So we can clearly see the most popular distros and the reasons why people use them, please follow this format:

  • Write the name of the Linux distro as a first-level comment.
  • Reply to that comment with each reason you like the distro as a separate answer.

For example:

  • Distro (first-level comment)
    • Reason (one answer)
    • Other reason (a different answer)

Please avoid duplicating options. This will help us better understand the most popular distros and the reasons why people use them.

    • iopq@vlemmy.net
      0·
      2 years ago

      Easy to mix and match package versions with different dependency versions

    • sntx@lemm.ee
      0·
      2 years ago

      Do it once, do it right. Save work be redeploying the same configuration (or submodules) on mutiple machines or the same machine multiple times.

    • sntx@lemm.ee
      0·
      2 years ago

      You get it for the low price of loosing all fun/motivation in setting up, customizing and mintaining machines with other distros

    • sntx@lemm.ee
      0·
      2 years ago

      A cool logo, meaningful rolling release version names and stickers

    • sntx@lemm.ee
      0·
      2 years ago

      A great selection and amount of packages and modules to build/install/enable

    • sntx@lemm.ee
      0·
      2 years ago

      Single command to compile & install packages from many git repos

    • loggy@infosec.pub
      0·
      2 years ago

      I have been thinking to give NixOS a spin but feels like it’s above my brain capacity for me to handle. Do you also use homemanager and Flakes? Homemanager kinda makes sense (manage packages for non root users) but what does Flakes do?

      • fabian_drinks_milk@lemmy.fmhy.ml
        0·
        2 years ago

        I am already trying it and I am still no expert. How I understand flakes is that it is a file with inputs, like nixpkgs and other flakes or repos you might depend on and some outputs that can be things like a nixshell with packages and environment variables, custom packages and configs like your NixOS configurations and home manager. When you use your flake for the first time, by entering a nix shell with nix develop, building a package with nix build, rebuild your NixOS system with nixos-rebuild --flake .#<hostname>, etc, nix will generate a flake.lock file that stores the hashes of all of your inputs and thus pinning the input versions. This means that if you ever run any of those commands again, you should get the same result because the inputs are pinned and the same version. If you want to update, you just run nix flake update and it will regenerate the flake.lock file with new hashes for the newest version. The advantage with flakes is that it is fully reproducible, even if one of your dependencies changes, because the hash is specified and centrally managed in the inputs of your flake.

        Nix flakes can be used for your NixOS system by adding the nixos configurations in the outputs of your nix flake and adding the dependencies like nixpkgs to the inputs. You can also combine it with home manager by either specifying it as a separate output or adding it as a nixos module inside the nixos configurations output. You just copy your existing nixos and home manager config to the folder with your flake and reference them inside the flake.nix. If you added home manager as a nixos module, you only need to run nixos-rebuild switch --flake <path-to-flake>.#<hostname> and it will automatically rebuild both your NixOS configuration and home manager configuration. You can then backup the folder with your flake and configurations by uploading them to GitHub for example.

        The best resource I found was this 3 hour video by Matthias Benaets: https://youtube.com/watch?v=AGVXJ-TIv3Y&feature=share7

        • loggy@infosec.pub
          0·
          2 years ago

          Thanks a lot for the detailed answer. It does sound complicated haha. I should probably follow along the YT video. Thanks again!

    • hobbsc@lemmy.sdf.org
      1·
      2 years ago

      Mint

      Generally works in cases where Ubuntu would and you don’t have to deal with Canonical’s choices.

      • athlon@lemm.ee
        0·
        2 years ago

        Yeah, but I rarely if ever leave those constraints, so it does not matter to me at all. Day to day, I use macOS anyway, and Mint only comes on my desktop PC.

  • linuxduck@nerdly.dev
    1·
    2 years ago

    Manjaro. It just worked on any device I installed it on. And wifi just worked with no fiddling.

    Then I installed it on surface tablet. What didn’t work, I found kernel fixes I could implement.

    Of all the distros, for me, it was the easiest to use, install and manipulate!!

    • please_lemmy_out@lemmy.world
      0·
      2 years ago

      Switched to Manjaro after running vanilla Arch for several years and haven’t looked back. I appreciate the slightly less bleeding edge updates and extra added stability around it.

      Easy installs are probably less of a big deal nowadays after Arch overhauled their installation process.

    • Vikthor@lemmy.world
      0·
      2 years ago

      It has an option to use Open RC init system instead of systemd. Systemd probably isn’t as annoying anymore but I can’t be arsed to make the switch.

    • count0@lemmy.dbzer0.com
      0·
      2 years ago

      It allows me to run any weird combination of applications I feel I need on a given day, (fairly) easily integrating basically all open source packages with a custom/local overlay and have those managed as part of the system just like everything else.

    • lemminur@lemmy.world
      0·
      2 years ago

      Being a source based distro, programs are compiled and optimized to your system configuration. Additionally you can add/remove features you dis/like using USE flags.

    • blackbrook@mander.xyz
      1·
      2 years ago

      The big advantage IMHO, is the out of the box BTRFS set up that lets you simply roll back to a non-broken state, right from the grub menu, should an update break your system. I haven’t had to use it yet, but it is a huge source of comfort knowing it is there.

      Also, many people coming to opensuse remark how much snappier it is than other distros.

      • evadzs@lemmy.world
        1·
        2 years ago

        Garuda uses this feature on an Arch base, it’s saved me a couple of times. Props to openSUSE for developing the way to make that happen!

