The Official /g/ OS Guide

(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[''Welcome to the Official /g/ OS Guide!'' This interactive program will help provide you with the best^^*^^ decision on which operating system to use, depending on your knowledge and needs as a user. This program was adapted from the <a href='https://wiki.installgentoo.com/wiki/File:Ospicker.png' target='_blank' style="color:cyan">original /g/ OS Guide</a> and is licensed under the <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/' target='_blank' style="color:cyan">Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0</a> License. [[Begin Guide]]] ^^*^^(text-style:"italic","superscript")+(css:"font-size:80%;")[The opinions of this guide are subjective, don't be afraid to experiment with other operating systems if you'd like!] (css:"font-size:80%;")[Created with <3 by /g/uide !!Rd3YFuHmOQW]

''(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[Have you got any experience with GNU/Linux?]'' [[Yes]] [[No]] [[Don't ask me.]] [[WTF?!]]

''(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[Do you want a Unix-like OS?]'' [[Yes->YesUnix]] [[No->NoUnix]]

''(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[Do you //really// want to switch your os?]'' [[Yes->YesSwitch]] [[...No]] [[Uncertain]]

(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[''Your recommended OS is Heads.''] <center><a href="https://heads.dyne.org/" target="_blank"><img src="https://heads.dyne.org/static/logo.svg" alt="Heads" width="70%"></a></center> Chances are you already have it downloaded and are monitoring 30 security failsafes as we speak. [[Restart Guide->Begin Guide]]

''(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[...Do you have a prefered platform?]'' [[Desktop]] [[Laptop or Netbook]] [[WTF?!?!?!]]

''(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[How retro can you go?]'' [[OS/2]] [[WTF?! (I can manage.)]]

(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[''Your recommended OS is Android-x86.''] <center><a href="https://www.android-x86.org/" target="_blank"><img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2a/Android-x86.png" alt="Android-x86" width="80%"></a></center> An unofficial port of Google's Android mobile operating system that works on x86 processors instead of mobile ARM chips. It's... //technically// Linux and open source, with compatibility for everything in Google's Android ecosystem. (Including the spyware!) [[Restart Guide->Begin Guide]]

''(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[Listen.]'' [[Yeah?]]

''(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[We hate you.]'' [[:^(]]

''(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[Get the fuck out of our lives.]'' [[:^C]]

''(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[You're too incompetent to even use this guide.]'' [[...]]

''(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[Perhaps you would consider doing other things...]'' [[...->...2]]

(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[''Your recommended OS is MacOS.''] <center><a href="https://www.apple.com/mac/" target="_blank"><img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/22/MacOS_logo_%282017%29.svg" alt="MacOS" width="70%"></a></center> You're the type of person who injures themselves just using a mouse and has night terrors about changing your desktop background. Don't worry, Apple will make sure everything you use is idiot proof, including your hardware. You won't have to worry about viruses or security ever again, because you'll have neither. [[Restart Guide->Begin Guide]]

(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[''Your recommended OS is ArcaOS.''] <center><a href="https://www.arcanoae.com/arcaos/" target="_blank"><img src="https://www.arcanoae.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/arcaos-1.png" alt="ArcaOS" width="70%"></a></center> You're probably a real old timer who just misses the days of OS/2 and wants to get back in without worrying about hardware compatibility or not supporting newer programs. You're still using proprietary software but at least you have good taste. [[Restart Guide->Begin Guide]]

(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[''Your recommended OS is Hackintosh (MacOS on non-Apple hardware.)''] <center><a href="https://www.hackintosh.com" target="_blank"><img src="https://hackintosh.com/images/hackintosh-logo-728.jpg" alt="Hackintosh" width="80%"></a></center> You're still using an idiot proof operating system that's probably full of spyware and backdoors, but at least your hardware isn't backdoored too. I recommend older versions of MacOS. (Tiger 10.4, Leopard 10.5, or Snow Leopard 10.6) [[Restart Guide->Begin Guide]]

''(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[Should it look similar to Windows?]'' [[Yes->YesWin]] [[No->NoWin]] [[I want it to look like MacOS!]]

