What kind of Linux user are you?

[ozfir]

Hello there, nice forum, had a problem with my wifi stick and a few posts later the problem was solved. I now have a new kernel, something I haven't had to do in years.

Started using Linux in 2002, back then my first distro was Red Hat, when it was free, then moved to Fedora in 2003. Liked the bleeding edge thing, though I had no experience and nothing to compare it with. Then tried Suse and Mandriva, all my college friends were using Debian and recommended that, but something held me back. When Ubuntu was announced in 2004 I jumped on -this was based on the stable Debian and sounded cool - like the spirit of Ubuntu.

Used LTS realeases always, never cared for that bleeding edge thing. Never cared to install latest and experimental kernels or latest and greatest software. What was important was that my Firefox and Open Office would not crash and I would not have to worry about updates breaking things. Liked to keep things simple. Ubuntu worked for years, but in 2015 I decided to give Linux Mint a go and used that ever since.

This year I decided to finally install Debian stable on my main computer, a decision that was smart, since it hasn't crashed a single time, which is what I want. Then on my testing desktop, an old really ■■■■■■ machine, I try out different things just for fun. Installed Zorin on it and oh boy - what a truly corgeous distro! Like the Gnome a lot and install was a breeze, the welcome screen was helpfull and the Zorin Appearance app is the best I have seen in any distro, gives you clear and easy way to switch between layouts, colors and themes.

For the desktop, used KDE for a number of years, then Gnome, preferred the simplicity of Gnome, KDE was just too... komplicated for me. With Mint I fell in love with Cinnamon and when installing Debian 11, the installer gave you the option to install multiple desktop environments, so I went crazy and installed KDE, Gnome and Cinnamon. Tried them all, but just my personal preferance, Cinnamon is the best.

Now on Zorin I kind of get what Gnome is all about. It is truly simple, pretty and does what it is supposed to do with zero fuss. If I still like Zorin after a few months or so, Debian will have to go on my number one machine and Zorin it is.

And since Pop! OS, Mint and Zorin are all based on Ubuntu and Ubuntu based on Debian, it's all a happy family. Thinking I'll be using Debian based distros forever.

Having said that, is there any reason to try out Arch based distros and what is the point there?

Just looking for a nice chat and good time!

[Elegant_Emperor]

@ozfir

Arch based distros and what is the point there?

None. Stay away from Arch, I say. On an Arch desktop, you will most likely, encounter hardware problems. Their way of installing apps is not secure either. And it is very easy to break the system unless you are very experienced. If you like to be on the latest but still on the stable side of things, Fedora or Pop!_OS is the way to go. Also Manjaro (arch based) is good...not as stable as Pop! or Fedora but good.

I like to be on the stable side but still have the latest software, that's why I use Fedora and also used Pop!_OS on another computer where I use Zorin now. There was no reason to actually leave Pop!_OS but my microphone was acting up because of Pipewire, plus I was missing Zorin. I never used Debian. I have always believed in Debian stable=Debian stale, but I get it why people use Debian.

As far as desktops are concerned, I also believe that Cinnamon is the best, although, I prefer GNOME because it is more simple to use and also more fun. KDE Plasma is my favourite but the bugs are annoying and I use XFCE on my old laptop because it is the only good lightweight desktop. God! I realize now that I am so diverse. Haha

[Aravisian]

@ozfir

KDE was just too... komplicated for me.

Agreed.

@ozfir

Having said that, is there any reason to try out Arch based distros and what is the point there?

It is good if you want to take fuller control and build a lot of what you use under your own guidance.
It sounds like it isn't the direction you prefer.

Desktops: I prefer XFCE or Cinnamon for its configuration.
I, personally, also find them easier to navigate and use.
Gnome has its advantages, as well.
KDE... Eh... I Love Plasma desktop just as much as I cannot stand it, too. It is highly configurable, but only within the constraints that Plasma sets.
With Gnome, XFCE, Mate or Cinnamon, I have more freedom to configure, even if Plasma has more Options in preconfigured settings for customization.
And KDE's file organization is... scattered. I often compare it to an explosion in a kite string factory. Drives me nuts.

LXDE-gtk3, combined with the XFWM4 window manager (Or you can install Muffin and Metacity-3 WM. The XFWM is just a lot easier to install and set right up without fuss) also makes a surprisingly easy, powerful and configurable desktop experience- really good for the users that Want a Gnome 2 Feel to it, with more up to date conveniences and configs.

[swarfendor437]

I think with anything it takes time to get used to an OS. For me now it has to be Plasma (KDE) and a more secure system than Debian - the breakaway Devuan that uses SysVinit bootloader - more simple, more secure than systemd as is present on nearly all other distros except Arch based ones. I was hoping to make a go of Artix Linux but it does not have Canon listed in Print Manager!
I think Plasma has a better file browser (Dolphin) than Gnome (Nautilus) and changing the theme of the cursors is much more simpler and more variety than Gnome.

Global theme:

Theming in general:

Plasma Styles:

Icons:

Wallpapers:

And yes I'm heavily into New Retro Wave music!

