Ok I’m gonna give an honest list of the best software to use in each category in MY unbiased experience. What I mean by unbiased is that I will pick a software base solely on the overall user experience that it provides (functionality AND aesthetic), REGARDLESS of whether it’s Free software or not. Most other list will either be sponsored or heavily biased toward free software, and since there’s only one or two decent software in each category, you’ll end up seeing pretty much the same list over and over again, year in and year out.

It’s not that I don’t support free software, quite the contrary I’m actually a huge supporter of free software (why else would a graphic designer like me use Linux as his primary working platform). But I’m also aware that for a platform like Linux to gain traction in the end-user market, it needs support from software developers. Yes, all of them, even proprietary software. After all, you can only reasonably expect a program to function correctly if the developer behind it has the incentive to make it better.

Onto the list, my choices are based on the following criterias: function, aesthetic, and performance.

• Function means it has to get the thing it was designed for done, that’s the baseline.
• Aesthetic means it has to have a well designed interface. This is, for the longest time, the weakest point in most opensource software. Obviously it’s not as important as Function but IMO still a far more important aspect to software than most people give it credit for. A well design UI/UX will boost your productivity by a wide margin.
• Performance means the software have to perform at its best on Linux, meaning no emulated Windows or OS X App, VMs are out of the table also. That doesn’t mean the app have to be native, mind you. It’s 2018, I will also gladly choose app created with web technologies like Figma or Vectr, granted that it runs consistently on Linux just as it does on any other platform.

 

Here we go

 

1. Best Linux Distro: Deepin OS

List that are Freeassed will tell you about Ubuntu, Mint or Fedora

I’ve used quite a lot of different distros in my time. Off the top of my head, I’ve used Ubuntu, Mint, elementaryOS, Majaro, Arch, Fedora, Zorin. You can see there’s no Gentoo, Red Hat or CentOS in my line up. That’s because I’m not a power Linux user, I only choose distros that boast userfriendliness, aimed at the end user, with pretty interfaces. And judging by the criterias, Deepin OS takes the trophy.

I remember some 15-16 years ago, when Vietkey Linux – the first ‘Vietnamese’ operating system hit the mass. Yes it was simply a reskin of Red Hat, with little change under the hood, but it got me into liking the platform. Back then, the UI of Linux in general, compares to its contemporary counterpart Windows XP, was nothing short of a massive pile of steaming garbage. And then Ubuntu came along with its sweet streamlined interface and Compiz-powered effects. I was completely blown away.

Fast forward 16 years later, when pretty much everything on the market more or less has a good UI, I didn’t expect to get that sensation again, but then I did, when I installed Deepin OS.

To be honest, my expectation for the distro was low, mostly due to my previous experience with a Chinese distro called Red Flag Linux, yes I do realize the irony of the name. But the Deepin experience wasn’t like Red Flag, but more like MIUI. It’s clean, it’s fresh, packed with little touches that indicates there was involvement from real UI/UX/IxD designers. Unlike most Chinese product, Deepin didn’t feel like a copied and pasted product, because it’s not. The overall user experience is very pleasant (except for the setting sidebar, I mean, who brilliant UX designer was it that think people want the settings they’re changing to disappear everytime they click outside the window?)

Overall. I rate this a 10/10, the first time I ever rate a distro this high. Meaning this is a mature product, complete and ready to compete with the likes of Windows and Mac. It’s currently my production platform.

 

2. Best Office Suite: WPS Office

List that are Freeassed will tell you about OpenOffice and LibreOffice.

Yet another software from China, by now some people must be think I might be a commie. Well I actually am, but that’s not why I choose WPS Office. I choose it simply because it is THE best office suite for Linux, in every way. LibreOffice is based on OpenOffice, this massive pile of Java code that is both fugly and sluggish. WPS on the other hand is responsive, good looking, has great compatibility (it saves as microsoft file format instead of its own), AND portability (1GB of cloud storage means you can access your file anywhere, anytime instead of worrying about forgetting to hit Ctrl-S.

Overall, the only reason why WPS hadn’t dominate the Linux office world yet is because a lot of people still use Office for idealistic reasons rather than focusing on productivity reason (and also, many people don’t trust Chinese softwares, much less storing sensitive files on their cloud). They are all valid reason, but for me, WPS is the office suite of choice.

 

3. Best raster graphic editor: Krita

List that are Freeassed will say it’s the GIMP

As one of the longest supporter of the GNU Image Manipulation Program, it makes me sad that the software had lagged so far behind. For a while, it was considered a Photoshop ‘alternative’, and some still calls it that, but we all know that’s not the case anymore. While the offering from Adobe has received a crapton of new features over the years due to their massive resources, our beloved GIMP still look and feel like the same guy we use 10 years ago. Even the image editor that comes with K-Office: Krita beat the GIMP in every aspects. Maybe it’s time we let it rest.

Krita on the other hands had seen massive improvements over the years. It now has the UI of a professional image editor, something that the GIMP couldn’t accomplished after decades of development.

 

4. Best vector graphic editor: Gravit Designer

List that are Freeassed will say it’s Inkscape

Don’t get me wrong, Inkscape is a heavy contender. The gap between Inkscape and AI is far smaller than the gap between GIMP and PS. And yet I still have to choose a web based app over it due to its ease of use, its beautiful aesthetic, and portability (storing files on the cloud ftw!)

 

5. Best screen design tool: Figma

List that are Freeassed will have no idea what it is.

Screen design tool is a new software segment, one that didn’t exist just a few years ago. I myself didn’t even know of their existence until Adobe released their Adobe XD a few years ago. Yes I know that was already pretty late since Adobe themselves were late to the game, XD hit the market as a response to Sketch’s popularity. Like I said in a previous blog post, I believe that despite its massive popularity, Sketch’s days are numbered, killed by free cross-platform tools like Adobe XD and Figma.

Figma is not the best screen design tool on Linux, nor it is the best screen design tool on the web. It is THE best screen design tool, across all platform, period. Everything you do, you do directly on the cloud, you don’t ever have to worry about hitting Ctrl+S ever again!

 

6. Best 3D software package