this post was submitted on 28 Feb 2024
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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).

Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.

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I've messed around with Linux before, mostly in VMs, but I'm looking to switch over from Windows permanently on my laptop because I think Linux is cool. Most people in this community talk about pros and cons of this distro or this other distro, but I'd like to hear your opinions based on entirely subjective factors.
I think Arch is neat, I think Ubuntu isn't as neat, why? Who knows. Tell me about how you chose a specific distro because you thought the name was cool or because it ships with some completely unknown utility no one uses.

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[–] mildbeard@linux.community 8 points 8 months ago (1 children)

I currently use pop-os which is an Ubuntu derivative. I use it because it works well, is easy, and it's smoother than Ubuntu. My second choice would be Kubuntu if I wanted to commit to KDE. My reasons are that I'm doing important business on all my computers and I don't want to spend a lot of time trying to troubleshoot things that don't work. So I stick to the LTS releases nowadays.

A downside of my approach is that it's less customizable, not as up to date and slightly constraining.

Over the years I have used a lot of different distributions. I've had many success and even more failures.

So many people have strong feelings about their favorite distros. The big differences are about ease of installation and configuration, stability, open source vs. proprietary code, community support and ability to customize. Other than that, they are all basically Linux.

Arch is not for the faint of heart but it is awesome if you can get it installed. And they have a great support community. There are a lot of Arch variants that are easier to install.

[–] wingsfortheirsmiles@feddit.uk 3 points 8 months ago

I'm on Pop too, mainly looking forward to Cosmic because... It's got a cool name. The actual features are gravy to me