Noooooob here: As title said - I don’t know what distro I should choose. My needs are student stuff like Libreoffice & Videoconferences but also creative things, photo-management and cutting videos. Does it matter at all? Do I have to check for every single program I use or is there a distro that is recommended?

I was planning on getting a Tuxedo with Tuxedo OS, but my neighbour recommended another “no os”-seller and now I’m not sure. I was opting for Tuxedo mainly because of the support since I’m leaving windows after many years^^

(Picture shows the lilac and blueish ports that we had for mouse and keyboard back “in my days” with the words “How old are you” - “Me:” on top - just because this community semmingly requires a picture added)

  • tal@lemmy.todayEnglish
    19·
    29 days ago

    I’d use a major distro that’s been around a while. Avoids having them vanish.

    Does it matter? Well, different package system. Some different conventions. Some different defaults. You can make an Arch Linux machine look identical to a Debian machine look identical to a Fedora machine if you want.

    Tuxedo OS is Ubuntu LTS with some minor modifications and some drivers from Tuxedo pre-installed. I use a Tuxedo laptop running Debian just fine. You’re probably fine with Tuxedo OS if you’re happy with it.

  • Ephera@lemmy.mlEnglish
    9·
    29 days ago

    What vendor did your neighbor recommend?

    I do think getting a Tuxedo is a good choice, if you have the money for it. New users typically struggle either because they need programs that are only available on other OSs or because their hardware doesn’t work well with Linux. And getting a dedicated device for it, rules out the latter.

    If you do go with Tuxedo OS (or another distribution with KDE Plasma as the desktop environment), then kind of the obvious, best-integrated choices are:

    You can try these out on Windows or macOS, too.

    I guess, it should also be said that you can try out Linux as well, without installing it on a piece of hardware (or making an expensive purchase).
    Probably the easiest way is websites like https://distrosea.com/.

    • bmpvy@feddit.orgOP
      3·
      28 days ago

      That is some good advice - installed digikam yesterday and will learn to use it already. Kdenlive is next, one step a time :)

      My neighbour recommened one.com or one.de computer, not sure about the url?

      Thanks for sharing distrosea!

      • Ephera@lemmy.mlEnglish
        1·
        28 days ago

        Hmm, have not heard of One before, but their webpage doesn’t particularly scream at me that they test for Linux compatibility. Did your neighbor say that they use a PC from there with Linux?

        I mean, there is a good chance that these do work perfectly fine with Linux. Lots of hardware has support these days and particularly desktop systems don’t have a ton of problematic hardware (a.k.a. hardware which isn’t found in servers, where Linux is dominant).

        But if there is something that does not work, then that’s pretty frustrating. So, if you are buying new hardware, I would still recommend getting something that’s also sold with Linux, just to rule that possibility out…

        • bmpvy@feddit.orgOP
          2·
          28 days ago

          Ja, you’re right. I got all confused when I looked at that site. But as I reconsider my neighbour only said I could get a Linux Pc from them, not that he has one 🤔 Tuxedo makes a much more stable hardware&software setup impression (tho a bit expensive), I thinl I’m gonna go with that, thank for your advice

  • fartsparkles@lemmy.world
    8·
    29 days ago

    Distros are like trying to find the right hat for yourself. At the end of the day, you just need to poop put on a hat and see how it looks.

    I recommend something mainstream and kept relatively up to date since you’re trying out both Linux and a number of other open source apps at the same time.

    I’d start with Manjaro, Debian, Fedora.

    Be sure to try out some different desktop environments: GNOME, KDE, MATE, etc. The desktop environment you use will have a big impact on your overall experience of Linux.

    Edit: I’d save pooping on a hat for when you’re comparing Windows versions.

    • DampSquid@feddit.uk
      7·
      29 days ago

      At the end of the day, you just need to poop on a hat and see how it looks.

      I’ve been doing it wrong this whole time!

  • entwine@programming.dev
    7·
    29 days ago

    use Bazzite, or any other distro that calls itself “immutable”. That’s Linux speak for “it just works, and you won’t be able to break it even if you try”. There are other immutable distros, but Bazzite is the one most likely to have everything you need out of the box.