(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[''Your recommended OS is Windows.''] <center><a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/" target="_blank"><img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e6/Windows_11_logo.svg" alt="Windows" width="90%"></a></center> After giving it a good 5 minutes of thought, you decide it's too much hassle and crawl your way back to Microsoft with the ever present hope that "The next one will be even better!". You're free to use whatever OS you want, but for the love of god at least TRY to make yourself less bloated and more secure. Just for you, here's a list of resources on how to make Windows suck less. <a href='https://rentry.co/fwt' target='_blank' style="color:cyan">/fwt/ paste</a> A general guide of what Windows version to use, how to optimize, useful resources, and an infographic of recommended software to install. <a href='https://librewolf-community.gitlab.io/' target='_blank' style="color:cyan">LibreWolf Web Browser</a> A fork of the FireFox web browser with a focus on Privacy, and has uBlock Origin built in. It's (text-style:"underline")[important to note] that updates must be installed manually using the Chocolatey package manager. <a href='https://github.com/builtbybel/privatezilla' target='_blank' style="color:cyan">Privatezilla</a> A very simple tool for disabling Windows 10 telemetry and removing pre-installed apps and bloat. The bare minimum for improving privacy on Windows. <a href='https://privacy.sexy/' target='_blank' style="color:cyan">Privacy.sexy</a> A more advanced tool for increasing security and debloating Windows. You can configure your own .bat script using the web page, or download an offline .exe for creating and executing your script. If you're unsure of what options to select, I recommend using the "Standard" or "Strict" prefab setting near the top of the screen. <a href='https://github.com/bmrf/tron' target='_blank' style="color:cyan">Tron script</a> <a href='https://old.reddit.com/r/TronScript/wiki/index' target='_blank' style="color:cyan">Tron script wiki/guide</a> A "glorified collection of batch files" designed for getting a badly-running or compromised Windows system back on its feet and working better. Not intended to be used as a system optimizer or regular maintenance tool. <a href='https://github.com/DrEmpiricism/Optimize-Offline' target='_blank' style="color:cyan">Optimize-Offline</a> <a href='https://rentry.co/mdl-optimize-guide' target='_blank' style="color:cyan">Optimize-Offline guide by KedarWolf</a> A script for removing unwanted programs and features of a Windows ISO before installation. The most effective tool for privacy and debloating, but not recommended for beginners as doing things wrong can result in a broken installation. <a href='https://ameliorated.info/' target='_blank' style="color:cyan">Windows 10 Ameliorated</a> For the most part, it is (text-colour:red)[''NOT''] recommended to use pre-built homebrew ISOs like Ameliorated, as they are generally unverifiable and unreproducible. However, you could try to build an Ameliorated ISO yourself if you really want the most privacy focused Windows system possible. (But at that point, you might as well just use a different operating system.) (text-colour:red)[''ONLY TRY THIS IF YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING.''] [[Restart Guide->Begin Guide]]

''(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[Got the extra computer to try it on?]'' [[Yes->YesTry]] [[No->NoTry]]

(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[''Try a Live CD/DVD of any of the OSes mentioned.''] <center><img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/be/USB_flash_drive_icon.svg" alt="USB" width="60%"></center> Go buy a 32GB USB at Best Buy or something. [[Restart Guide->Begin Guide]]

(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[''Run one of the mentioned OSes in QEMU, Virtual PC, or VirtualBox.''] <center><a href="https://www.qemu.org/" target="_blank"><img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a0/Qemu_linux.png" alt="QEMU" width="80%"></a></center> I recommend Qemu, but VirtualBox is more user friendly. [[Restart Guide->Begin Guide]]

(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[''Your recommended OSes are Linux Mint, Zorin OS, or PCLinuxOS.''] <center><a href="https://linuxmint.com/" target="_blank"><img src="https://linuxmint.com/web/img/logo.svg" alt="Linux Mint" width="100%"></a></center> <center><a href="https://zorinos.com/" target="_blank"><img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/70/Zorin_OS.svg" alt="Zorin OS" width="50%"></a></center> <center><a href="https://www.pclinuxos.com/?page_id=10" target="_blank"><img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/89/PCLinuxOS_logo.svg" alt="PCLinuxOS" width="50%"></a></center> Linux Mint is a beginner friendly Linux distro built off of Ubuntu, and is often praised for its ease of use and out-of-the-box functionality. Zorin OS is another Linux distro built off of Ubuntu, with a lite version for older machines and a core version for modern ones. It also has its own Android app called Zorin Connect, which allows you to access your desktop and files remotely through an Android device. PCLinuxOS is distinct from the former 2 distros as it is built off of Mandriva Linux, and is the oldest distro out of the 3. Its development is driven more by community volunteers than big partners or sponsors. [[Restart Guide->Begin Guide]]

(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[''Your recommended OS is Ubuntu (LTS).''] <center><a href="https://ubuntu.com/" target="_blank"><img src="https://assets.ubuntu.com/v1/8dd99b80-ubuntu-logo14.png" alt="Ubuntu" width="80%"></a></center> Ubuntu is a Linux distro built off of Debian and is one of the most common choices for beginners of Linux. It has one of the lowest learning curves for operating systems, but it's generally disliked by the larger Linux community, and has an online search feature that shared user information with Amazon, but this is now disabled by default. It also has multiple <a href='https://ubuntu.com/download/flavours' target='_blank' style="color:cyan">flavors</a> depending on what type of desktop environment you want. [[Restart Guide->Begin Guide]]

(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[''Your recommended OS is Elementary OS.''] <center><a href="https://elementary.io/" target="_blank"><img src="https://elementary.io/images/brand/logomark-white.svg" alt="Elementary OS" width="80%"></a></center> A self proclaimed privacy-respecting replacement for MacOS and Windows. Includes a suite of open source applications and a unique app store for open source indie developers called AppCenter. Uses a "pay-what-you-want" business model. (You can download it for free by entering "0" in the "Pay What You Can" section.) [[Restart Guide->Begin Guide]]

