Hey folks! I'm mainly using Ubuntu 24, but I just saw Pop!_OS's latest update, which includes a new Wayland-based window system and automatic tiling—kind of like what you get with Hyprland on Arch Linux. The catch is that Pop!_OS doesn't support Secure Boot. So, I'm on the hunt for a distribution and desktop environment that allows me to keep Secure Boot active, enjoy a cool window system similar to Hyprland, and still be able to engage in web development (using Workbench, Vim, Laravel Herd) as well as gaming (like AppImage games or titles such as BF6 and The Division 2). Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance and have a fantastic weekend. May the penguin be with us! 🐧
5 Answers
A lot of distros can get Secure Boot working with a shim. If you’re leaning towards CachyOS, I found a helpful wiki page on enabling Secure Boot with them. For a distro that 'just works' with Secure Boot out of the box, I'd recommend Ubuntu, openSUSE, or Debian. Plus, openSUSE officially supports Cosmic in their repos, which could save you some hassle. Hope this insight helps! Let us know what you decide! 😊
You can actually sign your kernel and any out-of-tree modules (like NVIDIA drivers) yourself on Pop!_OS if you really want to keep using it with Secure Boot. But if you're considering alternatives, Fedora has a great Cosmic spin that might fit what you're looking for. You can also install a tiling compositor like Sway on Ubuntu, which is available in the 24.04 repositories.
If I were in your shoes, I'd consider:
- AMD GPU? Go for Fedora + Hyprland.
- NVIDIA GPU but want to keep Secure Boot? Fedora with KDE Wayland is a solid option.
- If you want that Ubuntu feel but need better Wayland support, try KDE Neon.
- For a blend of performance and reliability, openSUSE Tumbleweed is a good pick.
Pop!_OS Cosmic looks promising, but if Secure Boot is crucial for you, it might not be the best fit right now.
It's interesting that Secure Boot matters a lot to you—how does it enhance your experience? Not everyone finds it necessary for their use cases.
I personally find it a hassle, but it's important for certain games I've played.
I recommend checking out various distro selection resources online for ideas! Just remember to back up regularly and test out new things in a virtual machine. Also, always know what a command does before hitting Enter! 😉
What’s the process for signing your kernel?