It’s a new year and the landscape of possibility is limitless for Linux. Whereas 2017 brought about some big changes to a number of Linux distributions, I believe 2018 will bring serious stability and market share growth—for both the server and the desktop.
For those who might be looking to migrate to the open source platform (or those looking to switch it up), what are the best choices for the coming year? If you hop over to Distrowatch, you’ll find a dizzying array of possibilities, some of which are on the rise, and some that are seeing quite the opposite effect.
So, which Linux distributions will 2018 favor? I have my thoughts. In fact, I’m going to share them with you now.
Similar to what I did for last year’s list, I’m going to make this task easier and break down the list, as follows: sysadmin, lightweight distribution, desktop, distro with more to prove, IoT, and server. These categories should cover the needs of any type of Linux user.
With that said, let’s get to the list of best Linux distributions for 2018.
Best distribution for sysadmins
Debian isn’t often seen on “best of” lists. It should be. Why? If you consider that Debian is the foundation for Ubuntu (which is, in turn, the foundation for so many distributions), it’s pretty easy to understand why this distribution should find its way on many a list. But why for administrators? I’ve considered this for two very important reasons: