this post was submitted on 26 May 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'm sick of Windows, and especially what it's become, and the way its trending looks like it will only get worse. I'll be building a brand new PC this summer and want to choose a Linux Distro instead. In preparation, I'd like to try out a virtual machine with a Linux distribution. I am solidly familiar with Ubuntu, but I think it's time to try something that may cater to my specific needs more.

I use my machine for work and gaming (mostly Steam). I am a fullstack software developer and use a second MacBook as well for my daily work needs.

I've had Manjaro, and OpenSUSE recommended to me by a friend who likes both of them but he doesn't game much and doesn't need various software development tools.

Are Manjaro or OpenSUSE good choices? I know there's a tonne of distros out there, and I'm trying to narrow things down a bit. Hopefully this community has some helpful advice.

Thanks in advance!

EDIT: First of all, thank-you everyone for your help and positivity. It's been less than a day and the amount of advice and ideas is fantastic. Not too mention the noticeable lack of negative comments (a huge reason I left reddit more than a year ago), thank-you all for reaffirming my reasons.

I've got to admit, I'm a little overwhelmed by all of the advice, but in a good way. I will be scrutinizing all of this advice and laying it out into a roadmap for both my distro testing, as well as PC building. You are all making this community a helpful and spectacular place. I hope one day to be able to pay it forward! Please keep it up!

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[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

I'm very particular to Fedora based distros, mainly because they sort of just work and keep at the cutting edge of the spectrum with little to no headaches.

If you want to go immutable, Bazzite is pretty solid for gaming, so is Kinoite.

But I can also recommend some Ubuntu/Debian based distros, as they are easy to maintain. PopOS and Linux mint are very good options as well. I would also suggest staying away from Ubuntu itself.

I've tried some arch based distros over the years, but end up dropping them because I find them unnecessarily convoluted to maintain and troubleshoot, but that's just me.