• bunchberry@lemmy.world
    5·
    10 hours ago

    I use Debian as my daily driver for at least a decade, but I still recommend Mint because it has all the good things about Debian with extra.

    Debian developers just push out kernel updates without warning you about any possible system incompatibilities, so for example if you have an Nvidia GPU you might get a notificaton to “update” and a normie will likely press it only for the PC to boot to a black screen because Debian pushed out a kernel update that breaks compatibility with Nvidia drivers and does nothing to warn the user about it, and then a normie probably won’t know how to get out of the black screen to the TTY and roll back the update.

    I remember this happening before and I had to go to the reddit for /r/Debian and respond to all the people freaking out explaining to them how to fix their system and rollback the update.

    Operating systems like Ubuntu, Mint, PopOS, etc, will do more testing with their kernel before rolling it out to users. They also tend to have more up-to-date kernels. I had Debian on everything but my gaming PC that I had built recently because Debian 12 used such an old kernel that it wouldn’t support my motherboard hardware. This was a kernel-level issue and couldn’t be fixed just by installing a new driver. Normies are not going to want to compile their own kernel for their daily driver, and neither do I who has a lot of experience with Linux.

    I ended up just using Mint until Debian 13 released on that PC because my only option would be to switch to the unstable or testing branch, or compile my own kernel, which neither I cared to do on a PC I just wanted to work and play Horizon or whatever on.

  • infinitesunrise@slrpnk.netEnglish
    4·
    15 hours ago

    I mean, depends on your style. I’ve been running endeavouros (Arch spin) on my desktop for two years now and it’s finally felt like home. Though I did my first mint install in maybe 5 years just last week on my media player box in the living room (Cinnamon version) and I’ve gotta say, it really does feel like “ubuntu, absent all the bloat”. Runs really great on a 15-year old dell optiplex with almost zero bullshit beyond having to install vlc-plugin-base.

    • ɔiƚoxɘup@infosec.pub
      2·
      14 hours ago

      First, that sounded so “I use arch btw”, love that.

      Second, I managed to get mint running on a 04-05 model dell. I was so shocked I was able to get it to boot. It didn’t run too well, but it was amazing!

      I’ve been recommended it as a windows replacement on my new MSI gaming laptop. I’m thinking about that or Zorin.

      I run Lubuntunon some old laptops I have for the kids, but I’m interested in seeing how well Zoron handles hardware.

      Really, I need to slap some boot usbs in it and try it out…

    • Digit@lemmy.wtfEnglish
      3·
      15 hours ago

      Some reasons

      • Package availability
      • Preconfiguration curiosity
      • Features (e.g. USE flags, different inits, musl, package manager speed, newness vs stability, different core utils, etc)
      • Reliability
      • Education
      • Community

      But yeah… It’s a mite silly to be distro-hopping just to try different desktop environments.

      Methinks several still-new users are yet to realise the desktop environment and distro are not tied together, and nearly all distros offer nearly all desktop environments to install, just one command away.

      It gets even more fun when exploring all the window managers, not just the few desktop environments. And… there be ways to ease that exploration even further.

  • kirk781@discuss.tchncs.de
    39·
    2 days ago

    There is no one reliable distro. Mint, itself is based off Ubuntu and also releases LMDE (Linux Mint Debian Edition).

    If reliablility is measured in terms of how stable a distro is, then likely Debian with it’s conservative approach to packaging updates comes to mind (No wonder large number of distros are based off Debian only).

    I would even argue as long as someone isn’t messing with a niche distro such as KDE Neon( meant to showcase KDE packages) or Linuxfx (or whatever it has renamed itself to, one of the few shady ones IMO ) or Trisquel OS (a GNU certified distro where running into dependency hell isn’t new); it will suit user’s case.

    Debian, Slackware, Void, Zorin, even rolling release like Arch (basically any one that meets the user’s use case is reliable)

  • Affidavit@lemmy.world
    6·
    2 days ago

    Yep, this is me. I’m currently using an old Nobara kernel… Because the latest kernel install (w/dependencies) completely fucked up everything and I honestly cba wasting any more time troubleshooting (tldr Wayland is NOT ready for production).