''(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[What type of Unix-like OS?]'' [[Linux kernel]] [[BSD-based kernel]] [[Other kernel]]

''(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[Do you want something reminiscent of other OSes?]'' [[Yes - AmigaOS]] [[Yes - Windows]] [[Yes - BeOS]] [[Yes - VMS]] [[No->NoOS]]

(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[''Your recommended OSes are AROS Research Operating System, and MorphOS.''] <center><a href="https://aros.sourceforge.io/" target="_blank"><img src="https://aros.sourceforge.io/images/toplogomenu.png" alt="AROS Research Operating System" width="80%"></a></center> <center><a href="https://www.morphos-team.net/" target="_blank"><img src="https://www.computerhope.com/jargon/m/morphos.jpg" alt="MorphOS" width="80%"></a></center> AROS and MorphOS are open source desktop operating systems created to provide compatibility with the discontinued Amiga operating system. [[Restart Guide->Begin Guide]]

(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[''Your recommended OS is ReactOS.''] <center><a href="https://reactos.org/" target="_blank"><img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b7/ReactOS_logo.svg" alt="ReactOS" width="80%"></a></center> ReactOS is a custom made open source operating system with the goal of being fully compatible with as many Windows applications and drivers as possible. It is currently in alpha stage and under heavy development, so it might not be as stable compared to other OSes. [[Restart Guide->Begin Guide]]

(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[''Your recommended OS is Haiku.''] <center><a href="https://www.haiku-os.org/" target="_blank"><img src="https://www.haiku-os.org/images/haiku_logo_white.svg" alt="Haiku" width="80%"></a></center> Based on BeOS. Software built by volunteers. Free and open source. [[Restart Guide->Begin Guide]]

(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[''Your recommended OS is MenuetOS.''] <center><a href="http://menuetos.net/" target="_blank"><img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e1/MenuetOS_1.05.30.png" alt="MenuetOS" width="80%"></a></center> MenuetOS is a custom made operating system fully built in assembly language. It has a 32-bit version licensed under GPL, and a 64-bit version with a custom license that prohibits redistribution, reverse engineering, decompilation, and disassembly. Also, you must contact the copyright holder for commercial use of the 64-bit version. [[Restart Guide->Begin Guide]]

''(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[Is freedom (Non-proprietary software and drivers) a priority?]'' [[Yes->YesFree]] [[Not necessarily->NoFree]] [[Uncertain->UncertFree]]

''(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[Should it have GUI on by default?]'' [[Yes->YesGUI]] [[No->NoGUI]]

''(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[Anything experimental?]'' [[Yes->YesExp]] [[No->NoExp]]

''(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[Hybrid or microkernel?]'' [[Hybrid]] [[Microkernel]]

''(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[Newer or older?]'' [[Newer]] [[Older]]

(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[''Your recommended OS is PureDarwin.''] <center><a href="http://www.puredarwin.org/" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.puredarwin.org/puredarwin.png" alt="PureDarwin" width="100%"></a></center> PureDarwin is an open source OS built off of Darwin, the Unix-like operating system created by Apple and used to create MacOS. [[Restart Guide->Begin Guide]]

(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[''Your recommended OSes are Debian GNU/Hurd, Arch Hurd, and MINIX 3.''] <center><a href="https://www.debian.org/ports/hurd/" target="_blank"><img src="https://paranoiaque.fr/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/debian-gnu-hurd-2017-released-it-s-mostly-based-on-the-debian-9-stretch-sources-516531-2.jpg" alt="Debian GNU/Hurd" width="80%"></a></center> <center><a href="https://archhurd.org/" target="_blank"><img src="https://archhurd.org/static/archnavbar/archlogo.7d5730f858b6.svg" alt="Arch Hurd" width="80%"></a></center> <center><a href="http://www.minix3.org/" target="_blank"><img src="https://wiki.installgentoo.com/images/b/b6/Minix3.jpg" alt="Minix" width="80%"></a></center> Debian GNU/Hurd and Arch Hurd are derivatives of each operating system reworked to run on the GNU Hurd multiserver microkernel system, instead of the Linux kernel. Minix is a microkernel derivative of Unix first created in 1987 by Andrew S. Tanenbaum, which inspired Linus Torvalds to create Linux in 1991. It is especially well suited for low end PCs, or for those learning how operating systems work. [[Restart Guide->Begin Guide]]

(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[''Your recommended OS is OpenIndiana.''] <center><a href="https://www.openindiana.org/" target="_blank"><img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e7/OpenIndiana_logo_large.svg" alt="OpenIndiana" width="80%"></a></center> OpenIndiana is an open source operating system based on Illumos and derived from Sun Microsystem's/Oracle's OpenSolaris OS. Oracle discontinued the open development of OpenSolaris in 2010 to replace it with the proprietary Solaris 11 Express, but it was forked beforehand under the OpenIndiana Project. [[Restart Guide->Begin Guide]]

