A few beginner questions about the differences between distros.
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If you need a replacement for full fledged Visual Studio, JetBrains has you covered. Clion for C/C++ and Rider for C#.
Visual Studio Code works great on Linux.
C# is my bread and butter for personal projects. I use IntelliJ at work so might give rider a try.
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By and large, distros package the same software so which one you pick is more or less a matter of taste. As a beginner you won't have the knowledge to take advantage of documentation/instructions that are not written for your specific distro, so pick one of the more popular ones.
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No, distro owners won't be a problem in the same way that microsoft or apple are. Don't worry about that: the moment they do something unsavory (even remotely) their projects will be forked, and switching to a different distro is not a big deal anyway.
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If you like to tinker you will break your system, not because linux is fragile (it is not) but because knowledge of low-level stuff is widespread and the temptation to thinker with it is too great. Here I'd recommend to look into system snapshots and how they integrate with boot options (eg. opensuse tumbleweed automatically snapshosts your system when you update it and during boot you can choose to boot into a previous snapshot - surely other distros do the same and if they don't you can set it up yourself).
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The short answer is "use KDE"
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KDE is great. The DE you choose matters (IMHO) more that the distro, because once you are familiar with a DE and its shortcuts it's a pain to switch, and also because once you are used to some feature it's enormously frustrating to switch to a DE that doesn't have it
From what I hear (I switched to Amd years ago), it's not hard to make the Nvidia cards work properly, but it's a recurring hassle and there are lots of things that are more fun to thinker with... unless specific reasons you need an nvidia card, I'd suggest selling it off and replacing it with a second-hand AMD/Intel one.
Yeah, I've been thinking of Upgrading my PC once I have the capital. I might end up fully switching off Intel. I chose Intel when I did my build because AMD had a bit of a reputation of poor reliability. I understand though that they've since far outgrown it.
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the distro matters, but as a general rule, start with mint cinnamon because it's easy and super stable. different distros use different components and they are configured differently, so if you face issues and incompatibility on mint, fedora may work better for example. for me it's the other way around. also on debian or ubuntu based distros you have the biggest selection of programs available. not sure what packages you are referring to..just applications in general? it's as easy as just installing or uninstalling them from your package manager / software center or whatever.
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ubuntu is owned by canonical, I'd say avoid that. mint is derived from ubuntu, but it has a debian edition so it's not threatened if ubuntu gets further enshittified.
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I recently used kububtu for a week, something to note: it's running very far behind, using plasma 5.27. in my experience, kde in general seems to have lots of customization but a lot of it is just broken. all the themes you can find, most won't install, animations are laggy (I suspect nvidia issue). downvotes incoming, but that's just my experience. it may work for you though idk. fedora official and pop use gnome, which I have very limited experience with, but I remember it not giving too much control to the user with customization if that's what you're after, also what's with the full screen app launcher? in cinnamon you will find a lot of customization and it all works. it's also very familiar to use if you're coming from windows.
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do your monitors have different refresh rates? that was an issue, I think that got fixed in wayland. x11 will not be your friend. someone correct me on this one if I'm wrong.
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I stand by what I said in 3, but go ahead and try them in usb live environment and see if you find it okay to use. btw you can install KDE plasma in mint too, you're not married to the DE that your distro ships with.
you are probably going to need to set up a virtualbox and use photoshop in windows, I hear it doesn't work well in wine.
Yeah, I did just mean applications in general. Also, not married to PS. It's just what I use. I don't mind switching.
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Shameless self promotion: https://lemm.ee/post/37682729
It won't answer all of your answers, but it should at least give you a good primer on what distros are and what are the main key takeaways.
I love a bit of shameless self promotion. Especially if it's that comprehensive.
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Not really unless you're hyper-focused on a very specific type of performance. Even then, you can always enable/disable whatever bits and pieces because it's all software, and it's all open. There are guides or threads for absolutely everything out there. A distro only organizes it simpler on base install to make it easier ootb.
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Linux itself does not do any data collection. Never heard of any distro enabling anything by default, and you can tip it right out anyway if you want, though it's more work. If you're concerned about this though, stay away from Ubuntu, as that is the one corporate backed distro that is more likely to lean into this.
