this post was submitted on 09 Nov 2024
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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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I'm very curious of which distro users loves the most that they have it on their daily hardware?

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[–] [email protected] 28 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Personnaly, i'm using Fedora and i love it!

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 months ago (1 children)

IIRC Torvalds uses Fedora.

(Debian for me.)

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[–] [email protected] 21 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Arch because I like getting the latest releases of packages

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[–] [email protected] 21 points 2 months ago

I really love NixOS and use it on all my devices. Its not as difficult as people say and it really makes the linux experience a piece of cake once you get it down.

The single config file to control almost everything is just what I was looking for in linux and the fact that it solved any kind of dependency hell I have experienced in the past is huge. If I had to list a top 3 it would be NixOS, Fedora, and Arch.

[–] vinnymac 19 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I use Arch for personal and gaming, Debian for self hosting and hacking, Alpine for containerized cloud deployments.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 months ago

I use Arch for personal and gaming, Debian for self hosting and hacking, Alpine for containerized cloud deployments.

Pretty much the same for me: bleeding-edge Arch for my workstation, rock-stable Debian for my server.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 2 months ago

I just installed Bazzite about a month ago and love it! Used Ubuntu in the past and it was ok, but eventually went back to Windows. I definitely don't feel that way about Bazzite though, I think I might stick with it as my primary OS!

[–] [email protected] 14 points 2 months ago

Debian and Fedora. I use Debian on servers and Fedora on my desktop and laptop.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Nobody has mentioned immutables yet?!

I finally dipped my toes into trying a new distro over the summer and have been really impressed with Project Bluefin. All the familiarity of Gnome for existing Ubuntu or Debian users but with a completely hands off rolling update experience.

The main drawbacks are the slight complexity of how the fuck to install stuff on an immutable system. In theory you use Homebrew for CLI apps and flatpak for GUI apps but I'm really not a fan of installing from sources other than the original dev.

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[–] steeznson 13 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I use Gentoo and I love it. The installation process is a bit more complex than Arch but it doesn't have to be if you choose the precompiled kernel.

The package management is extremely flexible and the community are great. I have a morning routine where I log onto my gentoo desktop before work and update everything; would compare it to raking one of those miniature buddhist sand gardens. Very theraputic!

[–] steeznson 5 points 2 months ago

Have got Debian on an old thinkpad too because it is too under resourced to compile everything. I think Debian is amazing for a solid, reliable distro if you have weak hardware.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Debian for my daily workstation. Minimal terminal-only install, and then I piece together my environment.

For smaller, headless applications I like Alpine. Containerized projects, VPS, etc.

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

Okay. What are your thoughts of KISS linux? It's pretty minimalistic and have a very tiny package manager which is written entirely in Bash script.

[–] TCB13 4 points 2 months ago (1 children)

KISS

Debian is KISS. Grab it and use, no need to overcomplicate things.

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[–] [email protected] 12 points 2 months ago

Endeavouraos, arch but also easy

[–] [email protected] 10 points 2 months ago (1 children)

There isn't a best distro, tho I stick to the root of a distro tree, meaning arch / debian.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 months ago (6 children)

Why are fedora and suse often not mentioned considering theyre not forks of anything? (as far as im aware)

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 months ago

If there were a universal answer to this, there wouldn't be any others.

I myself currently use Debian (testing), have for some years now, but I have used other distros in the past too.

[–] hperrin 8 points 2 months ago

Fedora, but I wouldn’t say I’m in love with it. It frustrates me the least. No Linux distro is perfect, but they’re all better than Windows.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 months ago

Fedora Atomic, especially Bluefin, Bazzite and Aurora.

Nearly unbreakable, very reliable and stable in everyday use, needs no maintenance (updates itself, etc.) and more!

[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 months ago

Best Distro

Needs dictate preferences. An objective assessment isn't possible even on an individual level, as circumstances change over time. Linux Mint serves as a common starting point, with many users eventually 'graduating' to other distributions. The opposite is also true; many eventually return to low-maintenance distros like Linux Mint, preferring something that 'just works'.

I’m very curious of which distro users loves the most that they have it on their daily hardware?

I daily drive secureblue.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 months ago

Xubuntu on my desktop/laptop, debian on a server. Mostly because while I really like tinkering with things, I usually just want shit to work so I can get something done.

