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What is the best alternative to Anarchy Linux?
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Manjaro Linux
All
39
Experiences
Pros
19
Cons
19
Specs
Top
Pro
Arch User Repository access
Manjaro allows the user to access of the Arch User Repository, a very large user-maintained repository of packages for Arch Linux and derivatives.
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Top
Con
Slightly bloated
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Top
Pro
Support for multiple kernels
Manjaro has built-in support for multiple kernels as well as a way to easily install them. Using LTS kernel makes this distro stable and less buggy.
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Top
Con
Can still be unstable
Here are the details of it.
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Top
Pro
Based on Arch and user friendly
Manjaro is an Arch-based distribution with all the benefits of the Arch ecosystem and community but with the added benefit of being much more user-friendly than Arch.The overall features it provides is hard to beat. Arguably be the best desktop distro with lts kernel. Consumes very less ram.
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Top
Con
Bad dependencies
This is similar to the mac0S experience in that you're not allowed to remove plank.
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Top
Pro
Excellent graphical package manager (Pamac)
Features include: providing notifications of available updates; mirror management; Snap support, Flatpak support and AUR support (with the option to suppress unnecessary confirmations during the install process); update settings (frequency, whether to check for updates from the AUR, packages to ignore updates for); and a history of packages installed, updated, or removed (from the official repositories - AUR packages are not currently tracked).
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Con
All the small community editions are gone
No architect edition anymore, no edition with a tiny stacking WM like openbox or fluxbox that could be used as install base.
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Top
Pro
Improved stability due to a longer testing period for new packages
Packages from Arch's repositories are tested (about two weeks) longer for stability and compatibility issues. Patches are applied, when necessary, before being made available in the stable repositories.
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Con
No real installer
It just boots the livecd and copies the livecd to the disk which gives you no choices in software selection.
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Pro
Friendly community
If you ask questions of users in their forums or on other platforms, they are willing to help you. Also according to the developers, they are open to new ideas in order to make the distro better.
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Top
Con
Installation is extremely buggy
There's no easy way to switch from local keyboard layout if non-Latin installer language is selected.
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Top
Pro
Very good looking desktops
All desktops look good by default.
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Top
Con
Very slow development for 32-bit hardwares
ArchLinux-32 community maintain their forums every day. They upload new ISO's every month. But Manjaro-32 community upload new ISO's in every 6 month. And provide only a DE-mate.
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Top
Pro
Stable and consistently up to date
Manjaro receives regular updates, but more importantly these updates are stable. The updates are rolled out, which means you can easily update the software without needing to re-install.
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Top
Con
Weekly manual updates
Since it is rolling release, it needs updates nearly every week, which (though are checked for automatically) must be manually downloaded, confirmed and installed. That may annoy or scare off many new users.
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Top
Pro
Installation is a breeze
Calamares installer and MHWD is the reason why this distribution is good for desktop user- friendliness! Audio codecs, latest packages,latest kernel and easy upgrade to the latest build makes it the best choice for new users.
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Top
Con
The Manjaro unstable repository is slow to sync with the Arch stable repository
The Manjaro unstable repository syncs with the Arch stable repository and if any package has moved, it gets moved to stable. Manjaro gets package updates a bit than Arch.
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Top
Pro
Good documentation and forum
The Manjaro community is very helpful, and there are lots of tutorials.
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Top
Con
Imcompatible with Arch User Repository and archlinuxcn
Because Manjaro packages are not synced with Arch, using AUR or archlinuxcn could break dependencies.
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Top
Pro
A rolling-release distribution
Manjaro uses a rolling release method for all updates, so once a system is installed, as long as the user regularly updates there is no need to re-install.
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Con
You can't change the default theme in certain applications
Although it is possible to change the default dark theme, this has no effect on Firefox, which appears to have the dark theme "hard coded". Hardened Linux pros may find a way to change this, but for the rest, it renders an otherwise nice distro a no-go.
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Pro
All major desktops and even less common ones like Budgie, Lumina, LXQT, Deepin, Enlightenment, etc. can be directly installed from official repositories
Also available as independent variants.
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Top
Con
Deepin desktop environment is not a worthy attraction, there is a problem with changing Multi language layout
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Top
Pro
Uses low memory
By using Xfce or Plasma (or LXDE, Fluxbox, supported by community) as default desktop environments, Manjaro is able to have a low memory footprint.
