As of 2026, this is my favorite Linux distro of all time - and I've tested them all

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ZDNET's key takeaways

• Over the years, one Linux distribution has risen above the rest.
• That distribution is based on Ubuntu, so it's user-friendly.
• The best of the best is equal parts beauty and usability.

Ubuntu (and all of its spins), Fedora (and all of its spins), Red Hat (before Fedora was a thing), openSUSE, Linux Mint, Arch, Gentoo, Pop!_OS...

The list goes on.

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I've used and/or tested so many Linux distributions that it makes my head spin. I've even tested distributions that are no longer with us (remember Caldera OpenLinux?). Scattered within that overly long list is a handful of distributions that I would call my favorites (or those I would be ...