Linux OS stuff Thread

What Linux distribution do you use @ HOME ?

  • Slackware

    Votes: 1 1.3%

  • Ubuntu

    Votes: 32 42.1%

  • Mint

    Votes: 16 21.1%

  • Fedora

    Votes: 12 15.8%

  • Debian

    Votes: 9 11.8%

  • SUSE

    Votes: 6 7.9%

  • Arch

    Votes: 5 6.6%

  • Gentoo

    Votes: 1 1.3%

  • Puppy

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Mandriva

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Other

    Votes: 23 30.3%
  • Total voters
    76
sleevedraw

sleevedraw

Revolver Ocelot
<Bronze Donator>
2,120
6,020
TJT said:
sleevedraw sleevedraw Why do you hate gnome?

I've been researching it some and it looks like a desktop that's built with the Mac App Launcher in mind. While I don't hate the app launcher on Mac, I almost never use it and I don't think something so "rigid" would be enjoyable. I like Mac for its superior window management over Windows. Seems you can mess around in KDE enough to get close enough?
Click to expand...

I'm a mouse-centric user. GNOME is retarded and doesn't even have minimize and maximize buttons enabled by default. Lots of functionality can be added to GNOME by adding extensions, but every extension you add comes with a performance hit. The GNOME developers take a "we know what's best for you" Apple like attitude, but unlike Apple, it feels like many of their decisions were made thoughtlessly. It could be decent on a touch-enabled machine or tablet, but I hate it for a standard desktop/laptop machine. Good blog about the issues here.

Windows is just what I've always been used to. I started using Windows 3.1 on my dad's 486 in preschool. Every time I need to use my spouse's MacBook for something, it's awful. The whole Mac "down is up and up is down" scroll paradigm pisses me off. I don't care that it's supposed to "emulate a piece of paper" or whatever; a computer isn't a piece of paper. It's fine on a phone but not on a desktop or laptop. Finder is retarded and you don't get an address bar (although Windows Search has been retarded since they Bingified it). Snap and Snap Layouts is superior to Stage Manager.

I generally don't like dicking around with UI options; I just want a good, usable out of box experience. KDE is very similar to Windows 7 or 10 out of box; the only thing I hate about it is KDE Wallet, and that's a one-click turn off in configuration options. But yes, it's customizable and possible to make like MacOS if you so desire.
 
Last edited:
  • 1Like
Reactions: 1 user
TJT

TJT

Mr. Poopybutthole
<Gold Donor>
44,083
115,424
I've used Windows for years of course. But for work as a SWE I am a full on Mac only user now. The primary two reasons for this are gestures, native terminal features, and superior window management. Does GNOME expect you to minimize and maximize windows with keyboard shortcuts?
 
sleevedraw

sleevedraw

Revolver Ocelot
<Bronze Donator>
2,120
6,020
Generally yes. Maximizing is either dragging to the top of the screen like Windows, double clicking on the title bar, or Winkey+up arrow / Alt+F10.

Minimize is Winkey+down / Winkey+H

I like my buttons. Minimalism is hell.
 
Last edited:
TJT

TJT

Mr. Poopybutthole
<Gold Donor>
44,083
115,424
Okay so after various discussions on my list to try. Tumbleweed doesn't have a live mode which is actually annoying I don't want to commit to it if I can just try it some in live mode.
  1. Mandriva.
  2. Pop!_OS by System76
  3. Fedora
  4. Draugr
 
Last edited:
TJT

TJT

Mr. Poopybutthole
<Gold Donor>
44,083
115,424
I ended up going for Fedora here because most of my peripherals and shit just worked and I I didn't have do anything AIDS to get stuff to just be bearable.
 
  • 1Like
Reactions: 1 user
Jovec

Jovec

?
835
410
Other two devices that I can recall having trouble with: Logitech G13 that I have to compile the driver and config utility for, and my Sennheiser GSX1000 which I have to add/configure/route audio inputs and outputs.

Longtime Ubuntu user (still use it for servers) but have been using Solus for the past 2.5 years and prefer that for desktop use. First Budgie and now the KDE version. Rolling distro and with a small repo.
 
TJT

TJT

Mr. Poopybutthole
<Gold Donor>
44,083
115,424
I tried all of the distros I linked there. I tried Fedora baseline with GNOME which I thought was kind of neat but it reminded me of a phone so I dropped it. Sure is nice to be free of Windows and it is really pleasant going to something lightweight and basic without any of the gay shit Windows has added over the years. Such as news and advertisements in the start menu.

This along with the Fedora Image writer tool makes it really easy to just try a few others. KDE Plasma is what I went with.

Fedora Spins | The Fedora Project

fedoraproject.org fedoraproject.org
  1. Logictech MX Master mouse -> Worked nothing required.
  2. Logitech MX Mini Keyboard -> Worked nothing required.
  3. NVidia 3080 -> Drivers installed just fine worked nothing required.
  4. Wireless XBOX controller with Dongle -> Installed XONE and it worked in <10 minutes.
  5. NTFS drives from my Windows install -> Zero issue using files.
  6. Formatted one of my other drives to BTFS file system that Fedora prefers. Easy.
  7. Steam install and loaded up BG3 in <1 hour. Native proton compatibility package. No effort.

EDIT: It did NOT like the native async that Nvidia does on monitors. Causing it to make a sound, go to black screen, and return in a loop every 30 seconds. Took me about 5 minutes to figure out what was happening and just turn it off.
 
