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Question for Linux users (win $20)
Writing copy for a Linux distro right now.
For daily Linux users:
What are you looking for in a distro?
Why do you pick a distro?
What do you care most about?
What do you see often talked about that you care the least about?
Feel free to talk about other motivations in picking (or not picking) a distro.
What type of user are you? (Programmer, student, gamer, casual user, etc)
If you're not a Linux user:
If you were to switch from Mac OS or Windows to Linux, what would be your biggest wants, and things you would need on Linux?
The most detailed answer (in my opinion) wins $20.
Paypal or crypto -- can be whatever desired currency as long as it's on Coinbase.
You'll pay transaction fees if crypto.
If Paypal, I'll send friends & family.
Will be chosen by the end of the day 2/22/22 (12 AM CST).
Comments
Stability
Long EOL
ease of use, security, bug free
New kernel. Who cares. If you need a feature you can just patch your current kernel to support it like wireguard on centos 7, or 8
What are you looking for in a distro?
Although most are similar at their core but I usually up looking for a balance between how updated the packages are, decent package management, availability of packages and community support.
Why do you pick a distro?
After years of distro hopping and get my gentoo, arch, LFS etc fix I've finally settled on Ubuntu. No frills but gets out of your way to get work done.
What do you care most about?
Mentioned in the first question
What do you see often talked about that you care the least about?
Bleeding edge packages and being lightweight. I see a lot of folks running after keeping the number of packages low on their system and wanting instant updates. I'd rather have something stable but not too old.
Feel free to talk about other motivations in picking (or not picking) a distro.
The reason why I ended up with the buntu family was because of availability and support for a lot of commercial packages. For example, Termius has a deb available that can be quickly installed but if I want it on an RPM distribution, I have to hop over to get it via Snap. For me flatpaks>>>snap anyday. Same for say one or two VPN clients I have tried. Sure I could go the manual way with a openvpn config but its just easier to install a deb and be done with it. I guess I am getting too old to download large amount of updates each day and fix, however small, issues that come along with it.
Debian pls
(I expect $7 for this comment)
Thanks!
I just updated the post (after you responded) could you answer:
What type of user are you? (Programmer, student, gamer, casual user, etc)
Peenus
Sure - i'll add a more detailed response later today.
Ease of use, community support, and stability.
Was recommended Ubuntu, never really had to change from that or Debian.
Being able to find solutions for things on the internet without having to perform super technical workarounds. I just want things to work.
Ubuntu always tries to shove Kubernetes in their MOTD so I guess that.
I guess I don't choose other OSes because I don't know why they're a better fit than Ubuntu/Debian for me and why I should spend the time and effort trying to switch.
I use Linux in both my job and servers, but Windows for everything else.
1. A large community/user-base so I can get forum support or find answers to questions already asked
2. A distro that companies I might want to work for are using
3. Sometimes low resource usage for small offers
4. Long EOL
5. Lots of packages
6. Lots of recently updated packages (but stable)
7. Ease of use is a plus
Because I have to.
Support, this includes large amount of packages
Proprietary apps tainting the system.
1. Does it support direct admin or cpanel
2. If i'm using it for a company in production environment is their paid support available like with redhat?
Programmer
I would want all my windows apps to work without me having to do anything
Depends on my usecase, it needs to have a stable base, wide range of up to date packages in the repositories, deep customizability, flexible and some community support
My job requires it, as most ML tools doesn't exist on Windows
TensorFlow packages availbility, resource-friendly and great documentation
Some apps are not optimized to run on Linux and runs slow as fuck, and poor NVIDIA support for GPUs
Rolling distro is a hell of mess, as I have my workspace ruined and destroyed by a full upgrade once, then I decided to go with a stable one like Fedora and that's better than what I expected, less risky updates so I don't have to stare at the screen everytime the thing updates
Sysadmin + university student
Native support for Windows apps and games (which probably won't even happen)
I go I to this a lot more below. But it starts with word of mouth, online recommendations, supported software, and a need to have to use the OS that day.
