I love OpenSuSE. It is designed to be practical to everyone, from the newbie, to the expert. You can make it as secure as you want, a gaming machine if you want, proprietary software your thing, no problem. Science machine, Development machine, Web Design machine, Print Server, File server, so much more.
What is your favorite and why?
I always used Debian and that was the best OS I ever used, among all the ones I tried and I tried a whole lot.
Recently, I read about NixOS, which makes big promises. If those are true, this is the next-gen OS for private use. Next time I will find the opportunity, I will try that one out. If that OS holds its promises, I will be switching to that, as it is solving huge problems with all the other distributions:
Reliability, Revertability and Persistence of Configuration.
Basically, you can do whatever you want on the OS. If something goes wrong, just revert it back.
Dependency hell? No, thank you; just install several version of the same libc, without conflicts. Same with bigger programs. Need several versions of an IDE? No problem, either.
If that wasn’t good enough, the best part is that you can customize your OS exactly the way you want and there is NO trouble re-installing the whole OS from scratch. No manual configurations. Nothing. Just use the Nix configuration files you created in the first place and that’s it – Nix will customize your newly installed or upgraded OS on its own, without you needing to fiddle around and apply your customizations manually, as you need to do with other OS, where you can maybe copy back the /home folder to the new installation and hope it goes well.
That said, I still need to see for myself, if it really works as advertised. But, if it does, then this is the best OS for personal use, hands down.
I downloaded the Live DVD of NixOS and burned it, and ran it. It is A LOT like Arch in that you have to do much manually. And it is not like the OpenSuSE Tumbleweed version where you have the latest version of everything and it is a rolling version, meaning there is no fixed version numbers, just snapshots at certain dates that they make an ISO out of. I like OpenSuSE because I am inherently lazy and like things done for me automatically. I can granulary configure, compile, build an RPM, or anything else via Konsole (A terminal).
Well, the point of NixOS is that you do much manually, once. In the beginning. Once you are done, you are done. No more configuration, if you don’t need to. This, for example, is a feature Debian, Ubuntu and others lack.
Like Akito, I have tried and used a lot of Linux Distros. The only Distro I keep using is Mint Mate, it isn’t for everyone, but it has never failed me.
For me (and my clients) it’s got to be Linux mint mate.
I have been using it for all my computing needs. I run my business on it, libre office, Google chrome or chromium, have wine so I can run dreamweaver for web site development.
Started with Ubuntu but did not like the screen layout controls in unity, moved on through debian and for a period puppy Linux as I was touring and it allowed me to carry the system on a usb to use anywhere I found a computer and internet access. But then fell in love with mint. Tried cinnamon version but had a few issues with the installation on older machines so decided to standardise on mate. Now I can answer clients questions easy as I know the screens they can see, burned into my memory without always needing to look.
Over 15 years on Linux, and taken several exams I would not have Windows in my workplace. When clients come in with Windows I repair, remove the virus issues where possible but if asked to reinstall Windows I just say no ! It’s Linus only.
As my clients started to drop out of favour with Windows xp, Vista, 8 and had older machines not suitable for 10. The answer was mint 32 bit. Done now around 400 installations and no problems. Even have it on several Apple Mac book pro and mini. Few rest on lubuntu 32 bit as they don’t have the money to upgrade the computer and age of equipment this system keeps them going.
I do have a usb with tails and tor browser which I use when security is important few times a year.
An important part for me is the ability to switch language as I am based in France so many clients only speak and use in French. But interesting also to use in Spanish and the hard one is Arabic based users but at that point I have a English version along side to see what the screen is saying cheating but a solution.
Bottom line
Linux mint mate …
Like with all of life’s decisions, when it comes to computers and Linux especially choice is the biggest thing. Then there is the thought or question of what do I need a computer for? Tons of different OSES each may look the same, but all have a very unique spin and varied for their day to day use. I use Peppermint OS 10 RE-Spin as my daily OS, simply because everything I chuck at it it does it. From video editing, gaming, programming or coding. What I love about Linux is the fact it will keep going at tasks, like say I was live streaming, encoding a video, playing a very CPU intensive game all at the same time, it may slowdown slightly and make my stream buffer a bit, but it never gripes or suddenly crashes, it will get the job done. You cannot really in my opinion have the best Linux OS, as everyone of the different environments are unique to what us the end users needs are.
If I had to choose today I would use Linux Mint LMDE 4 (debbie).
It seems very user friendly, comes with some nice packages and
you can still use sudo apt install
Also it runs very well as a VM on Oracle Virtual box. Guest Additions
Mouse, Shared Folders, Shared Printers, Copy/Paste, USB all work.
You can get by with 2GB RAM and 16GB disk.
For me it is Debian.
On my servers it just runs, even for months. Only a power outage can force a restart there.
On my laptop too, just open lid, close lid no need to restart, except when I want to test a bootable USB.
On my desktop it boots in seconds, and then just works, and works.
For me it is PCLinuxOS. Rolling release, rock stable, only had an issue once which could easy be solved with Timeshift
For me it is Linux Mint Cinnamon. It does everything I did it to do. Two big pluses for me was when I found someone had procedures to include Truecrypt and Western Digital ‘unlocking’ of their HDD. Since then, it is now 98% Linux and 2% Windows 10.
You can use Veracrypt now, which is compatible with Truecrypt volumes. There is also at least one open source tool for opening encrypted WD drives. So you still can use this stuff, while remaining 100% Linux.
How do I replace Xubuntu by mint mate? Is there also a long term support version 20/04? Thanks for answering