    Also, look at flathub.org and check if the software you need is on there. If it is, then congrats, you’re on the easy path. If not, you might need to use the command line to install what you need from another source.

    • toynbee@lemmy.world
      7·
      29 days ago

      I theoretically support the sentiment behind this advice, but I - a fairly experienced Linux user both at home and at work - tried Bazzite. I installed it, configured my accounts, ran a system update and rebooted. After a reboot, it was broken.

      I’m sure I did something wrong there and likely the situation would have been recoverable, but I didn’t do anything complex, so I challenge the claim “you won’t be able to break it if you try.”

      Otherwise it seemed like it would have been a positive experience.

      • entwine@programming.dev
        3·
        28 days ago

        I said you won’t be able to break it, but an update can. Bazzite is an open source project with limited resources, and shit happens from time to time.

        However, in cases like that you can always fix it by either doing a rollback (one liner: sudo rpm-ostree rollback), or by simply choosing the previous working version in grub while the machine is booting using the arrow keys.

    • zergtoshi@lemmy.worldEnglish
      4·
      29 days ago

      I can second the recommendation.
      Irun Bazzite on an HP Victus laptop and SteamOS on the SteamDeck.
      Both are immutable, although based on different distros.
      Sadly an update a few days ago broke the desktop mode on the SteamDeck: the whole desktop was unusable and it wasn’t even possible to properly shut the OS down. Gaming mode was working flawlessly at the same time - huzzah!
      Gladly the last update fixed it again.
      In all fairness I need to admit that I don’t run the most stable release channel, because I want to have encryption on my SteamDeck.
      Bazzite has been running like a charm ever since I installed it.

      Seperating the OS from the apps by putting the apps in containers instead of having them install files resolves the issue of dependencies for good amongst introducing security benefits. And the OS won’t get borked by apps doing strange things or introducing dependencies that can’t be resolved easily.

  • Crashumbc@lemmy.worldEnglish
    6·
    29 days ago

    Younglings.

    The keyboard should be twice the size!

    And that mouse port is all wrong, it should be 9 pins arranged in 2 layers…

  • Europellinore@europe.pub
    5·
    29 days ago

    The Tuxedo option sounds reasonable to me. Personally I switched to Linux roughly half a year ago. Dual boot with both Linux Mint and Zorin. Main reason to choose for those, is perceived accessibility and convenience for people new to Linux. Useful website: https://distrochooser.de/

    • Venus_Ziegenfalle@feddit.orgEnglish
      3·
      28 days ago

      I love that the colors match (except for blue USB 3 and the yellow one that you can use to power stuff when the PC isn’t on)

  • davidgro@lemmy.world
    4·
    28 days ago

    I recently got a Tuxedo machine, and besides their US keyboard layout being weird (two \ keys, one of which should be part of left shift, and I turned it back that way using keyd), I really like it.

    The OS is great because it’s (K)Ubuntu but with Snaps disabled by default. Most software I want that wasn’t already installed is available on Flathub through the same program (Discover) that can install from the traditional repository.

    • bmpvy@feddit.orgOP
      3·
      28 days ago

      Ok since they are in germany and I am as well I hope they can get the german keyboard to work properly^^ Would you mind sharing which one u got?

      Idk what “snaps” is - should I learn about it now or later?

      • davidgro@lemmy.world
        2·
        28 days ago

        Snaps are a software package and distribution format invented by Canonical, which is the company that makes Ubuntu. Most people here (myself included) don’t like them for a few reasons, such as the server side being closed source, and the user having less control of updates than something like Flatpak.

        I got a TUXEDO Stellaris 16 - Gen7 (Intel, because they didn’t have the AMD one when I placed the order. Oh well.)

        The keyboard is “ENGLISH US ISO (EN-QWERTY international)” which was the closest English option. Note that every other keyboard I’ve ever used has been ANSI instead of ISO, but in Europe I assume ISO is the standard, since the A in ANSI is “American”.