Historically, a 6th form student who was helping out IT Department at the School where our Integrated Resource was based introduced me to Knoppix 2.9 live - wow, a system that speaks to you on boot with Borg 1 of 9 saying "All systems are operational". I was advised to give Mandrake a go, which I did, Mandrake 10, but the downside is that I was on very slow dial up where you had to dial in like a fax machine and speeds were 56 kbps - yes that's right, 56 kbps - kids today that have internet access don't know how lucky they are - can remember the wonderful Norton Internet Security Suite 2002 - took an hour to update only to be told on completion that "The update was unsuccessful! Please try again" and waste yet another hour only to see the same message - good riddance to Windows! So I used to take a CD in to download the updates to Mandrake in my lunch break. Updated with the CD only to break my Mandrake install! I have tried multiple different distros which I have posted elsewhere on this forum, not necessarily in chronological order, which you can read here:

Which are all the Linux distributions you have ever used (on bare metal/VM)?

In no specific order apart from the first one (all on hard metal): [My first ever experience was Knoppix 1.9 in live mode - even talked to say "All systems operational" in Borg 1 of 9 voice. Klaus Knopper wrote Knoppix in dedication to his wife who is blind.] Mandrake 10 - which I managed to screw up - I couldn't afford broadband at the time - only had dial-up at home. Downloaded the updates in my lunch break to CDs I took into work - and broke the install when trying to update manually! LOL! …

[ozfir]

Like I said, matters of taste. To my eye what you just showed there is just way too... komplikated. My eyes hurt! Here is what a desktop is supposed to look like:

Debian 11 with Cinnamon. And switching between workspaces works better in Cinnamon in my opinion than on any other DE. Just my opinion.

[swarfendor437]

Don't like Cinnamon as it relies on C?£%$Y Pulse Audio! Yuk!

[ozfir]

Having said that, the Zorin looks killer out of the box as it is, my point being here.

[swarfendor437]

Well Devuan does come with LXQt DE by default (win2k style menu), but also at point of install you can have Cinnamon, Gnome flashback, MATE, Plasma (KDE). Default used to be xfce but latest is LXQt.

[ozfir]

I installed KDE, Gnome and Cinnamon, tried them all and gave a fair chance, in the end I still liked Cinnamon the most. But Mint does a really nice job in polishing it all up - Debian leaves that to the user.

[Aravisian]

I use Cinnamon on Zorin OS. It rocks, without any bogging down or slowing that I have seen on other distros.

[seanhinkley]

Arch Linux is designed for power users, its rolling release design keeps it up to date with the latest and greatest but also means its not completely tested, this is one of the reasons windows gets buggy as well, and many organizations used to wait months or years before installing service packs or new OS versions. If you enjoy fixing things and enjoy learning by break-fix, then arch is going to be for you. Which is why a lot of people who go into Linux to have control and learn end up on arch-based distros, then end up using just a window manager and creating their own tiling UI etc its just the type they are typically software engineers . I played around with arch up until I went back to school then I couldn't afford to take 2 days to fix a broken release or weird issue.

For DE, I haven't used KDE in a while (10 years) it used to be heavy and resource-intensive and I preferred xfce, I have come to like to gnome since using Zorin pro, I have always liked MATE and Cinnimon as well when running Mint.

[ozfir]

I bought an iMac for audio work in 2011. It was a great machine for the time. Installed Ubuntu along with OsX, eventually abandoned my music hobby and booted only to Ubuntu. That was a LTS release and I used it for the whole five years, then for some reason installed Linux Mint on it. Not a huge difference between mint and ubuntu, today I prefer Mint simply because I get the Cinnamon desktop. Yes, you can install that in Ubuntu with one click... Now I'm looking for a stable solution, something that'll work for the next five years, so Debian 11 it is on my production machine. Unless one can point me to a distro that is more stable and more robust.

I was really disappointed to see my LMDE 5 installation fail, no disk found error - I'm the type of guy that simply tries another distro if the installation doesn't work.

To each his own, no point in doubtful disputations. Zorin is great. Probably I'll install it again at some point. This is why I have a second computer for testing. If something doesn't work, no sweat.

Going with the most famous distro - Ubuntu hands down - can't go wrong. You get the best stability and best support. At times a distro might hit the charts, simply due to hype, but in my country Ubuntu is very popular and support is always close.

Localization is a must. Zorin was available for my native tongue, if an OS does not support my language, I do not install it. Even though I'm pretty much fluent in English, I want my OS to be in my own tongue. Something for all to consider, show some respect for the people working hard to produce quality localization.

The idea of LMDE rocks, if it takes off that could be might choice of distro in the future.

And KDE - stands for Komplikated Desktop Environment. Having said that, a tool similar to Zorin's Appearances should come with all distros! Now in Mint, you get that choice between light and dark themes and the layout, but it isn't as great as in Zorin and after the installation it is a pain to find that welcome screen from the settings.

What matters to average day users is that the OS is stable, no need to fuss about and the UI is everything - this is something Zorin does well and Mint comes in close. No to say that Ubuntu does not have a nice UI, but just my opinion that Cinnamon beats Gnome. If only there was only one Deb-based distro that come with the simple option of choosing a DE. Everybody would win.