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Fedora is probably what you want. It's taken over the helm Ubuntu used to have as the default to try. Clean, simple, no bullshit, huge community.
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Linux, no, but you're conflating a few things. Linux is the kernel, the desktop you choose to run is what does the graphical session management. Both KDE and Gnome are fine with this, though there is an argument that KDE is a tad ahead in this realm with their VRR implementation.
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Gnome is more akin to MacOS. KDE is more Windows-like (but still not at all). Try both on a liveUSB for a bit and see which you like.
At the end of the day you can run practically anything on a liveUSB for as long as you want before installing, even games (within reason). Be comfortable in the knowledge that if there is something you don't like a particular thing, you can change it to act however you want. Like I said above, it's all just software. It's going to be a little tough coming from a Windows-centric to realize this at first, but I assure you, installing and running one distro absolutely does not lock you into anything at all because you can just install and remove absolutely everything.
Now, hardware compatibility is a different story. The Linux kernel itself is what does all the hardware management, so if your hardware is too new, there may not be full support for a particular thing. It sounds like you're on an older machine though, so unless it's got some really obscure hardware in it, everything should be detected and load straight out of the box. Again, try a few liveUSB runs and make sure, it's that simple.
Copy that. Got myself a USB so I'll do some playing. Thanks for the clarification. As for hardware, only weird thing might be my sound card but we'll see how that plays out.
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Does the distro I pick matter?
Packages
When you install a distro it will have repositories of apps that you can easily install and easily keep updated using either the GUI (GNOME Software for GNOME, Discover for KDE) or the package manager in terminal (dnf in Fedora, apt in kubuntu and mint). It's similar to how you install apps on a smartphone.
The good thing about the apps from the default repository is that they're (in theory) tested to work well with the distro.
You can also install applications from other sources when necessary.
Update Frequency and new tech
Another difference is how new kernel and software you get from the repos.
The latest Debian Stable runs kernel 6.1 while Fedora just updated to 6.12 and arch has been running 6.12 since december.
If you're running the newest hardware then the chance of having drivers available automatically increases with a newer kernel. -
Company-run distros and alternatives:
In my opinion Ubuntu is the ones doing the most forcing as of now, and even they are angels compared to Microsoft.
Fedora had discussions about including opt-out Telemetry to aid them getting data to improve the distro. They listened to community feedback and backpedaled that into opt-in metrics:
https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Changes/Telemetry
https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Changes/Metrics
Debian and Arch are both examples of distros without enterprise involvement and that have no upstream distro that can affect their releases.
Map of distros here: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1b/Linux_Distribution_Timeline.svg -
Stability of the distro:
Of your frontrunners I've only run Fedora but that has been stable and been working well for me for my primary PC. So has Debian which I run on my servers (I have a Debian VM running Portainer for dockers, one for running Jellyfin and a third for Forgejo). -
Monitor support
Multi monitor support
I don't have the desktop space for double monitors personally, but I've heard that KDE 6 (Plasma) handles multi monitor support well.
HDR
Should be working since November
- Both KDE and GNOME are customizable. KDE is more similar to Windows and I realized that most of my GNOME customizations was to make it more similar to Windows and KDE. I've since switched to KDE and must say I really enjoy having a proper file browser as default. Nautilus (default GNOME file browser) has been simplified to death and caused me to create a script to replace it with nemo.
Nvidia is a whole lot simpler to use than people make it sound like, though I'll stay team red:
https://rpmfusion.org/Howto/NVIDIA#Current_GeForce.2FQuadro.2FTesla
Fedora guide for Nvidia drivers unless you're running a really old card:sudo dnf update -y # Update your machine and reboot sudo dnf install akmod-nvidia # Installs the driver sudo dnf install xorg-x11-drv-nvidia-cuda #optional for cuda/nvdec/nvenc support (required for Davinci Resolve)- Gaming including emulation
First person shooters with kernel intrusive AV won't work in Linux as they expect to spy on a Windows OS.
Other than that gaming on Linux is really getting there as I'm sure you've realized when using a Steamdeck.
Outside of Steam you have Heroic Games Launcher, Lutris and Bottles for running windows games on Linux.