    Just waiting till the motivation hits so I can do a complete rebuild. Mint is at the top of my list—it just works.

    Edit: should add, one good thing Nobara does is that it keeps previous kernels installed, so that if they fuck things up (and they do), you can just select a previous kernel when booting.

  • _stranger_@lemmy.world
    53·
    2 days ago

    I tried Mint this weekend. Steam was broken out of the box, when it works flawlessly on Ubuntu and Manjaro on the same hardware.

    • Strider@lemmy.world
      141·
      2 days ago

      From the bottom of my heart fuck rolling releases. Never worked for me (nobody get worked up please, ymmv).

      • gustofwind@lemmy.worldEnglish
        101·
        2 days ago

        lol it’s funny how proactively defensive everyone is about their distro choices

        I use a Mac for my server 🤓

    • mybuttnolie@sopuli.xyz
      11·
      2 days ago

      I’ve been living with fedora (ultramarine) kde for a while now because people praised fedora so much, but i think mint still wins. and i chose ultramarine because am a noob, don’t sue me.

      there are many little things that just don’t work and i seriously can’t figure out. here’s a few: discover fails to update the system and i always have to do it manually from the terminal. wine is broken, it literally can’t run anything i throw at it that worked on mint. plasma theme customization is somewhat broken (also custom themes prevent updating…). using alt key in games run with wine causes some annoying notification sound (not in system keyboard shortcuts). often keyboard leds stay on when system suspended, system can’t be woken up from keyboard. can’t use flameshot with kb shortcut.

      this isn’t a hate comment though, a lot of things are better than i had with mint cinnamon. i do like how it’s a lot faster than mint when under heavy load, autosuspend actually works, no issues with screen not waking up. currently my media pc with mint can’t update because all sources are unavailable and it has some conflict with python3 which it won’t let me uninstall (which i suspect would be unwise, idk)

      • gustofwind@lemmy.worldEnglish
        17·
        2 days ago

        I can only recommend regular Fedora because I have a feeling you just wouldn’t have those issues but I am not a doctor.

    • satanmat@lemmy.world
      5·
      2 days ago

      Kinoite Ride or die

      FOR ME it does the things I need it to do; and it works; and hasn’t blown up my house yet so 🤞

  • Kaiserschmarrn@feddit.org
    512·
    2 days ago

    Man… I just fucking love CachyOS. I switched from Win11 a few weeks ago and up until now it is just a great experience.

  • Geth@lemmy.dbzer0.com
    483·
    2 days ago

    Mint has been glazed since the beginning of time. Not a single laptop or computer I have ever owned has worked out of the box with it. As opposed to alternatives like Ubuntu or Fedora. I must be the single most unlucky person in the history of Linux.

    • comfy@lemmy.ml
      1·
      15 hours ago

      In the past 5 years I’ve only ever had minor issues*, like a power button light not being on. But as a developer, I’m aware my hardware choices are more likely to be popular with other developers who would have already noticed and fixed issues.

      * excluding on niche distros, like Puppy ones.

    • Zron@lemmy.world
      431·
      2 days ago

      I’ve had the opposite experience. Mint has just worked on literally every piece of hardware I’ve ever owned.

    • brucethemoose@lemmy.world
      17·
      2 days ago

      Is it always a new laptop/computer?

      I’d be suspicious of Mint on anything brand new (and hence only recently fixed in a lot of packages).

      • AngryCommieKender@lemmy.world
        4·
        1 day ago

        Is there any company out there that sells PCs with Linux pre-installed? I make a ton of money selling custom built PCs that have Linux pre-installed and tested.

        • brucethemoose@lemmy.world
          8·
          1 day ago

          Several. System76 (the cosmic dev) is a major one, literally making the distro just for their laptops.

          They’re mostly white boxes though. I don’t any and manufacture their own hardware (except Framework possibly???)

        • gustofwind@lemmy.worldEnglish
          4·
          1 day ago

          You can find Linux models from dell lenovo and I think even hp but you gotta search for them

          There are also some specialty companies that make Linux desktops and laptops but you also gotta really seek them out

    • tym@lemmy.world
      9·
      23 hours ago

      I’ve had 0 issues with mint OOB… less than Ubuntu. Guess I got lucky regarding hardware compatibility.

