this post was submitted on 16 Mar 2024
156 points (94.8% liked)

Linux

48216 readers
710 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

Related Communities

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

founded 5 years ago
MODERATORS
 

As the title says, I've been using various flavours of Arch basically since I started with Linux. My very first Linux experience was with Ubuntu, but I quickly switched to Manjaro, then Endeavour, then plain Arch. Recently I've done some spring cleaning, reinstalling my OS's. I have a pretty decent laptop that I got for school a couple years ago (Lenovo Ideapad 3/AMD). Since I'm no longer in school, I decided to do something different with it.

So, I spent Thursday evening installing Debian 12 Gnome. I have to say, so far, it has been an absolute treat to use. This is the first time I've given Gnome a real chance, and now I see what all the hype is about. It's absolutely perfect for a laptop. The UI is very pleasing out of the box, the gestures work great on a trackpad, it's just so slick in a way KDE isn't (at least by default). The big thing though, is the peace of mind. Knowing that I'm on a fairly basic, extremely stable distro gives me confidence that I'll never be without my computer due to a botched update if, say, I take it on a trip. I'm fine with running the risks of a rolling distro at home where I can take an afternoon to troubleshoot, but being a laptop I just need it to be bulletproof. I also love the simplicity of apt compared to pacman. Don't get me wrong, pacman is fantastically powerful and slick once you're used to it, but apt is nice just for the fact that everything is in plain English.

I know this is sort of off topic, I just wanted to share a bit of my experience about the switch. I don't do much distro-hopping, so ended up being really pleasantly surprised.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] danielfgom@lemmy.world 4 points 8 months ago

I agree. I did a lot of distro hopping when new to Linux to try all the desktops and have the latest apps etc. But after years of that I just wanted something stable that will be reliable and I don't have to maintain.

I installed Linux Mint Debian Edition 6 as soon as it was released and it's fantastic. Stable Debian base with Cinnamon on top. I couldn't be happier.

I've always been confused by pacman/arch in general and always preferred apt which I find straightforward.

As one who worked in IT for years, I'm tired of micro managing systems and unnecessary complications. Linux Mint Debian Edition/Debian + apt just keeps it simple.

Timeshift is a must. Creates a system restore point in the event that an upgrade goes wrong and it really works well. I highly recommend that to all Linux users.

I also like Warpinator which is Linux Mint's version of airdrop. Works between my android and my pc perfectly.

And there is tons of help online for Debian, unlike other distros.