I'm mostly using Lutris but I think Heroic Games launcher is the more popular one. - Firefox
Default browser in most distros
. VLC
Available in most default distro repositories. - Spotify
Available as a Flatpak on Flathub, haven't used it myself. - Discord
I know people has had some trouble with screen sharing but that the DiscordCanary (think Beta version) solves it.
https://github.com/flathub/com.discordapp.Discord/issues/380 - Godot
Can be downloaded as a simple bin file from their own site: https://godotengine.org/download/linux/
Also available as a Flatpak on Flathub - Visual Studio
The closest you get is VSCode. - Git
Not a problem. - Photoshop cs6, audacity, davinci resolve
Photoshop will be trouble, Audacity and Davinci Resolve should work. - Misc âTinkeringâ (Handbrake, dvd burners/rippers, Really any weird thing I come across that I want to tinker with)
Handbrake is available as a Flatpak on Flathub, there's dvd burner applications available too.
Wow, that was really comprehensive and clear, thank you. I'll digest and factor into the deliberations. Reckon I'll also switch to AMD with my next build. Main reason I went Intel/Nvidea is cuz AMD's old reputation was still ringing in my ears when I build it.
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Distros matter. Maybe less than you think.
For the most part, they all run the same software, including the desktop environment (user experience).
So, in many ways, choosing your distro is mostly choosing how it comes out of the box and how much work it will be to configure it how you want after the fact. Some distros will be closer to what you want out of the box. But you can basically turn any distro into any other distro with a little effort.
That said, some choices do run a bit deeper and are a lot harder to change. Package manager, init system, C library, and others are pretty baked in.
Copy that. I'll look a bit more into the baked in differences then. I understand that different packages can be converted with some effort. Will need to research the others.
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So you like tinkering? Just install Arch and go wild /s
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It matters a little bit, but not a ton. A big difference will come down to what package manager comes with a distro, and whether it is a "rolling" distro that gets updates as soon as they come out, or one which withholds updates until after they have some time for bug testing, etc. Given that gaming is one of your primary use cases, I would recommend a rolling distro. If your distro does not come prepackaged with something you can usually install it. Minimalist distros like Arch come with almost nothing pre-installed, not even a desktop environment, so you can be very granular about what gets installed and keep you system lean.
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Most distros will not have as much in the way of corporate control/privacy concerns. A few like Ubuntu or Fedora are more closely linked with a single company, but most are more community driven and this is not a concern.
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The advice I always give to people first trying Linux is to go into it with the mindset that you are learning a new skill as many things are simply done differently to Windows. Most things work fine, but every once in a while, especially when setting something up for the first time, may require additional configuration steps. Very popular distros like Mint will usually have the most community resources, and you can often find posts or guides of people who have already solved some issue you run into. I would also throw one of the Arch-based distros onto your list: Endeavor OS, which is essentially a pre-configured Arch installation. The Arch wiki is one of the most highly regarded resources in the entire linux community, and even if you are not using an Arch distro, many of the guides on it can be helpful.
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Generally speaking, my multi-monitor usage with KDE has been seamless. No issues that I can think of. HDR support has only very recently been added, so I am not sure how well it works, but it is improving rapidly.
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I think Plasma would be a good fit for what you are trying to do. Honestly, it is very customizable, but perfectly usable right out of the box even if you do not want to do anything to it. The layout is very familiar for a Windows user.
Thank you for the advice. I'm definitely approaching this as a learning experience, something I've never really shied away from.
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Others have already answered your questions, so I'll just drop in my anecdotal experience to moving over my desktop to Linux last year. I tried a few different distros but settled with Fedora KDE edition. It works with everything exotic in my laptop out of the box, except for the gyro that doesn't work with anybody else either. The desktop feels familiar and is easy to customize. I tried to like Gnome and variants but it is really settled on The Gnome Way of doing everything. Fedora is a fresh experience from previous attempts of going full Linux desktop with Ubuntu and even Mint. The GUI for software and package management is neat and includes native packages, flatpak both the fedora builds and mainline. Some minor things are not quite there but I believe that will be the Linux experience forever and I'm okay with it. I recommend to try it.
Your laptop has a gyro?
I'll give Fedora a go.
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I donât have anything to say that everyone else hasnât so Iâll just wish you good luck and hope you have an enjoyable experience
Thank you kindly. All is a learning experience in life so this should be fun.
