Difference between revisions of "Recommended Linux distros"

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==General use focused==
+
{{For|Ports of the Linux kernel for consoles|Homebrew and hack Roms#Operating_systems}}
−
These Linux distributions offer a complete Desktop experience with a large user base. [[Linux_guide_for_emulators|guide to setup/download emulators]]
+
[[wikipedia:Linux distribution|'''Linux Distributions''']] have existed since 1992.
 +
;This is a list of the current recommended Linux distros in their respective categories.
 +
==General use-focused==
 +
;These Linux distributions offer a complete Desktop experience with a large user base.
 +
;[https://linux-hardware.org/ Linux Hardware.org] is a good resource if you are having trouble finding Linux distributions that work on your computer.
 +
*;See [[Linux_guide_for_emulators|guide to setup/download emulators]] for instructions for these distros.
 
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
 
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
 
|-
 
|-
 
! scope="col"|Name
 
! scope="col"|Name
 
! scope="col"|Architecture
 
! scope="col"|Architecture
 +
! scope="col"|Based on
 +
! scope="col"|Desktop
 
! scope="col"|Latest Version
 
! scope="col"|Latest Version
 
! scope="col"|Active
 
! scope="col"|Active
 
! scope="col"|[[Recommended Emulators|Recommended]]
 
! scope="col"|[[Recommended Emulators|Recommended]]
 
|-
 
|-
−
|[https://ubuntu.com/ Ubuntu]
+
|[https://ubuntu.com/ Ubuntu]<br/><small>Kubuntu</small>
 +
|x86, ARM
 +
|Debian
 +
|Gnome, KDE (Kubuntu)
 +
|23.10<br/>[https://ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu Desktop]<br>[https://ubuntu.com/download/raspberry-pi Ubuntu for Raspberry Pi]<br/>[https://kubuntu.org/getkubuntu/ Kubuntu]
 +
|{{✓}} ||{{✓}}
 +
|-
 +
|[https://www.linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint]
 
|x86
 
|x86
−
|[https://ubuntu.com/#download 23.04]
+
|Ubuntu
 +
|Cinnamon, MATE, Xfce
 +
|[https://www.linuxmint.com/download.php 21.3]
 
|{{✓}} ||{{✓}}
 
|{{✓}} ||{{✓}}
 
|-
 
|-
 
|[https://www.raspberrypi.com/ Raspberry Pi OS]
 
|[https://www.raspberrypi.com/ Raspberry Pi OS]
 
|ARM, x86
 
|ARM, x86
−
|[https://www.raspberrypi.com/software/ Download]
+
|Debian
 +
|PIXEL
 +
|[https://www.raspberrypi.com/software/ 2023-12-05]
 
|{{✓}} ||{{✓}}
 
|{{✓}} ||{{✓}}
 +
|-
 +
|[https://pop.system76.com/ Pop!_OS]
 +
|x86<br/><small>ARM (preview)</small>
 +
|Ubuntu
 +
|Gnome (Cosmic)
 +
|[https://pop.system76.com/ 22.04 LTS]
 +
|{{✓}} ||{{{~}}
 +
|-
 +
|[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro]
 +
|x86, ARM
 +
|Arch Linux
 +
|Xfce, KDE Plasma, Gnome
 +
|[https://manjaro.org/download/ 23.1.3]
 +
|{{✓}} ||{{{~}}
 +
|}
  