Long term support happens when we have familiarity - i.e. using it for 21 times or more for a specific task. And that depends on our personal wants and needs for features and support and stability. It needs to be intuitive, it needs to use shortcuts similar to the OS you currently use. I suspect this happens in web servers a lot, we learn how to use node the Linux way, and we know how to get our apache working how we want and our redirects. So it becomes our 'goto' for our web hosting solutions.
To begin recommending a distribution, it needs to start doing things that other OS'es cannot. Or performing faster tasks. For example, lots of Linux processes can be started/restarted without a reboot. And some things you need to really dig into PowerShelk etc to use, are just higher level and easier to access.
I don't care much about their own apps or features that aren't well documented. I do care about things like an awesome tablet mode, or dependability.
I think the only barrier is application parity. So a lot of neck beards talking about low memory use, low CPU use, higher security, pretending people are dumb for using Windows etc blah blah blah - sure that's important to some degree of you work with servers... But for end users? Really? If security was the deciding factor, BlackBerry would still be #1 and Linux would have won during the WinXP era. The eopinion of that 'type' of overly opinionated tech person has become the same as a Karen complaining to a manager - it pushes people away.
I'd also say a lot of folks focusing on Docker support too, I hate JS frameworks and node. I use them almost daily, but it's about 20+ years of garbage solutions piled on eachother. Node, Angular, React, Vue, Express, Node etc - these all exist because we've so badly outgrown what JS was and it evolved way to slow to what it needed to be. Half of the garbage is installed from inside other garbage, and inside other garage until you are installing a 300mb framework for a dolly feature on a website. There is absolutely no reason anything related to development should need to be 'installed'.
What would be convincing, is if there was something that could run on Windows and just list what applications are unavailable on the OS of your choice. I think if people saw how far, for examples Ubuntu support had become - they might just move over - especially Apple users. Migration tools for settings, configs. Maybe using ML to drive training videos migrating from Windows to Linux for yoursoftware you use daily would work. The right way to tackle this is probably a change management process (i.e. ADKAR or some PROSCI or something to help move people over).
For example - if someone gave me a laptop running Ubuntu, my first questions are going to be around VR support, ability to run my drawing tablets, my Nvidia support for my 3080s. Then support for my software, day to day. Business tools. Overall stability.
However if someone gives me an Ubuntu server, I'll start looking for migrating some systems there, duplicatiin, backups etc. I wouldn't be nervous in that case as it's predictable for me.
Tech lead, coder, designer, developer leading a mid sized team in creative technology development (XR, games, marketing, etc). Lots of teaching, testing, reviewing, pushing through last minute issues, pair programming etc. Focus is on multimedia and graphics and user experience.
This makes Linux almost unadoptable for me as a daily driver.
I need dependable access to everything. Latest driver access. I need to take constant windows user screenshots for training, education, teaching. But I also rely on a lot of GPU stuff for rendering graphic content and applications.
I'm also needing to constantly build against windows file systems, and using windows tasks, for controlling processes using some of our products and tools. Finally most of my high end tools I use daily don't have Linux support.
Until I have system party for all the tools I use in a day (Unity, Unreal, Substance, Painter, Maya, Modo, Audition, Premiere, After Effects, Photoshop) and our mocap tooling (iClone, Motion Builder, etc) that allows for equal or higher dependability and ease of use support - I can't switch over. I also need my third party tools to move over (Android Studio, Oculus Development Hub, and many odd new small game engine tools and design tools).
Even in that case I need more demand from learners from K to 12, and post secondary, to demand Linux support. As I need to document processes quite often for use, configuration, and teaching.
I think it's important to work with a bit of everything - a person really should be picking the best OS for a particular purpose.
That said, I first got into Linux about 12 year ago.. maybe 15 I'm not sure. I needed to write a bunch of stuff for installing software at a company I was at, and everyone else at the lab were terrified of Linux, so I just dived into it.