  • 2Like
Reactions: 1 users
sleevedraw

sleevedraw

Revolver Ocelot
<Bronze Donator>
2,120
6,020
TJT said:
I tried all of the distros I linked there. I tried Fedora baseline with GNOME which I thought was kind of neat but it reminded me of a phone so I dropped it. Sure is nice to be free of Windows and it is really pleasant going to something lightweight and basic without any of the gay shit Windows has added over the years. Such as news and advertisements in the start menu.

This along with the Fedora Image writer tool makes it really easy to just try a few others. KDE Plasma is what I went with.

Fedora Spins | The Fedora Project

fedoraproject.org fedoraproject.org
  1. Logictech MX Master mouse -> Worked nothing required.
  2. Logitech MX Mini Keyboard -> Worked nothing required.
  3. NVidia 3080 -> Drivers installed just fine worked nothing required.
  4. Wireless XBOX controller with Dongle -> Installed XONE and it worked in <10 minutes.
  5. NTFS drives from my Windows install -> Zero issue using files.
  6. Formatted one of my other drives to BTFS file system that Fedora prefers. Easy.
  7. Steam install and loaded up BG3 in <1 hour. Native proton compatibility package. No effort.

EDIT: It did NOT like the native async that Nvidia does on monitors. Causing it to make a sound, go to black screen, and return in a loop every 30 seconds. Took me about 5 minutes to figure out what was happening and just turn it off.
Click to expand...

Nvidia proprietary drivers generally don't play nice with KDE, unfortunately (they don't really play nice with anything, but especially KDE). If you want things to Just Work ™️, you need AMD. That's the main reason I haven't transitioned yet - waiting for a 9070 XT so that I can get off this 3080.
 
  • 1Like
Reactions: 1 user
Jovec

Jovec

?
835
410
The flipside is that since AMD drivers are part of the kernel (also need the firmware package), the distro can lag behind. Ubuntu LTS, for example, can be close to 2.5 years behind (2 year cycle, and doesn't ship with the latest version). They do have their HWE package to help with this, and every distro will vary.

AMD does try to get drivers for new cards included by launch, but IIRC with RDNA 4 the drivers still have some issues. That, and the lack of proper ROCm support means I am in no hurry to upgrade. I've been using a 6950XT, 7900XT and 7900XTX with no issue.

Nvidia users have two options, the open-source drivers included in the kernel and the proprietary ones Nvidia provides. The open-source drivers (noveau) simply suck, because NV doesn't provide enough publilc info to make them work properly on any card remorely modern (no 3D accel, unable to change GPU clocks, etc). The proprietary drivers need get linked/loaded as a kernel module, which means that everytime the kernel is updated, the drivers have to be too, and while this usually works fine (in my experience), the process is outside of kernel development and release.

AMD drivers are included in the kernel proper. This doesn't mean they are guaranteed to be perfect, but it is much less likely for there to be any real issues since they are developed, tested, and release in concert. The core driver logic is still closed source (aka the binary blob), but most everything else around the driver is open-source so AMD integrates better. This is the model that NV has said they are moving to, and they have made some steps, but

FWIW, I spent years on desktop linux with Nvidia on Ubuntu and more recently on NV laptop GPUs with no issues, but the situation might be different now.

Rabbit_Games said:
Damn, that sucks.
I would have thought Nvidia would have jumped on the Linux train by now.
Click to expand...

Nvidia has been on the Linux train for a long while now, they just want to be the conductor. Basically everything that isn't a consumer/gamer GPU from Nvidia depends on Linux.
 
  • 1Like
Reactions: 1 user
TJT

TJT

Mr. Poopybutthole
<Gold Donor>
44,083
115,424
sleevedraw said:
Nvidia proprietary drivers generally don't play nice with KDE, unfortunately (they don't really play nice with anything, but especially KDE). If you want things to Just Work ™️, you need AMD. That's the main reason I haven't transitioned yet - waiting for a 9070 XT so that I can get off this 3080.
Click to expand...
I'll need to put that on my to buy list.
 
TJT

TJT

Mr. Poopybutthole
<Gold Donor>
44,083
115,424
Had a Linux moment today.

The bluetooth service went kaput and I couldn't restart it. It was just "dead." After previously working. I had updated something so I dicked around with some settings but it wouldn't start on boot due to some missing conditions.

The actual solution? Something to do with the system clock and I had to forcibly reset it. Then it went back to working.

?????
 
  • 1Worf
Reactions: 1 user
TJT

TJT

Mr. Poopybutthole
<Gold Donor>
44,083
115,424
Okay about a month down the Linux path. I have had no major issues. I can play new games like Last Epoch fine. Very graphic intensive ones like Monster Hunter need some updates for compatibility. Generally the steam Proton compatibility package is good for most everything.

After a career on the normal path it is quite nice when applications are just applications. No bullshit about buy the premium version or whatever. In most cases. Also diving deeper into underlying computer stuff for the first time in forever.

Feels good man.
 
  • 1Like
Reactions: 1 user
Kharzette

Kharzette

Watcher of Overs
5,590
4,568
I had this happen yesterday

Screenshot_2025-04-20_00-24-33.png


There's a leak I think in QT maybe? I dunno. Just leaving a browser open for a day it climbs up to 10 or so gigs used. For the above I had closed everything and the leakes seemed to pile on to xfwm4.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.