 +
===Experienced users===
 +
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
 +
|-
 +
! scope="col"|Name
 +
! scope="col"|Architecture
 +
! scope="col"|Based on
 +
! scope="col"|Desktop
 +
! scope="col"|Latest Version
 +
! scope="col"|Active
 +
! scope="col"|[[Recommended Emulators|Recommended]]
 +
|-
 +
|[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux]
 +
|x86<br/><small>ARM and others unofficially</small>
 +
|Independent
 +
|Any
 +
|[https://archlinux.org/download/ Latest]
 +
|{{✓}} ||{{✓}}
 +
|-
 +
|[https://www.debian.org/ Debian]
 +
|x86, ARM<br/><small>and many others</small>
 +
|Independent
 +
|Gnome (and others)
 +
|[https://www.debian.org/ 12.5]
 +
|{{✓}} ||{{✓}}
 +
|-
 +
|[https://fedoraproject.org/ Fedora]<br/><small>Fedora Atomic</small>
 +
|x86, ARM<br/><small>and many others</small>
 +
|Independent
 +
|Gnome (and others)
 +
|39<br/>[https://fedoraproject.org/workstation/ Fedora Workstation]<br/>[https://fedoraproject.org/atomic-desktops/ Fedora Atomic]
 +
|{{✓}} ||{{✓}}
 
|}
 
|}
  
−
==Wide range of platforms focused==
+
==Gaming-focused==
−
These Linux distributions provide system development environment experiences on a '''wide range of platforms, including different hardware architectures'''.
+
;These Linux distributions target to be a complete gaming package. Emulators might not pre-installed on these systems but are easily installed.
 +
;:You can use [https://www.emudeck.com/ EmuDeck] which is an installation script that helps you get started with emulation.
 
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
 
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
 
|-
 
|-
 
! scope="col"|Name
 
! scope="col"|Name
 
! scope="col"|Architecture
 
! scope="col"|Architecture
 +
! scope="col"|Based on
 +
! scope="col"|Desktop
 
! scope="col"|Latest Version
 
! scope="col"|Latest Version
 
! scope="col"|Active
 
! scope="col"|Active
 
! scope="col"|[[Recommended Emulators|Recommended]]
 
! scope="col"|[[Recommended Emulators|Recommended]]
 
|-
 
|-
−
|[https://t2sde.org/ T2 SDE]
+
|[https://bazzite.gg/ Bazzite]
−
|Alpha<br/>ARM<br/>HPPA (incl. HPPA64)<br/>IA64<br/>MIPS<br/>PowerPC (incl. PowerPC-64)<br/>SPARC (incl. SPARC64)<br/>SuperH<br/>x86 (incl. x86-64)<br/>and theoretically any GCC/Linux supported one.
+
|x86
−
|[https://t2sde.org/download/ 8.0]
+
|Fedora Atomic
 +
|KDE Plasma, Gnome
 +
|[https://bazzite.gg/#image-picker 2.3.0]
 +
|{{✓}} ||{{✓}}
 +
|-
 +
|[https://chimeraos.org/ ChimeraOS]
 +
|x86
 +
|Arch Linux
 +
|Gnome
 +
|[https://chimeraos.org/download 45]
 
|{{✓}} ||{{✓}}
 
|{{✓}} ||{{✓}}
 +
|-
 +
|SteamOS 3<br/><small>HoloISO</small>
 +
|x86
 +
|Arch Linux
 +
|KDE Plasma
 +
|SteamOS N/A<br/>[https://github.com/holoiso-staging/releases HoloISO]
 +
|{{✓}} ||{{~}}
 +
|-
 +
|[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara Project]
 +
|x86
 +
|Fedora Linux
 +
|KDE Plasma
 +
|[https://nobaraproject.org/download-nobara/ 39]
 +
|{{✓}} ||{{~}}
 +
|-
 +
|[https://github.com/LukeShortCloud/winesapOS winesapOS]
 +
|x86
 +
|Arch Linux
 +
|KDE Plasma
 +
|[https://github.com/LukeShortCloud/winesapOS/releases 4.0.0]
 +
|{{✓}} ||{{TBD}}
 +
|-
 +
|[https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda Linux]<br><small>(KDE Dragonized Gaming edition)</small>
 +
|x86
 +
|Arch Linux
 +
|KDE Plasma
 +
|[https://iso.builds.garudalinux.org/iso/latest/garuda/dr460nized-gaming/latest.iso?r2=1 “Spizaetus” (231029)]
 +
|{{✓}} ||{{TBD}}
 +
|-
 +
|[https://draugeros.org/ Drauger OS]
 +
|x86
 +
|Ubuntu
 +
|KDE Plasma
 +
|[https://draugeros.org/download 7.6]
 +
|{{✓}} ||{{TBD}}
 +
|-
 +
|[https://get.regataos.com.br/ Regata OS]
 +
|x86
 +
|openSUSE
 +
|KDE Plasma
 +
|[https://get.regataos.com.br/p/download.html 23 "Honeycomb"]
 +
|{{✓}} ||{{TBD}}
 
