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So, which distro is the ready one?
I use Arch (obligatory)
But I run Fedora with KDE on a chrome book and a low end laptop. There has been zero admin stuff to do. Everything has worked out of the box, updates are uneventful, and surprisingly packages have at times been ahead of Arch.
Also worth mentioning that the Desktop of my Steamdeck is stable as can be too. I use it when I travel with a portable keyboard and I never have to do anything with it either.
I would use Debian, Suse, nearly ANYTHING except Ubuntu. That is the one that always fails for me.
Mint
They're all fine, but Hannah Montana Linux is the best.
Hannah Montana Linux
Linux mint
Fedora with KDE is stupid easy
Arch
Opensuse/Fedora.
Strange, because in this thread alone I have seen recommendations for PopOS, Arch, Mint Cinnamon, EndeavorOS, Bazzite, NixOS, and Ubuntu.
Even ZorinOS got a mention.
So why isn't it Debian?
So why isn't it Debian?
As a ride or die Debian fan, I can answer this:
A lot of really nice updates happened in the last year, and we're not going to see a lot of them in Debian stable until 2 or 3 years from today.
If you're already running Debian, you'll probably just be delighted when they reach Debian stable.
But if I'm recommending a "how's Linux today?" test, grab something that already includes the latest quality of life features. There's been some really nice stuff added to Gnome and KDE and various Flatpaks, this year.
Edit: In about two years I'll probably be back to saying "forget all that, just run Debian Stable, because the very best stuff is already there."
Of course, if the current trend of great updates continues another two years, I may have to eat my words, lol.
Edit: In about two years I’ll probably be back to saying “forget all that, just run Debian Stable, because the very best stuff is already there.”
Then there will just be some other stuff that has been developed that people want ;-)
Then there will just be some other stuff that has been developed that people want ;-)
Yeah. As a "DOS was good enough" person, I honestly didn't expect so exited for all the updates in Gnome this year. But the Gnome team is on a hot streak. I really may get to eat my "Debian stable is all I need" words again in a few years.
It depends on your hardware if it is Debian. Debian prefers to use an older kernel until the next point release comes, which is nice because a random update likely won't break your system.
But... speaking from experience: expect issues (missing drivers etc.) if your hardware is too new.
Fedora the test bed bleeding edge is stable?
I often see people recommend arch and fedora to newbies and then wondering why people turn away from Linux, they should recommend Linux mint, or and steam os
...Ubuntu?
Ubuntu betrayed the community with some opaque proprietary bullshit. We don't recommend it to newbies anymore, because they won't know when to jump ship to avoid a lot of headaches later.
Ubuntu may still be fine for advanced users who know what deal they're making with which devil.
But I don't feel ethical recommending Ubuntu to newbies anymore.
Steam OS is based on arch, and outside of the Steam Deck it's really not that great of a distro. It's just tailor-made for that hardware and has good brand recognition.
Bazzite is a similar concept but operates better as an actual OS outside of being a gaming console.