Debian as more mainstream than Arch?
I’ll be honest, I hate Windows 11 but the plethora of Linux distros as well as opinions on them gives me serious decision paralysis.
Pick one. Use it for a while. Try a different one.
If you just want something that works out of the box and are very new to Linux, I’d grudgingly recommend Ubuntu, and highly recommend Debian-based mint.
(Ubuntu is easier to get started but I’m not a fan for a few reasons.)
If you’re familiar with Linux or don’t mind jumping into a learning curve, Endeavor OS is my current driver, and I’m liking it.
- Grab Ubuntu - super easy for new Linux users.
- install next to windows. Don’t replace it.
Just get a feel and poke around.
The moment one of those Linux users see that I said Ubuntu they’re going to froth at the mouth and lose their entire minds. It’s like their identity is tied to only using the most obscure, unpopular nonsense.
It’s easy enough - and the Snap store (app) is good enough for what you’d need. Its not the best in some situations, but if you’re not doing anything crazy and you just want to search web or whatever without all the surveillance and copilot slop being forced onto you - it’s a good start.
It’s a learning curve, but it’s not bad. I use Libre Office instead of MS Office now. Shortcuts and interface still fucks with me after growing up with MS Office products.
I dual boot Linux and windows on both my machines. When I game - I boot up windows. When I do anything else, I boot up Linux.
Seconded. Everyone shits on Ubuntu, but it’s solid, well-supported, and is low-friction both for install and daily use.
It also has decent Nvidia support and Steam runs well on it, so (most) mainstream gaming is a real possibility here.
Ubuntu has also gotten a lot better and promising in recent years, too.
Except Snap shenanigans. Snap always shenanigans. The Snap pushing is eternal… Though Entrop is right that it’s mostly just a power-user worry.
Though Entrop is right that it’s mostly just a power-user worry.
Not entirely. I’ve had a few snaps become useless when it comes down to providing configuration data. How an individual snap integrates into the filesystem depends on the author/packaging, and quality varies. Ultimately, it’s a PITA since the mapped filesystem paths are not in the stock/standard locations the product docs say they are. I chalk this up to packaging software that existed pre-Snap, or the original authors did not do the Snap packaging. It’ll probably get better as the ecosystem matures, but right now, it’s not a great experience unless the Snap-ed package can run as-is.
Just pick one, burn the ISO to a USB stick and run a live version. When your done checking it out, shut down, unplug the USB stick, and boot back into windows. You can do this with any distro you are curious about, and once you find one you feel comfortable with you can install it.
My mom hates windows but is also uncomfortable with moving to a new OS, so this is what I did for her. She settled on Mint and now I’m taking an old laptop my dad gave me and I’m going to install Mint on that so she can use it full time but still have her windows machine for the time being. Once she’s comfortable with Mint I’ll move her over completely with the current windows computer since it’s far more up to date and powerful.
No TempleOS no HannaMontanaLinux and you call it a meme? How dare you.
Corporate+Niche quadrant could be populated with dead systems that only hobbyists use. Amusingly, there’s too many to fit onto this chart.
Debian can and will break.
FreeBSD is actually pretty mainstream because everyone who doesn’t want to follow GPL or any copy left licenses tends to use it.
Which usually ends up being large companies like Netflix, Sony, or Nintendo.
is it really still the same system if it’s a radically divergent userland? (see: android as a linux distribution)
For the consumer tech yeah that makes sense, but I actually meant for infrastructure and workstations where you would otherwise be using linux.
HaikuOS is way more niche and obscure than FreeBSD or LFS. The only thing more niche than that would probably be TempleOS.
you motherf… scare the shit out of me. putting mint that far right. make me look at the axes like a chump
I feel like CachyOS should be further to Niche than Arch
Yeah, in what world is it one tick more corporate/authoritarian than Arch?
This is absolutely terrible.
excuse but GEOS where
macOS*
I use NixOS btw.
Putting Kali Linux, a Distro specifically for cybersecurity and hackers, anywhere near the “corporate” axis, could be considered a war crime in some places.
I think that GrapheneOS is an amazing underappreciated project and deserves more attention.
I think it’s overappreciated. There are alternatives that better fit the needs of most users, support more phone models and are developed by people more responsive to their users’ needs that Graphene.
GrapheneOS currently supports only Google Pixel devices because they are the only Android smartphones that meet all of its strict security requirements: an unlockable bootloader, proper verified boot implementation, state of the art security chip, and long-term, reliable security updates. Most other manufacturers either don’t provide these features or disable critical security functions when an alternative OS is installed.
But what I find particularly impressive is how efficiently the team operates: with likely fewer than 15 full-time developers, they consistently roll out updates within days, sometimes even ahead of Google’s official Android releases. I think the system is very balanced, a lot of the hardening stuff works in the background without really breaking anything. I had some troubles with very specific apps but most of the time it just works.
That said, their communication style and transparency can sometimes come across as aggressive or uncompromising. Pioneers in FOSS projects often prioritize progress and principle over diplomacy, and GrapheneOS is no exception.
I know all this. 99% of users are using less secure ROMs so clearly top-notch security is not a must have for most people. Saying that someone needs Graphene OS because of security while using other ROMs makes no sense.
Other ROMs are as good or better for privacy, come pre-installled on many devices including Fairphone and have features GrapheneOS devs refuse to add simply because they know better what users should use (like pattern unlock). GrapheneOS is great, I’m using it myself, but a lot of people behave like the only choice is between stock Android or GrapheneOS on a Pixel device while there are many other great options.
Can’t ague with that. You’re not wrong. I just liked to express my joy and a shout out to that incredible dev team behind GrapheneOS. That does not mean other roms are shit. Its just every other rom I tried over the years stoppt working at some point or the project silently died.
In the super niche and very corporate corner, you should put Windows Server, because nobody uses Windows fucking Server.
