Do you need a Linux distro for programming? For starters, there aren’t any distros that are specifically targeting programmers per se. It doesn’t really matter, as a Linux distribution is mostly the same as the next one in regards to what software you’ll be able to use on it. But then again, there are a few distros available that will be preferable due to the way they have been built up. You should also consider the kind of programming you’re into, whether web-based or system or application programming.