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Top
Con
Nothing new
There is nothing new in Manjaro compared to any other Arch based distribution.
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Pro
Manjaro provides its own distribution-specific tools such as the Manjaro Hardware Detection (mhwd) utility, and the Manjaro Settings Manager (msm)
Run automatically during the installation process, it allows for Manjaro to work fully on your system 'straight out of the box', without the need to manually identify and install the necessary drivers or to manually edit the appropriate configuration files. Also usable via the terminal after installation, the features of the mhwd command include: The choice of free (i.e. open-source) or non-free (i.e. proprietary) drivers Identification and listing (general or detailed) of your system's hardware Identification and listing (general or detailed) of installed drivers Listing of available drivers for installation (free and proprietary) Support of hybrid graphics cards (e.g. Nvidia Optimus) Easy removal and installation of drivers (selected automatically, or you can identify and choose your own)
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Top
Con
Redundant
It's just Arch Linux with an easier installer so there is no reason to use it.
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Top
Pro
Different editions to select from + Manjaro community
You can choose between different Manjaro editions which have their own change in features, and there is also Manjaro community editions where the community can make their own changes.
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Top
Con
Same cons that apply to Arch Linux
Since it is based on Arch Linux.
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Top
Pro
Steam installed by default
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Top
Con
It's Archbuntu
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Top
Pro
Deepin desktop environment is worthy attraction
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Top
Con
Black screen after boot, no login possibility
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Top
Pro
Full access to AUR
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Top
Con
No gfvs pre-installed
So no Trash (and possibly smartphone file system access via USB) support.
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Top
Pro
an Nvidia ISO version with drivers pre-installed.
Works perfectly.
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Top
Con
Bad way of handling dependencies
Manjaro is based on Arch Linux. Arch Linux and its derivatives have a bad way of handling dependencies. To handle dependencies, it installs a whole another program which contains the required dependencies.
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Specs
Based On:
Arch Linux
RAM:
64
Default Desktop Environment:
XFCE, KDE Plasma, GNOME
Init-System:
systemd
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Experiences
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Endeavour OS
All
23
Experiences
Pros
17
Cons
5
Specs
Top
Pro
Good overall system quality and performance
Lean, fast and surprisingly stable.
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Top
Con
NET installer on the way
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Top
Pro
Great hardware support
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Top
Con
Not for everyone
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Top
Pro
No restrictive handholding, pure control over everything
The user can do whatever he wishes because the distro IS Arch - with and easy installer and great themes.
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Top
Con
Kalu needs a little refinement
I applaud the developers to carry on the legacy of Antergos, the only niggling thing that I would appreciate is, while it's nice to see news about updates; my opinion is that once you dismiss the notifications they STAY dismissed. And just clicking on the icon brings kalu brings it to the foreground. Or have the functionality of turning off the news altogether would be well received. Good distro.
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Top
Pro
Fast and simple package management
There can only be one Package Manager (pacman) ;)
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Top
Con
Same Cons that apply for Arch Linux
Since it is based on Arch, it is harder to install and can easily break.
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Top
Pro
Easy installer
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Top
Con
Uses systemd
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Top
Pro
Great for low performance hardware
Easy on the specs and still blazingly fast.
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Top
Pro
Lightweight
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Top
Pro
Arch Linux Wiki
Being an "easy to install version of Arch" means it is exactly easy to use the famous Arch Wiki!
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Top
Pro
As slim as you want it
Based on Arch, Endevour OS keeps its core repositories slim and free of unnecessary dependencies. The distro comes with no bloatware, only the necessary packages. The repositories are nearly as full as those of Ubuntu, while they are often more up to date.
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Top
Pro
AUR support
One of the best reasons to use an Arch based distro. You can find almost every package there is in the Linux world!
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Top
Pro
Stripped down to the bone
Since its stripped down, it is fast and you don't have to deal with bloatware.
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Top
Pro
Great XFCE implementation
Their use of themes and configuration look great!
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Top
Pro
Not based on Ubuntu
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Top
Pro
Cutting edge rolling release
Exactly as Arch - allows users to stay on the most up-to-date versions of the software they are using.