During that time, I had access to a lot of free & paid distributions. The two that gave me the least grief, were Ubuntu and Linux Mint (which is based on Ubuntu anyway). Fedora was pretty unstable at the time, and Debian would take a second place for me. Speaking strictly for end users mind you, not professional linux enterprise users. Some other platforms like Cent OS, seem stable, but feel and look old as hell. And so you feel like it's out of date the moment you install it. With most of the paid distributions it felt like ... Why bother? Why pay? I also have a hard time trusting closed source as I don't really trust most companies.
The important reasons for me adopting Ubuntu is:
I'd also add that Ubuntu just feels more graphic design workflow friendly and user use friendly than most other distributions. Maybe that isn't the case but there is no reason really to try otherwise. In my line of work, how it looks and feels is far more important than the technology behind it.
What would swing me over, is a bit more command line overlay between Ubuntu and Windows. For example, ipconfig doesn't exist, but the IP command does. So if it would chain Commons commands and redirect them to the right commands to educate users on how to use the system - it would be a lot easier for new users.
Anyway, I have no interest in the $20. But wanted to share what is probably the average consumer experience for Linux.
(This talking about desktop)
Everything I need have support by distro or community base and program itself running on lastest version at the time.
Only I complain just NVIDIA proprietary driver which broke on rarely scenario. Other than that just personal bias and choices.
Its just like use windows, but learning about musle memory about GUI once again.
My background was not related anything with IT, but I calculate / visual using python (is that count?)
Arch btw
Alpine Linux on my laptop
Someone really needed that $20 really bad. Whomever reads that should win $20.
Eyyy drop that $20 in crypto and hodl. I'm one of the dumbasses who had over 30 btc in 2011 then sold them off in late 2011 for no reason.
Its Free
Its Free again
As Always its was free
Free is everything
Its free bro, do you know the exiting of free thing?
I am a Free User
Thats all
I use both Linux, Windows and macOS on a daily basis. I game/relax on Windows, work on Linux and I use macOS for work when I'm on the go, and for most things creative.
For personal usage, very little - a good package manager (no RPM!), very up to date repositories for core software, as close to stable kernel as possible, no reliance on non-free software and decent documentation.
For servers and the like, I want a distro that has a long standing history (both in a free support sense and the ability to provide enterprise support for the customer who likes support from their vendor directly), stable project governance, modern(ish) kernel.
For personal usage, whatever I'm interested in playing with that week. Usually, it'll be a distro that isn't "mainstream" (no Fedora/EL/Debian/Ubuntu/etc.)
For servers, it'll either be due to a specific requirement for a piece of software or based on what best suits the needs.
Usually stable governance, if I'm settled down on an OS and they have a good community going - I don't want to have to up ship because the maintainers have all left due to some nut job corporate overlord.
Software the distro ships with - a lot of people seem to talk about distros either with what they ship with (e.g. desktop environment). I'll be removing most of that and replacing it with my boring LXDE/MATE setup.
Systems administrator/programmer. I game from time to time, but tend to use Windows for that.
For my windows usage, DirectX - and for vendors to support hardware on Linux more freely. My main windows machine uses some proprietary hardware that has no Linux support and likely no plans for any future Linux support.
For my generic usage (macOS) -- I need Adobe's Creative Cloud, I need Logic and Final Cut, I need Microsoft Office and good equivalents for all the small little apps that I have bought over the years. Don't get me wrong, I love free software, but the experience with a lot of free alternatives is usualy subpar.
What are you looking for in a distro?
Why do you pick a distro?
What do you care most about?
What do you see often talked about that you care the least about?
What type of user are you? (Programmer, student, gamer, casual user, etc)
If you were to switch from Mac OS or Windows to Linux, what would be your biggest wants, and things you would need on Linux?
vay vay ka
I am using windows as desktop for games, I use linux for work and my servers. In general, if it is on the net directly, it is linux (except IPv6 which I use on some windows which need it too).
I chose debian because it is open source and has a very wide choice for everything.
