I need to just pick a distro, install it on all my laptops, and become an expert on that one. Forget the rest!

I’ve got Void on my T420 (for writing), Mint on another T420 (hosting my music files) and an x380 yoga (with ubuntu studio controls for music production), NixOS on a T440p and a T430, and EndeavourOS on my T16. Previously I ran Arch and Debian on a couple machines, too.

Arch is really fun. I probably just enjoy giving in to my OCD tendancies, so that gets satisfied with my EndeavourOS install. That SHOULD be my final distro, the one that I use forever, eschewing all others.

But there are two problems:

  1. Too many updates. I fear leaving a laptop in the drawer for a few months and then it crashes when I update it.
  2. I’m getting nixpilled

Nix is obviously awesome. I love having that master config file. But the nix repos aren’t as robust, and there’s a learning curve to getting everything to work. So now I’m telling myself, “become an expert at nix and then you’ll finally find your home!”

But meanwhile Debian beckons. It’s so tempting to just go back to the safest, stablest distro with all the packages and all the documentation.

I know this is silly but it actually bugs me. Why can’t I just pick a distro?

Has anybody gone through this and then actually made the decisive move to stick to a distro? What compelled you to finally pick one?

  • CorrodedEnglish
    3•1 year ago

    But meanwhile Debian beckons. It’s so tempting to just go back to the safest, stablest distro with all the packages and all the documentation.

    Have you considered Fedora Linux? I’ve used it on desktop computers in the past due to it’s stability. Even over upgrades it’s still going strong.

    Has anybody gone through this and then actually made the decisive move to stick to a distro? What compelled you to finally pick?

    The big thing for me was trailing distros in a virtual box or with a spare hard drive. It made it easy to check the availability of packages and trial different desktop environments without committing

    • Loom In EssenceOPEnglish
      2•1 year ago

      Have you considered Fedora Linux?

      You are evil! I’m trying to zero in on one distro and you’re suggesting more?

      I actually haven’t tried Fedora and for some reason I don’t feel compelled to. It does seem like a safe and robust choice, but I’ve got to pick from the ones I’m already familiar with or else there is no hope!

      • @[email protected]English
        1•1 year ago

        Fedora is probably the highest quality distribution. There is a fair amount of paid development going into it, and it shows.