|}
 
|}
  
−
==[[Emulators on Linux|Emulation focused]]==
+
Comparison: https://github.com/ChimeraOS/chimeraos/wiki/OS-Comparison
−
These Linux distributions offer complete emulation packages for PCs, single board computers, consoles and other systems.
 
  
 +
==[[Emulators on Linux|Emulation-focused]]==
 +
;These Linux distributions offer complete emulation packages for PCs, single board computers, consoles and other systems.
 
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
 
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
 
|-
 
|-
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|[[EmulationStation]] fork
 
|[[EmulationStation]] fork
 
|[https://batocera.org/download {{BatoceraLinuxVer}}]
 
|[https://batocera.org/download {{BatoceraLinuxVer}}]
−
|{{✓}} ||{{✓}}
 
−
|-
 
−
|[https://chimeraos.org/ ChimeraOS]
 
−
|x86
 
−
|Steam Big Picture
 
−
|[https://chimeraos.org/download 28]
 
 
|{{✓}} ||{{✓}}
 
|{{✓}} ||{{✓}}
 
|-
 
|-
Line 79: Line 192:
 
|{{✓}} ||{{✓}}
 
|{{✓}} ||{{✓}}
 
|-
 
|-
−
|SteamOS 3
+
|[https://www.elemenity.com/products/elemenity_os/ Elemenity OS]
−
|x86
+
|ARM64
−
|Steam Big Picture
+
|Custom, supports RetroArch
−
|N/A
+
|[https://www.elemenity.com/products/elemenity_os/ 1.1]
 
|{{✓}} ||{{✓}}
 
|{{✓}} ||{{✓}}
 +
|-
 +
|[https://wimpysworld.com/projects/retro-home/ Retro Home]
 +
|ARM, x86
 +
|Ludo
 +
|[https://github.com/wimpysworld/retro-home/releases 22.189-alpha1]
 +
|{{n}} ||{{TBD}}
 +
|}
 +
 +
==Android==
 +
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
 +
|-
 +
!colspan="6"|AOSP<br/><small>[https://www.esper.io/blog/aosp-missing-features-google-gms What does “AOSP Android” really mean?]</small>
 +
|-
 +
! scope="col"|Name
 +
! scope="col"|Architecture
 +
! scope="col"|Frontend
 +
! scope="col"|Latest Version
 +
! scope="col"|Active
 +
! scope="col"|[[Recommended Emulators|Recommended]]
 +
|-
 +
|LineageOS
 +
|ARM
 +
|Trebuchet
 +
|[https://switchroot.org/ 15.1] (<abbr title="based on the Nvidia Shield TV build of LineageOS">[https://wiki.lineageos.org/devices/#nvidia Switch]</abbr>)<br/>[https://konstakang.com/devices/rpi3/ <small>Raspberry Pi 3 builds</small>]<br/>[https://konstakang.com/devices/rpi4/ <small>Raspberry Pi 4 builds</small>]<br/>[https://konstakang.com/devices/rpi5/ <small>Raspberry Pi 5 builds</small>]
 +
|{{✓}} ||{{~}}
 +
|}
 +
;See the [[Android emulators#Hardware features|Hardware features]] and [[Android emulators#Enhancements|Enhancements]] of sections of [[Android emulators]] for Android-x86 and it's forks.
 +
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
 +
|-
 +
!colspan="6"|Android on x86
 +
|-
 +
! scope="col"|Name
 +
! scope="col"|Architecture
 +
! scope="col"|Frontend
 +
! scope="col"|Latest Version
 +
! scope="col"|Active
 +
! scope="col"|[[Recommended Emulators|Recommended]]
 