        • kurcatovium@lemm.ee
          0·
          2 years ago

          Glad to hear someone else uses this awesome tool. I think unstable debian based Siduction uses that too.

      • shotgun_crab@lemmy.world
        0·
        2 years ago

        BTRFS has saved my life a bunch, I’m the kind that enjoys experimenting and changing stuff just to see what happens

      • CrypticCoffee@lemm.ee
        0·
        2 years ago

        It’s getting 3/4’s of the votes of Debian. I think their profile has increase a lot in the last year or so.

    • CrypticCoffee@lemm.ee
      0·
      2 years ago

      Security by default. Firewall is set up blocking ports for UDP etc. so you are protected out of the box.

    • 00@kbin.social
      1·
      2 years ago

      Easy to set up, very helpful community. If you liked Manjaro or think Manjaro is sketchy but like the idea of a slightly pre-configured arch, check it out.

    • ClonedPuffin@lemmy.world
      1·
      2 years ago

      This, basically Arch but quick to install with all the most important things installed and ready without being bloated.

    • LeafyBirch@kbin.social
      1·
      2 years ago

      It’s arch. It just happened to be the composition i had my previous arch setup as. Yay for AUR stuff, KDE Plasma for DE. Includes a couple of useful tools and makes for a very solid OS.

      Anyone who has been in the Ubuntu sphere of things with Linux, should take a moment to try arch. EndeavourOS is perfect for these people.

    • methodicalaspect
      0·
      2 years ago

      Same. I’ve done the vanilla Arch thing and it’s alright, but the quality of life enhancements that come with EndeavourOS make it a great daily driver.

      It’s the only distro I could get DaVinci Resolve Studio, Blackmagic Intensity Pro 4k, and my Radeon RX 6750 XT working with, consistently.

    • DarthVi@lemm.ee
      1·
      2 years ago

      I agree, it’s great!

      • image with baked in nvidia drivers which work out of the box without too much fuss
      • if you encounter problems, you can refer to the system76 website or use a solution provided by the community, since it’s based on Ubuntu
      • installation with full disk encryption enabled by default
      • right now it uses a slightly customized version of GNOME as DE (with “normal”/traditional windows and optionally a tiling wm), but system76 is working on a Rust-based DE, named Cosmic DE
    • zybir@lemmy.world
      0·
      2 years ago

      I’ve been using Pop for about 2 years. I have yet to run into an issue that I couldn’t fix. It’s the first distro that made ditching windows easy.

      • los_chill@programming.dev
        0·
        2 years ago

        I feel the same coming from Mac. Things seem to just work. I’m not a Linux wiz so minimal headaches while learning to tinker make it perfect for me.

    • ctr1@fl0w.ccEnglish
      0·
      2 years ago

      Excellent package and dependency management with a wide variety of up-to-date software

    • boonhet@lemm.ee
      0·
      2 years ago

      There are dozens of us! And you can join us at !gentoo@lemm.ee if you haven’t yet!

      I love it because it’s super configurable, lets you choose compiler optimizations (and through USE flags, features that you need in your packages - you don’t have to include everything).

      My Linux knowledge has skyrocketed compared to before I used Gentoo. Which of course means it’s NOT the distro for people who want something that just works, but honestly, now that it’s working properly, I feel it’s actually pretty hard to break, and when it does break, I know how to fix it! Versus with Linux Mint a decade ago, if I broke it, I had no idea where to get started and just reinstalled it.

      Of course, about half a year ago I decided to move from x11 and OpenRC to Wayland and systemd. And I use KDE. And have Nvidia graphics. Soooo it was a fun ride both relearning how my init system works, and also running into problems with Steam, etc.

      I also try to keep my kernel in single digit megabytes, but occasionally I find something missing and have to recompile with more “bloat”. So right now I believe it’s around 11 MB, but I’ll see about improving it over my next vacation. Not that 11 MB takes long to load off a gen4 NVMe drive, but the ePeen needs to be stroked! Also no initial ramdisk, to save even more boot time.

      • minorsecond@lemmy.ml
        0·
        2 years ago

        I just reinstalled Gentoo and switched to a Systemd setup as well. I held off for as long as I could but it’s just so nice!

        I’m using the binary kernel for now, but I’ll compile my own when I find the time. 11MB is nuts!

        • boonhet@lemm.ee
          0·
          2 years ago

          Great to hear! Though I will admit that it took me HOURS of reading the kernel config options I was disabling. But it was also very informative so it didn’t feel like a waste of time at all.

          • minorsecond@lemmy.ml
            0·
            2 years ago

            I usually run some commands while running the binary kernel that will disable every module not currently running in the config file, and then build the kernel from that.

            I’m guessing you prefer building everything as a module if your kernel is that small?

    • ctr1@fl0w.ccEnglish
      0·
      2 years ago

      Out-of-box security configurations supported by the organization (SELinux, hardening)

    • ctr1@fl0w.ccEnglish
      0·
      2 years ago

      Encourages hardware-based optimization and kernel specialization

      • minorsecond@lemmy.mlEnglish
        0·
        2 years ago

        Yep, these are all true. Throw in overlays and the package availability is unbeatable.

        • ctr1@fl0w.ccEnglish
          0·
          2 years ago

          Absolutely! I haven’t had any problems setting up dependencies for various projects and have only needed overlays a few times. Sometimes USE flags can be tricky but most things are pretty well documented