Run Linux standalone or dual-booted on a machine.
Install it with a virtual machine
Run Linux on top of your main operating system
Integrate Linux into your Windows instance
Windows Subsystem for Linux provides a linux shell as an application.
| Name | Based on | Package Manager | Server Option? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Debian | N/A | Apt | ☑ Yes | Intermediate installation, Stable |
| Ubuntu | Debian | Apt | ☑ Yes | Great for beginners |
| Linux Mint | Ubuntu | Apt | ☐ No | Great for beginners, Windows feel |
| popOS! | Ubuntu | Apt | ☐ No | Great for Gamers |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux | N/A | Dnf / Yum | ☑ Yes | License cost |
| Fedora | Red Hat | Dnf / Yum | ☑ Yes | Constant new versions |
| CentOS | Fedora / Red Hat | Dnf / Yum | ☑ Yes | Stable, Enterprise focused |
| Arch | N/A | pacman | ☑ Yes* | rolling release, difficult installation |
| Manjaro | Arch | Pacman | ☐ No | More stable Arch, easy installation |
| openSUSE | N/A | Zypper | ☑ Yes | Stable, lower popularity |
*Arch, while can run as a server is not recommended due to stability concerns
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