Greg Holguin

You don't have a second chance to make a first impression, or so they say. That's why the incorrect selection of wallpaper, textures, icon set, fonts, etc, on a desktop, can attract or repel potential Linux users, even though you can change any of those elements in seconds.

That same principle also applies to Linux distribution websites. Adding to visual appeal, however, basic information and functionality are equally important to retain newcomers for at least a few minutes before deciding whether to bookmark the site and come back, or having second thoughts about doing so.

Today, I showed my wife the websites of 10 popular Linux distributions. The point was to quickly assess the attractiveness and basic usefulness of their main web pages. These are our impressions.

1. Ubuntu's website main page.
http://www.ubuntu.com/

My wife and I agreed the colors inside the box don't mix well with the beige around them. Both download links and a brief description of what Ubuntu is are clearly shown. Too bad you can't change it to other languages.

Overall first impression: Good enough.

http://files.myopera.com/WhiteSpiral/albums/2687831/1-Ubuntu.png

2. Fedora's website main page.
http://fedoraproject.org/

The colors are more pleasant that Ubuntu's, but the overall design is too simple, as if it was designed for netbooks. A brief description of Fedora is not only clearly visible, it's the only information given! At least you can change the language to tons of others, which really, shouldn't be difficult given the very limited elements and info at use here.

Overall first impression: Good enough, but too simple.

http://files.myopera.com/WhiteSpiral/albums/2687831/2-Fedora.png

3. Mint's website main page.
http://linuxmint.com/

Upon first sight of this page, my wife quickly burst a "That's cute! I like this one!". Maybe this was influenced by her liking of real mints in the real world, but I don't like mints that much and also find this design to be pleasant. Light greens make you relax, psychologists say. Links to Downloads and to what Linux Mint Is are outstanding, but sadly, this is an English only page.

Overall first impression: Pleasant, relaxing.

http://files.myopera.com/WhiteSpiral/albums/2687831/3-Mint.png

4. Opensuse's website main page.
http://www.opensuse.org

I like the colors, but the wife didn't. Screenshots are readily available, and while you can change languages, the control to do this is at the bottom of the page, instead of at the top. You shouldn't have to scroll to change the language.

Overall first impression: Good.

http://files.myopera.com/WhiteSpiral/albums/2687831/4-Opensuse.png

5. Mandriva's website main page.
http://www.mandriva.com/

My wife found it hard to believe that Mandriva was not the name of an alien race, because I love science fiction so much, and she's used to me saying or making up strange words like that. You can change countries at the bottom of the page, but not all text is changed. This is also the only distro that tries to sell me things on its main page. The page itself looks old fashioned.

Overall first impression: Good enough, but looks old.

http://files.myopera.com/WhiteSpiral/albums/2687831/5-Mandriva.png

6. Debian's website main page.
http://www.debian.org/

The wife found it romantic that the Debian name comes from the name of the founder and that of his then couple. But she said the font selection is amateurish, and that the site looks so 1990s, when the only good thing was that we were younger. I agree. You can change languages, but the selection control is at the bottom.

Overall first impression: Good enough, but looks old.

http://files.myopera.com/WhiteSpiral/albums/2687831/6-Debian.png

7. Sabayon's website main page.
http://www.sabayonlinux.org/

This is my favorite, as far as looks go. The wife thinks this is the second best, after Mint's. This is the only distro that displays a donation progress bar on it's front page. That's a great idea if you ask me. Screenshots are right up front, but there's no description of what Sabayon is, for newcomers. Also, this is an English only front page.

Overall first impression: Attractive, modern.

http://files.myopera.com/WhiteSpiral/albums/2687831/7-Sabayon.png

8. PCLinuxOS's website main page.
http://www.pclinuxos.com/

The front page itself is neat and pretty. The wife rank it 3rd, after Mint's and Sayabon's. I rank it 2nd after Sabayon's. Sadly, this is an English only front page. Also, this page is news heavy, extending a long way top to bottom.

Overall first impression: Neat.

http://files.myopera.com/WhiteSpiral/albums/2687831/8-Pclinuxos.png

9. Arch's website main page.
http://www.archlinux.org/

This is a very simple English-only page, but with a nice selection of colors.

Overall first impression: Good enough.

http://files.myopera.com/WhiteSpiral/albums/2687831/9-Arch.png

10. Puppy's website main page.
http://www.puppylinux.com/

Upon sight of this one, my wife laughed and left the room without saying a word. As far as design goes, this is a joke. But I'm sure the bandwidth taken to display it to thousands of visitors is negligible. At least Puppy itself is really good.

Overall first impression: Too spartan, childishly basic.

http://files.myopera.com/WhiteSpiral/albums/2687831/10-Puppy.png

Finally, I invited two neighbors to the party:

Apple's website main page.
http://www.apple.com/

From the masters of computer design.... What can I say? They really want to sell ipads! The ipad picture is overblown, but the site itself is simple yet elegant. There's a control to change countries, but not only is the language changed, but you can get entirely different information on that new page.

Overall first impression: Very simple, yet elegant.

http://files.myopera.com/WhiteSpiral/albums/2687831/Apple.png

Microsoft's website main page.
http://www.microsoft.com

Two similar gradients going in opposite directions? I find it abhorrent. Some fonts seems too small. In their defense, they offer many products, and therefore this page shows a little more complexity, but even taking that into account, it's still not a pretty sight. As with Apple, choosing different countries give you not only a different language but also different information.

Overall first impression: Unappealing.