GL! Hope you have a great time.

Check out wesnoth.org/ and supertuxkart.net/Main_Page :D

SuperTuxKart

SuperTuxKart Evolution The next major release of SuperTuxKart, named SuperTuxKart Evolution is currently under development.

^SuperTuxKart

and never bothers me

For some time... but nowadays I would never go for anything not rolling release anymore.

Because those distro upgrades were traditionally when something broke (or there were just too many changes requiring my attention at the same time), triggering a fresh install... usually combined with trying another distro.

You do a massive disservice to the overwhelming majority of computer users.

By explicitly telling the rest why Bazzite probably isn't for them?

I use NixOS myself and I love it, i'll never use another distro again. plus with distrobox I don't even need to use another distro, I already have all the major ones on my NixOS System.

If you do decide to go the Nix route keep in mind there's really no right nor wrong way to have your system set up. it's all personal preference. Some people will say flakes are the way to go, some people will say the opposite. Some people like having their system in modules, some don't. Some like using the home-manager, some don't. It's all up to you. All I will suggest though is if you do try Nix set up a Git repo somewhere like on codeberg for it. Just makes things easier.

The installer if pretty nice as is the post install I will give it that. Maybe that is the most important part.

I guess I just am surprised by how many people choose it as their "windows replacement" when it is very non windows like.

Also: it is ubuntu tainted, that is never good. Then cinnamin, mate, or lxde which are kind of a pain in the ass unless you are willing to put up with it because you like it.

Lack of any real searching in the ui, a terrible file manager, an older kernel, and so on.

welcome to the penguin. distro hop a bit, see what you like.

initially though, you should focus on what DE you are choosing rather than the distro itself, as it is the focal point of the OS, especially for beginners.

I migrated my mother to GNOME (on Debian), that's very much unlike Windows, but she immediately got it. The overview of open programs is similar to what she knows on Android, for example. She is someone that struggles with email attachments from time to time, but GNOME works well for her.

It does not have to look like Windows to work for people. People use phones a lot more these days and those do not run Windows (hopefully, at least, cause that's dead).

a bit is an understatement. reminds me of windows 7 era ux design. iirc their wayland support isn't that great either.

not that it doesn't work, but there are alternatives that much better represents what linux can be right now.

so I might try something else first. Any recommendations?

distrowatch.com/

try 'em all.

Edit: PS: distrowatch's search is handy: e.g. distrowatch.com/search.php?def… [Edit: PS: maybe try {in approximate increasing ambitiousness] antix, devuan (or other respins of devuan, like expiron, peppermint, vendefoul, shebang, gnuinos), pclinuxos, salix, slackel, slackware, calculatelinux, artix, obarun, voidlinux, decibellinux, gentoo, crux (or kwort), sidelinux(?), milis(?),bedrock, guixSD, LFS. Or whatever... :) Have fun exploring.

A matter of preference.

1 reason it's wrong to me: nosystemd.org/

USB pendrives are good enough.

Or even DVDs. :D

Try many distros without installing them.

Everybody was distro surfing. :)

Oh, you can do serious work with GNOME, most people try to force it into something that it is not.

This video gives a good overview:

I know many people that prefer GNOME for their work in IT. I prefer Sway, but use GNOME on phones and tablets, where it works great for me.

I've been Bedrock Linux daily driving since its second alpha release, and, it's difficult to see its use for a newbie to Linux, since it's usefulness naturally only seems to become apparent once familiar with at least two different distros. But... perhaps, if one were keen enough to learn, and read carefully... it's plausible, even if only ever used one distro... even if only still intending to use only one distro (yes, can have multiple strata of the same distro (handy, e.g. for staggered upgrades across major versions, different arrangements and so on).

... Like I said in my review on distrowatch:

I used to be a rabid distroholic. Whether you call it distro surfing, or distro hopping, or distro browsing, I did a lot. Filled spools of cd and dvd before usb booting.

