this post was submitted on 24 Mar 2025

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How to have a boring and low-maintenance system? (lemm.ee)

submitted 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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Those who don't have the time or appetite to tweak/modify/troubleshoot their computers: What is your setup for a reliable and low-maintenance system?

Context:

I switched to Linux a couple of years ago (Debian 11/12). It took me a little while to learn new software and get things set up how I wanted, which I did and was fine.

I've had to replace my laptop though and install a distro (Fedora 41) with a newer kernel to make it work but even so, have had to fix a number of issues. This has also coincided with me having a lot less free time and being less interested in crafting my system and more interested in using it efficiently for tasks and creativity. I believe Debian 13 will have a new enough kernel to support my hardware out of the box and although it will still be a hassle for me to reinstall my OS again, I like the idea of getting it over with, starting again with something thoroughly tested and then not having to really touch anything for a couple of years. I don't need the latest software at all times.

I know there are others here who have similar priorities, whether due to time constraints, age etc.

Do you have any other recommendations?

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[–] [email protected] 9 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (11 children)

The thing with Debian is that yes, it's the most stable distro family, but stable != "just works", especially when talking about a PC and not a server (as a PC is more likely to need additional hardware drivers). Furthermore, when the time comes that you DO want to upgrade Debian to a newer version, it's one of the more painful distros to do so.

I think fedora is a good compromise there. It's unstable compared to RHEL, but it's generally well-vetted and won't cause a serious headache once every few years like Debian.

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 days ago

I've posted something similar a couple of days ago after my Endeavour OS took a dump to no return and I needed a reinstall. I, too, want a system where I set it and forget it. I've researched so much and now I have two things I'm experimenting with. I'm currently running Nobara OS (because I play games here and there) as an experiment to see how long it lasts without breaking. I have backed up everything.

Its users swore up and down that it never breaks if you're not a "tinkerer". Even its creator said that the distro isn't for those who like to tinker. His goal was to have a distro that is as stable as an immutable, but not immutable itself.

So far, I like how it tries so hard to keep you away from the terminal. There is a GUI app for everything. Even their updating process is different than Fedora (which is what it's based on). The developers are even planning on making something for upgrading between major releases that is a press of a button like they do with their updates through an app. So far so good.

My next experiment after this (if it fails) will be to run an immutable distro. Most likely Bazzite. They're not my cup of tea, but I'll sacrifice that for my sanity and for the sake of getting shit done.

[–] [email protected] 92 points 6 days ago (7 children)

Get a big mainstream distro and stop tinkering with it.

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[–] [email protected] 26 points 6 days ago (3 children)

I’ve been distro hopping for decades. I got exhausted with things constantly breaking. I’ve been using mint for the past six months with zero issues. It’s so refreshing that everything just works.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 6 days ago

I second Mint. I've installed it on my laptop with zero issues, although that thing is pretty old so your mileage may vary on newer hardware. But mint comes with pretty up to date kernels these days so it's definitely worth a try.

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 6 days ago (1 children)

As others have mentioned, Debian stable and Xubuntu are my default recommendations for anyone who wants a simple "just works" kind of system. Debian if they want it to be as clean as possible, Xubuntu if they want some creature comfort right out of the box.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

Idem, I default to debian on server and Xubuntu on laptop.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 days ago (1 children)

For as much hate as it gets Ubuntu (or kubuntu for the kde version) will feel very familiar in usage and will have a newer kernel. It’s my default it just needs to work distro if regular Debian isn’t an issue due to drivers or something similar.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 days ago

Eeh, idk. I've first installed kubuntu 20.04, then used it all the way up to 24.04, updating each version. I tinkered with it, added ppas, ect. and each update new random issues started piling up. I switched to fedora when the update to 24.04 completely broke my system, I don't recommend kubuntu.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 6 days ago

I am a longtime fan of Debian Stable, for exactly that reason. I installed the XFCE version using the custom installer about 8 years ago and have had very few issues.

Initially my GPU wasn't well supported so I had to use the installer from Nvidia, forcing me to manually reinstall the driver after every kernel update. That issue has been fixed in recent years so now I can just use the driver from the Debian repos.

I installed the unattended-updates package about 2 years ago and it has been smooth sailing since

[–] [email protected] 35 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (11 children)

Desktop:

Aurora, Bluefin, or Bazzite

Server:

uCore

Zero maintenance for any of them. Not just low maintenance, but zero.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 6 days ago (8 children)

Doesn't ucore also have to restart to apply updates?

Not super ideal for a server as far as maintenance and uptime to have unexpected, frequent restarts as opposed to in-place updates, unless one's startup is completely automated and drives are on-device keyfile decrypted, but that probably fits some threat models for security.

The desktop versions are great!

[–] [email protected] 6 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

They won't apply unexpectedly, so you can reboot at a time that suits. Unless there's a specific security risk there's no need to apply them frequently. Total downtime is the length of a restart, which is also nice and easy.

It won't fit every use-case, but if you're looking for a zero-maintenance containerized-workload option, it can't be beat.

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[–] [email protected] 14 points 6 days ago

This is the way. The uBlue derivatives benefit from the most shared knowledge and problem-solving skills being delivered directly to users.

Between that, and using a decorative distrobox config, I get an actually reliable system with packages from any distro I want.

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