What Linux Operating Systems do you like?

I've currently got 10 Debian VMs running 24x7 and they never crash. I have one running OpenVPN that sometimes loses connection but I'm pretty sure that's down to my VPN provider.

Takes less than 10 minutes to create a VM, install from the Netinst ISO and do the basic configuration (Proxmox). Much quicker with a template.
 
My distro hopping has finally ended....I think.
I've had Linux Mint blazing on my crummy Inspiron 15 3535 for a month or two. It just works and lets me do light-medium stuff without being nagged. I just love its simplicity and it's software manager is the best I've used. The biggest benefit is battery life - Under Windows 11 Bloat I was hitting some 5hrs tops so I was perma tethered to mains. Under Mint I am hitting 7-8hrs. At first I thought this was just a poor estimate from the Mint Power Settings code but it really wasn't.

On my old 2011 Sandybridge gaming rig at me mums, I've got Garuda Linux running for gaming. Satisfactory and other Steam games run without a hitch and as fast as their windows bloat versions did, if not faster. Garuda was a surprise - I haven't even touched Terminal as everything I require is a click away. It is just so fast and robust.
 
I started out on Mint earlier this year, tried out Debian 12 on recommendation and liked KDE, but found the packages a bit too old for my 12700K and 7900 XTX system so switched to Fedora. I'm very happy with Fedora 40 so will be sticking with it for a bit. I'm sure something new will tempt me away from it at some point. I'm just happy to not be on Windows 11 anymore.
 
Mint here. Feels familiar enough in a Windows 2K sort of way to get around, and pretty much does everything I've asked of it so far without needing to do much outside of a GUI (about 12 months now of having it on dual boot, with only launching Windows very occasionally now for very specific games).

I'd Previously tried numerous flavours over the years and more recently dipped my toes with Mint, Pop! and Arch but only Mint stuck for me. Mint has been very good for compatibility (5800X3D, 7800XTX) - only problems have been heavy-handed DRM from Adobe, Microsoft & some streaming platforms, and some more obscure stuff (force feedback with ancient hardware for MS flight sim that is just easier under Windows).

Mint has since spread in our house. First on my desktop, then my laptop, then the Media PC, then my partner's laptop. Next up is probably the arcade cabinet, although I'm really not looking forward to trying to configure everything on that and will probably look into a distro more suited to the job than one designed to be a desktop OS first.
 
stoofer said:
Mint has since spread in our house. First on my desktop, then my laptop, then the Media PC, then my partner's laptop. Next up is probably the arcade cabinet, although I'm really not looking forward to trying to configure everything on that and will probably look into a distro more suited to the job than one designed to be a desktop OS first.
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For your arcade cabinet check out Batocera. It’s designed from the ground up for arcade cabinets (or similar) and has a great big screen interface. I have it installed on my own arcade cabinet and it’s been rock solid. The most difficult thing I found was slimming down the interface to show only the games I had as the distro includes emulators for just about every games machine imaginable.
 
So Debian does not like my am5 8500g with integrated gfx. only 800 by 600 resolution available.

Tried amdgpu package, no dice.

Fedora and Ubuntu are playing nicely but don't really want to change. Might have to wait it out until new debian version.
 
well i took the plunge, after being disgusted by all the bloatware and spyware coming on windows 11, and put Linux Mint on a spare HD i had kicking about. Havnt used a linux system for 10 years now, due to an old job having various clients running it. Its certainly moved on since then! wow. Loved it. The only thing thats stopping me going full time on it for now is that there is some software i need to use which controls my telescopes and astro cameras, and theres no linux drivers for them yet. but im keeping my eyes on it for the future. Got another year on Win 10 so fingers crossed the apps i need will move over.
 
FlamBango said:
The only thing thats stopping me going full time on it for now is that there is some software i need to use which controls my telescopes and astro cameras, and theres no linux drivers for them yet. but im keeping my eyes on it for the future.
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Unless you've already checked see if they will run with Wine.
 
After the CentOS changes I had moved more to Alma but now slowly switching to Rocky instead, mainly for testing etc or where Redhat costs are not budgeted.

EDIT: a little moan, minimum images are no longer minimal are they, think the last one I grabbed was 2.5gb, crazy.
 
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Ice Tea said:
Unless you've already checked see if they will run with Wine.
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The only real time I have issues on Linux is if something requires specific drivers that don't exist on Linux, my Sena SRL2 headset for my motorbike being a good example - the software installs but it won't connect. In instances like that I just have a basic Windows VM that I boot up if i need to update the firmware.
 
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Ice Tea said:
Fedora




It's this sort of shizzle that make me go running back to Ubuntu. :D
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Simliar thing for me but with EOS. I get the urge to distrohop every now and then but so much stuff works out of the box (e.g. nvidia) or is easier to set up (e.g. low latency audio) with EndeavorOS despite Arch based stuff usually being a ball ache to set up. It's mostly moving away from a rolling distro to something a bit more inherently stable but I can't be bothered to work it all out again. I wish there was a setting to not process updates younger than 1 week old.

I'll wait until an update bricks my system before I try Fedora or opensuse tumbleweed.
 
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Mr_Orange said:
Simliar thing for me but with EOS. I get the urge to distrohop every now and then but so much stuff works out of the box (e.g. nvidia) or is easier to set up (e.g. low latency audio) with EndeavorOS despite Arch based stuff usually being a ball ache to set up. It's mostly moving away from a rolling distro to something a bit more inherently stable but I can't be bothered to work it all out again. I wish there was a setting to not process updates younger than 1 week old.

I'll wait until an update bricks my system before I try Fedora or opensuse tumbleweed.
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I don't think this is true anymore. I certainly haven't found that anyway.

There is now a really good Arch installer and once you get used to pacman/yay then package management is fine. Having access to the AUR is useful for some applications. Just set up Timeshift so that you have a recovery in case things get screwed up but I'd recommend doing that whatever Distro was being used.

I'm on Arch for some time now and I've been via EOS and Manjaro. I haven't found Arch any worse to set up than those.
 
Buffalo2102 said:
I don't think this is true anymore. I certainly haven't found that anyway.

There is now a really good Arch installer and once you get used to pacman/yay then package management is fine. Having access to the AUR is useful for some applications. Just set up Timeshift so that you have a recovery in case things get screwed up but I'd recommend doing that whatever Distro was being used.

I'm on Arch for some time now and I've been via EOS and Manjaro. I haven't found Arch any worse to set up than those.
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Yeah archinstall is really solid, for me Arch and Fedora is what I mainly use when I use Linux, Arch if I want 100% bleeding edge, and Fedora if I want something new but maybe bit more stable
 
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