HaraldvonBlauzahn@feddit.org
on 27 Jul 17:15
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I am thinking this could be neat for people new to Linux to help them select a first distribution.
A few more points:
There are a lot of choices
There are also a lot of different valuable qualities.
Consequently, there are no distributions that are “good” or “bad”.
It is nice to try out things! And trying out things will change what appeals to you.
That said, perhaps you don’t want to try out too many things now, instead right now you’d prefer something that just works…
Also, your needs and your capabilities will change over time. If you are a young student who wants to learn programming, a pc gamer, or somebody who likes to learn and understand Linux in detail, they might be different from when you are a busy parent or a young professional which just needs to write job applications!
So, what matches your needs best will likely also change over time.
Finally, the choice of distributions is not an either-either or black-and-white thing. You can run Linux, and on top Windows in a Virtual Machine (basically an entire simulated computer). You also can run another Linux distribution in a virtual machine, which matches a specific use case.
There are too many choices. I’ve tried the chooser and at the end it gave me 9 distributions to choose from (i.e. nine distributions with no marked negatives). I’ve tried again and it gave me 13 distributions to choose from. This is absolutely useless for someone who knows nothing about Linux.
If someone selects ‘I have little or no knowledge about Linux’ it should go straight to recommending Linux Mint or with no other questions. Or maybe Bazzite if they selected gaming as main use case.
And if I select Windows experience, why doesn’t it mark Ubuntu with a negative as it has more of a MacOS feel?
HaraldvonBlauzahn@feddit.org
on 27 Jul 18:45
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You can narrow it down further by looking at the reviews for each suggestion at distrowatch.com - I think these reviews are often spot-on!
Also, a lot of smaller distributions are derived from a few larger ones. Therefore, they are usually not very different.
In the end, it is more important to try, after gathering a reasonsble amount of information!
Why am I using the tool if I then have to read through several reviews anyway?
Also, a lot of smaller distributions are derived from a few larger ones. Therefore, they are usually not very different.
Yes, that’s the point. That’s why if a newbie asks, recommend one of the big ones.
In the end, it is more important to try, after gathering a reasonsble amount of information!
People who know nothing about Linux need a clear choice. If you’re giving them dozen suggestions, than the tool didn’t help them in any way.
Also, a lot of smaller distributions are derived from a few larger ones. Therefore, they are usually not very different.
HaraldvonBlauzahn@feddit.org
on 27 Jul 18:40
nextcollapse
Some more criteria which I think are meaningful:
How often are you willing to upgrade or re-install your system ?
How reliable does your system need to be ? Would it inconvenience you or even be a risk for your livelihood if it stops working tomorrow morning for a few days until you find time to fix it?
If some software package has a breaking change, do you want to see the consequences of that change (a) invariably together with the next minor software update, or (b) only with the next mayor system upgrade of which you can chose the timing?
How quick and experienced do you want to have security updates applied? For how long do you need security updates ? (btw this point is an important difference between Debian and Ubuntu, as in older Ubuntu LTS releases security updates are reduced!)
is security of your system and privacy of the user data a top concern for you?
are you an open source software developer or do you have otherwise a strong need to run the latest software version - and how old would be the oldest version you want to tolerate?
do you want to be, in an easy way, to be involved with the open source development community?
littlebigendian@lemmy.zip
on 27 Jul 18:54
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That was fun taking the survey & was even reminded that Cubes OS exists. Gonna give it a try.
Thanks for sharing ❤️
DrunkAnRoot@sh.itjust.works
on 27 Jul 18:55
nextcollapse
It has a learning curve for the Graphical Package Manager, but YAST GUI is awesome. The automatic snapshots are great; if any thing you do breaks the system you just boot to w previous snapshot in the advanced boot option, then if it is allworksing as expected issue a sudo snapper rollback command to make your current snapshot the default.
HaraldvonBlauzahn@feddit.org
on 28 Jul 05:07
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The automatic snapshots are great; if any thing you do breaks the system you just boot to w previous snapshot in the advanced boot option, then if it is allworksing as expected issue a sudo snapper rollback command to make your current snapshot the default.
That is really a good feature especially if you like to try out things, change stuff and tinker around.
What makes OpenSUSE Tumbleweed also a very interesting alternative for experienced users is the quality of a fast rolling release together with automated testing and QA, which I think no other distribution has. Together with a community which takes security serious, this gives you a both very up to date and quite secure system.
Yep, I ran Leap from 2017 till 2024 same system, updates were so stable you could depend on them. And nVidia hosts its own repo for Leap and Tumbleweed.
I moved to Tumbleweed when I changed hardware, so for the past year it’s been solid
I don’t generally recommend opensuse. The package management always made me go back to arch or debian. I would recommend trying it if you have a spare pc or space for a vm though.
HaraldvonBlauzahn@feddit.org
on 28 Jul 07:20
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The package management always made me go back to arch or debian.
Ran through the questions with both realistic and idealistic answers and was recommended Debian in both cases. Am indeed a Debian user.
HaraldvonBlauzahn@feddit.org
on 28 Jul 05:36
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What people often overlook is that Debian has an incredible broad range of use cases it is well suited for: It has a beginner-friendly graphical installer, it works for desktops and servers as well as embedded systems, and it also has a rolling release version which is attractive to software developers.
And if you have questions you can always look into the Arch Wiki ;-)
JimVanDeventer@lemmy.world
on 28 Jul 04:39
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Wow, I can’t believe it narrowed the list down to 30.
tehsYs@discuss.tchncs.de
on 28 Jul 05:04
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Fairly accurate
HaraldvonBlauzahn@feddit.org
on 28 Jul 05:30
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To me, it gives Devuan, OpenSUSE, Rocky, Debian, Artix and Arch.