BedrockLinux cured me of my distroholism.

No longer have to choose which one distro to use and contribute to.

But that's probably some time away yet for the OP.

There's GuixSD too.

Basically the same as NixOS, but purely Free Software only, and, instead of being configured by a bespoke configuration language unique to it, GuixSD is configured in Guile, so you'd be learning a transferable skill at least. I hear NixOS's package repository's unbeaten though.

No, not really. If it's set up right, it pretty much just works. I use it on my work computer and never mess around with anything, just use it and sync packages every month or so.

Honestly a distro called Nobara was a huge let down for me compared to Arch.
It was effortless to install and came out with cool tweaks, but in just 6 months of usage it randomly broke like 4 times, every time I was supposed to check their discord server to get info on what broke and how to fix it. From Plasma not loading and opening crash report window indefinitel, to bootloop with update screen, to experimental drivers being shipped causing hard GPU crashes. And this is recommended for newbies? I'd rather give preconfigured Arch (like CachyOS) to newbie than this.

I just got a new laptop for my work (which I also use for personal stuff, it’s a family business).

It came with Windows 11 but I’d got a bigger SSD which I’d installed before I’d even turned it on so Windows never even got a chance to boot.

I installed one of the Fedora atomic distros and it seems to be pretty good, though I’m trying to figure out how to tune battery life. I’ve setup TLP but haven’t noticed any improvement, though, it’s still much better than when I first tried Linux on a laptop.

I’d never used Fedora before, but the first distro I ever used was Ubuntu Dapper Drake and I’ve dipped my toes occasionally since then, but never fully committed until now

Except when it doesn't. And really people are missing out, because there is so much more out there. I was playing with it today and I wonder how many people think that is what linux is? Fedora Gnome or KDE is even simpler and also just works.

But choice is good. I am just always surprised how often it is the default linux for new people. When it would be pretty low on my choice of distros. I set it up as a spare computer for guests a few years ago and it turned out to be more of a chore than I wanted to deal with.

Yikes on the Nobara experience. Will avoid. Not that I ever felt the need to explore or hop beyond Arch. Discord as the main communication channel? That screams immature project IMO.

I have the same experience as you with Arch. In probably a decade of use I've only reinstalled when buying new computers. It's just so solid. I use it both for work and at home. 👌

...yeah it does break sometimes. Right now my grandma has it on her spare computer, which is a potato, and she said she didn't know it was linux on there, even though I told her when I installed it. It's mostly used as a bootloader for the browser, and it's dual booting whichever windows and mint

It doesn't always work, I agree, but for some people it does what they need.

If it's broke, I will absolutely try to fix it anyways, but not on anyone elses stuff.

I have mint as a safe distro, so if I mess up my stuff trying to use a distro I'm not ready for, I can take 3 minutes(ish) fixing it and hoping I didn't wipe the bios or anything else important off my computer when I tried installing arch with no clue how.

Umm... With 2 free computers and nothing on them.

Run down the list and install all the different distros. Test them out for a few weeks then onto the next. Pretty soon you'll one that you prefer.

Yes. And they improved the updater it used to be much more confusing.

Its too out of date and doesn't have KDE so it really isn't for me.

OpenSUSE is very less recommended but I would suggest it

media.ccc.de/v/5012-the-first-…

Also check out their AEON it is still in RC but worth looking out for. Meanwhile Fedora immutable can be used with Intel.

The first encrypted Steam Deck runs openSUSE

The Steam Deck has transformed mobile gaming — but in one crucial area, it still lags behind: security. Until now, no Steam Deck-focused ...

^media.ccc.de

Mint is very boring and middle of the road, exactly as a default recommendation should be. They are also very protective of the user experience. They are unlikely to embarrass me.

Mint has a familiar UX if you are new to Linux. It is not nearly as foreign or locked down as GNOME. It is not as configurable and complex as KDE. There are good GUI tools for most common tasks.

