I guess you'll see me in
the next one
[Music]
bye
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