(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[''Your recommended OSes are Plan 9, Inferno, and 9front.''] <center><a href="https://p9f.org/" target="_blank"><img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a5/Glenda_bunny_mascot_of_plan_9_from_bell_black.jpg" alt="Plan 9" width="60%"></a></center> <center><a href="http://www.vitanuova.com/index.html" target="_blank"><img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d5/Inferno_4th_Edition.png" alt="Inferno" width="70%"></a></center> <center><a href="http://9front.org/" target="_blank"><img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c9/9front_logo.png" alt="9Front" width="100%"></a></center> Plan 9 is an operating system developed by Bell Labs around the mid 1980's, intended to be somewhat of a successor to the UNIX operating system and concepts originally created there. It was released under the MIT license in 2021. Inferno is a completely different operating system built with many of the same design principles as Plan 9, and 9front is a fork of Plan 9 that provides new features and compatibility with newer hardware. If you'd like to know more about Plan 9, you can read the 9front <a href='http://fqa.9front.org/fqa0.html' target='_blank' style="color:cyan">Frequently Questioned Answers</a> page related to it. [[Restart Guide->Begin Guide]]

(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[''Your recommended OS is OpenVMS.''] <center><a href="https://vmssoftware.com/" target="_blank"><img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c5/Vsi-openvms-logo.svg" alt="OpenVMS" width="80%"></a></center> OpenVMS is an open source operating system designed primarily for server clusters, allowing serverside applications to be much more failure tolerant. Clusters running OpenVMS can retain uptime for years at a time. [[Restart Guide->Begin Guide]]

(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[''Your recommended OS is GhostBSD.''] <center><a href="http://ghostbsd.org/" target="_blank"><img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2d/GhostBSD_logo.png" alt="GhostBSD" width="80%"></a></center> GhostBSD is a user friendly derivative of FreeBSD, with the MATE desktop environment and commonly used software pre-installed for every day use. [[Restart Guide->Begin Guide]]

''(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[How should the X Window System be distributed?]'' [[Included]] [[Available]]

(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[''Your recommended OSes are OpenBSD and NetBSD.''] <center><a href="https://www.openbsd.org/" target="_blank"><img src="https://www.openbsd.org/art/puffy/puflogv1000X650.gif" alt="OpenBSD" width="80%"></a></center> <center><a href="https://www.netbsd.org/" target="_blank"><img src="https://www.netbsd.org/images/NetBSD-tb.png" alt="NetBSD" width="80%"></a></center> OpenBSD is a multi-platform 4.4BSD based Unix-like operating system, emphasizing correctness, security, standardization, portability, and integrated cryptography. NetBSD is a fast, secure, and highly portable Unix-like operating system, designed to have compatibility with as many platforms and architectures as possible. [[Restart Guide->Begin Guide]]

(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[''Your recommended OSes are FreeBSD and Dragonfly BSD.''] <center><a href="https://www.freebsd.org/" target="_blank"><img src="https://freebsdfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/FREEBSD_Logo_Vert_Pos_RGB.jpg" alt="FreeBSD" width="80%"></a></center> <center><a href="https://www.dragonflybsd.org/" target="_blank"><img src="https://www.dragonflybsd.org/images/FullLogo.gif" alt="Dragonfly BSD" width="80%"></a></center> FreeBSD is a general purpose derivative of 386BSD, and its code can be found in numerous different types of software such as MacOS, FreeNAS, and the operating system for the Playstation 3 and 4. Dragonfly BSD is a derivative of the FreeBSD 4.x series. It includes many unique features compared to other BSD/Linux based operating systems, such as its own high performance filesystem HAMMER, and implementing lightweight kernel threads. Many of its design concepts were influenced by AmigaOS. [[Restart Guide->Begin Guide]]

''(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[Do you care if the Free Software Foundation endorses it?]'' [[Yes->YesFSF]] [[No->NoFSF]]

''(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[What type of distribution best describes your needs?]'' [[General]] [[Science]] [[Web Browsing]] [[Penetration Testing]] [[Gaming]] [[Multimedia Creation]] [[Media Center]]

(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[''Remix your own distro with Linux From Scratch.''] <center><a href="https://www.linuxfromscratch.org/" target="_blank"><img src="https://www.linuxfromscratch.org/images/lfs-logo.png" alt="Linux From Scratch" width="80%"></a></center> If you want to include software on a case-by-case basis, Linux from Scratch will allow you to pick and choose what components you want your own distribution to have. [[Restart Guide->Begin Guide]]

''(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[Independently compiled?]'' [[Yes->YesInd]] [[No->NoInd]]

''(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[Are you comfortable with using systemd?]'' [[Yes, just give me something that works.->YesSysd]] [[No, it's a buggy sin against UNIX philosophy and probably a backdoor.->NoSysd]]