I use it as well as derivatives for specific things, for example armbian, devuan, antix as well as other things such as (in the past) Mandrake/mandriva, LFS, DSL and more recently puppy. I started with Slackware in early nineties, went to Red Hat up to 7, then Debian as mains.
Since I am old, I like stability, familiar environment, package names, package manager, I can't be up to date with all kinds of flavours and learn their quirks. Also Debian has an extensive community and a lot of testing and debugging around. I am not saying it is the only one, but it ticks all my boxes.
I haven't switched from Windows, I believe it has it's place, there has been considerable progress from the times I was thinking to switch completely and even did for a while (win 95-98) but it is still cumbersome and hard to debug when shit happens.
While I can program in C and C++ somewhat, I can do some web design, that is not what i like to do, I am not organized and artistic enough to do that, but I am good at forensics and debugging, designing networks, calculating necessary power depending on many factors, including budget as I am an economist and worked as an IT manager.
What I am looking at specifically at this time of heavy chip shortage is lightweight debian based distros, I have tried some but I eventually ended up installing minimal by myself and add the necessary components because Debian is such a greatly scalable beast. This is both for VMs and old machines.
olret
Apakabar broh...
do you get what I wrote
IT'S FREE.
What are you looking for in a distro?
Although most are similar at their core but I usually up looking for a balance between how updated the packages are, decent package management, availability of packages and community support. There are a few other things that sort of tip the scales for me. One of them is font rendering. Can i achieve good rendering on any distro yes? Do i want to do it manually? No.
Some other things include how easy it is the amount of updates it gets. I know arch users love they -Syu everyday. I'd rather get smaller but regular updates.
Why do you pick a distro?
After years of distro hopping and get my gentoo, arch, LFS etc fix I've finally settled on Ubuntu. No frills but gets out of your way to get work done. Sane defaults out of the box, great community support, if there is an app that has linux support its more likely than not to have been tested on ubuntu and have a Deb available. Flatpak and Snap have solved the availability to a certain extent but i always go native packages when I can.
What do you care most about?
Usability out of the box and long term stability.
What do you see often talked about that you care the least about?
Bleeding edge packages and being lightweight. I see a lot of folks running after keeping the number of packages low on their system and wanting instant updates. I'd rather have something stable but not too old.
For example snap has some issues but i honestly have a few flatpaks and snaps installed on the system. Never had any issues and i can just work done.
I also don't really care about being portrayed as a hardcore Linux user. Although I love the openness and customizability, it's a tool in the end. If it allows me to do what I want without adding additional steps then I'm a happy user.
Feel free to talk about other motivations in picking (or not picking) a distro.
The reason why I ended up with the buntu family was because of availability and support for a lot of commercial packages. For example, Termius has a deb available that can be quickly installed but if I want it on an RPM distribution, I have to hop over to get it via Snap. For me flatpaks>>>snap anyday. Same for say one or two VPN clients I have tried. Sure I could go the manual way with a openvpn config but its just easier to install a deb and be done with it. I guess I am getting too old to download large amount of updates each day and fix, however small, issues that come along with it.
I was a long time fedora user. One day some videos just stopped playing for me in the browser. Eventually figured out that the open h264 plugin for Firefox was disabled after an update. Never had a similar issue in the years of ubuntu usage.
I love the AUR on Arch but i have to manually go check if the package has been updated and has no issues. And i have to keep a track of issues that sometimes sometimes come along with updates to latest versions of software. Not once has my debian/ubuntu machine broken down after an update. Not saying it doesn't happen but the chances are very low compared to other bleeding edge stuff.
What kind of a user am I? I do everything used to do on windows. Programming is much better. Gaming could be better but it's getting there.
@SirFoxy updated
what dollars do you mean? US $?
What are you looking for in a distro?
For a daily diver its stability. Bleeding edge are all nice, but tend to brake more often then stable releases. For new users even is recommended to select stable over rolling release. You wont miss a thing(we say you wont die) if you use one or two versions older packages. Debian and Slackware are great for that. They test the shit out of packages before add them to stable. For every distro there is great community and very easy to find tutorials for packages that's just why linux is easier to maintain and better to use then m-os/w-os.
