I’d like to settle on a distro, but none of them seem to click for me. I want stability more than anything, but I also value having the latest updates (I know, kind of incompatible).
I have tested Pop!_Os, Arch Linux, Fedora, Mint and Ubuntu. Arch and Pop being the two that I enjoyed the most and seemed the most stable all along… I am somewhat interested in testing NixOS although the learning curve seems a bit steep and it’s holding me back a bit.
What are you using as your daily drive? Would you recommend it to another user? Why? Why not?
For the past six years it has been Kubuntu, but I think it’s time to finally abort Canonical and their idiosyncrasies and choose Debian as a KDE base, especially now that Debian 12 includes non-free firmware by default.
I kinda hope they rebase KDE neon to debian. That would be dope.
This is what I need to do. Just too much inertia in my own stuff to make the switch so far.
Debian – The Universal Operating System
Because it’s universal, runs on everything rock solid and stable.
I’ve always felt that Arch has the least amount of personal compromises. For “bleeding edge,” it’s also generally stable and has a wealth of community support and documentation.
Currently NixOS having been a long time Arch user. The power of Nix is unbeatable once it finally clicks.
I keep hearing about NixOS, is it possible to leverage both NixOS and the AUR from arch?
Not that I’m aware of though it would be cool if possible. Thankfully everything I’ve needed has been found in NixOS Packages or Flathub as my last resort. My current setup if you’re curious.
Just skimmed my AUR install list, and yea most of them seem to be on there, good to know! If my laptop ever shits the bed, I’ll give this a shot haha.
NixOS user now. Long time fan of Arch with BTRFS and snapshots but Nix takes everything to the next level.
Fedora! To me it sits right at the sweet spot of stability and bleeding edge (they call it “leading edge”), and I’m very happy with how they run things (including the most recent controversy!).
Debian for my work. It is stable and I’ve been using it for many years.
Try Void Linux, or just stay at Arch. If you want to try Nixos (my current distro), watch this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGVXJ-TIv3Y .
I’ve checked https://voidlinux.org/, looks nice but there is no screenshot! How can I decide without screenshot?
/s
Debian stable, the os for 50 year old nudists.
It’s the stable branch of one of the oldest distributions around.
Fedora, really uptodate software, GNOME, stability of a server distro.
Unpopular opinion: Antix Linux for workstation, because:
- It’s Debian
- Very lightweight (100mb on RAM)
- Live to RAM
- Frugal installation
- Small size ISO (1gb) with full function utility
- Flexibel recovery, from old to modern system
- Responsive (no systemd)
- Retro-kind WM (icebox-wm), perfectly match on retro system
I’ve long enjoyed using antiX. Their forum is very friendly and useful. Highly recommend!
Fedora.
I can highly recommend fedora to a newbie. It’s easier to use than ubuntu. It doesn’t come with snaps. You only need one or two methods of installing apps. It’s safe. It’s well written. It’s supported very well. It’s updated frequently. It incorporates innovative technology.
Opensuse and EndeaverOS are also very nice.
If you are looking for stability with latest updates, then Gentoo. But I won’t recommend it to a distro hopper.
Besides than Arch and Mint are my general recommendation.
Pop! It’s easy to install, stable, and works great with Nvidia drivers. If I have more time on my hands then Arch, because it’s good old-fashioned computing fun.
It used to be Fedora, and I still want it to be Fedora. It was solid, stable, cutting edge, and easy to work with both on the command line and in the super-up-to-date Gnome desktop. DNF is great once you make a few tweaks, I don’t care about systemd, and it supports all of my hardware with basically no tweaking right out of the box. And the Anaconda Installer isn’t all that bad once you get used to its idiosyncrasies. I’ve been a distrohopper for like 15 years now, but I always end up hopping back to Fedora. Or I did, anyway, but with IBM-RedHat’s shenanigans as of late, I’m looking for a new home. Current thoughts:
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I used to run Arch (btw), and could go back to it, but I’d prefer something more brainless to maintain (Arch isn’t hard to maintain - check updates before you install, be careful with the AUR, it’s golden - but I just don’t have the spoons anymore). It’s actually what I’m running on the laptop I’m using to post this.
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I’m not going to use Ubuntu or anything else involving Snap because I hate dealing with Snap (YMMV - I know it has its fans, but I don’t like the way Canonical is handling it’s stuff there, and I only have room in my depression-addled brain for one universal package format).
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I love the new Debian, but the Gnome desktop is already out of date, and it’s just going to get farther behind. I have to decide if I want to give up cutting edge Gnome in favor of holy-Mary-Mother-of-God stability.
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Some up and coming immutables look very interesting; blendOS and Vanilla OS in particular, but also OpenSuse Aeon. Just not sure I’m ready to go immutable, old grognard that I am.
But seriously, RHEL - just re-open the source code, thanks, you asshats.
Edit: I really need to learn how to proofread before I post.
Maybe you can help me. I have a computer hooked to my TV. The usage is 99% displaying YouTube and 1% displaying other internet content. It is running Mint. Getting YouTube to come up takes an eternity. I’m wondering if a different distro would fix this. If so, which one would be best? I need it to run Firefox well because I want to use the ad blocker. Ideas?
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For desktop Linux, I use Arch. It’s a community driven base distribution, so the needs of the community are what drives development and there are no financial decisions of a company that get priority, which is refreshing. It also has access to the latest and greatest that Linux has to offer.
They have a philosophy of expecting basic effort from users and to have a tinkering mindset. Historically, Arch devs and users have a reputation of being grumpy greybeards, but many of the rough edges have been rounded off in the last few years. If you are willing to do a bit of reading or watching some YouTube videos, it’s not really that hard.
You can really build a lean and powerful machine that has just the software you want on the system with Arch. All it takes is a little effort and willingness to ask for help from the community after you have tried and failed to solve problems yourself. It’s really not the badge of elitism to use Arch in 2023. It’s never been easier to use and doesn’t blow up on you nearly as often as the reputation implies. Just use good hygiene and make snapshots so if you blow it up, it’s only a 5 minute recovery.
