this post was submitted on 02 Jul 2026
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Linux

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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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The sort of program that once set up, just ticks along without fuss or bother forever.

For me, as I'm replacing the vms today which I set up five years ago and haven't needed to touch since;

  • HAProxy
  • KeepaliveD

Not easy to learn, but once they're running, they both go on forever.

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[–] dangrousperson@feddit.org 53 points 1 month ago (3 children)

Debian and basically everything in its repos. Might be somewhat old, but it is really fucking stable

[–] nfms@lemmy.ml 7 points 1 month ago

My small selfhosted system appreciates this very much. Having Debian as my base OS makes everything easier.

[–] digdilem@lemmy.ml 5 points 1 month ago

Total agreement. So many unsung heroes involved in Debian. Work has agreed with me - today's job involved migrating those load balancers to Debian underneath.

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[–] tirateimas@lemmy.pt 20 points 1 month ago (3 children)

So many. So many little utilities that just work. To mention a couple I think no one will mention because they are not sexy: Okular and Ark

[–] passepartout@feddit.org 5 points 1 month ago

Okular works so well at this point that I use it to annotate all my PDFs if I don't explicitly need free-hand drawing (and xournalpp otherwise).

[–] GatoMoto@lemmy.zip 4 points 1 month ago

Big fan of the KDE suite of software. I've tried alternatives, but always come back to plasma and associated software

[–] Broadfern@lemmy.world 4 points 1 month ago

Ark is the best. It can open any type of zipped/compressed file, and it puts even 7zip to shame.

[–] Kazel@lemmy.dbzer0.com 20 points 1 month ago (2 children)
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[–] wuphysics87@lemmy.ml 20 points 1 month ago (1 children)
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[–] Quibblekrust@thelemmy.club 18 points 1 month ago (2 children)

KCalc. Man, it just computes! It can add, subtract, and even multiply. It's never given a wrong answer.

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[–] jwt@programming.dev 12 points 1 month ago (2 children)
[–] JustVik@lemmy.ml 5 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (2 children)

Just it always makes you wait for ~3 min and shows: ... wait for something to be Configured (25s / no limit). :-)

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[–] LunarLoony@lemmy.sdf.org 11 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Syncthing. Absolutely ace bit of software. I remember it being a little questionable in 2013, but today it performs exactly the same task, just more reliably. Love it.

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[–] SocialistVibes01@lemmy.ml 10 points 1 month ago
[–] eugenia@lemmy.ml 10 points 1 month ago

Anything from Debian. I even run Debian-Testing, and it's rock solid. Also, Linux mint, on my other partition.

[–] Peasley@lemmy.world 9 points 1 month ago (3 children)

Firefox + uBlock Origin + sponsorblock. Set it and forget it.

I haven't seen an advertisement or a sponsored segment on my desktop in over a decade, and same with my phone for several years. I'm astonished how willing most people are to put up with a constant barrage of ads coming from devices they own

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[–] Mio@feddit.nu 8 points 1 month ago
[–] dfgxx@lemmy.zip 8 points 1 month ago (2 children)

The program sl, works every time

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[–] mavu@discuss.tchncs.de 8 points 1 month ago

bash. Konsole. vim (-neo or otherwise up to the point it became AI infested). ssh. steam. git i could go on for quite a while

[–] jksalcedo@lemmy.ml 8 points 1 month ago
[–] apftwb@lemmy.world 8 points 1 month ago

The Linux Kernel.

[–] PushButton@lemmy.world 7 points 1 month ago (4 children)

I tried neovim for a while and I went back to vim for that reason: setup once, then forget about it.

I have plugins that haven't been touch for 5 years+ and they are working as intended.

Rock solid.

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[–] muusemuuse@sh.itjust.works 7 points 1 month ago
[–] bacon_pdp@lemmy.world 7 points 1 month ago (3 children)
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[–] Limonene@lemmy.world 6 points 1 month ago

The OS itself, Debian. If I have to pick a component, Mate Panel. Compared to the Windows 11 start menu, it's useful, customizableand has no ads. My IT department at work can't even figure out how to remove the Windows 11 start menu ads from my computer.

[–] GMac@feddit.org 6 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

Supernotes.app

Linux Mint

Rockbox

Sayonara music player

Syncthing

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[–] SapphironZA@sh.itjust.works 6 points 1 month ago
[–] hexagonwin@lemmy.today 6 points 1 month ago

xterm, xv, mc, tmux, gimp, seamonkey

[–] crazyminner@lemmy.ml 6 points 1 month ago (2 children)
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[–] ambitiousslab@feddit.uk 5 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Prosody for me. I set it up over 2 years ago, and the only time I touched it was when updating to the latest Debian stable and enabling some new features in the config files. It's been rock-solid and just worked without complaint.

[–] ClathrateG@hexbear.net 5 points 1 month ago
[–] anotherspinelessdem@lemmy.ml 5 points 1 month ago

tree, locate, nvim, flatpak, htop, bmon, etc.

[–] MyNameIsRichard@lemmy.ml 5 points 1 month ago
[–] barzaria@lemmy.world 5 points 1 month ago

Vim because its everywhere and is super powerful. It can even be used for some light scripting. GCC to make my own programs. Python as well, same thing and also portable. All the programs that come with mint and become part of the background like the terminal emulator. All of it, pretty awesome. Jellyfin has been a mainstay as well.

[–] mesamunefire@piefed.social 5 points 1 month ago

Nginx.

It runs everything at home and at work.

[–] fatur0000new@lemmy.ml 5 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)
  • Linux Mint.
  • Cinnamon.
  • Xfce.
  • PPSSPP.
  • GNOME Boxes.
[–] marcie@lemmy.ml 5 points 1 month ago
[–] Veraxis@lemmy.world 5 points 1 month ago (2 children)

I'll give a shoutout to the rEFInd boot manager. If anyone has ever had trouble with Grub, rEFInd continues to work for years across multiple machines. I have never had a problem with it.

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[–] comrade_twisty@feddit.org 4 points 1 month ago
[–] Tiger_Man_@szmer.info 4 points 1 month ago

mpv, openbox

[–] Bluefruit@lemmy.world 4 points 1 month ago

Bottles.

Without it, I wouldn't be able to run addictive keys on Linux. I paid for the software back when I used Windows and since I'm able to use addictive keys on Linux, haven't bothered trying to find an alternative.

That said, its the only use case I've had with bottles that just works. Other programs ive tried are more hit or miss.

[–] nfms@lemmy.ml 4 points 1 month ago

Many have already mentioned tools that I also use and appreciate immensely.
My pick is Steam. I've picked up on gaming in the past 2 years and it's very stable right now. Every game that I have interest in just works, I can install games, including early access or demos without looking at the compatibility or the release date. The download speeds of games are high (imho at least where I'm located, and compared with a PS5). My partner is a heavy gamer and has to yet find a game that doesn't work on her machine.

[–] HackThePlanet@lemmy.ml 4 points 1 month ago

my desire to use Linux and continue learning

[–] anon_8675309@lemmy.world 4 points 1 month ago
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