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this post was submitted on 31 May 2024
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One way or another I'm moving to Linux for my next PC. but damn I finally think I understand enough to decide Debian would be a good 'it just works' distro and then Linux users out the woodwork telling me its actually a pain in the ass and to use XYZ (all disagreeing) distros instead. I'm like 90% sure its going to be Debian, Ubuntu or Mint but beyond that its more uncertain than the inside of a black hole.
Debian does just work and is a good choice. I think people typically have good experiences on Mint also. Ubuntu is becoming like the Windows of Linux distros, I used to use it on everything but I won't be installing it on another machine because of Snaps.
If you plan on using Linux to do gaming you might want a more up-to-date distro tho.
Very good choice going with Debian. It is simple, clean, can be as minimal or as "bloated" as you wish, and once you've worked out the kinks it will happily run for years without maintenance (except updates of course).
There's a steep learning curve because as a user you're expected to configure stuff yourself (although defaults are most of the time very sensible), but if you're willing and able to truly learn Linux and the terminal and you're familiar with your hardware, it's one of the best platforms out there.
I know this is just adding to your problem, but I wanna add to the majority and say go with Mint. It's based on Ubuntu, which in turn is based on Debian, so most anything you can do on Debian, you can do on Mint. This is handy to know whenever you see a ".deb" file.
One of the things that makes it an easier transition from windows is that it's a lot less strict about including proprietary drivers and codecs (though apparently Debian now includes a few by default). It also includes a few more GUI tools by default, like the package update manager.
I also have found Mint's Cinnamon desktop environment to be the easiest transition from a Windows environment. KDE is also a good choice in that regard and it's what I use now, but its plethora of options can be overwhelming for new users.
The distro wars can be pretty overwhelming, but I'd say pick whatever appeals most and go with it. If you get to a point where you can't do something that you want to do, you can always come back and ask for advice and maybe switch up a different OS.
Better leave out Ubuntu if you don't want to be bothered with Snap.
Debian is a bit more "naked" per default, as a beginner maybe go with Mint.
Been using debian for more than a decade and "it just works" has become truer every year. It's a good distro, if you have no principle objections against systemd (which I do, but am too lazy to do anything about).
The one thing I am not happy about: Audio drivers on a Desktop computer
On a Laptop, I've never experienced such issues, as all devices are integrated (apart from the headphones jack, I guess).
Just when I got familiar enough with pulseaudio, they replaced it with "pipewire", which fucked up output devices:
drives me crazy since the last update - but it's only an issue when using headphones, so for now I am living with it.
Im on openSuse Leap 15.5 and I moved to Pipewire back when I had 15.3 I believe. I had that issue where all output devices/input devices got smashed together. I stuck with it for couple of months and I believe the later versions fixed that. Now I am painfree and never bother with audio ever again. I used to have frequent pulseaudio crashes which is why I switched over to pipewire.
I use an external usb dac/amp to handle all my audio switching and has been working flawlessly on debian. Could that be an option for you?
That seems like an ugly workaround - using external hardware to pretend that internally there's only 1 device. Not my preferred method, to be honest.
I mainly use the external hardware as a workaround for unwanted noise from the pc. It bothers me to no end to hear the mouse cursor scream into my headphone/speakers.
Ouch - I have heard that symptom before - luckily not an issue on my hardware..
Split the difference and run LMDE.
Best advise I can give after 20+ years of distro hopping is to be ready to try a few different ones to see which one might resonate the best with you. Because not all of them will feel right. But you will find one that fits you best. It might be Debian or Ubuntu or Fedora or Suse or Mint or even Arch. (I don't run Arch BTW)
In the long run, it don't matter which distro you use - they are all Linux under their petticoats anyway. Just choose the one that works for you and makes YOU happy. And if you decide to change your distro of choice at any point for something different, that's all good too.
The only way to truly make a determination if a distro works for you is to actually try it out and use it. I've never listened to those people because they all have a favorite distro they will push on you for various reasons. I actually find Debian a breeze to use, and the vast majority of stuff meant for Ubuntu or Mint will work on fine on Debian, since it's the base of both those distros.
i know what you are going through, i am going to install linux on my current pc (when i worked up enough bravery... well at least i already created the boot media). I have already experience selfhosting services with Debian (in the time before Docker), but since gaming is what this PC is built for and i have a NVidia card that´s a pretty poor choice from what i gathered here.
Over the last few months i was thinking about going with Pop_OS ("i really really didn't like Gnome the last time i had to deal with it"), then Arch ("Do i really want to shoot myself in the foot? There's archinstall, but i really don't want to tinker too much on this machine..."), and now i settled for Nobara (the "gaming" Fedora so to speak, using KDE per default).
I'm now 99% sure that it should be the right one for me, but the thought of doing it makes me quite nervous.
i'm still looking for alternatives for a few windows programs; the main one i will miss dearly is Playnite. There seems to be nothing that offers the integration of all my libraries, my ROMs and emulators, automatic downloading of metadata and boxart, achievements, start scripts for games ... i could go on forever :-(
I know exactly what you mean. I'd also prefer Debian, Mint or Fedora. Each has its weaknesses, but you got to start somewhere. Go for it, then decide for yourself. It's not that hard to switch again.
The best thing you can do is separate your home and be unafraid to try something new until you know your preferences.
I used Ubuntu for years, played with other distros but always thought I'd remain there.
I tried Fedora one day because it had a newer package and now I can't find a more perfect distro.
Maybe I will in the future and die on that hill who knows.