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Top
Pro
Support for a large variety of new hardware
Rolling release means newer, up to date, mesa and kernel versions able to handle newer hardware with better performance!
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Top
Pro
Helpful community
Great team of developers and excellent forum support on their official website.
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Top
Pro
Great community
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Specs
Based On:
Arch Linux
Default Desktop Environment:
Budgie, Cinnamon, Deepin, GNOME, i3, KDE Plasma, LXQt, MATE, Xfce
Init-System:
Systemd
Package Manager:
pacman
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Experiences
0
676
107
ArcoLinux
All
16
Experiences
Pros
10
Cons
5
Specs
Top
Pro
Easy to install
Unbelievably fast for ArcoLinux with XFCE, Openbox, I3.
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Top
Con
Small development team
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Top
Pro
Community support is great
Need to install Discord on cell phone and computer. Fastest way to receive help. Community is mostly European on Discord so getting help at midnight may be a challenge.
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Top
Con
Multiple types makes new user confused
Due to multiple types, new user might get confused and leave this all along.
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Top
Pro
Helps you to become a Arch Linux user
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Top
Con
A bit bloated
It is a bit bloated to many web browsers, text editors out the box. A simple customize menu's for all 3 desktops would have been nice.
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Top
Pro
Blazingly fast!
Startup time, shutdown time, everything in between.
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Top
Con
No single ISO
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Top
Pro
Easy to isntall desktop environments
Thanks to the manuals provided by the developers it is really easy to install more than 10 different desktop environments that'll work at the same time!
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Top
Con
Forums are not very friendly or helpful
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Top
Pro
Easy to install, handles system memory well, and a great way to learn Arch Linux
Incredibly fast, easy to install, tons of software pre-installed and easily installs more.
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Top
Pro
XFCE, Openbox and I3
Finished Product with almost every tool a experienced user will use.
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Top
Pro
Easy to install NVIDIA Drivers
Has option to install NVIDIA proprietary drivers. Runs great.
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Top
Pro
Learning bash script
The fastest way to reload any Linux desktop is a script that will install all your favorite apps. Keep this file on a USB stick Update for any distro from Ubuntu, Fedora, or even Arch Linux back to your favorite apps in minutes.
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Top
Pro
Efficient use of Memory, Easy to Install, Amazingly Fast
OpenBox on Arco Linux is AWESOME!
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Specs
Based On:
Arch Linux (Rolling)
Price:
FREE
Default Desktop Environment:
Openbox + Xfce + i3
Package Manager:
pacman
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Experiences
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300
39
Slackware
All
15
Experiences
Pros
8
Cons
6
Specs
Top
Pro
Stable
Uses stable, plain-vanilla packages from upstream.
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Top
Con
Not user-friendly
It is made to be KISS (keep it simple, stupid), so you have to do everything by hand.
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Top
Pro
Strong adherence to UNIX Principals
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Top
Con
Large size live ISO
One needs to vain 3GB+ data for downloading one slackware ISO.
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Top
Pro
Ideal to learn more of Linux
Follows the original Linux roots. It still sees Linux as a free clone of UNIX so the distribution tries to be UNIX-like.
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Top
Con
Narrow repos
Doesn't offer the same amount of options as other distros do.
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Top
Pro
Package management
Uses standard tar archives with shell scripting as packages.
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Top
Con
Niche/small community
Slackware is its own niche and has a small community.
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Top
Pro
One more distro which is init based
Some users don't like to install systemd based distros because they increase booting and processing speed.
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Top
Con
Very slow release cycle
Hasn't updated in 3+ years.
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Top
Pro
Oldest surviving Linux distro
Besides Debian (which was first released in August 1993), it is the oldest still maintained Linux Distribution and was first released in July 1993.
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Top
Con
Dependency issues
When it comes to dependencies, Slackware shows more issues than many other distros.
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Top
Pro
Super fast
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Top
Pro
No systemd
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Specs
Based On:
Softlanding Linux System
Default Desktop Environment:
KDE, Xfce, NONE
Init-System:
SysVinit
Package Manager:
pkgtool
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Experiences
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415
62
Garuda Linux
All
8
Experiences
Pros
5
Cons
2
Specs
Top
Pro
Super-fast
Uses vram, and a zen kernel.
