owatnextWhat distro(s) do you use?
darkfiremp3At work we are mostly Rhel, so then at home I have some Rocky VMs and main system is Fedora. I used to run Arch, but then got lazy…
Manjaro isn't quite as much work to maintain as base Arch.
I used to use Void as my main distro, but then the developer drama made me shy away from it (keep in mind, this was like forever ago and I haven’t looked at Void at all since). After that I floated around trying everything, from Gentoo to the BSDs (I know, not Linux). Nowadays I use OpenSUSE Tumbleweed. I got tired of doing everything manually and OpenSUSE just makes everything so much easier to use, IMO.
I need to try OpenSuse again! I remember it being clever, and basically competes with Fedora in terms of polish, while having some very cool tools for security built in.
AtemuI got tired of doing everything manually
Perhaps check out NixOS
dogfedora and void :D fedora mostly because my work uses centos so the muscle memory is already there for almost everything. void because it is cool and fast 💙
Debain - cuz my production VMs need to run all day, every day.
I run PopOS on my laptop. It's been really solid, except Linux doesn't support the speaker amp so I can only get sound out via the headphone jack or bluetooth.
Servers: Debian Stable no DE Desktop: Pop OS or Ubuntu
I've used everything from Arch and Gentoo to fedora and Ubuntu. But I found myself enjoying the stability of Debian but hating the lack of newer packages. The latter of which isnt usually a problem when it comes to single purpose servers.
Yes, 100% this. Debian stable, no GUI for servers. Never have a problem.
DrewWait what do you mean debian doesn't have newer packages? I've never used it. Do the packages only get updated on a distro update?
I think so. They get freezed at some time on unstable (I think?). Then, if you need a newer (major version) of a package you need some other package source than the default Debian one to get it.
Yes and no. They seem to prioritize stability and security over everything else. So they usually only push updates to the stable repo if it doesn't compromise those 2 points (so new features are okay but so long as they don't create new instability or at the very least fix a security flaw).
So in other words nothing there is particularly ancient but most things are several versions behind just due to bugs being found etc. Great for servers but on a desktop most people wouldn't notice these kind of bugs so they tend to get pushed in other distro's a lot sooner.
damnArch Linux. Always very up-to-date and the AUR is huge. No dealing with PPAs or snaps or flatpaks or appimages. Just paru -S any-software-ever-made. Also very streamlined (systemd for everything lol) and well documented. I tried NixOS for a bit but it was very inconvenient in comparison and I felt like it was impossible to tinker with or understand if you weren't good at Haskell. Terrible documentation.
For servers it's definitely Debian + docker.
undefined> I tried NixOS for a bit but it was very inconvenient in comparison and I felt like it was impossible to tinker with or understand if you weren’t good at Haskell.
You don't need any haskell knowledge to configure a NixOS system. It's mostly just researching the right options and setting the desired values. Pretty simple. For more advanced stuff like custom modules, functional programming experience helps a lot but that's not necessary for installing packages and enabling services.
Documentation isn't great but what it does have going for it is that it's right in the place where you configure it: In the NixOS options. Wanna configure systemd-boot? Just search for it: https://search.nixos.org/options?channel=23.05&size=50&sort=relevance&type=packages&query=systemd-boot
It's self-documenting.
I'm using Mageia at home.
I like its stability, and ease to do almost anything with CCM.
Also Raspbian on a raspberry.
Mageia is one I really liked, but felt limited with the package manager, or more precisely the repository.
I will definitely try it again. It seems so solid yet underrated. I love that it uses .rpm, because it opens up a world of software without the pain of installing from an archive.
What was missing/limiting you in the repo ?
Yes, it's very stable.
A new release is coming in the next weeks/months, maybe a good opportunity to try it again.
I do not remember, probably something I don't even use anymore.
Anyways, stability is more important than anything else. I don't want to be good at troubleshooting my OS, I just want it to work! I have gotten comfortable with installing software manually.
0485I have a proxmox server at home running a Kali and Debian distro atm!
MX Linux, with XFCE. Has some tools built in that makes configuring the system so much easier. The package manager is solid with all the debian repos available, plus flatpaks. Sane DE defaults.
Does not use SystemD, but can be turned on at boot.
It is stellar. I no longer feel the need to distrohop. Yet... It has been awhile.
Also, for reason NVIDIA drivers don't load when I need to enter my encryption password, so life can be better.
I do not care about SystemD, and it seems everything would be easier if I chose a distro that uses it. I may just do that.
I have tried to like Fedora because it is excellent, but I always run into issues that annoy me. I used to adore Manjaro, but it just got worse over the years. Cannot stand it now. I just don't like Arch.
Maybe I will try Pop_OS! again.
Proxmox for VMs. Fedora on my personal workhorse laptop. Arch for my PineTab 2
Kuecki EbenI use NixOS for everything. I have a Nix flake that defines my systems (two VPS, a desktop, a laptop and a little home server) and I can modularize the config snippets that apply to the machines so I can effortlessly reuse them. Add to that the atomic updates and reliable rollback and there you have it.
TomSame here.
bootyberrypancakesRight now, endeavourOS and XFCE on my desktop, Unraid on my server.
EldritchEndeavourOS and KDE on my laptop atm. A couple servers running debian and ubuntu and a fedora box. Variety is the spice of life.
Been on Gentoo for a long time. My current image has been rolling forward since 2008 which is when I switched to 64 bit but I started using it long before that.
I value transparency, control and customizability. I occasionally look into other options (and use them in professional and other contexts) but haven't found anything yet that would work better for my personal preferences.
