Title is quite self-explanatory, reason I wonder is because every now and then I think to myself “maybe distro X is good, maybe I should try it at some point”, but then I think a bit more and realise it kind of doesn’t make a difference - the only thing I feel kinda matters is rolling vs non-rolling release patterns.
My guiding principles when choosing distro are that I run arch on my desktop because it’s what I’m used to (and AUR is nice to have), and Debian on servers because some people said it’s good and I the non-rolling release gives me peace of mind that I don’t have to update very often. But I could switch both of these out and I really don’t think it would make a difference at all.
Arch has a combination of great documentation and great packaging. I use Debian on a server but for daily use, everything I need is on Arch.
Debian stable:
- Works on all of my devices, none of which are newer than 2019
- Compatibility with all of the software that I use day to day
- I like my system set up in a very particular way and the stability makes upkeep simple
- I was a holdout on older Windows versions before I moved to Linux, so getting new features at all is already exciting
I’m relatively new to Linux, so I’m testing a few distros via VMs right now. My main desktop runs OpenSUSE Leap with KDE Plasma and I love it so far. I’m also trying Fedora 42 with GNOME, but I’m realizing I don’t like GNOME. I’m running Linux Mint Cinnamon on a 2016 MacBook Pro, which is pretty nice too. I also ran Debian stable for a bit. OpenSUSE is my favorite of the ones I’ve tried.
I jumped from Ubuntu over to Arch because I was getting fed up with all the things I wanted to do being unavailable in Ubuntu, but all in the Arch repo or AUR.
I’ve been using Debian-based distros for like 25 years, so it was definitely a bit of a change, but it didn’t take long to adjust. I’m glad I made the change.
I was given a CD set for SUSE 8.2, then bought the 9.0 book set from a book store because I liked it but wanted the hard copy to reference when I was messing things up. I’ve tried a ton of other distros, but keep going back to Suse because I’m used to it.
Why do you use the distro you use?
People said Ubuntu is easy, but I prefer green to orange so I went with Mint.
OpenSUSE Tumbleweed. Recently I bought cheap Surface-like x86 tablet on a rather recent hardware, and running Debian and its cousins required more tinkering than I was willing to do, so I decided to go with a more modern rolling release. Tried Arch for a few months, bricked it from mixing stable and testing branches, tried Fedora, and finally settled in Tumbleweed. I like it for being on the bleeding edge and exceptionally stable at the same time, perhaps thanks to robust OpenSUSE Build Service automated testing. And it is from a European company, that can’t hurt.
Arch, moved here from Ubuntu when I realized I have a good idea of what I want installed and have no need for a bunch of things to get bundled into the OS
Manjaro, because Arch-based, rolling release, but with a dev test cycle to try to eliminate breaking patches.
EndeavorOS;
Gives the benefit of having latest up-to-date packages for gaming, while negating the downsides of having to configure the OS or graphics driver upon installation.
Honestly, if think EndeavorOS comes with full UI support to download stuff from AUR and Flathub, I think it would become a pretty solid OS for any casual user looking to get into Linux. (Well, unless they are religiously against Arch. Then again your casual user probably don’t even know what ‘Arch’ is or care enough to be religious about it.)
Also yea, usually you run Ubuntu LTS or Debian Stable on servers unless your company paid for some licensing.
Fellow EndeavorOS enjoyer here, I love the hand-holding it does for you at the beginning (calamares installer, pick whichever DE that tickles your fancy, access to AUR and other goodies by default), but then basically beyond that point, you’re on your own. The fact that it’s Arch based also means that 9.99 times out of 10, you can always consult the Arch Wiki for any issues.
It’s like an Arch Linux starter pack that gives you the option to take off the training wheels at any time lol.
Arch and Fedora; package managers and repositories.
i use gentoo because i love the package manager and how in control i am of my desktop and for servers even though not linux ive been using open bsd because of secure it is and lightweight helps squeeze out little bit more performance from mt shit vps lol
I recently moved to Fedora KDE Plasma after years on W10, simply because I don’t want to use W11 and its AI bullshit. So far, it’s been a great time, and I haven’t noticed any major performance issues, so I’m happy with it. Having to update everything every few days is pretty novel though, and ‘sudo dnf update -y’ makes me feel like Hackerman, king of all Hackers. I think I like the customization options most though. I get way more control over what happens on my PC than W10 ever gave me, and it’s all wrapped in a very user-friendly GUI. Overall 8.5-9/10.
yay I want to install Fedora Plasma when I get a new drive, see if I can gradually switch (for real this time)… Plasma has a new pen tablet utility for Wayland, and since I use my tablet exclusively… when my Windows 10 is EOL I will switch for sure. Good to know it runs well for you
Yeah, I also use a pen tablet for some stuff, and it handles it decently well. One issue I’ve run into with it is that if I turn my monitor off while the tablet is plugged in, there’s like a 50/50 chance the monitor won’t load video unless I turn the tablet on too. It’s funky. Otherwise, getting my RTX4070 up and running wasn’t too hard. It’s a good distro for idiots (me).
Fantastic. Thanks for the feedback.
Mint CE for my desktop (might distro hop soon for multiple curiosity based reasons, all my data is on non-os drives anyway) - easiest to just get working when fast-swapping, IMO
Debian for my server - it’s the flavor of Linux I’m most familiar with over the years & for my server I dont need any of the shit Ubuntu does
STEAM OS for my Steam Deck (I use it as a TV PC so desktop mode is common with it), because it’s really good for that purpose
Debian, on servers and a desktop. I spent a long time using Ubuntu so I’m used to APT and Debian is suitably lightweight for my not amazing hardware. I also like the non rolling nature of it.
You’d love PopOS then, with its working nature and privacy-focus.
I’ve tried PopOS as I have a machine with an Nvidia card but every tine I’ve done the first apt upgrade it nukes grub and won’t boot again. Probably something I’m doing wrong and it has been a couple of years since I last tried.
