Ask HN: Rolling Release Distro, or LTS w/ Backports?
1 comments
Not the biggest distrohopper on the planet, but I have been using GNU/Linux since around 2006 so I will throw my hat in the ring with some comments and answers I have seen to similar questions over the years.
* Straight-up Debian is not always recommended as a desktop distro. I use Debian Testing as my desktop distro, though, and have had no problems. I did use Debian Sid, which works like a rolling distro in the sense that it does not need to be reinstalled for major version updates. I managed to mess it up during an update by carelessly pressing 'y' without reading what was written in the terminal.
* I have used Manjaro in the past, and it was fine. Just take it easy with packages from the AUR and everything will be OK. And remember: Manjaro != Arch. I tried Arch and used it for a long time. Not a single issue. Quite seamless, great wiki.
* I tried MX for quite some time. It might be worth looking at because you can access some newer packages through backports and the built-in tools can be helpful setting this up. I found it to be just as fast and seamless as Arch. MX is semi-rolling and Debian-based.
* Right now, I see a lot of people talking about Fedora as a great desktop Linux experience. It is one of the few major distros that I have never tried. Several of the big Linux YouTubers recommend it for Desktop use.
If I were you, I would stick with what works until it doesn't work. If you keep digging around, you'll start spending more time keeping your dotfiles in order than actually enjoying the distro. I stuck with Ubuntu for years until my hardware couldn't keep up with the demands of the DE. I lived in a minimal, tiling window manager for a few years. Like you, I like how Debian and apt work. So, my first pick for you would be MX.
Other options:
Bunsen Labs https://www.bunsenlabs.org/ (very light DE)
Linux Mint https://linuxmint.com/ (good transition from Ubuntu, loved by many)
Pop!_OS https://system76.com/pop
Neon https://neon.kde.org/ (if you want latest KDE)
* Straight-up Debian is not always recommended as a desktop distro. I use Debian Testing as my desktop distro, though, and have had no problems. I did use Debian Sid, which works like a rolling distro in the sense that it does not need to be reinstalled for major version updates. I managed to mess it up during an update by carelessly pressing 'y' without reading what was written in the terminal.
* I have used Manjaro in the past, and it was fine. Just take it easy with packages from the AUR and everything will be OK. And remember: Manjaro != Arch. I tried Arch and used it for a long time. Not a single issue. Quite seamless, great wiki.
* I tried MX for quite some time. It might be worth looking at because you can access some newer packages through backports and the built-in tools can be helpful setting this up. I found it to be just as fast and seamless as Arch. MX is semi-rolling and Debian-based.
* Right now, I see a lot of people talking about Fedora as a great desktop Linux experience. It is one of the few major distros that I have never tried. Several of the big Linux YouTubers recommend it for Desktop use.
If I were you, I would stick with what works until it doesn't work. If you keep digging around, you'll start spending more time keeping your dotfiles in order than actually enjoying the distro. I stuck with Ubuntu for years until my hardware couldn't keep up with the demands of the DE. I lived in a minimal, tiling window manager for a few years. Like you, I like how Debian and apt work. So, my first pick for you would be MX.
Other options:
Bunsen Labs https://www.bunsenlabs.org/ (very light DE)
Linux Mint https://linuxmint.com/ (good transition from Ubuntu, loved by many)
Pop!_OS https://system76.com/pop
Neon https://neon.kde.org/ (if you want latest KDE)
Thanks for your comment and links! I appreciate it.
MX is interesting and worked well last time I tried it, but I wasn't sure if it can be a KDE distro. I like XFCE but want to use KDE for a while.
MX is interesting and worked well last time I tried it, but I wasn't sure if it can be a KDE distro. I like XFCE but want to use KDE for a while.
However, I've been trying rolling release distros like PCLOS and Manjaro on other computers, and I like the way they provide newer software, while they also seem to work really well so far.
I saw a Youtube comment where someone recommended Ubuntu + backports as an alternative to a rolling release distro.
This is tempting because a lot of third-party proprietary software companies support Ubuntu really well.
(I'd probably try Kubuntu as it's been a while, but I'm thinking the question is generally the same for *buntu.)
So: What should I know if I try LTS + backports instead of a rolling release? What am I missing? Is it worth a try?
And are there other Debian-based distros I should consider, rolling or no? (Thinking of using apt-clone to help with the migration, and generally liking how Debian works...)
Thanks!