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Top
Con
Needs a lot of RAM
Minimum is 4GB, for most Linux distributions it's 2GB or less.
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Top
Pro
Themes
The dr460nized KDE theme is awesome.
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Top
Con
Super
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Top
Pro
Easy entrance to Arch Linux
Filled to the brim with lots of quality-of-life changes and optimizations that are simple enough for long-time Windows, long-time Mac users, and Arch newbies to understand. Though, it also leads to bloat or not necessarily helpful extra software. If you're not into the "bloat" added in, try checking out the barebones version, you'll need to know a lot of things bout Arch to fully use barebones.
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Top
Pro
Highly customized interface
You already have most of the customization done for you out of the box.
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Top
Pro
Unused RAM is wasted RAM
It takes just a bit more RAM than Manjaro. Edit: This statement is only true if it helps the user and since this could be running on a low end machine this will not.
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Specs
Desktop Environments:
x11
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Experiences
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252
43
Obarun
All
4
Experiences
Pros
1
Cons
2
Specs
Top
Pro
No telemetry
Freedom for the users.
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Top
Con
Installer
The instasller is abysmal. Is there really no way to install this distro without using it ?
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Top
Con
Complex for newbies
Because freedom in the world today is not simple
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Specs
Based On:
Arch Linux
Package Manager:
pacman
OS Family:
GNU/Linux
Release Schedule:
Rolling
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164
38
Pop!_OS
All
8
Experiences
Pros
7
Cons
1
Top
Pro
Pop! makes GNOME look really good
If you're a fan of flat desktop interfaces reminiscent of Material design on Android, you'll like the theme that comes as a default in Pop! OS. The desktop and title bars all use a bright turquoise theme that makes the interface feel happy and borderline retro-chic. I found it to be like something you'd find printed on a ringer t-shirt.
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Top
Con
64-bit only
Some older PCs still have 32 Bit processors. This limitation will be a major con for those who use an older PC since they will not be able to install, run it in a VM or live media
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Top
Pro
User-friendly installer
The visually appealing and easy to use installer makes dual booting as easy as it can be.
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Pro
Ready to play games, out of the box
If you still miss how easy it was to just click-install and play games in Windows, Pop! will give you that similar expectation.
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Top
Pro
Nice gnome theme dy default
Has nice gnome theme looks really good.
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Top
Pro
A separate NVIDIA version
Most linux distros seem to hate Nvidia's graphics cards e.g. Fedora and OpenSUSE. System76 have decided to be kind. They have decided to form a good relationship with Nvidia fans and Nvidia itself. By creating a separate installation media that is dedicated for providing support to Nvidia's graphics cards. Even going as far as putting Nvidia's driver updates on Pop!_Shop for users to easily access and install.
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Pro
Optimized for modern hardware
Whereas normally, to use a brand new computer with a Linux OS, you would typically try to use unstable and sometimes buggy drivers - or struggle without hardware support until a stable release comes along.
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Pro
Made by a hardware seller
System76 is a hardware company. It configures machines to ship with Linux pre-installed. This means its entire business model centers around delivering a quality desktop Linux experience. As a result, the company pours more attention onto the desktop. It can fix visual issues and may be able to provide a smoother overall experience than you would have installing a different version of Linux on your machine yourself. Providing Pop!_OS also empowers System76 to make certain fixes for users directly rather than having to coordinate with Canonical or the broader Ubuntu community.
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Experiences
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939
167
Artix Linux
All
11
Experiences
Pros
7
Cons
3
Specs
Top
Pro
No systemd
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Con
No systemd
Some packages flat out won't work because systemd is non existent, sadly pipewire needs systemd to run. Hopefully Pipewire becomes usable soon. Edit: Pipewire does work but you will have to make a startup script.
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Top
Pro
Runit
Artix actively supports the runit init system known from Void Linux. (Equally besides the OpenRC init system known from Gentoo).
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Con
Few Arch packages might not be available yet
Developers are working migrating all packages into their own repositories while ensuring there's no systemd malware.
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Top
Pro
Close to bare Arch Linux
No learning curve if you're coming from Arch or any of its derivatives.
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Con
No tiling WM (i3/sway) out of the box
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Pro
Lightweight
Only the software you would need like Terminal emulator, file manager, media player and a browser.