[–] frankenswine 7 points 2 months ago
[–] jimmy90 7 points 2 months ago

Nix and Bazzite

[–] BananaTrifleViolin 6 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

OpenSuSE Tumbleweed is my current favourite. It's user friendly with good system tools in Yast, it's got good repos including community repos with lots of software.

Its also a rolling release but has been stable and reliable for me. Leap is their point release version if rolling is not right for you.

I've been using Tumbleweed for over a year, and it's my main OS since I stopped using windows. I've dual booted Linux for many years but always mained windows up until Tumbleweed.

Previously I used to use Mint; it's decent but switching to Tumbleweed (and in particular KDE) convinced me to completely switch from Windows. Everything "just works", and I do a fair bit of gaming without issue with nvidia drivers, steam, and lutris.

For example I've been playing Stardew, Cyberpunk 2077, Distant Worlds 2, and Factorio recently - all in Linux and all without issue.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 months ago

Opensuse Tumbleweed. Sometimes I try something else, but Tumbleweed is the one I keep going back to. It is quite solid and rolling release.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 months ago

MX Linux is the best, obviously. Otherwise it wouldn't be #1 on DistroWatch, right? /j

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 months ago

The best for my user cases atm

For work bluefin For general stations mint For gaming cachyos or bazzite

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I think Pop!_OS and Linux Mint are the best no brains required distributions.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 months ago

I really like the tiling window support in Pop_OS!'s Cosmos desktop.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 months ago

Debian Stable. Predictable, low-maintenance, and well-supported. From time to time, I think about switching over to Alpine or even BSD, but the software selection and abundance of Q&A posts for Debian and its derivatives keeps me coming back. Having been a holdout on older Windows versions in the past, I'm quite used to waiting for new features and still amazed at how much easier life is with a proper package manager.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 months ago

Gentoo, because no other distro offers as much choice.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Debian (desktop) and Mint (laptop), because I don't need to use the latest version of every app I use and because it works so well.

If I had to chose a single one, it would be Debian but I don't have to chose ;)

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 months ago (4 children)

I personally use Alpine on my Thinkpad

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (2 children)

I started with Slackware in the nineties, have been through Redhat, Suse, Ubuntu, Arch, Tumbleweed.

I could use anything really but these days my focus have moved; I kinda just want functional and well configured up front. Using Pop!_OS 24 alpha on my gaming/dev laptop, it works well/is well put together and I’m having fun writing COSMIC apps. I’m using Ubuntu on a few servers, I picked it many years ago and they’ve been through a number of painless upgrades.

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 months ago

I default to xubuntu

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 months ago

Tumbleweed was my favourite for years. I’m not currently using it, but I’ll always have a fondness for it.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 months ago

Fedora. Any kind.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 months ago

Over the course of the last 20 years, I've gone from Arch -> Void -> Pop!_OS -> Ubuntu, and that is what I use on all my machines (laptops, desktops, servers).

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 months ago

Vanilla Arch.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 months ago
[–] owenfromcanada 2 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Manjaro for my laptop, Mint for my HTPC, and Debian for my servers.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I'm sorry but I can't resist mentioning it. Manjaro implemented quite sus telemetry recently so you should keep it in mind when choosing and using it.

[–] owenfromcanada 4 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Good to know! I was considering switching back to Debian or Mint, maybe LMDE. I'll look further into it. Thanks for the tip!

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Try endeavoros and use flatpaks. That’s basically manjaro with the following differences:

  • current with the aur
  • doesn't have a built in gui software installer
  • no modifications-it’s basically just arch with the things you would have probably installed
[–] owenfromcanada 4 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I was thinking of switching away from Arch and back to something Debian-based. I've never been a big fan of flatpaks (I have a background of not having fast internet or much storage space, it's just stuck with me) and I never used the AUR anyways.

I mainly tried Manjaro to try the bleeding-edge life, and while I do enjoy having more up-to-date packages, I do miss being able to install DEB packages. I think I might try Debian testing and see how that goes.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 months ago (1 children)

@owenfromcanada @Kongar

I've effectively gone that route of moving away from Arch to Debian and although it hasn't been without some minor inconveniences from not having the most up to date software, I've been really happy with the change. I try to avoid flatpaks and for the most part have been successful, with like 2 or 3 exceptions so even if you're not much of a fan, I'd wager you'd be fine for the most part without them.

[–] owenfromcanada 3 points 2 months ago

Yeah, that's my plan. I usually end up with a couple of flatpaks (or AppImages) for the things that I need up to date, but otherwise just go with most things from the repository.

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