@bzImage For desktops/laptops my goto is https://ubuntu-mate.org/. For servers, I still use Rocky 9, a RHEL based distro, but I've been happy with Ubuntu servers as well. The ubiquity of Ubuntu just makes it easy to search for solutions to anything you encounter.
this post was submitted on 24 Jun 2023
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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
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SLAAAAAAACKWAAAAARE!!!! Slackware is good.
Debian is a nice second.
If you are willing to abandon Linux, I would suggest FreeBSD for general purpose servers.
It is a full operating system, which starts you off with a CLI, that is easy to configure. There is a full handbook that describes the full process, and it is on their website. FreeBSD is an operating system, rather than a distribution of cobbled together packages. Due to this, operating system binaries, and package binaries, are separated. This makes configuration on the OS level consistent.
A lot of Linux programs come from the BSD family. FreeBSD also has its own hypervisor, named Bhyve. FreeBSD has its own version of Docker as well, they are called jails. It might take some time to learn, but I promise it will be worth the time.
With a server in mind I'd go OpenSuse Leap.
On my Desktop, I switched to Manjaro (Arch-based) from Mint a few years ago. Works like a charm and I like the rolling release model. On servers, Ubuntu, Debian or SUSE might be a good choice.
Debian.
Every single vm in my home lab is Debian, from the minimal installer, running on proxmox which is Debian based. Every new install is ~7 minutes and has been so stable that my uptimes are only under 100% because of yearly power outages longer than my UPS can handle. Average uptime is ~half a year on each box.
If you want easy way - Ubuntu. All packages exist, all developers support. But snap is pain.
If you need mainline packages - Arch. But be care with bugs. Use LTS kernel or you can broke filesystem on one day for example.
If you want forgot about dependencies - NixOS. But Nix not classic packet manager and you can feel pain on start.
In reality, a lot depends on the environment in which your code will work. If it's Java, then in principle it doesn't matter, but if it's C/C++, it's better to develop in an environment as close to production as possible.
There are several options. Alma/Rocky, Fedora, Debian, BSD, just to name a few.