Tech - Life - Links - Gribbletube - Home
2015-11-01
I have been using Gnu Linux since 2006 and have used several different distros over the years. This list is in no particular order and I have used all of these distros for a signifiant period of time as well
Mandrake Linux was the first Linux distro I ever used and it was based on Redhat Linux if I remember correctly. I remember it working fairly well with minimal configuration and issues. Unfortunately the project shutdown in 2011. However the project still continues under the name "Open-Mandriva" and has a rolling release version(ROME) and a static release Version(ROCK) same as Opensuse. I have not used open Mandrvia other then playing around with it in a VM. Its on this list because it was the first Linux distro I ever used. I still have a CD from 2007 with Mandriva burned onto it. I might try installing it on one of my older laptops to see if it will still work(probably won't as driver support was not very good back then)
I have always used Ubuntu as a back-up Linux distro typical duel booted with OpenSuse. I never have been that impressed with Ubuntu ever since they switched to gnome 3 as their main desktop environment.
I've Used Arch BTW
Arch is a minimalist Linux distro which only install the bare minimum, and you add in the rest after the install. The best thing about arch is the large software repository it has and the AUR and Arch has pretty good documentation in its wiki. One problem I have with arch is that it is a "Bleeding Edge" meaning it will have the most recent Linux Kernel and software, however the draw back of that is you might run into broken dependency issues, which can be a bit of a head ach to deal with. As for a minimalist install a lot of people forget you can do bare-minimum installs of most Linux distros and installing Arch is not that hard, all you have to do is run the arch install script.
Manjaro is a downstream Arch based distro that is more stable and user friendly then arch. I've ran this distro on one of my laptops with zero issues for months on end. This distro is also very beginner friendly as well.
Mint is another Beginner friendly Linux distro and is very very stable and is my go to distro for installing on laptops. This is the distro I recommend the most to people either getting into Linux, or just want a simple OS, that will meet their daily needs(Checking email, Browsing the Internet, Basic office stuff, and some Graphics/video editing) and not have to deal with Windows Bloat or Apples planned obselentance.
Debian is one of my go to if you want a minimum Linux install. You can install it with no WM environment or choose witch one you want to install, and go. It also has the options to install various software environments, like ones for STEM fields or HAM operators. Only draw back with Debian is that it has a smaller software repo and problems with multi-media codecs I've noticed.
Ever since the Mandrake/Mandriva project shut down OpenSuse has been my go to Linux distros(To a lesser extent Ubuntu), up until I started distro hoping. Some people say its "bloated" because of YasT, however you can always do a bare minimum install when installing OpenSuse and just unselect YasT. With OpenSuse you also have the option of having a Static Release that is only updated once a year(aside from security patches) or Tumble weed which is a rolling release(and is considered of the most stable rolling Linux Distros as well). The only drawback I have had with OpenSuse was installing multi-media codecs, which can be a head ache, but other then that its a good distro. I ran the static release on one of my laptops for three years with no issues.
Out of all of the mentioned Linux distros I would probably pick Opensuse, Debian and Mint linux as being the best linux distro in my opinion. I only grip is that you don't have the option to choose the init system you want to use, and you're stuck with systemD, I tend to prefer openRC, but its not that big of a deal to me. And if you're not a big time computer nerd, it does not matter what init system is used.
Copyright 2022-2025 Gribblenet.xyz |RSS