Mint does not change too rapidly or have too many updates but the desktop and tools are kept up-to-date.

They are being very conservative with the Wayland transition. But nobody on Mint is moaning that Wayland is not ready. They are very protective about the user experience.

And there is really no desktop use case that Mint is not suitable for.

I do not use Mint but it is a very solid recommendation for “normal” users.

I think Pop!OS is back to being that too and COSMIC is Wayland only (so no future transition to manage).

"Intel UHD Graphics aren't really recommended"

Because Bazzite is gaming oriented and Intel UHD is barely good enough to render a display?

Listen, I use guix so I'm not against you, but claiming that Guile, or even any scheme / lisp, is a transferable skill is a stretch 😛

As a software developer for 20 years, configuring guix is the only time I've encountered guile. And the only time I've used any kind of lisp is when I forced myself to during a coding challenge or advent of code thing, just for interest's sake.

So again, I know what you're saying, but for me, deep in the industry, guile might as well be a bespoke language for configuring guix 😅

Yeah! I was just coming here to recommend GuixSD or NixOS! Not because they're normal, but because they're not, and you have an opportunity to screw around 😅

Fedora and Debian are different but also pretty similar. Arch or Gentoo are more different. The atomics like bazzite and silverblue are even more different. And then there's NixOS and GuixSD that are basically a completely different paradigm of how to setup a system. And that might be frustrating if it doesn't work for you, but as a test computer go wild! Heck, try NixOS and GuixSD to experience their differences from each other!

The only other thing I might recommend for a challenge is something like Linux From Scratch where you don't have any distro and you just build everything yourself. Definitely not recommended for normal people! It's a project rather than something you can just try out for a weekend. And it may be frustrating, who knows. But if you're into that kind of thing it may be enlightening!

NixOS (and GuixSD) is a whole operating system. But base guix and Nix is a package manager that you can install into any existing distro and use for as many or as few packages as you want.

So you can give it a shot in roughly no time, is what I'm saying.

The main difference between the full system ones and the package manager ones is obviously that it manages system level packages and the kernel, but also that they have configuration systems setup to run daemons and manage system config. But other than that it's just the same paradigm as the package manager version.

1 reason it’s wrong to me: nosystemd.org/

Under "Notable bugs and security issues" there is a big list of issues which were all (afaict) fixed many years ago.

There have been reasonable philosophical objections to systemd, some of which are still relevant, and as that site shows there are still many distros without it, but for the vast majority of desktop users who want something that JustWorks... using a mainstream distro with systemd is the way to go.

This blog post from pmOS covers some of the pain of trying to use KDE or GNOME without it.

Adding systemd to postmarketOS

Aiming for a 10 year life-cycle for smartphones

^postmarketOS

But, that you did not transfer those skills to any of the things, or write your own from scratch, nor make use of that superpower seems to be just on you, and while that may be true for you, that it might as well be just a bespoke language only for configuring guix, the skills still remain transferable, if not yet transferred. ;)

(And, I do get what you're saying... I have similar for haskell, the effectively bespoke configuration language just for xmonad (~ plus a chatbot)).

What Makes Guile the Superpower You Didn't Know Your Software Needed?

Unlocking Practical Freedom with Guile: A Must-Have for Every Developer's Toolbox

^{Aarav Joshi (JS Schools)}

I suspected nosystemd.org had not been kept up to date with the issues... indicated by it proposing some distros that kinda dont exist any more.

Still worth consideration.

Some may realise they do not like that philosophy, and prefer a philosophy that empowers them more deeply with simpler software they could comprehend more easily in its entirety, than mere convenience of going with the popular thick opaque plastic wrap over complexity. Some may prefer a more unix-philosophy of "do one thing, well", than a gestalt of a pretense of that in a complicated monolith doing all things (arguably if not poorly, precariously, with a single point of failure/usurpation).