Pure debian, its like vanilla. Learn to add what you want to it. Also most guides online are for Ubuntu (which is debian based so you can benefit from them).
I used Manjaro with i3 as my daily driver for multiple years but recently made the switch to vanilla Arch to understand my system better since I have to configure everything.
Manjaro is as user-friendly as Linux Mint I would say so I think that fits the description "stable, secure and user friendly".
Also, Arch-based distros are rolling releases so you are always on the bleeding edge. Which can be good and bad.
I second Manjaro. It's been my daily driver for many years, can concur there are occasional screwups but generally good hardware support and nice, frequent updates.
The reason why you switched to pure Arch is exactly why I haven't - I don't have time to spend on OS maintenance and need once that works out of the box and I like most of the defaults chosen by developers.
For me, Manjaro with Xfce is that, but for OP (and anyone else) it might require some distro hopping to discover.
Same here, long time Arch then Manjaro user. The only time I run into trouble with Arch was during the switch from the single config file to systemd. Besides that, works perfect.
Now Manjaro only with KDE since 2018 I believe. Highly recommended, with yay for Aur.
Maybe the advantage of Debian could be the choice sometimes to get old packages version. Recently for example I ran into trouble with Python 11 updated from version 10, but if you are OK with the latest and greatest I recommend Manjaro.
PureOS looks interesting also.
Pure Ubuntu was cool but is having a few technical and ethical issues these days.
PopOS (Ubuntu derivative) and Mint are probably the most user-friendly.
Fedora is a good balance between user-friendliness and cutting edge softwares out of the box. Linus Torvald himself is using this distro.
Debian is probably the most stable and universal distro out there. The app version in the repo are usually not the latest if you're using the default stable branch. However, you can use Flatpak to easily get the latest version of your apps if needed.
there are three major groups of linux distros depending on how they compile sw:
the .deb based on debian which is foss. the ubuntu company uses it
the .rpm based on red hat which is a corporation. suse, opensuse use it. fedora is their beta code version
and arch which is a community linux
there is also freebsd which is basically UNIX, the FOSS version which apple took and build their proprietary osx with, changing the code a little bit.
some worth mentioning:
fedora has crashed on most of my computers. it is quick, cool and always features the most advanced code..
debian is good if you achieve to install it. it comes without wifi and without most drivers because it is foss. also key management can be a pain in the ... for non-technical people. there are reports that even umbrel does not install on debian.
ubuntu was my first os decades ago because they promoted it with a free cd for windows users. after i found out about their alleged spying on users i switched to mint.
mint is a distro with comes closest to windows 7. today it is a little outdated in my opinion.
i can recommend kde neon. it is the most adjustible linux. you can change almost anything and it works with all software of deb/ubuntu
another one highly recommended is arch. you need time and patience. it is only rcommended for advanced computer users or even programmers. it is like building your own wallet from scratch. you install every single component of code yourself, install any desktop you want, switch from one desktop to another and you benefit by learning everything about linux. how it works and how you can improve it. it cannot get better than that and not safer..
if you do not want to build unix from scratch, you can use arch on manjaro. it is very easy to use and well documented by a large community. it is my favorite linux at the moment.
summary: if you want to learn and experience use arch. if not, i recommend manjaro kde
100% arch linux is the best for programmers. Ubuntu is ok but Manjaro is the best. Ubuntu is always stinging me with bad kernel upgrades and MHWD never fails, never a blank screen and scrambling for a live usb to fix it if I happened to not have a backup kernel somehow.
I have recently discovered it is also really good for virtual machines with GPU passthrough. So, I'm on duty today but tonight I'm getting windows running. Best part is now I work mainly in a virtual environment, it's faster to get back up and running and half my system isn't affected. I just wish projecting a virtual display onto the ring0 system wasn't so complicated.
If you are getting started and on desktop, I would highly recommend Linux Mint. It's super stable and easy to set up. I've also had some fun with OpenSUSE.
Thing to be aware of:
It doesn't matter that much what distro you use, more, it matters what desktop environment you have. You can install almost anything on any of the distros these days, so it matters more that you have a UI that makes sense for you. This video explains it quite well.
Based on your criteria, I would recommend trying out Ubuntu. It's known for its stability, security, and user-friendliness. Since you've used it in the past, it should be a familiar choice for you as well. Ubuntu has a large user base, active community support, and regular updates, making it a reliable option for a Linux desktop.
Maybe take a look at https://distrowatch.com/ It's a great site to help find your perfect linux flavor.
You can set it to find OSes that go with your own use case, what equipment you're using, what apps they have installed as default if you don't want vanilla.
Lots of links to reviews from different views too (as well as their own).
I'm surprised nobody has mentioned Qubes. You can run both Fedora and Debian on it, out of the box.
It's "reasonably secure", which is otherwise translated as "very very secure" compared to the typical approach where everything is installed and executed on a single machine using a single (sudo enabled) user.
YMMV but for me it's great to have work stuff in one qube (using work VPN), personal stuff in another (using personal VPN), a dedicated qube for my password manager, ability to quickly throw up disposible VMs for trying stuff out, etc etc
I never have to worry about 'some app I installed ages ago' and if I did, I'd just recreate that particular qube (no machine downtime)
Fedora, Manjaro and Debian are interesting options that I'm going to take a deeper look at.
I've never heard about NixOS. Just saw a few examples and it blew me away. Only not sure how to see this in the context of a desktop. It's great for trying out things, for development. Definitely going to take a look at what's possible with this.
NixOS is incredible, but it has a steep learning curve you gotta be prepared for. I've been using it for about 5-6 years and I believe it's worth the price of admission.
I rarely have the need to rollback to a prior build , but the functionality is there when I need it. I use the master branch for maximum bleesing-egdeness, but it's possible to use the stable branch for the base system and use the unstable branch for specific packages.
As for system backups, all you need to keep is your data and NixOS configuration. The configuration makes it easier to get your system back when your SSD suddenly dies or when you want to migrate to another PC.
I use Debian. That's what Google picked for their Linux on Chromebook and Ubuntu is based on Debian. No issues on any machine I installed it on. If you need to google how to do something there's a lot of info on Ubuntu that will work on Debian too.
Ubuntu Budgie for me, I recommend it if you coming from mac OS and have "bad habits" :-) You can make it look the same (if you so prefer). It's easy on eyes and very intuitive. Plenty of software either in deb packages or snap. Haven't have major issues for 2 years now.
Are you going to continue using the Mac hardware? I think that would be the first question I’d need answered. If not, I’d go for a Linux first laptop like one from System76, which comes preloaded with PopOS! In fact even if you’re keeping your Mac hardware, PopOS is what I’d recommend. It’s Ubuntu based with the snaps taken out and flatpak/flathub enabled out of the box. It’s Gnome modifications make it quite easy to use, and they’ll be dropping the first version of their new COSMIC desktop environment, that’s written in rust, sometime soon.
Thing to be aware of: