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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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Successful move over after years of trial and error (feddit.uk)

submitted 2 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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Finally got tired of my Windows 11 install, and I considered a Linux move. For years and years, I tried to move over, even all the way back in the Ubuntu 16.04 days, even daily drove for a few months, but there would always be something that would make me move back (including but not limited to HDR, support for my old iPod, Outlook calendars, so on). However, on my most recent attempt (running Arch and KDE) things just... work? Yeah, some command line trickery is needed for stuff like HDR gaming (and turns out the screenshots work now, they just get downsampled to SDR by Steam), but this works so so much better than my previous attempts to move over. In recent years, the experience is just so much more polished than it used to be. The situation is no longer "that won't work", it is "you can do that, with some minor tweaks". All my Steam games work nearly perfectly, with only a few changes like Proton GE needed. There are now even improvements like how text on my QD-OLED monitor (which is notoriously fuzzy on Windows) is crisp and clear, or how my Xbox controller's screenshot button works over Bluetooth on Steam unlike Windows which ignores the button entirely over Bluetooth. Things are really looking up!

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[–] [email protected] 11 points 2 months ago (17 children)

Just FYI: While Arch isn't "For experienced users only", it still might require some more work after your install.

It usually comes pretty minimal by default, and then you might wonder why printing doesn't work out of the box for example.

It also makes the inexperienced user very easy to bork the system, and then you have to fix it.
I often hear from other users, that sometimes, this just happens out of the blue too.

If Arch works perfectly for you, then congratulations! Keep using it.
But if you notice, that you have to fight against the OS too often, consider a different distro that is supposed to just work.

One of those might be Bazzite (if you game) or Aurora. Both are almost the same, but Bazzite is more for gaming, while Aurora is more for general, non-gaming use. But you can use them interchangeably.
They belong to the uBlue project, which is a customized Fedora Atomic.
They are already set up for you with everything you want and need, are zero-maintenence and basically indestructible.

So, if you're done with Arch, consider them.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 months ago

I tried using Bazzite since I didn't want to fuss with Wayland on Nvidia with Arch.

I had more gripes and more issues with an immutable distro than I ever did with my Arch install.

Stuck it out with Arch. It has taught me a lot.

The problem many folks have with Arch is the fact they don't want to read or learn; well, newsflash, if you read and learn Arch isn't exactly all that hard to use, setup, or maintain. It has better documentation than Bazzite and other newer distros. In fact, Arch Wiki has saved me hassle for other distros.

Your mileage may vary. However, I wouldn't recommend an immutable distribution nec3ssarily to someone coming from Windows unless they want to shift from one paradigm to another.

Switching from Windows to something with such a vastly different approach in many cases will turn users away from using Linux. Their experience can dictate they switch away because of lack of knowledge and then proced to conflate every distro as just one "Linux" experience and not want to look back at it.

I still stand by one thing you will always hear me say: use the right tool for the job.

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