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Share Your Favorite Linux Distros and Why You Love Them

So we can clearly see the most popular distros and the reasons why people use them, please follow this format:

  • Write the name of the Linux distro as a first-level comment.
  • Reply to that comment with each reason you like the distro as a separate answer.

For example:

  • Distro (first-level comment)
    • Reason (one answer)
    • Other reason (a different answer)

Please avoid duplicating options. This will help us better understand the most popular distros and the reasons why people use them.

nychtelios ,
@nychtelios@rlyeh.icu avatar

NixOS, I have a fetish for configuration files

tetris11 ,
@tetris11@lemmy.ml avatar

I’m currently doing my second pass of Nix after diving deep into it last time and coming out unsatisfied. The same problems that I had before with it are problems I’m seeing again:

  • disjointed configs pulled from random source or build repos on the internet
  • unintuitive grammars with parameters that require you to download an autocompletion spec
  • flakes that aren’t immediately easy to grok

Contrast that with my last Guix experience:

  • Lisp form, super easy to understand grammar
  • Recipes are so trivial that I’ve written three on my first day
  • Source tree is included and you are expected to add branches to it

The only problem with Guix that I can see is that it’s not as popular

nychtelios ,
@nychtelios@rlyeh.icu avatar

Flakes are extremely simple (my whole system is a flake: github.com/cmargiotta/dotfiles ), but they are basically not documented.

The grammar is really really bad, I prefere a lot the Guix one too! I am using NixOS only because the last time I tried Guix I didn’t find a lot of packages for their extremist GNU policy (I agree, but I need some packages), is it still like that?

tetris11 ,
@tetris11@lemmy.ml avatar

is it still like that?

Yes and no – there are now non-free repos (so you can install firefox for example), and even non-free binary repos too.

InternetPirate OP ,

dupe

Cralex ,

PostmarketOS

Cralex ,

• Android-free Linux distribution specializing in supporting older smartphones.

• Up-to-date software based on Alpine Linux and focused on privacy and security.

• Highly portable construction centered around a single software base regardless of what device it’s running on.

  • Goal of keeping a given device running and updated until it physically falls apart.
CalcProgrammer1 ,
@CalcProgrammer1@lemmy.ml avatar
  • Has the widest supported device list of all mobile Linux projects, supports a ton of old Android phones to varying degrees.
tetris11 ,
@tetris11@lemmy.ml avatar

Runs all your favourite programs, on your phone, bells and whistles included

christos ,
@christos@lemmy.world avatar

Linuxmint.

christos ,
@christos@lemmy.world avatar

Rock solid.

Kangie ,

Gentoo

Kangie ,

Huge range of supported architectures

LastoftheDinosaurs ,
@LastoftheDinosaurs@lemmy.world avatar

USE flags let you enable/disable parts of software that you normally have no control over. If you don’t use bluetooth, for example, you can choose not to build bluetooth components when installing software.

fzacq9td ,

Gentoo Linux

fzacq9td ,

Being a source based distro, programs are compiled and optimized to your system configuration. Additionally you can add/remove features you dis/like using USE flags.

count0 ,
@count0@lemmy.dbzer0.com avatar

It allows me to run any weird combination of applications I feel I need on a given day, (fairly) easily integrating basically all open source packages with a custom/local overlay and have those managed as part of the system just like everything else.

Vikthor ,

It has an option to use Open RC init system instead of systemd. Systemd probably isn’t as annoying anymore but I can’t be arsed to make the switch.

alfredb ,
@alfredb@discuss.tchncs.de avatar

LMDE

  • Because it’s Mint & Debian
Lamy ,

Garuda

alternateved ,
@alternateved@lemmy.one avatar

Void

bertmacho ,

Supports musl on every architecture I have. ARM, AARCH64, x86_64 - no problem.

cefadroxilthranduil ,

xbps

alternateved ,
@alternateved@lemmy.one avatar

Stable rolling release

abrr1sz ,
@abrr1sz@beehaw.org avatar

Very KISS. Runit is amazing once you get used to it.

Cralex ,

• Rolling release that is remarkably stable. • Supports a wide variety of architectures. • XBPS package manage • Lightweight, systemd free.

s4if ,
@s4if@lemmy.my.id avatar

EndeavourOS

s4if ,
@s4if@lemmy.my.id avatar

An installer of Archlinux with sane default but also has all of Arch Power

InternetPirate OP ,

Fedora

InternetPirate OP , (edited )

It is has all the good and new stuff without being unstable.

dartanjinn ,

Fedora KDE.

lig ,
@lig@social.fossware.space avatar

Fedora Silverblue

lig ,
@lig@social.fossware.space avatar

The best thing for an inexperienced user. It’s simply unbreakable. Immutability rocks.

Raphael ,
@Raphael@lemmy.world avatar

Except it breaks every couple months and the devs have no concept of rolling updates back.

Source: Silverblue user for 2 years.

lig ,
@lig@social.fossware.space avatar

My wife has been using Fedora Silverblue for almost 4 year on two laptops. There were no issue, nada, what so ever. It really just works. Yes, some bug could occur. And Fedora bug tracker is an awesome place for dealing with that. I believe, nobody will roll back a change just because of a single bug report but in my experience most bugs are being fixed pretty quickly if a reporter provides info to do that.

Raphael ,
@Raphael@lemmy.world avatar

Flatpaks were impossible to install JUST THE OTHER DAY.

lig ,
@lig@social.fossware.space avatar

This is a random hearsay. Please, show a link to the bug report.

Raphael ,
@Raphael@lemmy.world avatar

Sure, why not?

github.com/flatpak/flatpak/issues/5452

Before you get all semantic, despite being on “flatpak” github page, the problem only affected Fedora.

Should I also link to the time where rpm-ostree could not update or install anything? Which of those times should I link?

lig ,
@lig@social.fossware.space avatar

Ok. Bug was fixed. Bugs happen. I guess a regular user will get the fix eventually.

lig ,
@lig@social.fossware.space avatar

Also, that didn’t break the system. Sure, a new app wouldn’t be possible to install but the system worked overall and users were able to perform their tasks;)

Raphael , (edited )
@Raphael@lemmy.world avatar

Ohhh, the narrative is changing, previously you were denying any bad things. Progress, perhaps?

Keep in mind it was impossible to install the distribution when rpm-ostree broke and it would be useless when flatpak broke. Of course, you could check the forums and see workarounds but that’s not very different from downloading an older ISO in any distribution.

Alas good luck being a normal user when you decide to install something because… well, it’s your computer. And then it doesn’t work. Repeat this for multiple days several times a year because Fedora devs have no concept of rolling back updates and you got yourself a problem.

dovedozen ,

MX Linux

dovedozen ,

The MX Snapshot utility & other built-in tools make it instantly functional as a daily driver, even for people new to Linux, and the Quick System Info is such a handy baseline for troubleshooting if you run into problems and need help from the community. All the stuff that’s provided out of the box just makes it a really practical distro to learn on!

hobbsc ,

MX Linux

Option for no systemd, great community, good overall appearance, great set of custom tools.

xoggy ,
@xoggy@programming.dev avatar

Alpine – In praise of Alpine and apk

zbb ,

Debian.

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