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Okay, people have said many good things so far, so I won't add much. Simply one thing: take one problem at a time.
By this I rather mean, make your life easier, and only progressively deal with more complicated things. When it comes to distro choice, this would mean picking something with plenty of default installed packages (since you won't necessarily know what to install yourself) â this rules out my beloved openSUSE Tumbleweed as well as the popular Fedora and Debian â something that will play nice with NVidia (Desktop Environments use display managers/servers, the two most common being Wayland and X11; Wayland is better, but unfortunately will really mess up NVidia gaming, so try to stick to X11 for now â you can always switch later!), and, lastly, something with a large community (and by extension a large help forum and wiki).
I never thought I'd hear myself (see myself?) saying this (typing this!?), but Mint checks all those boxes.
I wouldn't recommend staying with Mint for long (though some people claim to enjoy it...), but as a first distro to introduce you to Linux, it really may be the easiest. Using a different DE is already difficult, don't overwhelm yourself from the get-go!
Alright, that ended up being longer than expected. I wish you the best of luck, and a lot of fun on your approaching Journey!
Will take under consideration. Know a few mates who reccomend mint
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try a bunch in live usbs and see for yourself
Just went out and got a USB to use. Will start playing around when I get a free day.
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There is no right answer. There are many distros to choose from and each has its pros and cons. My suggestion would be to try a few things in VMs before fully making the jump. Personally I use Mint. It just works and takes a minimal amount of hassle to install and run. If that's a priority to you, I'd suggest checking it out.
Got some mates who are fans of Mint. but yeah. I'll set up a boot USB and start playing around.
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Good day nice people.
I, like many I'm sure, am taking Microsoft's discontinuation of Windows 10 support as an opportunity so switch over to Linux. As such, I have some questions about various things. I have included some context as to my personal use case at the end of the post should it be relevant.
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Does the distro I pick matter? There seems to be a lot of debate around which distro is best but a lot of the discussion I've seen breaks down to what each distro comes packaged with. This confuses me as if a distro doesn't come prepackaged with something can you not just install it? Or is there some advantage to preinstalled packages other than mild convenience? Are some components difficult to integrate into your local environment?
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One of the more salient differences I've seen between distros has been what the various companies and teams include aside from installed packages (such as snap and rolling out amazon search as a defult search), and the data they choose to retain/sell. Part of the reason I'm switching is due to Microsoft's forcing in of unwanted features and advertising. Is the company that owns whatever distro I choose likely to be a problem in the future? Are there particular ones to avoid/ones to keep an eye on?
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I am the sort of person who does like to tinker with things from time to time but I do also want to use my computer most of the time so I'd like to end up using a mature distro. I have identified a few frontrunners in my search but I have seen conflicting information on which of them is "mature" (sufficiently stable so I spend less time fighting my computer than I do using it as well as having a large enough community and resources to help me remedy issues I might come across). Do any of these seem like they wouldn't fit that bill? The frontrunners are: fedora, kubuntu, mint, pop and tuxedo.
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Does linux have issues interfacing with multiple monitors? Does it handle HDR okay?
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In terms of UI and workflow I really don't mind putting in some time tinkering with the DE, exploring it and getting it how I like. It seems Plasma KDE might be good for this? Please let me know if this is an incorrect assessment. If it is, does it matter what DE I choose? If so, is there something you could recommend for my use case.
My use case:
I have a Nvidea build (RTX 2080). I have heard this can be an issue with Linux. I also have intermediate experience with linux through university and my job (with servers) as well as tinkering with SteamOS.Things I use/do on my PC (roughly ordered in terms of priority):
- Gaming including emulation
- Firefox
- VLC
- Spotify
- Discord
- Godot
- Visual Studio
- Git
- Photoshop cs6, audacity, davinci resolve
- Misc "Tinkering" (Handbrake, dvd burners/rippers, Really any weird thing I come across that I want to tinker with)
Thank you very much for your time and help in cleaing up my confusion.
this might be ringing in late, but consider a large USB disk with Ventoy on it. you can just drop multiple ISOs on it, and then select which one you want you boot from right at boot time.
this will give you the ability to easily try multiple distros without too much commitment.
