this post was submitted on 10 Dec 2023
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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.
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There are several comments ITT that mention the “just works” distros, like Mint or Pop!_OS etc. But make no mistake, these distributions are every bit as powerful as any other distribution. They’re not “dumbed down” versions by any means, it just means that they’ve paid close attention to crafting a polished user experience.
Case in point: I’m a seasoned Linux user and still I prefer Pop!_OS. Some of my even more experienced Linux colleagues use Mint, Fedora, etc. because we’re paid to write code that solves customer problems, not tinker with our operating systems on our workstations. I don’t think I actually know anyone in real life that uses Arch (btw)—is it even a real distro or is it just a meme?—or even Debian (unless it’s for a server and even then we’re more likely to use Alpine and install+configure everything we want and nothing we don’t).
You don't know me in real life. But I use Arch. It started out as a way to get a more thorough understanding of the bits and pieces that make up Linux. Now that it's all setup and configured, it all just works, and works the way I made it work. I don't need to tinker with it much now, unless I want to. It's probably the only Distro I'll use from now to the end of time, because I'm quite content with it.
Or you’ve invested so much time setting it up that you don’t dare abandon it (sunk cost).
I jest but there may be a grain of truth to it anyway. We humans tend to get comfortable with what we know and when we spend so much time installing, configuring and tinkering a system that we use daily, we end up knowing it pretty well.
I like to try a new distro on a personal computer every year or so, just to keep my agility of computing systems nimble. But still I usually end up back to Pop!OS and MacOS. Although that practice did pull me away from Fedora to Pop!
Maybe. To be fair, most of what's important to me to do what I need to do. Like individual applications are available on most other distros, and my dot files, and hence configuration for those applications, is where most of my tinkering time was spent and they are stored in repository. I share this between between my work Mac (macos) my desktop (Arch) and my personal laptop (also Arch). I would be able get going on another Distro pretty quickly if I decided to.
But I really do love Arch. I can get going with Arch on fresh machine quickly too, I now know my way around it, where to look for info, and generally just what to do to achieve what I want to do.