I'm currently having a rough time with my Linux setup after trying to upgrade Kubuntu. Either the `dist-upgrade` command or using Grub-Customizer messed things up, and now I'm often stuck on Windows because of the issues. I switched from Arch to Kubuntu because I wanted something more stable after running into problems with Arch's packages.
Here's what I'm looking for:
- A Linux distro that just works; I don't need tons of customization options.
- I want to avoid diving deep into man pages every time I need to tweak something in `/etc`, so something user-friendly like Cockpit Project would be great.
- My setup will be on a 4-year-old laptop with an Nvidia GPU.
- Primarily, I'll be doing Android, Java, web development, Flutter, plus some casual gaming like Europa Universalis IV or Rimworld.
- Gaming isn't mandatory, so dual-booting with Windows could be a plan.
- I prefer KDE for the desktop experience.
I'm also curious about how stable Suse and Fedora are these days. Maybe I should be considering an enterprise-level distro after my bad experiences with Arch and Kubuntu last year, including battery drainage issues, delayed upgrades, and video playback problems with YouTube.
6 Answers
You might want to consider Debian Stable. It's famously stable, though some might say it's a bit on the boring side, but boring can be good for reliability!
Have you thought about LMDE (Linux Mint Debian Edition)? It's solid because it combines Debian's reliability with Mint's user-friendliness. If you're leaning towards an enterprise distro, Ubuntu LTS is a good choice as it's designed with stability in mind. However, remember that neither LMDE nor Ubuntu are rolling releases, so you might miss out on the latest features if you need them.
For maximum stability, consider using an enterprise distribution like RHEL, but be prepared for a tougher learning curve. Also, do look into immutable distros; they could help with the power management issues you've encountered.
Kubuntu LTS is generally stable, and you might also want to check out Debian and Linux Mint—they're well-known for their stability. Just keep in mind that while they're stable, they can still break if you tinker too much!
If you're using Grub-Customizer, that might be where your stability issues are coming from. It’s known for breaking systems, so I’d steer clear of it.
NixOS is also a great option; it usually stays stable and if something breaks, you can easily roll back changes. It's a bit different to set up, but many find it worth it.
Yeah, I've been using NixOS for a while now, and even as a beginner, I haven’t managed to break it yet. I think other immutable distros might offer similar stability.