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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
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Which one(s)
Arch.
why?
Edit:
Having said that, I have an eye on immutable distros. Maybe one day I'll try one out.
EndeavourOs makes it super simple too
So does archinstall.
The Arch wiki really is amazing. It's also still very useful for Linux stuff in general. The qemu page has come in handy more than a dozen times.
Yeah, I use Mint and the Arch wiki is still one of my first stops when I have an issue
Debian. Seemed like the most generic "Linux" there is. Nothing special, nothing weird. Just Linux. Gray, boring, system defaults Linux.
It's funny cause it started out as one of the most opinionated Linux distros.
still is, and always has been. and that's not a bad thing.
It helps when your opinions become the gold standard
I settled on openSUSE Tumbleweed because it's rolling and reliable. I chose KDE Plasma long before I chose my distro.
I want to settle on Debian Stable, I really do, but I use Hyprland, so I'll have to wait until we get Debian 13 (hopefully 13 and not 14 lol).
Arch. Minimal, fast, rolling and it doesn't break. Plus, the AUR and the Wiki are unvaluable.
Had been on: RedHat (199something), Mandrake, Slackware, Ubuntu and Debian before.
Fedora atomic GNOME aka silverblue
Current Cons:
I learned, and learned, and learned, and every step led me to simplify, simplify, simplify.
Now, I’m a Debian man. If I didn’t install it, it probably isn’t on there, just like I like it.
Debian. It always works until it doesn’t and when it doesn’t there’s information at my level of understanding that allows me to correct it.
Debian. So many other distros are based on it anyway. I use it on damn near everything now.
Servers are a different story but for Desktop, OpenSUSE.
Because:
Part of my transition from Windows to Linux was that basic tasks like installing software or even the OS itself shouldn't be a high effort endeavour. I should be able to point to a package file or run a package manager and be able to go about my day without running "make" and working my way through dependency hell.
I say this as a Linux user of all different flavours for well over 15 years who has a deep love for what it brings to the table. If we want it to be common place with non-IT folks, it needs to work and it needs to be simple to use.
I settled on two.
Arch for my desktop, because there I like having an always up-to-date system with the latest drivers and libraries so that I can always try the latest versions of whatever it is I want to play with next. Pacman is also a pretty good package manager, and almost any piece of software that is not in the default repos can be found in the AUR. For the rest, I also like that Arch just gets out of your way and lets you configure your system how you want.
Debian for anything that runs unattended, like all my homelab services. It's well tested, offers feature stability, has long-enough support, and doesn't do weird things every other release like forcing snaps or netplan or cloud-init on you. Those "boring" qualities make it the perfect base to run something for a long time that doesn't scream for attention all the time.
Debian: stability
Linux Mint: Debian Edition. Love mint's cinnamon DE, and the plus of being away from Canonical's shenanigans is great. It's been stable and my daily driver for months now.
EndeavourOS. I like the simplicity and minimalism of stock Arch, bloated distros bother me. I have been thinking of trying out Linux Mint again though, I used it for years and it was really good.
This is precisely where I am at. Endeavor for when I need a newer kernel and Mint for when I want something that just dang works without too much config and driver work. I suggest Mint to friends but love having AUR and yay.
Debian, settled down few years ago and my fallback would be Fedora.
Nice thing about Debian is, I can use it for servers, desktop and raspberry pi on am64, arm7 and aarch64. This is a real killer feature for me, because I'd rather do interesting things with my devices instead of learning n different ways to accomplish the same tasks. (e.g. using different distributions for server/desktop/pi and having to figure out 3 times the names of the same packages or where the configuration file in which version is expected.)
Mint unironically. I've reached a point where I've got a lot of things going on in my life that I don't have the time and just need something that works and I don't need to fiddle around with much.
A mixture of NixOS and Debian, depending on the machine. NixOS is trivial to maintain and to keep predictable and tidy. When its weirdness is a problem, Debian is my answer. It doesn't get more normal than Debian.
Debian. I've been using Linux since 1999, and I've tried everything under the sun. Back then, I was a Red Hat person, then an ubuntu person mostly, but Debian is where there's stability that doesn't mess with your mental health. It just works, and that has more value than being pretty or having the latest bells and whistles.