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So I don't really have experience with the gaming aspect as I pretty much get what I want from a steamdeck. I think its likely you would want to go with one of those (a gaming setup someone else suggests) or dual boot to have your gaming system and your doing other things setup. Just in case I will mention the one I use called zorin. It is based on ubuntu with gnome and its main claim to fame is its an out of the box distro that tries to emulate windows (other systems to but the paid for version unlocks that. its default is a general windows type experience). Out of the box means it has foss office, video file viewing, audio file listening, image file viewer, browser of course, rdp client, mail client, calendar, contacts, also image,video,audio file creation and editing, optical disk copier/image creator, wine with play on linux so that you can right click a windows executable and run it and such. It does non free software things like nvidia drivers right off the bat. Its great for an install and get going right away type of thing. Its always a bit out of date because its emphasis is stable, just works, get going type of thing. I have a few complaints. Mainly it does not have the windows key, right arrow thing to half screen by default. It could be a stability thing that they don't want to mess with the compiz or whatnot. Then the other thing is I find the software gui interface it have an aweful search for getting more software so either just use apt at the command line or download the .deb installation file which things like various browsers have as a linux option for download and then its really just like adding one to windows or mac. download and run the installation.
Hadn't heard of zorin. Will add it to deliberations. Thank you kindly
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this might be ringing in late, but consider a large USB disk with Ventoy on it. you can just drop multiple ISOs on it, and then select which one you want you boot from right at boot time.
this will give you the ability to easily try multiple distros without too much commitment.
Good recommendation. Seems like it'd be a good way to rapidly try a few. I'll look into it. Thank you kindly.
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Your laptop has a gyro?
I'll give Fedora a go.
It's a convertible that you can use as a tablet.
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I, like many I'm sure, am taking Microsoft's discontinuation of Windows 10 support as an opportunity so switch over to Linux.
Welcome on board!
Does the distro I pick matter?
In short: Yes.
There seems to be a lot of debate around which distro is best
TL;DR: There's no distro that is best for everyone. Each individual has their own best. You just gotta find what suits you best.
but a lot of the discussion I've seen breaks down to what each distro comes packaged with
This is a thing of the past. With the excellent Distrobox, you can install any package from any distro on whatever distro you're running.
This confuses me as if a distro doesn't come prepackaged with something can you not just install it?
Even if we would disregard Distrobox, you should be able to install software that's not packaged. So, you're intuition is right.
Or is there some advantage to preinstalled packages other than mild convenience? Are some components difficult to integrate into your local environment?
Exactly. Managing software that's not packaged in any way comes with its own set of jank. So, new users are definitely discouraged. However, as mentioned previously, this whole issue is solved with Distrobox. And if you don't like CLI, BoxBuddy provides an excellent GUI and more. Again, this is mostly a solved problem.
One of the more salient differences I've seen between distros has been what the various companies and teams include aside from installed packages (such as snap and rolling out amazon search as a defult search), and the data they choose to retain/sell. Part of the reason I'm switching is due to Microsoft's forcing in of unwanted features and advertising. Is the company that owns whatever distro I choose likely to be a problem in the future? Are there particular ones to avoid/ones to keep an eye on?
So, what you're referring to is mostly a Ubuntu problem. They've made a couple of bad decisions in the past. Other than them, this is mostly non-existent.
Some peeps got question marks regarding distros like deepin, but I don't know if there's anything conclusive on this.
Lastly, some distros and/or (so-called) desktop environments might collect telemetry to improve themselves. But this is done in a way that suits free and open source software. Thankfully, if you've got problems with this, you can always turn it off.
I am the sort of person who does like to tinker with things from time to time but I do also want to use my computer most of the time so I'd like to end up using a mature distro.
So, all distros allow you to tinker. My question is: What is it you're tinkering with?
- If you just want to have complete control on how your desktop environment behaves without going into (unofficial) extensions or editing text files, then you should at least take a look at the KDE Plasma desktop environment; which is literally found on all distros and very well supported.
- If, instead, your definition of tinkering is more broad or otherwise different than what I suggested, then please feel free to elaborate.
I have identified a few frontrunners in my search but I have seen conflicting information on which of them is "mature" (sufficiently stable so I spend less time fighting my computer than I do using it as well as having a large enough community and resources to help me remedy issues I might come across). Do any of these seem like they wouldn't fit that bill? The frontrunners are: fedora, kubuntu, mint, pop and tuxedo.