I envy Gentoo for having x86-64-v3
I actually have my CFLAGS set very conservatively. Stability is more important to me than squeezing out that extra juice and I like to be able to switch to a different CPU family without too much work. My desktop is sort of a ship of Theseus, everything has been replaced several times over the years and it has gone back and forth between AMD and Intel more than once.
chtkI can very much relate to this. I don't think my current desktop install is that old. But the 64 bit switch is my cutoff as well.
I'm so comfortable with Gentoo that I haven't even looked into others distributions. Besides Raspbian that is.
I used Endeavour, but hopped to openSUSE Tumbleweed and I am currently very happy with it!
Whenever I hear someone switching from Arch to something else, I know it is worth it!
I'd say it really depends on the packages that you use. Do you use packages that are mainly only available in AUR?
I use Hyprland and thankfully TW is officially supported unlike Fedora.
Honestly, the programs I use on a daily basis has changed, so what used to matter to me I no longer even look at, even if I install it. My biggest headache has been VPN clients, since those always need to be up to date.
Software like Cura and FreeTube are best when they are the latest version. A lot of this has been solved with flatpaks, but they tend to do their own sandboxing which I appreciate, but is not always what I want. I prefer native packages.
Server: Ubuntu at work (previously CentOS), Debian at home. Toying with the idea to switch the home server to NixOS, given that all the services I run there are already configured declaratively.
Desktop: Ubuntu mainly due to inertia from back in the day when it was the simplest way to get Steam and ZFS support, but my loathing of snaps increases every day and I would be willing to consider alternatives if I had to reinstall. I don't care for rolling release as long as I have flatpaks. An install option with LVM is a must for me, however.
pancakeMint, Manjaro and Gentoo atm.
Mint, Manjaro and Gentoo atm.
WreckingBANGCurrently ZorinOS on my Main Machine and Arch on my Notebook, but when i have my new AMD GPU i will use Fedora.
RedI use Fedora Kinoite for my non-nvidia laptop, and uBlue's nvidia Kinoite image for my desktop. I switched after I got my Steam Deck and found I just really liked the idea of an immutable OS with KDE.
I guess that also means I use SteamOS 3 too!
KDE Neon. I actually love it as a daily driver. It’s stable and familiar and I think it feels quite polished for regular casual use.
Manjaro (btw)
dethleffsVoid for me too. Started my Linux journey a couple of years ago with popos, Debian and finally settled on void, because it's an independent distro.
With Debian 12 being out, I'm back to Debian and for good this time. We got the last plasma 5 and the inclusion of nonfree firmware on theisoo makes it easier to install.
After all these years, Debian still feels like home.
Sploosh the WaterNobara on my main gaming PC, Mint on my laptop, Steam(Arch-base) on my Steam Deck. Virtual servers, mostly Ubuntu, but I play around with Alma, Rocky, Raw Debian, and Arch.
I also play around with random ones on my laptop. Mint is the current one, but I rotate distros for that device every 6-12 months.
No matter what I do I always end up back at Fedora, Silverblue specifically for the last several releases, fits my desire for an OS that gets out of my way and just lets me do what I need to do.
Devuan.
Before that was lubuntu. Snaps and systemd bugged me. Decided it was time to jump ship. Devuan just worked.
SmokeInFogBeen on Linux Mint Cinnamon for at least a decade. I love Cinnamon; most don't take the time to understand how to customize it, and it's not hard. Mint removes all of Canonical's bullshit in Ubuntu and it just works.
Nixos, mostly because I wanted to have configuration manage for my laptop and VPSs, and it solves that and the problem of configuration (installed apps etc. in my case) drifting. Also nix as a whole idea is cool, but I figured that out later.
poorsocialskillsMy initial Linux years ago was RedHat, then Fedora. Since then I’ve generally used Ubuntu mainline with a healthy pile of Gnome customization. Right now I’m looking at Kubuntu or KDE Neon, since I’m finding I prefer KDE Plasma to Gnome.
Manjaro GNOME on my desktop. Still looking into what to install onto my work notebook when I get the new one.
DarthViPop_OS on both laptop and desktop, since it has integrated nvidia graphic drivers and handles them without too much hassle. Before switching to Pop_OS I used to use Fedora for many years.
I use arch on my home server, raspberry pi Os and Ubuntu Server.
Blaire(they/she)I switched from Windows 10 to Nobara last month when I built my new PC! I used Ubuntu back in 2012-2013 but I ended up switching back to Windows. Now that I'm much older my priorities have changed and with the big push for Linux gaming in recent years it seemed like a no-brainer to me. I always enjoyed the tinkering back in the day and now I feel at home.
hobbscMint these days, coming off a several year antiX and MX spell. I switched because I wanted something more pedestrian that would let me run modern diversions without much fuss.
CupcakeRobI've hopped distros in the past, chasing the holy grail of "optimization". Turned out I never noticed much difference with using plain Ubuntu. So I'm using that now for years.
It works. Lots of people use it, so if I run in a problem, probably someone else already found the solution.
And you can alwsys consult the arch wiki to solve Ubuntu problems... 😉
gkdArch wiki is the hitchhikers guide to literally any other distro 90% of the time.
That’s because 90% of the issues happen on Arch first and are then prevented on the other distros. 😉
I'm a opensuse tumbleweed user on my desktop and laptop. I also have an ubuntu home server.
I really like tumbleweed, but I have been thinking of switching to an immutable distro like guix or nix. I've tried guix several times and found it pretty good, but never stick with it due to its lack of KDE plasma support. Maybe I should give nix a try.
MyNameIsRichardI haven't really, I've always been a bit scared off by the alpha warning on kalpa