What is Linux? Linux is an operating system based on Unix. It was developed by Linus Torvalds and first released its kernel in 1991.
Because Linux is open-source software, its distributions are released by different organizations, resulting in different styles, desktop environments, and integrated tools and features.
Now, let me introduce 5 Linux versions suitable for developers.
Ubuntu
Ubuntu is currently the most popular Linux distribution. It is provided by the standard team. This distribution has a lot of features, including excellent UI/UX, various open-source software, and most importantly, a large developer and user community.
Ubuntu has multiple versions: desktop, server, and versions for cloud and IoT.
Ubuntu is very suitable for beginners to get started with Linux.
Ubuntu has derived different desktop environments, including Lubuntu, Kubuntu, and Xubuntu.
Linux Mint
If you don’t want to learn about the Linux system because its interface style is too different from Windows, then Mint is very suitable for you, as it looks and feels like the Windows operating system.
Linux Mint is based on Ubuntu, so you will enjoy the same open-source software, especially for a very new beginner.
Kali Linux
General users may not have heard of Kali Linux, but let me introduce it now. Kali Linux (formerly known as BackTrack) is a special distribution based on Debian, designed for penetration testing and security research. If you are interested in hacking and network security, this operating system will be useful. It comes pre-installed with a large number of security tools, such as NMAP, Burp Suite, and Metasploit Framework.
The three main reasons to like Kali Linux are:
A large number of security tools for mobile penetration, web penetration testing, and information gathering.
Kali Linux offers three desktop environments: Gnome Shell, KDE Plasma, and Xfce, and recently introduced an interface similar to Windows OS UI.
Kali Nethunter – a mobile platform for penetration testing.
It must be said that if you do not have rich Linux experience, getting started with Kali may take some time.
ParrotOS
Parrot OS is another security-focused distribution, equipped with programming, hacking, privacy, and multimedia tools.
One of the highlighted tools is AnonSurf, which connects to the internet through the Tor network tunnel to protect online privacy.
Parrot OS is an all-encompassing distribution with many powerful features and a community. I highly recommend it. If you want to get started right away, please visit their official website.
Fedora
Fedora is not a very popular Linux distribution, and I don’t know much about it, but I must emphasize here because it has a very large community and is supported by big companies like RedHat.
Fedora comes with the Gnome desktop environment, with workstation, server, and IoT versions.
Bonus: Tails OS
Tails OS cannot be listed among the top Linux distributions, but it is worth a try.
Tails OS is a plug-and-play privacy-focused distribution, with a primary focus on anonymity, privacy, and anti-censorship. If these are your main concerns, I recommend you give it a try.
It can be installed on a USB drive and used without any issues for browsing the internet.
Why Linux is Best for Programmers and Developers?
First of all, there is no such thing as the “best Linux distribution for programming.” As long as you know how to install the necessary development tools, you can program on any GNU/Linux operating system.
However, we believe Linux is best for programmers because, like Linux, most web frameworks, tools, and code editors are also open-source.
Therefore, when using everything together, it feels like an ecosystem and provides a good seamless experience.
But since Linux is so great, why is Windows still so popular?
People generally still think it cannot be as user-friendly as Windows out of the box. There are other reasons, such as lack of support for gaming compared to Windows.
However, Linux-based operating systems are still the best Linux distributions for programming and development.
If you want to learn new technologies, such as game development, web development, blockchain, or machine learning, Linux is the best choice because it is free to use and open-source.
You don’t need a software license to get started. Instead, you can download any open-source tools for free, modify their source code, and highly customize them to fit your development environment, perhaps even creating your own personalized repository on GitHub.
You can customize the terminal, try different text editors, and then install the desktop environment of your choice. Moreover, most programming languages (if not limited to a specific operating system) can run on Linux.
Last but not least, the demand for Linux expertise is very high. Starting to use Linux now can definitely help your career.
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