- Fedora is a good pick. Though, I've been daily-driving (a) Fedora(-derivative) for almost three years now. So I might be biased
. - Regarding Kubuntu, let's just say that it's at least a controversial pick; problem being the Ubuntu part of the equation. I'd personally discourage you from going that route, but it's ultimately your choice.
- Linux Mint is cool. I'd argue it does more hand-holding than Fedora, which is great to have as a beginner.
- Pop!_OS is interesting. It has garnered a great fanbase for a good reason: System76 sells hardware with their software (i.e. Pop!_OS), so they obviously care. However, Pop!_OS has definitely seen better days. It's currently in limbo; the ambitious COSMIC desktop environment is just around the corner. But how smooth will the transition be? How much longer will Pop!_OS users have to endure with the relative lack of work put to the system they actually daily-drive? A lot of questions, but not a lot of answers. I'd personally discourage this as well.
- Tuxedo OS is similar to Pop!_OS. But where Pop!_OS first went to champion the GNOME desktop environment to later 'abandon' it for their own COSMIC. Tuxedo OS, instead, turned their eyes towards KDE Plasma. From what I've heard, it's a good pick. As TUXEDO makes hardware just like System76 does, it's unsurprising for them to care as well.
Does linux have issues interfacing with multiple monitors?
Unfortunately, I'm not very familiar with multiple monitors. The few times I did need it, which was on Fedora with GNOME, it did work well. I suppose it should be fine.
Does it handle HDR okay?
On KDE Plasma, yes. On GNOME, from what I could gather, it should work starting from GNOME 48. Which is a couple of months away. Though, IIRC, some 'GNOME-powered' distros may have tried to support HDR in its experimental stage already. On Cinnamon, what we find on Linux Mint's flagship distro, AFAIK it's not great (yet)
.In terms of UI and workflow I really don't mind putting in some time tinkering with the DE, exploring it and getting it how I like. It seems Plasma KDE might be good for this? Please let me know if this is an incorrect assessment. If it is, does it matter what DE I choose? If so, is there something you could recommend for my use case.
You hit the nail on the coffin. KDE Plasma would probably serve you best, yes. Eventually, you may want to explore Window Managers for how they could further enhance your workflow. But, let's take it easy
. One step at a time. Start with KDE Plasma. Get comfortable with Linux and the whole ecosystem. And if it so happens that you're not satiated with KDE Plasma's workflow options and you'd like to explore other possibilities, then looking into WMs is definitely a worthwhile endeavor.I have a Nvidea build (RTX 2080). I have heard this can be an issue with Linux.
Yup. It has been better lately, but thank you for bringing this up.
I also have intermediate experience with linux through university and my job (with servers) as well as tinkering with SteamOS.
Things I use/do on my PC (roughly ordered in terms of priority
- Gaming including emulation
Have you considered Bazzite?
Photoshop cs6
Out of everything, this could be a slight concern. You could make it work through Wine, and it seems to have decent results. If you're not opposed to using Photoshop CC 2021, there's this GitHub repo worth looking at as well.
davinci resolve
This is notoriously difficult to install. Thankfully, the excellent davincibox comes to the rescue. Furthermore, it's also found in the AUR and nixpkgs. Note that the Nix package manager can be installed on (almost) any distro, though it's relatively advanced.
Misc "Tinkering" (Handbrake, dvd burners/rippers, Really any weird thing I come across that I want to tinker with)
Assuming this "Tinkering" is the same as the one I asked you to elaborate/clarify before, then I can inform you that most distros handle it pretty well.
Alrighty, I think you've clearly demonstrated to have done your research. Thank you for that!
FWIW, assuming that KDE Plasma is your DE of choice (at least for now) for both its (relatively mature) HDR support and tinker-friendliness, then -out of your selected distros- only Fedora and Tuxedo OS remain to be considered.
I think your response has so far been the most comprehensive. Thank you so much.
This is a thing of the past. With the excellent Distrobox, you can install any package from any distro on whatever distro youâre running.
I'd not heard of Distrobox sounds to me to be a perfect foil to the disparate package solutions out there. It gives me some peace of mind about not being locked into a package manager (Although as you point out, even without distrobox that wouldn't be an issue).