Debian, because it is boring, predictable, and I know how to tweak it to suit my use case
My journey was:
I left Debian for Ubuntu when it simply worked better and left Ubuntu when it became too restrictive and weird. I need a working system but my freedom to experiment. Then I discovered arch and never looked back. Still kept Debian on servers.
Currently using arch on desktop machines and nixos on my servers. But I use nix for Dev environments and dotfiles even on arch.
Not sure if I'll stay with NixOS but for now that seems like the direction I'm going to. Still love Arch Linux for it's freedom though, but I'm getting older and don't have the time to fiddle with everything.
Up until last year I would have said Ubuntu. It was qualitatively the best desktop choice when I started with it in the aughts, and is still one of the few distros that has a reasonable out of the box install option with LVM. But I recently tried a Silverblue variant and NixOS, and I like what I see. Once I'm comfortable enough I will switch, I'm tired of the ensnapification and the Pro nag screens.
I switched to guix and haven't looked back.
Mostly because:
Guix is the smoothest time I've ever built packages for a distro before (well outside arch). Which is good because there's a lot of out of date and unadded packages for potential.
openSUSE Tumbleweed, because real life got a little too much and I wanted something that just worked.
Stopped hopping when I realized most distros are just debian with certain things pre-installed or pre-configured. Decided to compare base distros, and settled on Gentoo for its powerful features, transparency and customizability.
I think GNU Guix System scratches all my itches:
guix shell as its interpreter listing all the packages it requires).Previously I used Ubuntu from 2008 to 2009, Trisquel from 2009 to 2014, and Debian from 2014 to 2019.
Arch, cause it has everything I needs + I don't have to reinstall between big updates (Arch is Rolling release)
Fedora. I love Debian as well, but both of my computers needed more recent libraries, and now I'm curious to see how far I can take these installs.
I went Ubuntu -> Xubuntu -> Debian -> Manjaro -> Arch -> Nix
Arch is still the longest lasting and I'm dual booting with Nix right now, but Nix has been a dream when it comes to gaming stability and I think if it continues I'll stay.
Am I the only one who doesnt distrohopp?
Installed debian for homelab and bam it works. Installed PopOS on desktop and bam it works.
Many years ago I tried ubuntu and didnt like it, this time I was thinking Ill just switch distro until I find the right one, but it happened sooner than expected 😉
Mint. Because apparently "task bar and start menu that looks like gnome 2 and/or xp" is heresy in modern ui design (although maybe kde would also work? Had some papercuts that put me off it last I tried though).
Also, it turns out that getting a full time job really kills your desire to tinker and mess around with your personal system. I just want something that works.
Gentoo.
Everything just works and I can configure everything the way I want.
Ubuntu -> Crunchbang -> Arch -> Parabola -> Debian
I went more hardline FOSS and stuck to FSDG/DFSG distros. Debian runs everywhere—my phone, tablets, armbook, server—eventually I found myself typing apt commands in my remaining Parabola installs, so I just went all in. I have sid on my former Parabola devices.
I do really like the Social Contract.
Thought I settled down with EndeavourOS.. then I got into ricing and the urge to move to void or alpine is strong
TinyLinux (booting from DOS), Slackware, Debian for many years, Ubuntu, Debian, Ubuntu, Debian, Arch for 10+ years.
RH/CentOS/Amazon Linux for work these last 20 years.
I switched to Arch because ubuntu & debian started asking too many interactive questions when upgrading packages, instead of just upgrading. Arch gets out of my way, and has great documentation if something unexpected should break.
Age. I'm old now.
I do it once in a while, to feel young, but not benefit all that much. (Having said that about my daily desktop, I do have multiple machines and VMs that run all sorts of distros)
I've been using Ubuntu since 12.04 LTS, and old habits die hard. There have been many attempts by my peers to steer me toward Arch and NixOS, but Ubuntu suits my needs and I am used to it after a decade
I've only hopped from Ubuntu to Arch. I'm currently messing with debian in a vm.
Staying on Arch because I love pacman+paru
Crux. Simplest package building system out there, and the core is just out of the way completely, giving you the keys to setup your system just the way you want it.