Love GNOME? These 5 Linux Distros Use It as Their Default Desktops

Are you a GNOME idiosyncratic wondering if your existent Linux distro is the champion mode to acquisition the fashionable desktop environment? Do you privation to trial different distros but don't cognize wherever to start? Well, present are the apical 5 Linux distros utilizing GNOME that merit your attention!

The GNOME desktop environment has earned a estimation for its cleanable and polished plan paired with a unsocial and intuitive workflow. But depending connected the underlying distro, the wide idiosyncratic acquisition of GNOME tin alteration drastically. Some distros thin to augment GNOME with a fewer further tools (GNOME Extensions) to marque it much user-friendly, portion others opt for heavier customization to make a wholly caller idiosyncratic experience.

The distro besides controls bundle availability, hardware compatibility, and update frequency. This means learning astir the assorted GNOME-based distros puts you 1 measurement person to uncovering your everlastingly distro that not lone meets your aesthetic desires but besides aligns with your wide strategy philosophy.

5 Fedora: Best Way to Experience Vanilla GNOME

Fedora lets you acquisition GNOME precisely arsenic its developers intended! It's the distro to usage if you privation to acquisition the latest unchangeable GNOME releases arsenic soon arsenic they travel out. Fedora releases caller versions each six months, truthful you'll unrecorded with comparatively caller and cutting-edge bundle each the time. The main caveat is that the distro chiefly focuses connected Free and Open Source Software (FOSS). That said, you tin get entree to closed-source proprietary bundle if indispensable by enabling third-party repositories, but that's different hoop to leap done that you should cognize about.

Why You Should Consider Fedora:

• Be among the archetypal to acquisition caller versions of GNOME arsenic soon arsenic they travel out.
• SELinux is enabled by default for enhanced strategy security.
• Tons of developer-friendly tools close out-of-the-box.

Why Fedora Might Not Be for You:

• Lack of closed-source bundle out-of-the-box mightiness marque installing the distro problematic connected hardware requiring proprietary drivers (e.g., PCs moving NVIDIA GPUs).
• Each mentation of Fedora is lone supported for 13 months, making it suboptimal if you're seeking semipermanent stability.

4 Manjaro Linux: Stay Cutting Edge With GNOME

If Fedora isn't existent enough, the Manjaro GNOME variation mightiness beryllium your pick. As an Arch-based distro, it follows a rolling merchandise cycle, meaning you get entree to caller bundle updates soon (within days) aft they're released. That said, I should notation the distro somewhat deviates from the vanilla GNOME acquisition by including a macOS-like dock connected the bottommost and replacing the GNOME bundle halfway with Pamac—which I personally similar more!

Why You Should Consider Manjaro

• Includes galore graphical tools to marque Arch Linux accessible to much users.
• Great hardware enactment with tools to assistance you easy instal the indispensable software.
• Access to the Arch User Repository (AUR) gives you entree to tens of thousands of bundle packages.

Why Manjaro Might Not Be for You

• You request to update your distro regularly—weekly oregon astatine slightest bi-weekly.
• If you usage GNOME Extensions, beryllium alert that immoderate large GNOME mentation updates mightiness interruption them.
• While casual to use, it's not perfect for users wholly caller to Linux.

3 Ubuntu: GNOME Refined for the Mainstream

Ubuntu, the astir wide recognized Linux distro, besides runs GNOME arsenic its default desktop environment, albeit a somewhat customized version. The main changes see a persistent left-side dash for pinned and moving apps, enactment for desktop icons, and replacing GNOME Software with Ubuntu's ain App Store. I'm personally not a instrumentality of the App Store, but that's a occupation easy solved by installing Synaptic utilizing this command:

sudo apt update && sudo apt instal synaptic

Why You Should Consider Ubuntu

• Option to take betwixt a Long-Term Support (LTS) merchandise wherever caller versions are released each 2 years and supported for 5 years, and a non-LTS merchandise wherever caller versions are released each six months and supported for 9 months.
• Excellent operator enactment and works connected astir hardware out-of-the-box.
• Includes AppArmor by default arsenic an further information layer.
• As the astir fashionable distro, astir each Linux tutorials are written with the presumption you're utilizing Ubuntu.

Why Ubuntu Might Not Be for You

• The default bundle halfway pushes Snap apps, which are known to beryllium slower and instrumentality up much retention compared to DEB apps.
• Opt-out telemetry features (anonymized) aft the strategy set-up signifier whitethorn interest users seeking absolute privacy\.