(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[''Your recommended OSes are Debian and Fedora.''] <center><a href="https://www.debian.org/" target="_blank"><img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/66/Openlogo-debianV2.svg" alt="Debian" width="60%"></a></center> <center><a href="https://getfedora.org/" target="_blank"><img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8f/Fedora_logo_%282021%29.svg" alt="Fedora" width="80%"></a></center> Debian is one of the oldest and most stable Linux distros there is, spawning many different forks such as Ubuntu, Devuan, and Kali Linux. Although the operating system itself consists of entirely free software, it is not endorsed by the Free Software Foundation due to hosting repositories that offer proprietary software. Fedora is a Linux distro primarily sponsored by Red Hat and used as the upstream source of Red Hat Enterprise Linux. It focuses on innovating and integrating new technologies, making changes upstream so that all Linux distros are able to use them. Fedora requires most software and fonts to be licensed as free software, but makes an exception for certain types of firmware, which is why the FSF does not endorse it. [[Restart Guide->Begin Guide]]

(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[''Your recommended OS is Devuan.''] <center><a href="https://www.devuan.org/" target="_blank"><img src="https://www.devuan.org/ui/img/devuan-logo.png" alt="Devuan" width="80%"></a></center> Devuan is a fork of the popular Debian Linux distribution with the sole purpose of being Debian without systemd. [[Restart Guide->Begin Guide]]

(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[''Your recommended OS is Dragora.''] <center><a href="http://www.dragora.org/en/index.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.dragora.org/img/dragora.png" alt="Dragora" width="60%"></a></center> Dragora is a Linux distro with simplicity in mind, and designed using entirely free (non-proprietary) software. [[Restart Guide->Begin Guide]]

''(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[Based on a huge distribution?]'' [[Yes->YesDis]] [[No->NoDis]]

(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[''Your recommended OS is Trisquel.''] <center><a href="https://trisquel.info/" target="_blank"><img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/01/Logo-Trisquel.svg" alt="Trisquel" width="60%"></a></center> Trisquel is a derivative of Ubuntu with the goal of using only non-proprietary software and firmware. [[Restart Guide->Begin Guide]]

(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[''Your recommended OS is Parabola.''] <center><a href="https://www.parabola.nu/" target="_blank"><img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d5/Parabola_Gnu_Linux-libre_icon.svg" alt="Parabola" width="60%"></a></center> Parabola is a derivative of the Arch Linux distro with the goal of having every part of the operating system comprised of free and open source software. [[Restart Guide->Begin Guide]]

''(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[Do you prefer compiling?]'' [[Yes->YesComp]] [[Not Exactly->NoComp]]

''(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[What type of Science?]'' [[Engineering]] [[Robotics]] [[Bioinformatics]] [[Hydrography]] [[Other->OtherSci]]

(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[''Your recommended OSes are Kali Linux and Parrot OS.''] <center><a href="https://www.kali.org/" target="_blank"><img src="https://www.kali.org//images/kali-logo.svg" alt="Kali Linux" width="80%"></a></center> <center><a href="https://www.parrotsec.org/" target="_blank"><img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/45/Parrot_Logo.png" alt="Parrot OS" width="60%"></a></center> Kali Linux and Parrot OS are both Debian based Linux distros built to be used for ethical hacking and security auditing. [[Restart Guide->Begin Guide]]

(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[''Your recommended OS is SteamOS 3.0 (Or really any Linux OS with Proton.)''] <center><a href="https://www.steamdeck.com/en/" target="_blank"><img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/21/SteamOS_Logo.png" alt="LibreELEC" width="80%"></a></center> This shit hasn't even been released as of writing this, but Valve has done more for Linux/FOSS gaming than anyone else, and they're determined to break Microsoft's stranglehold on the PC gaming market. For that alone, they've earned my trust and respect. (But if their OS is shit or overly proprietary I might change this, who knows.) [[Restart Guide->Begin Guide]]

(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[''Your recommended OSes are Fedora Design Suite, Ubuntu Studio, and AV Linux MX Edition.''] <center><a href="https://labs.fedoraproject.org/en/design-suite/" target="_blank"><img src="https://labs.fedoraproject.org/static/images/design-suite-header.png" alt="Fedora Design Suite" width="100%"></a></center> <center><a href="https://ubuntustudio.org/" target="_blank"><img src="https://ubuntustudio.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/b060/logo.png" alt="Ubuntu Studio" width="100%"></a></center> <center><a href="http://www.bandshed.net/avlinux/" target="_blank"><img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/39/Avlinux_logo.png" alt="AV Linux MX Edition" width="80%"></a></center> Fedora Design Suite and Ubuntu Studio are both specialized versions of Fedora and Ubuntu respectively. Both are focused on media creation and are bundled with various programs and software for creation of audio, video, vectors, 3d models, and other types of media. AV Linux MX Edition is a specialized fork of MX Linux solely maintained by Glen MacArthur, with a focus on audio/video media creation. [[Restart Guide->Begin Guide]]

(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[''Your recommended OS is LibreELEC.''] <center><a href="https://libreelec.tv/" target="_blank"><img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6d/LibreELEC_logo.png" alt="LibreELEC" width="80%"></a></center> LibreELEC is a "Just enough OS" Linux Distribution purpose-built for the open source Kodi media player application. It can be used to play music, movies, TV shows, and view photos. There are also numerous community made add-ons that add extra functionality. [[Restart Guide->Begin Guide]]

(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[''Your recommended OS is CAELinux.''] <center><a href="https://www.caelinux.com/CMS3/" target="_blank"><img src="https://www.caelinux.com/CMS3/images/headers/headerNarrow2bmidres.jpg" alt="CAELinux" width="100%"></a></center> CAELinux is a Xubuntu based Linux distro which includes a wide range of open source tools for physics simulations, CAD/CAM, mathematical modeling, and prototyping. [[Restart Guide->Begin Guide]]

(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[''Your recommended OS is DebianMed.''] <center><a href="https://wiki.debian.org/DebianMed" target="_blank"><img src="http://people.debian.org/~tille/debian-med/logos/med-06.jpg" alt="DebianMed" width="80%"></a></center> DebianMed is a collection of software packages for Debian and Debian-like Linux systems that focus on medical practice, imaging, and bioinformatics. [[Restart Guide->Begin Guide]]

(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[''Your recommended OS is Poseidon Linux.''] <center><a href="https://sites.google.com/site/poseidonlinux/" target="_blank"><img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1e/Poseidon_logo.png" alt="Poseidon Linux" width="80%"></a></center> Poseidon Linux is a specialized Ubuntu distro packaged with specific tools in the areas of Bathymetry, Seafloor Mapping, GIS and 3D Visualization. [[Restart Guide->Begin Guide]]

(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[''Your recommended OS is Fedora Scientific Suite.''] <center><a href="https://labs.fedoraproject.org/en/scientific/" target="_blank"><img src="https://labs.fedoraproject.org/static/images/scientific-header.png" alt="Fedora Scientific Suite" width="100%"></a></center> Fedora Scientific Suite is a specialized version of Fedora that includes numerous open source tools for general scientific and numerical works. [[Restart Guide->Begin Guide]]

(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[''Your recommended OS is Fedora Robotics Suite.''] <center><a href="https://labs.fedoraproject.org/en/robotics/" target="_blank"><img src="https://labs.fedoraproject.org/static/images/robotics-suite-header.png" alt="Fedora Robotics Suite" width="100%"></a></center> Fedora Robotics Suite is a specialized version of Fedora that comes with many free and open source robotics programs. [[Restart Guide->Begin Guide]]

(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[''Your recommended OS is Peppermint OS.''] <center><a href="https://peppermintos.com/" target="_blank"><img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5c/Peppermint_3.png" alt="Peppermint OS" width="100%"></a></center> Peppermint OS is a lightweight and easy to use Linux distro with a focus on web browsing and web application integration. [[Restart Guide->Begin Guide]]

''(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[Prefer a package manager with dependency management?]'' [[Yes->YesDep]] [[No->NoDep]]

''(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[Do you like minimalism?]'' [[Yes->YesMin]] [[I don't care->NoMin]]

(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[''Your recommended OSes are Gentoo and Funtoo.''] <center><a href="https://www.gentoo.org/" target="_blank"><img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/48/Gentoo_Linux_logo_matte.svg" alt="Gentoo" width="50%"></a></center> <center><a href="https://www.funtoo.org/" target="_blank"><img src="https://www.funtoo.org/images/thumb/8/88/Latest-funtoo.png/800px-Latest-funtoo.png" alt="Funtoo" width="80%"></a></center> Gentoo is a source-based Linux distribution designed for extreme configurability and performance, as well as having extensive community support. Funtoo is a spin-off of Gentoo created by the former Gentoo project leader and founder Daniel Robbins. It has less frequent updates to core programs to prevent breakages, and uses git to update the portage tree for much quicker updates. [[Restart Guide->Begin Guide]]

(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[''Your recommended OS is Slackware.''] <center><a href="http://www.slackware.com/" target="_blank"><img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/34/Slackware_logo.svg" alt="Slackware" width="60%"></a></center> Slackware is a Linux distro created by Patrick Volkerding in 1993, and is currently the oldest maintained Linux distro, designed to be the most "Unix-like" of them. It makes as few modifications as possible to software packages from upstream and tries not to anticipate use cases or preclude user decisions. In contrast to most modern Linux distributions, Slackware provides no GUI installation procedure and no automatic dependency resolution of software packages. It uses plain text files and only a small set of shell scripts for configuration and administration. Without further modification it boots into a CLI environment. [[Restart Guide->Begin Guide]]

''(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[Do you need to be bleeding edge?]'' [[Yes->YesBleed]] [[No->NoBleed]]

''(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[Ease of setup?]'' [[Less->LessEase]] [[More->MoreEase]]

''(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[Are you comfortable with using systemd?]'' [[Yes, just give me something that works.->YesSysdArch]] [[No, it's a buggy sin against UNIX philosophy and probably a backdoor.->NoSysdArch]]

''(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[GUI on by default?]'' [[GUI included->YesGUILin]] [[GUI available to download->NoGUILin]]