What I have used in the past 27 years is S.U.S.E., Ubuntu, Mint, Debian, OpenSUSE Leap and Arch (the latter for some years dual-booting with Debian until NVidia shit broke both after a Debian dist upgrade, but that was only once in 13 years). I never had a stability issue with Arch.
What I currently use is Debian as daily driver, with both Guix package manager on top of it for programming, and Arch in a VM (with Guix for programming with dependencies). And importantly, I only use fully supported hardware.
I could imagine using Arch as a daily base system, or using OpenSUSE Tumbleweed as a base or in a VM. But I don’t have strong incentives to switch the base, Debian works incredibly well for me and I know how to configure it.
Tenderizer78@lemmy.ml
on 28 Jul 08:16
nextcollapse
threaded - newest
I am thinking this could be neat for people new to Linux to help them select a first distribution.
A few more points:
There are a lot of choices
There are also a lot of different valuable qualities.
Consequently, there are no distributions that are “good” or “bad”.
It is nice to try out things! And trying out things will change what appeals to you.
That said, perhaps you don’t want to try out too many things now, instead right now you’d prefer something that just works…
Also, your needs and your capabilities will change over time. If you are a young student who wants to learn programming, a pc gamer, or somebody who likes to learn and understand Linux in detail, they might be different from when you are a busy parent or a young professional which just needs to write job applications!
So, what matches your needs best will likely also change over time.
Finally, the choice of distributions is not an either-either or black-and-white thing. You can run Linux, and on top Windows in a Virtual Machine (basically an entire simulated computer). You also can run another Linux distribution in a virtual machine, which matches a specific use case.
There are too many choices. I’ve tried the chooser and at the end it gave me 9 distributions to choose from (i.e. nine distributions with no marked negatives). I’ve tried again and it gave me 13 distributions to choose from. This is absolutely useless for someone who knows nothing about Linux.
If someone selects ‘I have little or no knowledge about Linux’ it should go straight to recommending Linux Mint or with no other questions. Or maybe Bazzite if they selected gaming as main use case.
And if I select Windows experience, why doesn’t it mark Ubuntu with a negative as it has more of a MacOS feel?
You can narrow it down further by looking at the reviews for each suggestion at distrowatch.com - I think these reviews are often spot-on!
Also, a lot of smaller distributions are derived from a few larger ones. Therefore, they are usually not very different.
In the end, it is more important to try, after gathering a reasonsble amount of information!
Why am I using the tool if I then have to read through several reviews anyway?
Yes, that’s the point. That’s why if a newbie asks, recommend one of the big ones.
People who know nothing about Linux need a clear choice. If you’re giving them dozen suggestions, than the tool didn’t help them in any way.
Some more criteria which I think are meaningful:
That was fun taking the survey & was even reminded that Cubes OS exists. Gonna give it a try.
Thanks for sharing ❤️
reminded me i wanted to test artix
Lol I ended up with Debian > Rocky > Arch.
Idk how to feel. I was a longtime Debian user but actually prefer Fedora + Arch.
I got OpenSuse. I currently use bazzite and I’ve tried popOS and mint. I guess I could try it.
It has a learning curve for the Graphical Package Manager, but YAST GUI is awesome. The automatic snapshots are great; if any thing you do breaks the system you just boot to w previous snapshot in the advanced boot option, then if it is allworksing as expected issue a sudo snapper rollback command to make your current snapshot the default.
That is really a good feature especially if you like to try out things, change stuff and tinker around.
What makes OpenSUSE Tumbleweed also a very interesting alternative for experienced users is the quality of a fast rolling release together with automated testing and QA, which I think no other distribution has. Together with a community which takes security serious, this gives you a both very up to date and quite secure system.
Yep, I ran Leap from 2017 till 2024 same system, updates were so stable you could depend on them. And nVidia hosts its own repo for Leap and Tumbleweed. I moved to Tumbleweed when I changed hardware, so for the past year it’s been solid
I don’t generally recommend opensuse. The package management always made me go back to arch or debian. I would recommend trying it if you have a spare pc or space for a vm though.
Well, why? Do you have concrete reasons?
Just use arch
Ran through the questions with both realistic and idealistic answers and was recommended Debian in both cases. Am indeed a Debian user.
What people often overlook is that Debian has an incredible broad range of use cases it is well suited for: It has a beginner-friendly graphical installer, it works for desktops and servers as well as embedded systems, and it also has a rolling release version which is attractive to software developers.
And if you have questions you can always look into the Arch Wiki ;-)
Wow, I can’t believe it narrowed the list down to 30.
Fairly accurate
To me, it gives Devuan, OpenSUSE, Rocky, Debian, Artix and Arch.
What I have used in the past 27 years is S.U.S.E., Ubuntu, Mint, Debian, OpenSUSE Leap and Arch (the latter for some years dual-booting with Debian until NVidia shit broke both after a Debian dist upgrade, but that was only once in 13 years). I never had a stability issue with Arch.
What I currently use is Debian as daily driver, with both Guix package manager on top of it for programming, and Arch in a VM (with Guix for programming with dependencies). And importantly, I only use fully supported hardware.
I could imagine using Arch as a daily base system, or using OpenSUSE Tumbleweed as a base or in a VM. But I don’t have strong incentives to switch the base, Debian works incredibly well for me and I know how to configure it.
RHEL, OpenSUSE,Devuan, Rocky Linux, ZorinOS,Knoppix, Debian, Mint, MX Linux, ElementaryOS, Kubuntu, etc.When I’m looking for a distro (which I’m currently doing) my core concerns are:
It never proposed GNU Guix to me. Quite unfortunate, that’s my daily driver and I love it.
It would be way more useful if it limited the results to three or five.
I usually go to www.distrowatch.com. They do a good job with reviews and updates.