Is it only me, or do you find all those "I deleted Windows"-posts annoying too?
I think this post would suit the theme of !linux_gaming@lemmy.ml better than the general community.
Fedora Kinoite, specifically the version from universal-blue.org.
It comes with all codecs (and even baked in Nvidia-driver if you want!).
Why that and not the normal (mutable) Fedora Workstation KDE spin?
- Very simple by default. You basically only "own" your home directory, the rest is indestructible and taken care of.
- Has less bugs due to better reproducibility, and if something major should break, you can easily roll back without any waiting time (as opposed to Tumbleweed)
- And you can even rebase to Bazzite, a gaming distro, that's based on the uBlue KDE version, or any other spin it you want cleanly
Yeah, I see it the same.
Both containers and native packages are a huge strength of Linux, compared to Windows for example.
I respect both types.
The one is more efficient (especially in terms of storage), the other one has other benefits. They have both their place.
As long as it's Linux and gets you to your goal, they are all equally great.
Could you give me a link to their GitHub?
I'll suggest them another description and explanation if you think that I should :)
I would advise against Nobara. Why?
- Only one maintainer. If he quits the project, it will leave many many users without maintenance updates
- Slow updates. Maintaining a distro is a lot of work, and especially major updates can take many many months.
- Very insecure. It disables SELinux for example.
- Many tweaks that might make the OS less reliable.
- And much more... I absolutely respect GE's work, but for one person, it's just impossible/ hard to keep it secure and well working.
What else would I recommend? Bazzite (if you use your PC only for gaming) or the various other images from universal-blue.org
Why?
- They also come with QoL changes by default, just like Nobara
- They are actually secure because they maintain themselves automatically without any input. If a update comes from Fedora, it takes less than a few hours to also land on uBlue
- It's reproducible. Every Bazzite install for example is the exact same. If one user has a bug due to a modification from Bazzite, the dev will have it too and can just fix it easily.
- And much more.
Maybe a bit random, but
Also I buy a year of Nebula to support creators and stick it to Google.
Would you recommend that? I also wanna quit/ reduce YouTube and enjoy learning new stuff while watching high quality content. Is it worth its money? I'm currently broke and have to watch my finances, but I wouldn't mind spending a few bucks if it's something I enjoy.
I already put the link of BoxBuddy into my original post, but still thanks for the suggestion :)
I don't know what exactly "rebase" means, is it like a command that replaces your base system? If that's it, then awesome!
Yep, exactly that. Simplified, there's only "your stuff" (mostly /var/ and or /home/), and then there's "the OS", which you never interact anyway and is only there to make everything function. Similar to Android.
And when you rebase, you swap out "the OS"-part, but keep "your" stuff.
It's like a clean reinstall, but you don't have to download your Flatpaks, type in your WIFI-password and copy your photos again. Everything else is fresh.
Is it possible to use any DE if I install a base image (one without a DE) then just install the DE via OSTree? I haven't found any SwayFX images.
Yes and no.
There is a core image (no DE), yes. And you can install the WM with OSTree too, yes.
But, no. You don't do that. OSTree is basically only there for your individual stuff that needs the privilege of the base system. TLP, drivers, such things. For everything else, it's the last resort.
But don't worry. Here comes the best part: you go to universal-blue.org and create your own image.
You basically use the blank template and tell the "build script" which packages to use.
And then, you can use this custom image, which will be automatically updated by automatic Github build actions. It's basically a spin/ distro you don't have to maintain yourself.
You can try it, it is actually pretty easy. I will do the same soon, and I'm a noob in contrast to you! :)
On traditional distros you have a down-to-top approach, and on immutable ones, a top-to-down. If you want to make bigger changes, you change the image, not your install. Both are customisable, but the one takes another approach.
If you decide to make your own DE-spin, please contact the uBlue devs, so they can add your image to the official list.
If you do that, others can use it too and have the exact same install as you :)
I'm leaning, tendentionally, more towards the tech enthusiastic normie side.
I don't have experience in programming or professional working in IT in general. I just like Linux.
I used it for following stuff the last few months:
- Minor administrative tasks of my home server (ssh, etc.)
- Executing scripts
- Flashing CustomROMs onto my phones a few times
- Accessing/ modding the phone, e.g. debloating or ADB
- Exporting an application to desktop if the flatpak doesn't work, e.g. Nextcloud client (Flatpak was unlegible due to Qt/GTK)
- Trying some nieche apps, especially from the AUR or in collaboration with a dev on GitHub
- and some more things
The only problems I encountered were probably due to my immutable host distro, for example because of missing folders. Many programs want to access/ change some binaries, which don't exist, because they are behind /var/bin/.../ and not /bin/.../ for example.
When I used the normal Fedora on one device, and the Atomic on another, one program did work on the mutable (in a Debian container), while the one on Atomic (same container) gave me errors.
I also thought about installing Steam in DB instead of Flatpak.
The Flatpak has some weird permission problems for example. If I want to give it access to my application folder via Flatseal, it just doesn't want to start anymore. Therefore, I have to live with it not being able to create menu entries and not having access to other drives except if I grant it that.
On the other hand, I'm glad it is that restricted, and I want to keep it that way.
The "entire Linux distribution" is very small. It's only like a few hundred MBs.
I have absolutely crappy internet, pretty much the worst in Europe to be precise, and it only took 30 seconds or so with 5 mb/s speed to download.
And you don't install a new distro for every app, you do that for every task.