(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[''Your recommended OSes are BunsenLabs, Bodhi Linux, or Tiny Core.''] <center><a href="https://www.bunsenlabs.org/" target="_blank"><img src="https://www.bunsenlabs.org/img/bunsenlabs-text-flame-mercury.svg" alt="BunsenLabs" width="80%"></a></center> <center><a href="https://www.bodhilinux.com/" target="_blank"><img src="https://www.bodhilinux.com/trial/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/LEAFLOGO.png" alt="Bodhi Linux" width="60%"></a></center> <center><a href="http://tinycorelinux.net/" target="_blank"><img src="http://domoticx.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/tinycore-logo.png" alt="Tiny Core" width="80%"></a></center> BunsenLabs is a forked continuation of the CrunchBang Linux distro. It's designed to be very light weight and run well on older operating systems, even those with 32-bit processors. Bodhi Linux is a lightweight and minimalist distro based off of Ubuntu. It features a unique desktop environment called Moksha. Tiny Core is a Linux distro notable for its very small size and very low spec requirements. It is not a complete desktop environment nor is all hardware completely supported. It represents only the core needed to boot into a very minimal X desktop typically with wired internet access. [[Restart Guide->Begin Guide]]

(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[''Your recommended OSes are Debian Netinst or Ubuntu Minimal.''] <center><a href="https://www.debian.org/CD/netinst/" target="_blank"><img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/66/Openlogo-debianV2.svg" alt="Debian Netinst" width="50%"></a></center> <center><a href="https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Minimal" target="_blank"><img src="https://assets.ubuntu.com/v1/8dd99b80-ubuntu-logo14.png" alt="Ubuntu Minimal" width="80%"></a></center> Debian Netinst and Ubuntu Minimal are very basic versions of each respective Linux Distro, only installing the minimal amount of software to function. [[Restart Guide->Begin Guide]]

(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[''Your recommended OSes are Arch Linux, ArchBang, or Debian Unstable.''] <center><a href="https://archlinux.org/" target="_blank"><img src="https://archlinux.org/static/logos/archlinux-logo-light-scalable.1ae4cc2e2469.svg" alt="Arch Linux" width="100%"></a></center> <center><a href="https://archbang.org/" target="_blank"><img src="https://archbang.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/logo-01.png" alt="ArchBang" width="50%"></a></center> <center><a href="https://wiki.debian.org/DebianUnstable" target="_blank"><img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/66/Openlogo-debianV2.svg" alt="Debian Unstable" width="50%"></a></center> Arch Linux is a lightweight and flexible distro with the philosophy of keeping things simple. It uses a unique package manager called pacman and is known for its "bleeding edge" rolling release system, keeping its software packages as current as possible. ArchBang is a spinoff of Arch Linux inspired by the discontinued CrunchBang Linux. It uses the i3 windows manager and is especially suitable for old or lower-end hardware with limited resources. Debian Unstable is a rolling development version of the Debian distro that is updated to always contain the latest software packages, similar to Arch Linux's rolling release system. [[Restart Guide->Begin Guide]]

(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[''Your recommended OS is Artix Linux.''] <center><a href="https://artixlinux.org/" target="_blank"><img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4b/ArtixLogo.svg" alt="Artix Linux" width="80%"></a></center> Artix Linux is a fork of the popular Arch Linux distribution with the sole purpose of being Arch Linux without systemd. [[Restart Guide->Begin Guide]]

''(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[Bleeding edge or stable?]'' [[Bleeding edge->YesBleed2]] [[Stable->NoBleed2]]

''(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[Older or newer computer?]'' [[Current->Current]] [[Old->Old]]

''(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[Regular release or rolling release?]'' [[Regular release->Reg]] [[Optional rolling release->OptRoll]] [[True rolling release->TrueRoll]]

''(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[Based off Red Hat Linux?]'' [[Yes->YesRed]] [[No->NoRed]]

(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[''Your recommended OS is Rocky Linux.''] <center><a href="https://rockylinux.org/" target="_blank"><img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3a/Rocky_Linux_wordmark_%28light%29.svg" alt="Rocky Linux" width="100%"></a></center> Rocky Linux is a community enterprise operating system designed to be 100% bug-for-bug compatible with Red Hat Linux now that its downstream partner CentOS has shifted direction. Rocky Linux is led by Gregory Kurtzer, founder of the CentOS project. [[Restart Guide->Begin Guide]]

(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[''Your recommended OS is Debian.''] <center><a href="https://www.debian.org" target="_blank"><img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/66/Openlogo-debianV2.svg" alt="Debian" width="60%"></a></center> Debian is one of the oldest and most stable Linux distros there is, spawning many different forks such as Ubuntu, Devuan, and Kali Linux. [[Restart Guide->Begin Guide]]

(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[''Your recommended OS is Fedora.''] <center><a href="https://getfedora.org/" target="_blank"><img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8f/Fedora_logo_%282021%29.svg" alt="Fedora" width="80%"></a></center> Fedora is a Linux distro primarily sponsored by Red Hat and used as the upstream source of Red Hat Enterprise Linux. It focuses on innovating and integrating new technologies, making changes upstream so that all Linux distros are able to use them. [[Restart Guide->Begin Guide]]