        • bmpvy@feddit.orgOP
          2·
          28 days ago

          Thanks for sharing all that info! As far as I know I have an Iso Keyboard so you might be right about it being standard over here in europe. I want to have an AMD one too, but can’t decide right now what model because of decision anxiety ^^ I am looking for a desktop pc tho (at least rn, mood might change back to laptop option)

  • Tippon@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
    4·
    29 days ago

    A lot of the software you’ll find on Linux for your requirements are available for Windows too, so you can try them out before you switch, and make sure that they work for you first.

    I don’t know much about video conferencing, but Libre Office is preinstalled on loads of distros. For photo management, you’ve got programs like Darktable and RawTherapee that work like Lightroom.

    For videos, you can use OpenShot, Shotcut, and KDEnlive. They’re all good for the fairly basic tasks that I do, and from what I’ve read on here, for more advanced stuff too :)

  • Doomsider@lemmy.world
    3·
    28 days ago

    A PS/2. No, not the fun thing that plays games, it is just a connecter.

    If you just want things to work I would suggest a Debian based distro like Ubuntu Studio. I have heard good things about these immutable systems, but I don’t really have much experience with them.

    On a side note, keyboards used to have a return key where the enter key is nowadays. It was for a carriage return which went to the new line. It was not for entering data into a field as there was a separate enter key for that.

  • KokusnussRitter@discuss.tchncs.de
    3·
    29 days ago

    I hate to recommend Ubuntu, because of their locked garden bullshit, but yeah, ubuntu.

    I personally use Linux Mint for creative work with an amd gpu and it has been a nightmare, mainly because I need amds proprietary drivers, and they are a buggy mess on mint. Since ubuntu is officially supported, I hope it would work better on there, but I couldn’t get ubuntu to boot.

    So if you have an amd card, driver support should be taken into account. With nvidia I had a lot less trouble.

    • TrickDacy@lemmy.world
      4·
      29 days ago

      The AMD vs Nvidia experience you are describing is polar opposite of mine and what I always read about. Never had a single issue on AMD, never had anything stay working right for very long on Nvidia, to the point that I sold my Nvidia card to escape that uncertainty.

      I mostly have run pop os but also used elementary os for a bit. Both Ubuntu based distros, like mint

      • KokusnussRitter@discuss.tchncs.de
        3·
        29 days ago

        I know. I chalk it up to my use case (3D modeling & rendering w/ blender, Game Dev), which needs AMD’s proprietary drivers, instead of the open source ones. Running them on Linux Mint probably doesn’t help either, since it is, strictly speaking, not supported by AMD.

        • TrickDacy@lemmy.world
          1·
          29 days ago

          But pop os is not supported by amd either. I don’t know that a distro based on Ubuntu would normally have issues supporting graphic drivers made for Ubuntu.

          I find your situation all very confusing since if proprietary drivers are what you’re trying to avoid, Nvidias situation there is far worse, which I’ve read 100 times and experienced myself. The only way I got any game working at all was with the proprietary drivers and even those would break things frequently. A game I ran last week now would fail to launch at all, stuff like that.

          Until now I don’t think I’ve ever heard of anyone saying anything positive about Nvidia on Linux.

          • KokusnussRitter@discuss.tchncs.de
            2·
            29 days ago

            I wouldn’t say I try to avoid proprietary drivers. nVidia’s worked well for me even better that open source, but amd’s caused issues with my graphics even after reinstalling Mint without them. Now that I reinstalled them months later it works better… Who said the world wasn’t magic anymore 😂✨

            I guess what I initially tried to say is that it is worth to do some research on the supported distros for proprietary gpu drivers, should you need them to hopefully avoid freak accidents like this.

            I too like to think that any ubuntu based distro should be okay running software for ubuntu, but when I messaged AMD’s support they basically just tapped the your distro is not supported sign xD And I guess it makes sense, given that there could be critical differences between stock ubuntu and ubuntu based distros, too much to cover for a remote tech support.

            • TrickDacy@lemmy.world
              2·
              27 days ago

              Ah, I gotcha. Thanks for explaining. Yeah, it is a thing that some people will just have a random issue on Linux that seems unique compared to most. I would guess that sometimes we’ve installed a package that puts something in a weird state somewhere that we can’t really know about. Someday I’m going to try an immutable distro. Those aim to solve problems like that.