I've been using Ubuntu for about seven months now and really enjoy it, but I've noticed some sluggishness with applications using 'snaps', and I've had trouble installing .deb packages when there's a snap version available. My Linux skills aren't strong enough to force a .deb install. I also tried Fedora, but the desktop experience felt less intuitive to me, although I can't quite pinpoint why. I'm looking for a Linux distribution that provides a similar experience to Ubuntu with good stability and mostly up-to-date features, yet I want to avoid my OS heading down a path like Windows. Are there any good alternatives?
5 Answers
Consider looking into other distributions like PikaOS, which is designed for gaming and based on Debian Sid, or even Rhino Linux that rolls from Ubuntu, if you want to experiment. Just make sure they handle packages in a way that makes you comfortable.
Debian is a popular option too. If you want a more hands-on approach, Debian Testing could give you a similar experience to Ubuntu while keeping you away from snaps.
If you wish there was a Mint-like experience with official GNOME support and preferred Flatpak over snaps, you might need to do a bit of searching around. Pop!_OS is another great Ubuntu-based alternative that doesn’t use snaps.
Ubuntu is a solid choice with its emphasis on design and user experience. If you want something else, consider tweaking your desktop environment. I've been using LMDE 7 which combines Debian's stability and Mint's simplicity, and it fits my needs perfectly.
If you're looking for something similar to Ubuntu without the snap framework, you might want to check out Linux Mint. It basically gives you an Ubuntu experience but skips out on the snaps.
Isn't Mint more like an LTS version of Ubuntu? I think having six-month releases is better.
So going with Debian Testing might keep it close to Ubuntu? I heard Debian is a bit picky about proprietary drivers.