Lastly, some distros and/or (so-called) desktop environments might collect telemetry to improve themselves. But this is done in a way that suits free and open source software. Thankfully, if youâve got problems with this, you can always turn it off.
I've really not got any problems with telemetry so long as it's just limited to the technicals and for OS improvement purposes. Sounds like I should be fine.
So, all distros allow you to tinker. My question is: What is it youâre tinkering with?
"Tinkering" in my case is pretty broad. You're correct when you suppose that I like to mess with UI aesthetics and workflows. The other misc tinkering I more mentioned in case there's some distros that are unsuited to working with strange or niche programs (such as the media encoding and physical media management stuff I mentioned). It sounds like that's not really much of a problem though. Anyway what counts as "niche" is very subjective so probably wasn't that helpful to mention.
Have you considered Bazzite?
I have not heard of Bazzite. It kinda looks to be perfect if I end up going with Fedora (It's the most recommended so far). My only concern is longevity, It seems to be quite new and I don't want to jump on just for it to be a flash in the pan. As I understand it though, even if it is, it's easy enough to change distros. Others have said to not be worried about locking oneself in and to just jump in and try. Also not a fan of "Gaming Mode" style UI but I guess I can just not use it.
Out of everything, this could be a slight concern. You could make it work through Wine, and it seems to have decent results. If youâre not opposed to using Photoshop CC 2021, thereâs this GitHub repo worth looking at as well.
Honestly, not married to Photoshop at all. That's just what I use and I'm not any sort of power user by any measure.
Again, thank you very much for your detailed response.
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Good day nice people.
I, like many I'm sure, am taking Microsoft's discontinuation of Windows 10 support as an opportunity so switch over to Linux. As such, I have some questions about various things. I have included some context as to my personal use case at the end of the post should it be relevant.
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Does the distro I pick matter? There seems to be a lot of debate around which distro is best but a lot of the discussion I've seen breaks down to what each distro comes packaged with. This confuses me as if a distro doesn't come prepackaged with something can you not just install it? Or is there some advantage to preinstalled packages other than mild convenience? Are some components difficult to integrate into your local environment?
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One of the more salient differences I've seen between distros has been what the various companies and teams include aside from installed packages (such as snap and rolling out amazon search as a defult search), and the data they choose to retain/sell. Part of the reason I'm switching is due to Microsoft's forcing in of unwanted features and advertising. Is the company that owns whatever distro I choose likely to be a problem in the future? Are there particular ones to avoid/ones to keep an eye on?
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I am the sort of person who does like to tinker with things from time to time but I do also want to use my computer most of the time so I'd like to end up using a mature distro. I have identified a few frontrunners in my search but I have seen conflicting information on which of them is "mature" (sufficiently stable so I spend less time fighting my computer than I do using it as well as having a large enough community and resources to help me remedy issues I might come across). Do any of these seem like they wouldn't fit that bill? The frontrunners are: fedora, kubuntu, mint, pop and tuxedo.
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Does linux have issues interfacing with multiple monitors? Does it handle HDR okay?
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In terms of UI and workflow I really don't mind putting in some time tinkering with the DE, exploring it and getting it how I like. It seems Plasma KDE might be good for this? Please let me know if this is an incorrect assessment. If it is, does it matter what DE I choose? If so, is there something you could recommend for my use case.
My use case:
I have a Nvidea build (RTX 2080). I have heard this can be an issue with Linux. I also have intermediate experience with linux through university and my job (with servers) as well as tinkering with SteamOS.Things I use/do on my PC (roughly ordered in terms of priority):
- Gaming including emulation
- Firefox
- VLC
- Spotify
- Discord
- Godot
- Visual Studio
- Git
- Photoshop cs6, audacity, davinci resolve
- Misc "Tinkering" (Handbrake, dvd burners/rippers, Really any weird thing I come across that I want to tinker with)
Thank you very much for your time and help in cleaing up my confusion.
Too many distros to compare. If you want to tinker as a beginner and not have to reinstall for minor mistakes, go for something like OpenSUSE, it has Snapshotting with Rollback built in. You make a mistake, reboot to the previous snapshot and make it the default if everything is normal.
NVidia also hosts a specific repo for OoenSUSE so I have never had graphics issues. -
