Linux Distros - Everyone has to decide which one?
Either through a virtual machine, or on an old computer (which is all I seem to have - old computers that is), I have tried out a good number of Linux distros. I've used most flavors of Ubuntu, Mint, especially Debian (including testing, but not yet Sid), and some others like Manjaro (based on Arch). I even had Slackware running in a virtual machine. So, maybe I will now write about my experiences with Linux a little, and express some preferences. Probably, I won't be saying anything too controversial, and those who use Linux may have come to similar conclusions. Maybe.
Let's start with the ones I tend to use the least. I suppose the ones I've used the very least are ones I've had running in a virtual machine. Slackware is one I have only used for a short a time in a virtual machine. It might be harder to install, as one has to choose partitions, but I didn't find it a problem to install at the time. I liked it. It seems to have older software, as far as I can tell, and the xfce desktop was outdated. But it ran well in a virtual machine, and many of the distros don't run so well in that environment. One problem with Slackware is that there isn't much software available in the repo. In order to get more software, one either has to use slackbuilds (which of course, means building it yourself) or there is a way of adding, the best I can understand, an extra repo that provides slackbuilds pre-built. I didn't get as far as adding extra software, and to tell the truth, I found this a big minus as far as using Slackware. But in general, if a person is inclined to build it all as do-it-yourself, then Slackware is a very good option. I suspect it is very stable.
Another distro I've used briefly is Fedora. Quite a while ago, I had it running in a virtual machine. From what I recall, it was hard to get it to install into the virtual machine, but the installation process itself is at least as simple as Ubuntu. When I tried it in my old computer, it didn't work so well. I think the kernel was causing problems, and I kept getting a usb voltage error. I've had this error appear from time to time in different distros, so it might not be entirely Fedora that did it, but once I installed another distro, the error went away. Otherwise, I liked Fedora, and found it easy to use and install software. There is an extra repo for Fedora as well, but it is easy to get. I probably could have downgraded the kernel and it would have been fine.
Currently, I have Manjaro running on an old netbook. However, one reason I don't use Manjaro on my desktop is because it seems to be the best distro that never allows your hp laserjet printer to be set up. I tried, believe me. Otherwise, it has the latest software, and isn't too unstable.
This leads me to what I think I would recommend as a distro for daily use. And in my humble opinion, I guess I've come down on the side of anything within the Debian family of OS. Myself, I think I now prefer just running Debian itself, and I don't even need the contrib or non-free repos. I'm fine with the stable branch too. Yes, the software is often a little outdated, but most of the software works well. If one wants a relatively stable system (unless you go out of your way to break it, and I have) then Debian is it. The only thing is that it takes a little bit of time and effort to set up after installation. It would be hard to describe to somebody who hasn't gone through the process what I mean by that, so I will just leave it a that. If one chooses Debian, then expect to spend some time setting it up after installation. At least, that has been my experience.
However, for new people, I wouldn't recommend Debian. I would recommend something built on Debian, like Ubuntu, or especially - Mint. Both are good for newcomers to Linux. Mint is hands down the best for new Linux users, and also very good for people that just want to use their computer without having to get overly technical about it.
One criticism I must continue to make is that systemd hasn't been as good for Linux as some would have us believe. With the adoption of systemd, I've had intermittent issues with internet connectivity. I've written about this elsewhere, so I won't go into detail, but it is something that one should at least keep in the back of their mind, just in case one encounters the problem. Switching to Upstart seems to help solve the problem, and for now, this can be easily done. Ther are also bits of code that can be found online that can be written into the network config file that might help, but I won't link to any of these, as I don't want to take responsibility for messing up somebody else's OS. Mine, sure I mess up mine all the time.
So, that's pretty much it. Debian and the Debian family, including Ubuntu and Mint are, in my opinion the best ones to use. I hope that isn't too controversial.
Let's start with the ones I tend to use the least. I suppose the ones I've used the very least are ones I've had running in a virtual machine. Slackware is one I have only used for a short a time in a virtual machine. It might be harder to install, as one has to choose partitions, but I didn't find it a problem to install at the time. I liked it. It seems to have older software, as far as I can tell, and the xfce desktop was outdated. But it ran well in a virtual machine, and many of the distros don't run so well in that environment. One problem with Slackware is that there isn't much software available in the repo. In order to get more software, one either has to use slackbuilds (which of course, means building it yourself) or there is a way of adding, the best I can understand, an extra repo that provides slackbuilds pre-built. I didn't get as far as adding extra software, and to tell the truth, I found this a big minus as far as using Slackware. But in general, if a person is inclined to build it all as do-it-yourself, then Slackware is a very good option. I suspect it is very stable.
Another distro I've used briefly is Fedora. Quite a while ago, I had it running in a virtual machine. From what I recall, it was hard to get it to install into the virtual machine, but the installation process itself is at least as simple as Ubuntu. When I tried it in my old computer, it didn't work so well. I think the kernel was causing problems, and I kept getting a usb voltage error. I've had this error appear from time to time in different distros, so it might not be entirely Fedora that did it, but once I installed another distro, the error went away. Otherwise, I liked Fedora, and found it easy to use and install software. There is an extra repo for Fedora as well, but it is easy to get. I probably could have downgraded the kernel and it would have been fine.
Currently, I have Manjaro running on an old netbook. However, one reason I don't use Manjaro on my desktop is because it seems to be the best distro that never allows your hp laserjet printer to be set up. I tried, believe me. Otherwise, it has the latest software, and isn't too unstable.
This leads me to what I think I would recommend as a distro for daily use. And in my humble opinion, I guess I've come down on the side of anything within the Debian family of OS. Myself, I think I now prefer just running Debian itself, and I don't even need the contrib or non-free repos. I'm fine with the stable branch too. Yes, the software is often a little outdated, but most of the software works well. If one wants a relatively stable system (unless you go out of your way to break it, and I have) then Debian is it. The only thing is that it takes a little bit of time and effort to set up after installation. It would be hard to describe to somebody who hasn't gone through the process what I mean by that, so I will just leave it a that. If one chooses Debian, then expect to spend some time setting it up after installation. At least, that has been my experience.
However, for new people, I wouldn't recommend Debian. I would recommend something built on Debian, like Ubuntu, or especially - Mint. Both are good for newcomers to Linux. Mint is hands down the best for new Linux users, and also very good for people that just want to use their computer without having to get overly technical about it.
One criticism I must continue to make is that systemd hasn't been as good for Linux as some would have us believe. With the adoption of systemd, I've had intermittent issues with internet connectivity. I've written about this elsewhere, so I won't go into detail, but it is something that one should at least keep in the back of their mind, just in case one encounters the problem. Switching to Upstart seems to help solve the problem, and for now, this can be easily done. Ther are also bits of code that can be found online that can be written into the network config file that might help, but I won't link to any of these, as I don't want to take responsibility for messing up somebody else's OS. Mine, sure I mess up mine all the time.
So, that's pretty much it. Debian and the Debian family, including Ubuntu and Mint are, in my opinion the best ones to use. I hope that isn't too controversial.