2 Pop!_OS: GNOME Re-imagined for Productivity

Pop!_OS is the flagship Linux distro from machine shaper System76. You tin take to person the distro installed connected laptops, desktops, and servers you bargain from them, or you tin download and instal it connected your existent system. The distro is based connected Ubuntu with a heavy customized mentation of GNOME focused connected powerfulness users.

They've replaced the Activities Overview with the aged vertical workspace switcher recovered earlier GNOME 40. The Applications Overview is besides replaced with a pop-up app launcher, somewhat akin to the Windows 11 app menu. There's besides a bottommost dock similar macOS for each your pinned and moving apps. GNOME Software is besides replaced with the Pop!_Shop. However, the main standout diagnostic is their Pop Shell extension, which you tin usage to alteration automatic model tiling with keyboard-centric navigation that appeals to galore powerfulness users.

Why You Should Consider Pop!_OS

• Offers an ISO with NVIDIA drivers pre-installed for optimal compatibility with systems moving NVIDIA GPUs.
• Pop Shell integration makes it casual to alteration auto-tiling if and erstwhile necessary.
• Tons of tailored apps are disposable done the Pop!_Shop, tailored towards developers and creatives.
• Despite being based connected Ubuntu, it ditches Snaps successful favour of DEB packages and Flatpaks.

Why Pop!_OS Might Not Be for You

• It's a heavy customized mentation of GNOME that overhauls large aspects of the default workflow.
• It often uses older GNOME versions to support stableness with each the antithetic GNOME Extensions.

1 Zorin OS: GNOME for New Linux Users

Zorin OS is based connected the Ubuntu LTS mentation and uses a heavy customized mentation of GNOME, customized to look similar Windows. You person a taskbar astatine the bottommost with a Start Menu-like app launcher to the left, followed by a conception for pinned apps and speedy settings to the right. It's erstwhile you deed the Super cardinal (Windows key) that you recognize you're successful GNOME arsenic you trigger the Activities Overview. Now, by default, Zorin OS looks similar Windows 7, but you tin alteration that utilizing the Zorin Appearance app and marque your distro look similar Windows XP, macOS, oregon thing other entirely.

Why You Should Consider Zorin OS

• The Ubuntu LTS halfway offers rock-solid stableness and reliability successful day-to-day usage.
• Extremely user-friendly with a default plan reminiscent of Windows 7 that'll entreaty to Windows migrants.
• Ships with Wine retired of the box, which lets you tally immoderate Windows bundle connected this Linux distro.

Why Zorin OS Might Not Be for You

• Some appealing layouts successful Zorin Appearance are lone accessible if you wage for the paid mentation of the distro—Zorin OS Pro.
• New Zorin OS upgrades usually way Ubuntu LTS releases by months (sometimes years).

Which Distro Should You Choose?

The wide idiosyncratic acquisition with GNOME volition beryllium much oregon little the aforesaid whether you're utilizing Fedora, Ubuntu oregon Manjaro, arsenic each of them adhere to the halfway GNOME workflow with the Activities Overview and Applications Overview. With that being said, if you prioritize a vanilla unadulterated acquisition astatine the precise top, spell with Fedora. Ubuntu's LTS merchandise is the amended prime for semipermanent stability, whereas you should prime Manjaro if you attraction astir speedy entree to recently released software.

Now, if what attracts you to GNOME is the wide polish of the desktop environment, but you privation a much accepted Windows 7-ish desktop experience, spell with Zorin OS. This conscionable leaves america with Pop!_OS. I would urge it to you if you bask moving with keyboard shortcuts and privation to acquisition auto-tiling windows without committing to the complexity that comes with a full-blown tiling model manager.

How to Get Started

Once you prime a Linux distro you similar and download the ISO file, determination are a few ways you tin trial thrust the distro. My idiosyncratic proposal would beryllium installing it successful VirtualBox to get a consciousness for the distro without making changes to your existent setup. That said, show mightiness instrumentality a deed erstwhile you tally a distro utilizing a virtual machine, truthful don't usage it arsenic a mode to trial the distro's fluidity but alternatively to trial the workflow and antithetic features. Once you cognize that it hits each the checkboxes important to you, spell up and install the distro connected your computer.