(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[''Your recommended OSes are OpenSUSE Tumbleweed or Fedora Rawhide.''] <center><a href="https://get.opensuse.org/tumbleweed" target="_blank"><img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d0/OpenSUSE_Logo.svg" alt="OpenSUSE Tumbleweed" width="80%"></a></center> <center><a href="https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Releases/Rawhide" target="_blank"><img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8f/Fedora_logo_%282021%29.svg" alt="Fedora Rawhide" width="80%"></a></center> OpenSUSE Tumbleweed and Fedora rawhide are the respective opt-rolling release distros for OpenSUSE and Fedora. [[Restart Guide->Begin Guide]]

(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[''Your recommended OS is MocaccinoOS.''] <center><a href="https://www.mocaccino.org/" target="_blank"><img src="https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/64648176" alt="MocaccinoOS" width="80%"></a></center> MocaccinoOS is a Funtoo based Linux distro focused on minimalism and ease of use and updating. It uses Luet as a package manager, and all software and updates are compiled from source on the system. [[Restart Guide->Begin Guide]]

(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[''Your recommended OSes are Ubuntu, Linux Mint, openSUSE, or Zenwalk Linux.''] <center><a href="https://ubuntu.com/" target="_blank"><img src="https://assets.ubuntu.com/v1/8dd99b80-ubuntu-logo14.png" alt="Ubuntu" width="80%"></a></center> <center><a href="https://linuxmint.com/" target="_blank"><img src="https://linuxmint.com/web/img/logo.svg" alt="Linux Mint" width="100%"></a></center> <center><a href="https://get.opensuse.org/leap" target="_blank"><img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d0/OpenSUSE_Logo.svg" alt="OpenSUSE" width="80%"></a></center> <center><a href="http://www.zenwalk.org/" target="_blank"><img src="https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2012/04/11/17/04/zenwalk-28955__480.png" alt="Zenwalk" width="80%"></a></center> Ubuntu is a Linux distro built off of Debian and is one of the most common choices for beginners of Linux, as well as anyone looking for a stable and reliable Linux distro. Linux Mint is a beginner friendly Linux distro built off of Ubuntu, and is often praised for its ease of use and out-of-the-box functionality. OpenSUSE is a popular community supported distribution sponsored by the German-based company SUSE. It includes a powerful GUI program similar in functionality to a control panel called YaST. Zypper is its package manager. OpenSUSE is aimed towards both beginners and advanced users alike. Zenwalk is a fork of Slackware Linux made with the UNIX philosophy in mind, with a ready to use desktop environment and a focus on "one application per task". [[Restart Guide->Begin Guide]]

''(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[Based off Ubuntu?]'' [[Yes->YesUbuntu]] [[No->NoUbuntu]]

''(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[Interested in trying a new/unconventional GUI?]'' [[Yes->YesNew]] [[No->NoNew]]

(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[''Your recommended OSes are Puppy Linux, Porteus, or SliTaz.''] <center><a href="https://puppylinux.com/index.html" target="_blank"><img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/56/Puppy_Linux_Logo.png" alt="Puppy Linux" width="60%"></a></center> <center><a href="https://forum.porteus.org/viewforum.php?f=35" target="_blank"><img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b8/Porteusoslogo.png" alt="Porteus" width="60%"></a></center> <center><a href="https://www.slitaz.org/en/" target="_blank"><img src="https://www.slitaz.org/images/artwork/slitaz-logo-whitebg-320x118.png" alt="SliTaz" width="80%"></a></center> Puppy Linux is a unique family of Linux distributions meant for the home-user computers with a focus on small size and low resource usage, ideal for older or less powerful machines. Instead of being one single Linux distro, Puppy Linux is a family of multiple Linux distributions, built on the same shared principles, built using the same set of tools, built on top of a unique set of puppy specific applications and configurations, and generally speaking provide consistent behaviours and features, no matter which flavours you choose. Porteus is a Linux distro based off of Slackware, optimized to run off of bootable storage media like CDs, DVDs, and USB, though it's also great for weaker computers. SliTaz is a rolling release Linux distro designed to run quickly on older and less powerful hardware, or on bootable media. [[Restart Guide->Begin Guide]]

(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[''Your recommended OS is Bodhi Linux.''] <center><a href="https://www.bodhilinux.com/" target="_blank"><img src="https://www.bodhilinux.com/trial/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/LEAFLOGO.png" alt="Bodhi Linux" width="60%"></a></center> Bodhi Linux is a lightweight and minimalist distro based off of Ubuntu. It features a unique desktop environment called Moksha. [[Restart Guide->Begin Guide]]

(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[''Your recommended OSes are Xubuntu or Lubuntu.''] <center><a href="https://xubuntu.org/" target="_blank"><img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/af/Xubuntu_logo.svg" alt="Xubuntu" width="60%"></a></center> <center><a href="https://lubuntu.me/" target="_blank"><img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3a/Lubuntu_logo_only.svg" alt="Lubuntu" width="60%"></a></center> Xubuntu and Lubuntu are 2 official "flavours" of the Ubuntu Linux distro. The former is Ubuntu but with the XFCE desktop environment, and the latter is Ubuntu with the LXQt desktop environment. Both are optimized for older or less powerful computers. [[Restart Guide->Begin Guide]]