E.g., I have an Arch container for every CLI-related (installing custom ROMs on my phone, server administration, etc.) and one Ubuntu/ Fedora one for everything else if I need it.
The latter one is basically unused btw.
I wouldn't recommend those to be fair.
In my opinion, only the 3 major DEs are good ootb.
- Cinnamon (-> Mint) is great for older people and those who enjoyed everything below Windows 10;
- (Vanilla) Gnome (-> VanillaOS, Fedora) is a great choice for people who want something completely different than Mac or Windows and appreciate simplicity;
- And KDE is for those who want raw power and customisation.
Everything else, like Mate, Budgie, XFCE, and so on, looks either extremely old, or crappy.
If my first impression on Linux is stock Mate for example, I would just say "That's crap, but at least it's free".
With KDE on the other hand, like on the SteamDeck, I'd say "Wow, that's awesome! I would have never thought something like this exists!".
Don't get me wrong, one of the biggest powers of Linux is customisation.
XFCE and so on can look modern, but by default, it looks like crap and 20 years old.
And I don't want a newcomer to have this "Meh. And this is what all the hype is all about?"-impression.
Alright, interesting... As I said, I'm no expert or anything and this was just my noob optinion.
Thank you for the correction and further resources!
I can make a post similar to this one here about image based distros if you want.
I think Fedora Atomic (Silverblue, Kinoite, Sericea, etc.) are the best choice atm.
It's the oldest and most sophisticated one and gives you the most choice.
Take a look into universal-blue.org if you like ease of use, want more DEs/ WMs than the few official ones, or have special hardware (Nvidia, etc.).
NixOS isn't immutable/ image based per definition, but even if it would, I personally would only recommend it to highly skilled people who have the time to work themselves into it. It has its benefits, but sounds like a lot of work and is very complicated due to lack of documentation.
OpenSuse Aeon is pretty new and doesn't have a big dev team behind it, and therefore I wouldn't trust it enough yet.
VanillaOS sounds also very promising, but is very immature atm and also has a small dev team.
It will be Debian-based very soon and wants to be a future-oriented Linux Mint alternative. Same philosophy (ease of use, stability, etc.), but different approach.
Sadly you are stuck to Gnome and can't rebase to something else, which is a no-go for a DE-hopper like myself.
But I am very interested in its future and will try it some time.
About installing software:
- Choice #1 is Flatpak. It's simple, usually just works and is for everything graphical. It covers 99,9% of everything you want and need.
- Choice #2: Distrobox and Nix, especially for CLI stuff. It's a bit more complicated than just hitting the install-button in the software center, but if you need that stuff, you are already used to work in the console anyway.
- Choice #3: Direct install. I use Fedora Atomic as example here. You can still use your package manager (similar to dnf) and layer the packages. In practical use, it is the same as installing it traditionally, like with apt or dnf, but under the hood, you can imagine it like Gnome shell extensions. They can add, change or mask features the UI, but it's still Gnome and one toggle away. OSTree-layered packages are still separated from the base, but work exactly as if they would be installed on bare metal.
So you never loose any functionality, only some things are a tiny bit more complicated and different. Once you got it, you don't see it as impractical, but genius.
I mentioned most all of your points already in my post, but still, thanks!
what’s the best image for distrobox?
I'd say Arch (btw). I was never a fan of it and couldn't imagine installing it as desktop distro, but as container, it couldn't be better imo. It's minimal and customizable. I use zsh with many plugins, including the Arch one. I didn't like pacman's syntax, and with the plugin, it's easier (´pacin package´ instead of ´sudo pacman -Ss package´). Pacman is super fast too, and installing stuff takes just seconds.
It's very up to date and most packages have worked pretty reliably actually!
I am reading about the nix package manager
I thought about it a while ago too, but I find it to be too complicated, outdated and just not relevant for me. For others, it might be wonderful, but I just didn't have reasons to use it.
I'm not refering to any comment in particular, it's just that it happens all the time that someone doesn't know about that possibility.
I'm reading all the time stuff like "If you need this package, then the only option for you is Arch" or "I'm on Arch and can't install this Fedora package, I have to compile it myself", and so on.
Yeah, there are people mentioning it, but still, many many others have never heard about it, and I find that a bit sad.
I think one main plus point is that it keeps your system less cluttered.
Even on a "traditional" distro (mutable, like Mint, Arch, etc.) I would try to install all my stuff as Flatpak or Distrobox container. Call me compulsive, but I like my stuff to be organized. In my apartment, I also use drawers and boxes, so why not digitally? Installing everything to the host is like cluttering my flat with spoons in my bed and the toothbrush in the kitchen. Sure, it's not as easy as throwing everything on the floor, but at least I can find it again and it is less of a hassle to maintain it.
Thanks for the critique, it's now edited.
Silverblue is awesome and noob-friendly
I agree and disagree at the same time.
Agree, because now you don't have to know your system anymore. In my beginner times I never knew where my programs are installed and what they would do.
Now, due to the differentiation of "my stuff" (home) and "everything else" is easier, because the latter is immutable.
A noob doesn't even have to know that.
On the other hand, there are barely any resources due to popularity. Every Linux guide begins with "And now, enter sudo apt install...", which just won't work.
I would install Silverblue on people's PCs without any doubt, because it's maintaining itself, but for starting Linux, I'd still recommend Mint.
I love this idea!
I really would appreciate something like this.
In that way, everyone can still write and enjoy their own or others' stories.
Especially, since this would not only apply to newcomers, but to experienced users too, e.g. "My first week with Gentoo" or something like this. I like it!
Edit: I added your idea to the post