Four Linux Distros Walk Into a Zoom Call: Which One Survived Without a Terminal?

Let's be honest. Every few years, someone in the Linux community declares that this is finally the year of the Linux desktop. And every few years, the rest of us sort of chuckle and go back to our terminals. But here's the thing — 2024 might actually be different. Not because Linux suddenly became perfect, but because a handful of distributions have gotten genuinely, impressively good at the stuff normal people actually do on computers.

I'm talking about video calls with grandma. Streaming the new season of whatever everyone's watching. Editing vacation photos. The unglamorous, everyday stuff that doesn't make it into distro release notes but absolutely determines whether your non-tech friend throws their laptop out the window after day three.

So I did something a little unscientific and a lot of fun: I handed four popular distros to four different people who don't know what a package manager is, gave them a list of tasks, and watched what happened. Here's the breakdown.

The Contenders

We tested Pop!_OS 22.04, Linux Mint 21.3, Elementary OS 7.1, and Ubuntu 24.04 LTS. All were installed fresh on identical mid-range hardware — a Dell Inspiron with 8GB RAM and an Intel integrated GPU. No pre-installed extras. No hand-holding from me during the tasks. Just the distro and a list of things to accomplish.

The tasks:

• Join a Zoom meeting
• Watch something on Netflix in a browser
• Import and lightly edit photos from a phone
• Connect to a Bluetooth speaker
• Print a document

Simple stuff. Deceptively simple, as it turns out.

Linux Mint: The Comfort Food Option

If you've ever described someone as a "Windows person," Linux Mint is almost certainly the right call for them. The Cinnamon desktop environment is laid out in a way that feels immediately familiar — taskbar at the bottom, start menu in the lower left, system tray in the corner. Nobody needed a tutorial to find the browser.

Mint handled every task without a hitch. Netflix worked right out of the box in Firefox (which ships with the necessary DRM support already enabled). Zoom required a quick download from the website, which our tester managed without any guidance. Bluetooth connected on the first try. Even printing — historically one of Linux's most haunted corners — worked after a short automatic driver search.

The one knock: Mint's default look is functional but dated. It's not going to impress anyone coming from a MacBook. But if the goal is zero friction, Mint wins the reliability trophy.

Best for: Windows refugees, older users, anyone who just wants a computer that works.

Pop!_OS: The Sleeper Hit

System76's offering surprised everyone in our test group. Pop!_OS has a reputation as a distro for developers and gamers, but its GNOME-based interface has been polished to a point where it's genuinely approachable for regular users. The auto-tiling feature confused one tester initially, but it's easy to disable.

Out-of-the-box hardware support was the best of the bunch. Webcam, microphone, Bluetooth — all recognized instantly. Zoom installed without drama. Photo importing from an iPhone (yes, really) worked through the Files app after a brief permissions prompt.

Where Pop!_OS stumbled slightly was Netflix. The default Firefox install required enabling DRM manually — a one-click process, but one that confused our tester until they called me over. Minor issue, easily fixed, but worth knowing.

Best for: Users who want a modern, attractive interface and have slightly newer hardware.

Elementary OS: Beautiful, But Opinionated

Elementary OS is the distro that Linux people show off to Mac users. It's gorgeous. The Pantheon desktop is clean, consistent, and thoughtfully designed in a way that genuinely rivals macOS aesthetics. If first impressions matter, Elementary wins.

But beauty comes with trade-offs. Elementary's curated app ecosystem means some things aren't immediately obvious. Our tester spent several minutes looking for a way to install Zoom before finding the Sideload utility. Netflix worked fine in the browser once DRM was enabled — same friction as Pop!_OS. Bluetooth connected without issue.

The printing task, though, was where Elementary showed its limitations. Our tester couldn't figure it out without help, and the system settings UI, while pretty, doesn't hold your hand through driver installation the way Mint does.

Elementary also asks for a donation at download — a practice the project is transparent about and entirely reasonable, but something to be aware of when recommending it to someone who might be confused by the "pay what you want" screen.

Best for: Mac users making the switch, design-conscious folks who prioritize aesthetics.

Ubuntu: Solid, If a Little Corporate

Ubuntu is the name most people have heard, and Canonical has put serious work into making 24.04 LTS feel polished. The new installer is genuinely excellent — the cleanest setup experience of any distro we tested. GNOME 46 is smooth and responsive.

Day-to-day tasks were handled competently across the board. Netflix, Zoom, Bluetooth, printing — all functional. Ubuntu also ships with a solid suite of pre-installed apps, which reduces the "now what?" moment after setup.

The friction points are subtle but real. Ubuntu's relationship with Snap packages is... complicated. Some apps launch noticeably slower than their non-Snap counterparts, and a couple of our testers commented that things felt "a little slow" compared to Mint on the same hardware. It's not a dealbreaker, but it's noticeable.

Best for: Users who want the most mainstream support community and long-term stability.

The Verdict

Here's the honest summary:

Distro	Out-of-Box Experience	Aesthetics	Beginner Friendliness
Linux Mint	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Pop!_OS	⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐
Elementary OS	⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐
Ubuntu	⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐

If you're recommending Linux to a non-technical friend or family member today, Linux Mint is your safest bet. It's not flashy, but it's the distro least likely to result in a panicked phone call at 10pm.

If they're coming from a Mac and care about how their desktop looks, Elementary OS is worth the slight learning curve. And if they're a little more tech-curious and want something modern and well-supported, Pop!_OS is a genuinely compelling choice.

The Linux desktop isn't perfect. But for everyday tasks? It's more ready than it's ever been. And that's worth celebrating.