|-
 
|-
 
|BlissOS
 
|BlissOS
Line 94: Line 244:
 
|x86
 
|x86
 
|Based on Android-x86 and Bliss OS<br/><small>Mini Desktop launcher is pre-installed.</small>
 
|Based on Android-x86 and Bliss OS<br/><small>Mini Desktop launcher is pre-installed.</small>
−
|[https://blissos.org/index.html#download 16.9.x]
+
|[https://github.com/yui0/berry-os/releases 2023-02-22]
 
|{{✓}}||{{✓}}
 
|{{✓}}||{{✓}}
 
|-
 
|-
Line 103: Line 253:
 
|{{~}}<abbr title="Development activity on Android-x86 has significantly slowed down.">*</abbr> ||{{~}}
 
|{{~}}<abbr title="Development activity on Android-x86 has significantly slowed down.">*</abbr> ||{{~}}
 
|}
 
|}
−
Also see the [[Android emulators#Hardware features|Hardware features]] and [[Android emulators#Enhancements|Enhancements]] of sections of [[Android emulators]]. for Android-x86 and distros.
 
−
 
−
==AOSP==
 
−
[https://www.esper.io/blog/aosp-missing-features-google-gms What does “AOSP Android” really mean?]
 
  
 +
==Multiplatform-focused==
 +
These Linux distributions provide system development environment experiences on a '''wide range of platforms, including different hardware architectures'''.
 
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
 
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
 
|-
 
|-
 
! scope="col"|Name
 
! scope="col"|Name
 
! scope="col"|Architecture
 
! scope="col"|Architecture
−
! scope="col"|Frontend
 
 
! scope="col"|Latest Version
 
! scope="col"|Latest Version
 
! scope="col"|Active
 
! scope="col"|Active
 
! scope="col"|[[Recommended Emulators|Recommended]]
 
! scope="col"|[[Recommended Emulators|Recommended]]
 
|-
 
|-
−
|LineageOS
+
|[https://t2sde.org/ T2 SDE]
−
|ARM
+
|Alpha<br/>ARM<br/>HPPA (incl. HPPA64)<br/>IA64<br/>MIPS<br/>PowerPC (incl. PowerPC-64)<br/>SPARC (incl. SPARC64)<br/>SuperH<br/>x86 (incl. x86-64)<br/>and theoretically any GCC/Linux supported one.
−
|Trebuchet
+
|[https://t2sde.org/download/ 8.0]
−
|[https://switchroot.org/ 15.1] (<abbr title="based on the Nvidia Shield TV build of LineageOS">[https://wiki.lineageos.org/devices/#nvidia Switch]</abbr>)<br/>[https://konstakang.com/devices/rpi3/ <small>Raspberry Pi 3 builds</small>]<br/>[https://konstakang.com/devices/rpi4/ <small>Raspberry Pi 4 builds</small>]<br/>[https://konstakang.com/devices/rpi5/ <small>Raspberry Pi 5 builds</small>]
+
|{{✓}} ||{{✓}}
−
|{{✓}} ||{{~}}
 
 
|}
 
|}
  
 
[[Category:Operating systems|*]]
 
[[Category:Operating systems|*]]

Revision as of 01:29, 9 April 2024

For Ports of the Linux kernel for consoles, see Homebrew and hack Roms#Operating_systems.

Linux Distributions have existed since 1992.

This is a list of the current recommended Linux distros in their respective categories.

General use-focused

These Linux distributions offer a complete Desktop experience with a large user base.
Linux Hardware.org is a good resource if you are having trouble finding Linux distributions that work on your computer.
Name Architecture Based on Desktop Latest Version Active Recommended
Ubuntu
Kubuntu 		x86, ARM Debian Gnome, KDE (Kubuntu) 23.10
Ubuntu Desktop
Ubuntu for Raspberry Pi
Kubuntu 		✓ ✓
Linux Mint x86 Ubuntu Cinnamon, MATE, Xfce 21.3 ✓ ✓
Raspberry Pi OS ARM, x86 Debian PIXEL 2023-12-05 ✓ ✓
Pop!_OS x86
ARM (preview) 		Ubuntu Gnome (Cosmic) 22.04 LTS ✓ ~
Manjaro x86, ARM Arch Linux Xfce, KDE Plasma, Gnome 23.1.3 ✓ ~

Experienced users

Name Architecture Based on Desktop Latest Version Active Recommended
Arch Linux x86
ARM and others unofficially 		Independent Any Latest ✓ ✓
Debian x86, ARM
and many others 		Independent Gnome (and others) 12.5 ✓ ✓
Fedora
Fedora Atomic 		x86, ARM
and many others 		Independent Gnome (and others) 39
Fedora Workstation
Fedora Atomic 		✓ ✓

Gaming-focused

These Linux distributions target to be a complete gaming package. Emulators might not pre-installed on these systems but are easily installed.
You can use EmuDeck which is an installation script that helps you get started with emulation.
Name Architecture Based on Desktop Latest Version Active Recommended
Bazzite x86 Fedora Atomic KDE Plasma, Gnome 2.3.0 ✓ ✓
ChimeraOS x86 Arch Linux Gnome 45 ✓ ✓
SteamOS 3
HoloISO 		x86 Arch Linux KDE Plasma SteamOS N/A
HoloISO 		✓ ~
Nobara Project x86 Fedora Linux KDE Plasma 39 ✓ ~
winesapOS x86 Arch Linux KDE Plasma 4.0.0 ✓ TBD
Garuda Linux
(KDE Dragonized Gaming edition) 		x86 Arch Linux KDE Plasma “Spizaetus” (231029) ✓ TBD
Drauger OS x86 Ubuntu KDE Plasma 7.6 ✓ TBD
Regata OS x86 openSUSE KDE Plasma 23 "Honeycomb" ✓ TBD

Comparison: https://github.com/ChimeraOS/chimeraos/wiki/OS-Comparison

Emulation-focused

These Linux distributions offer complete emulation packages for PCs, single board computers, consoles and other systems.
Name Architecture Frontend Latest Version Active Recommended
Batocera.linux ARM, x86 EmulationStation fork 38 ✓ ✓
Lakka ARM, x86 RetroArch 5.0 ✓ ✓
Recalbox ARM, x86 EmulationStation 9.1-Pulstar ✓ ✓
RetroPie ARM EmulationStation fork 4.8 ✓ ✓
Elemenity OS ARM64 Custom, supports RetroArch 1.1 ✓ ✓
Retro Home ARM, x86 Ludo 22.189-alpha1 ✗ TBD

Android

AOSP
What does “AOSP Android” really mean?
Name Architecture Frontend Latest Version Active Recommended
LineageOS ARM Trebuchet 15.1 (Switch)
Raspberry Pi 3 builds
Raspberry Pi 4 builds
Raspberry Pi 5 builds 		✓ ~
See the Hardware features and Enhancements of sections of Android emulators for Android-x86 and it's forks.
Android on x86
Name Architecture Frontend Latest Version Active Recommended
BlissOS x86 Android-x86 fork
includes 3 launchers: Taskbar, Quickstep and Smart Dock. 		16.9.x ✓* ✓
Berry OS x86 Based on Android-x86 and Bliss OS
Mini Desktop launcher is pre-installed. 		2023-02-22 ✓ ✓
Android-x86 x86 Trebuchet (KitKat version) 2022-03-25 ~* ~

Multiplatform-focused

These Linux distributions provide system development environment experiences on a wide range of platforms, including different hardware architectures.

Name Architecture Latest Version Active Recommended
T2 SDE Alpha
ARM
HPPA (incl. HPPA64)
IA64
MIPS
PowerPC (incl. PowerPC-64)
SPARC (incl. SPARC64)
SuperH
x86 (incl. x86-64)
and theoretically any GCC/Linux supported one. 		8.0 ✓ ✓
Retrieved from "https://emulation.gametechwiki.com/index.php?title=Recommended_Linux_distros&oldid=84078"