What was the first ever distro you installed and used? For me, it was Mint as I seemed like the closest thing to Windows minus all the forced updates and chappy changes.

Currently on Fedora GNOME now but what about you? What made you choose your first distro diving into the world of Linux?

I wanna hear your thoughts!

  • Dariusmiles2123@sh.itjust.works
    0·
    1 year ago

    I think the first distribution I tried was Fedora on my PlayStation 3 around 2007. From what I remember, you had to use terminal a lot so I couldn’t do anything with it.

    Then a few months later I tried Ubuntu on an old Dell computer from my father’s office.

    Dual booted windows and Ubuntu for years until fully switching to Linux around 2021.

    Now I’m only using Fedora with a few virtual machines for some specific needs.

  • MyNameIsRichard@lemmy.ml
    0·
    1 year ago

    The first distro I tried was Red Hat 5 back in the late 1990s but I never got a GUI working so I guess the first one I used properly would have been Mandrake iirc. These days it’s Tumbleweed.

  • Dave.@aussie.zone
    0·
    1 year ago

    Red Hat 5.0, 1998.

    Had to get it on a CD as it would have taken 37.5 years to download according to Internet Explorer.

    Kernel 2.0.36 represent 🤘

    • IsoKiero@sopuli.xyzEnglish
      0·
      1 year ago

      5.2 for me. I got it as a gift, in a offical retail box. I think the box with manuals is still around somewhere, but I’m not sure where.

    • assembly@lemmy.world
      0·
      1 year ago

      I was RedHat 3 back in 1996. Not even sure how we got the CD but we all passed it around and were amazed.

  • eric@lemmy.caEnglish
    0·
    1 year ago

    Ubuntu 4.10. Soon will be my 20th anniversary with Linux.

  • Borkdornsorkpor@lemmy.mlEnglish
    0·
    1 year ago

    I started on Debian with XFCE. I figured if there were so many distros based on Debian, then I might as well just use that so I’d be able to configure things myself and learn more about how the OS works.

    Anyway, you know the section in the Debian wiki called DontBreakDebian? I did not follow that advice. It went poorly. I’ve since learned from my (many) mistakes and have been running Fedora KDE for a while now.

  • Ludrol@szmer.info
    0·
    1 year ago

    There are no edgy teenagers here?

    Kali Linux to be an elite hax00r

    Then Linux mint and now Ubuntu.

  • Ardor von Heersburg@discuss.tchncs.de
    0·
    1 year ago

    The first I tried was Ubuntu 10.10 but for reasons I don’t remember anymore I‘ve decided to rather install Linux Mint 10.

    Used Mint for quit a while, then I had my distrohopping phase before finally setteling on plain Debian a couple of years back.

  • Sips'@slrpnk.net
    0·
    1 year ago

    My first distro was PopOS! I choose it because I heard it had Nvidia drivers pre-installed into the image which sounded nice, also having the support from a bigger company that know Linux. However, I’ve distrohopped a lot since then, probably 2 years ago now. These days I’m finding myself liking Tumbleweed the most, and I have tried a lot of different distributions…

  • unmagical@lemmy.ml
    0·
    1 year ago

    I used Ubuntu until PAE became required and then switched to either Puppy or DSL (tried them both, honestly don’t remember which I stuck with). Eventually got a new computer and used Fedora and Arch (btw) for years. I’ve recently switched to Debian on a machine I just don’t wanna be arsed with worrying about breaking.

  • BentiGorlich@gehirneimer.de
    0·
    1 year ago

    Fedora 38, one year ago. I am on 39 now and had to do a reinstall. It has its problems, a lot of problems actually, but is still miles better than windows in my opinion