Linux

45423 readers

1497 users here now

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).

Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.

Rules

Posts must be relevant to operating systems running the Linux kernel. GNU/Linux or otherwise.
No misinformation
No NSFW content
No hate speech, bigotry, etc

Related Communities

Community icon by Alpár-Etele Méder, licensed under CC BY 3.0

founded 5 years ago

MODERATORS

[email protected]

Switch from Ubuntu to something immutable? (lemmy.ca)

submitted 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

50 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Sup penguin people.

I’ve been running various flavours and variations of Ubuntu for a while. I find I have to nuke and reset my laptop every 6ish months because things eventually stop working or I get weird bugs.

Recently I’ve been having this on and off problem where the computer just shows a black screen after turning it on. The only way to fix this is to tap keys repeatedly until a console shows up and it seems to kick the computer into gear and log in. Other times I have to restart 2-3 times before it logs me in.

I’ve had a lot of small issues like that (like having to jiggle the volume knob in the sound mixer to get sound working) and I’m wondering if switching to an immutable distro (like bazzite) would solve this apparent config creep.

I have a Steamdeck and it’s been solid and stable ever since I got it. I know it’s running an immutable distro and after researching a little bit it sounds like they can be more stable.

I’m no power user but I play some steam games and run a local 7b LLM and like to have a virtual machine or two for Windows XP emulation for some retro gaming.

Anyone have any opinions? What are your thoughts on immutable distros (like Bazzite)? Pros? Cons? Success/doom stories?

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments

[–] just_another_person 4 points 3 days ago (8 children)

Unless you've absolutely made the kernel or package manager unusable, there should be no need to reinstall an entire Linux OS. It's not like Windows where the registry changes over time, and the OS will become unstable or quirky. It sounds like you just need to be more diligent about doing things in userspace.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Not OP, but speaking as a Linux newb, what is a "userspace" exactly?

[–] just_another_person 3 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Anything done locally that only affects your user is userspace. Doing configuration changes in userspace versus globally will reduce the likelihood of you breaking something. So making changes in ~/.local, for example, instead of /usr/local.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 days ago

That seems to be a common usage of the term, but strictly speaking, "userspace" is anything that's not the kernel. This includes system-level programs, libraries and settings configured as "root" that can affect all users.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 days ago (1 children)

versus globally

So is this a matter of personal profiles? Userspace would be anything within a particular user's space, if you will?

[–] just_another_person 1 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Affected your user and not the system as a whole, yes.

If you want to be a hyper technical dick like the other person responded, the old way to refer to the term "userspace" is basically anything that doesn't affect the kernel, HOWEVER, it is now more commonly used to refer to specific local user settings, yes. The old reference was way before people starting writing things to be hyper-local to individual users, as things are arranged now.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 days ago

Thank you for explaining!

load more comments (5 replies)