Linux Mint

[מים]

I've been back and forth primarily with Ubuntu since 2006. My go to lately has been a Chromebook with the Linux VM enabled. It runs CLion decently well and the form factor is well enough that I'm content.

I do still have Ubuntu 18.04 sitting on a tiny little personal cloud in the other room. I need to reinstall at some point now that focal is out.

 

[paul1149]

I've been on MX Linux for two years. It was Linux Lite for three years before that. Both use the XFCE desktop. I have been very satisfied with MX. It's suitable for those fleeing Windows, and there are a lot of nice extras built in, and a very supportive community.

About six weeks ago I switched MX over to the KDE desktop. I am super happy with this amazing piece of work. They've got their resource usage almost down to XFCE levels also. It's beautiful and more powerful and configurable than Windows.

One of the onboard MX tools is Snapshot, by which one can create an .ISO of the running installation, with or without user account customizations. So I just took a snapshot of a new laptop install I've done, and will use it for future installs, with all my customizations intact. (This is my own main laptop and I decided to convert it to MX after Win10 crashed and started behaving badly, in typical MS fashion.)

 

[Anthony2019]

I have been tinkering with Linux for nearly 20 years. For many years I was a "distro hopper" - trying out different distributions and combinations of desktop environments.
If you want a system which is highly configurable and don't mind doing a bit of extra work to get things the way you want them, go for Arch Linux. The Arch User Repository (AUR) is one of the best I have seen anywhere. Also, there are some more user friendly distros such as Manjaro that are built on Arch.
If you need a rock-solid server, go for Cent OS or Ubuntu Server.
If you want a system that balances good stability with the newest and best open source software, try Fedora.
If you do a lot of office work or system administration, go for OpenSuse.
If you are looking for older stable versions of software, go for Debian. There are developmental branches of Debian if you want to try newer versions.
For newbies and oldbies who want a system that is very well supported, has long and short term releases, good repositories and excellent third party support, go for Ubuntu.
If you are an Mac wannabe who wants a system with plenty of eye candy, go for Deepin or Elementary.
And finally, my view on the desktop environments:
KDE - a very comprehensive and highly configurable environment, but a steep learning curve for some.
GNOME 3 - minimalistic by default, but powerful and configurable 'under the hood'. It's designed to work well on desktops, laptops, tablets and touchscreens. If you prefer the older GNOME 2 style, go for MATE or alternatively use the Gnome 3 "Classic Session"
XFCE - fully featured environment which runs particularly well on older hardware.
Cinnamon - great for people making the transition from Windows.

 

[Anthony2019]

Tonight I have been tinkering around with Remmina, a Linux app for getting access to remote/hosted desktops. It seems strange using my work Windows desktop inside my Linux laptop!

 

[JesseBassett]

Well I got a new desktop and it had mint tricia on it. So I put windows 10 on the machine and am planning on using Virtualbox to run linux. I have had enough of installing/uninstalling operating systems for a lifetime.

 

[elytron]

I am over here in Manjaro land, enjoying the Gnome edition. Testing branch.

 

[Anthony2019]

I am over here in Manjaro land, enjoying the Gnome edition. Testing branch.

View attachment 276573

Looking good. Manjaro have done very good work on the GTK and shell theme - really looks very polished. I'm using a vanilla set up with Adwaita - ideal for touchscreen - especially with my clumsy fingers!

 

[elytron]

Looking good. Manjaro have done very good work on the GTK and shell theme - really looks very polished. I'm using a vanilla set up with Adwaita - ideal for touchscreen - especially with my clumsy fingers!

My laptop doesn't have a touch screen, so I went for the traditional panel and menu look. With testing branch I receive so many updates.

Linux Mint Cinnamon on my other PC, which I share with my parents and sister.

 

[מים]

Looking good. Manjaro have done very good work on the GTK and shell theme - really looks very polished. I'm using a vanilla set up with Adwaita - ideal for touchscreen - especially with my clumsy fingers!

I really wanted to use Manjaro, but it doesn't support the kernel mod to prevent hanging on Ryzen V out of the box Ubuntu was my only option.