    • LumiNocta@lemmy.zip
      3·
      2 days ago

      I used it on an HP elite X2 and everything worked, touchscreen and it’s specific screen cover/keyboard

      It’s weird tho because I didn’t expect that at all.

      • 0x0@infosec.pub
        5·
        1 day ago

        Most distros works out of the box with that weirdly enough, only one I’ve had issues with was debian and the pen, but that worked itself out straight away after updating it

    • Crozekiel@lemmy.zipEnglish
      2·
      18 hours ago

      Sorta same, but my problems expand beyond just Mint… I had a lot of problems with Ubuntu several years back, so I was convinced to switch to Manjaro. That was an absolutely unabashed fucking nightmare. I thought I was either cursed or just too stupid for Linux for a while. I still don’t know if I just got very unlucky or if I was/am too stupid for the distros that everyone shouts praises from the rooftops for… I stumbled into Garuda Linux and it has been a dream come true.

    • Deathray5@lemmynsfw.com
      1·
      12 hours ago

      As someone who runs a small volunteer run IT support group that tries to suggest Linux I’ve found that I often need the Ubuntu PPA to get Qualcomm WiFi cards to work.

  • HexagonSun@lemmy.zipEnglish
    36·
    2 days ago

    Went back to Mint a few times but ultimately I like Plasma over Cinnamon, so Debian it is!

    • bisby@lemmy.world
      143·
      1 day ago

      You do know that you don’t have to change distros to change DE right?

      • ITGuyLevi@programming.dev
        8·
        21 hours ago

        I absolutely loved the release of LMDE, it’s just what I like though, the simple intuitive interface of Mint, without dealing with Canonical’s bullshit (really sour about snaps, ignore me lol).

        Edit: picked back up my phone and reread what was on the screen when I realized you probably meant desktop environment and not Debian Edition when you typed DE.

      • HexagonSun@lemmy.zipEnglish
        10·
        1 day ago

        Yep. I was using Plasma on Mint for a while but the consensus was you’re best off using a DE officially supported by the distro.

        Never encountered any issues personally up to that point, but seemed to be the majority opinion when I researched it.

        But my most recent switch was from Endeavour, so made much more sense to install Debian 13 than to Install Mint and then immediately switch DE.

  • Zink@programming.dev
    32·
    2 days ago

    I never left!

    I think I’m just old enough, have fiddled with my PC enough times in the past, have enough other shit to do, and get enough coding and troubleshooting experience at work that I look at the quest to find my spirit distro and think “that’s a youngster’s game.”

    Or, you know, maybe Mint is already my spirit distro and I am experienced enough to not fix what isn’t broken!

    • HugeNerd@lemmy.ca
      9·
      2 days ago

      Ah that explains it, I no longer understand a single thing about computers or what people do with them anymore. You’ve explained it perfectly.

      And here’s the thing: I don’t even want to know. It’s not like I’m trying to understand but can’t, I just don’t care. I don’t get it.

      People with 100TB home servers, people with 3D printers and boxes filled with trash, endless upgrades for no visible change, etc

      I don’t have a single need or want that ends with “I need a new computer”.

      • Zink@programming.dev
        8·
        2 days ago

        I completely understand the sentiment!

        I am still into some tech and “new computer” type stuff. I am about to install a bigger/faster drive in my PC and set up my Home Assistant server. That PC is already my Jellyfin server. I am also in the middle of building a brand new PC for my kid, which will also run Mint, lol.

        But I spend time only on the things that I’ve learned really matter to me, and not on all the things you’re “supposed to” mess with in your home lab that you obviously have.

        You know the meme (or meme category) where it’s a resume or linkedin profile where the recent work history goes something like Senior Network Architect, then Goose Farmer?

        I may literally have a 3D printer still in the box, and PC & networking parts all over the house, but my daily routine is embedded linux C/C++ sr developer by day and animal tender on the evenings and weekends, lol.