Why do you pick a distro?
I started using Linux in 00's with Slackware been my 1st Linux distro. Till now I have tried more then 20 Linux distros. Let me tell you they are 80% same.. What is different is package manager, release cycles, one are bleeding edge others are stable releases only, shiny custom look, they all can have same desktop environment, on some every one can be chosen when installing os (Debian) some come with 1-3 desktop environments some are with 1 only. So you need to manual install other desktop environments, Manjaro and Fedora have community flavors(desktop environment) iso files if you want strictly that environment. Its personal taste for that, every desktop environment have ups and downs.
What do you care most about?
Stability and Privacy. Its free, A LOT of Customization. You can literally make your Desktop to look the way you like, and its easy also with tons of guides online. Control and by control i mean of everything, you own your system not m-soft. No anti-virus ill take your money for nothing shit. Control panel and maintenance, ease of access of installin/removing programs..etc
What do you see often talked about that you care the least about?
Linux is hard.. yea right.
Feel free to talk about other motivations in picking (or not picking) a distro.
Community is great factor in choosing a distro. For servers im using Debian or Slackware.
Name and Age. I'm picking distro's that are not based on others (Based on: Independent). If you are gamer you wont pick Alpine Debian Slackware Redhat Suse, but you will pick Pop OS Manjaro Mint Ubuntu. Although in the last couple of years its quite easy to game on Linux nowadays. I'm doing it on Slackware atm btw
What type of user are you? (Programmer, student, gamer, casual user, etc)
Heavy one. And its my main OS for decade and more.
If you're not a Linux user:
If you were to switch from Mac OS or Windows to Linux, what would be your biggest wants, and things you would need on Linux?
For new Linux users its the looks and ease of use. Linux Mint with their cinnamon desktop is closest you can get to W-os, It comes with every package you will need if you are windows users out of the box and you can easy install those who are missing and you are using Its based on Ubuntu. Manjaro is close to Mint but a little bit harder for new users because its rolling release and its based on Arch Linux, so tend to brake from time to time. If you are gamer i would say Pop-OS.
Whatever you choose you will make right choice in switching to linux. What you can do is install them in virtual box.. Try different distros and different Desktop Environments and choose what is best for you. I suggest visiting and reading in https://distrowatch.com , https://www.linuxquestions.org/ , https://www.linux.org/forums/#linux-tutorials.122 , https://www.howtoforge.com/community/ , https://stackoverflow.com , https://unix.stackexchange.com
I hope this will help you and switch to Linux.
Wow! Extremely informative, thank you!
Thanks bud!
Yes $20 USD Paypal, or $20 USD in your desired crypto as long as it can be purchased through Coinbase (you pay transaction fees).
Also just to clarify, the end of the day 2/22/22 - 12 AM CST means right as it turns 2/23/22.
How , about next time we use what Microsoft team uses ? 23:59 to avoid any confusion
What are you looking for in a distro?
A distro that would make me win $20.
Why do you pick a distro?
To win $20.
What do you care most about?
Winning $20.
What do you see often talked about that you care the least about?
Linux is better than Windows.
Feel free to talk about other motivations in picking (or not picking) a distro.
This thread.
What type of user are you?
Desperate.
What are you looking for in a distro?
Stability, the most important thing that I consider for a distro is stability. I was fedora user for 3 year. Fully usage for my work and daily. But Debian/Ubuntu is my choice now. Debian for production and Ubuntu for daily usage.
Why do you pick a distro?
As I said in first question stability is important factor right now. Second one is package manager and wide support in community.
What do you care most about?
Stability again but some other factors like package manager, personalization and hardware support in laptop is important too. I'm sure everyone has Nvidia nightmare experience.
What do you see often talked about that you care the least about?
Linux is better than MacOS/windows. Depending on for which user and his/her usage.
What type of user are you? (Programmer, student, gamer, casual user, etc)
Programmer. I think Linux is best OS for programmers.