Manjaro #1 on DistroWatch

[Artim]

I don't take Distrowatch rankings very seriously, but if MX is on top, it certainly deserves to be!  It has a lot in common with Linux Lite, like the very cool newbie tools, the masterfully modified Xfce desktop, an MX USB maker that does what Systemback used to do in Linux Lite (and by the way I added systemback to LL 4.4), and a great forum.  Another advantage is the Debian Stable base, so updates are probably a lot less likely to cause problems.

The installer is frustrating to a newbie, perhaps, certainly to a technophobic user like me who felt incredibly brave just trying out Linux for the first time on a Live DVD!  It's Debian after all... but the installer is a lot easier now than it was only last version, but still scary compared with Ubuntu's awesome Ubiquity installer.

I actually use both distros.  But Linux Lite is the one I most often install for newcomers to Linux, since I find it unquestionably best for newbies.