 

[Anthony2019]

My laptop doesn't have a touch screen, so I went for the traditional panel and menu look. With testing branch I receive so many updates.

Linux Mint Cinnamon on my other PC, which I share with my parents and sister.

Yes I think Manjaro is rolling release so you will get constant updates. And the AUR repository is the best there is. So much good stuff in there.
I use Fedora Workstation which comes with vanilla Gnome. Not rolling release like yours, but very much on the cutting edge with all the latest packages in the repos. I add RPMfusion to get all the extras.

 

[Anthony2019]

I really wanted to use Manjaro, but it doesn't support the kernel mod to prevent hanging on Ryzen V out of the box Ubuntu was my only option.

I had a problem with Ubuntu earlier in 2019 with the spectre and meltdown problems at the time. I wanted to try out the new version to see it. They warned me not to upgrade, but I did anyway and my laptop got 'bricked'.

 

[מים]

I had a problem with Ubuntu earlier in 2019 with the spectre and meltdown problems at the time. I wanted to try out the new version to see it. They warned me not to upgrade, but I did anyway and my laptop got 'bricked'.

Ouch! I’ve upgraded before in the past and it wasn’t the smoothest experience. I just ended up re-installing. I've never considered before than an upgrade could do that. Did it stop turning on or get stuck on the bios screen? I've had the latter happen from messing up the partitioning really badly after the switch to UEFI.

 

[Anthony2019]

Ouch! I’ve upgraded before in the past and it wasn’t the smoothest experience. I just ended up re-installing. I've never considered before than an upgrade could do that. Did it stop turning on or get stuck on the bios screen? I've had the latter happen from messing up the partitioning really badly after the switch to UEFI.

I got a message on Ubuntu's homepage telling people not to upgrade yet, and had removed the ISO from their page. I found the ISO on another site and installed it. When I installed and rebooted, half the BIOS options were missing and I was literally stuck. I couldn't re-use the install CD or even a USB, because the option to select it was no longer there!

 

[מים]

I got a message on Ubuntu's homepage telling people not to upgrade yet, and had removed the ISO from their page. I found the ISO on another site and installed it. When I installed and rebooted, half the BIOS options were missing and I was literally stuck. I couldn't re-use the install CD or even a USB, because the option to select it was no longer there!

Come to think of it, I think I recall this exact issue with Ubuntu bricking laptops. I'm really sorry to hear that you had gotten bit by it!

 

[Anthony2019]

Come to think of it, I think I recall this exact issue with Ubuntu bricking laptops. I'm really sorry to hear that you had gotten bit by it!

It was my own fault really. I didn't heed the warning! :-(
Oh well, the laptop was a cheap crappy reconditioned one - it wouldn't have lasted that long anyway!
I bought a brand new Lenovo Ideapad a few months ago - best one I've ever had. Had to buy the stylus separately, but it runs really smoothly. You can fold it out and use it like a laptop with mouse etc, or fold it up and use it like a tablet.

 

[JesseBassett]

I decided to put Linux Lite on my new desktop. Works like a charm!

 

[Sketcher]

Mint had a major security breach several years ago. Afterward, I went to straight Debian and haven't looked back.

 

[elytron]

Mint had a major security breach several years ago. Afterward, I went to straight Debian and haven't looked back.

I think to remember Ubuntu Forums also suffering a hack. Way back even further in time.

 

[Sketcher]

I think to remember Ubuntu Forums also suffering a hack. Way back even further in time.

I don't remember that, but it wasn't just the forums with Mint. It corrupted ISO downloads of the distribution.

 

[Anthony2019]

I remember back in the early 2000's, desktop Linux was nothing like it is now.
In those days, getting modems, cameras, printers and other hardware working with Linux was often a big challenge. Software choice was very limited.
Today, I can plug my camera and printer in and they are detected and ready to use almost straightaway. More and more apps are developing versions that run natively, bridging the gap between Windows/Mac and Linux. More and more computing is now done on the web. And of course it is possible to install Steam to access some of the latest games. There are now fewer reasons why people should not make the switch.