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Top
Pro
Compatible with Arch Repositories
It is fully compatible with almost all packages from community, extra, multilib and AUR.
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Top
Pro
Rolling distro
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Pro
Flexibility
You can have a functional system in less than 10 mins using GUI installer OR you can do it "the Arch way".
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Specs
Based On:
Arch Linux
Default Desktop Environment:
Bash (Unix shell), Cinnamon, KDE Plasma, LXDE, LXQt, MATE and XFCE
Package Manager:
Pacman
OS Family:
GNU/Linux
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236
Fedora
All
29
Experiences
Pros
16
Cons
12
Specs
Top
Pro
Backed by one of the biggest Linux kernel contributors
Fedora is backed by RedHat, the 2nd biggest Linux kernel contributor in the world. Using a distribution made by RedHat means that it will be fine-tuned to work as efficiently as possible since it's made by the same people who work extensively on the kernel and know its ins and outs.
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Con
Updating to a new release can be problematic
While there are a few tools on offer that will upgrade an old Fedora release to the newest, there can often be problems with these methods. Some that may not even crop up at first but will show later down the road. Being that upgrading can be an issue, it can be exacerbated by the fact that Fedora updates every six month, which means twice a year there is a risk of completely borking ones install.
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Top
Pro
Integration with GNOME
It perhaps has the best integration with GNOME (GNOME software works out of the box).
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Con
Proprietary drivers are unsupported
Fedora does not support proprietary drivers, meaning that users may have problems with a lot of hardware when using Fedora. The software to make that kind of hardware work can be installed, but it can be done only through third-parties and it's not easy for the average user.
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Pro
Focuses on innovation
By using bleeding edge software, Fedora allows for innovation to take place by testing out things which other distros are not willing to try due to fears of having instability issues.
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Con
Unstable
Some packages may break, because there isn't an option to test them before rolling them out.
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Pro
Fast and stable updates
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Con
Dnfdragora needs work
As the default package installer, this piece of software needs a lot more polish. It's not explicit in saying things are installed, more granularity in package selection is needed, and the ability to move columns around to see if you're installing the correct version.
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Pro
Frees developers from some backward compatibility restraints
Fedora has a relatively short life cycle: version X is supported only until 1 month after version X+2 and with approximately 6 months between versions this means that a version of Fedora is supported for approximately 13 months. This promotes leading-edge software because it frees developers from some backward compatibility restraints.
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Con
Optimus support is straight terrible
Running on a laptop with optimus gpu or the driver for your powerful gpu is not gonna happen.
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Pro
Spins and Labs
Spins are images with a different WM/DE, and Labs are filled with a specific theme of packages.
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Con
Not for beginners
It is not a user-friendly distro like ubuntu, PCLos. You will be required to learn a lot of commands even for simple activities.
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Pro
Strong commitment to free software philosophy
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Con
Slow
It is quite slow on some computers.
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Pro
Fast performance
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Con
Basically owned by RedHat
Community? Forget it! RedHat says what Fedora must do.
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Pro
Very good integration with Flatpak and Snap Packages
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Con
Too many changes to upstream packages leading to a "Fedora way" of doing things
Linux should be Linux, but Fedora is constantly introducing breakage and changes which move things in the wrong direction and make things worse for everyone.
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Pro
Huge array of binary packages ready to install
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Con
Controlled by big corpos
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Pro
Can still be installed in a bad sector on the hard disk
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Con
86'ed
Description of the word. Support for 32-bit architecture ended with Fedora Release 30.
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Pro
Linus Torvalds' distro of choice
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Con
Wayland does not work with Prime/Optimus
On a pc with hybrid video, you must use Gnome on Xorg to let the Prime or Optimus technology work.
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Pro
Create user after the installation
Very good for selling PC‘s with Fedora.
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Pro
Frequent updates to latest versions of software, so quick security and other bug fixes
Latest version software often means quick bug fixes, more useful features. For example, for a daily user of TeX, the latest TeX distro is a must. It's also useful to be able to use recent external hardware such as USB Wi-Fi dongles or printers.
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Pro
Minimalist GNOME
Fedora Workshop does not come with bloatware. It is a minimal GNOME installation, which makes it very simple and nice to use out of the box.
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Pro
The best choice for sysAdmin and developers
Nearly flawless, perfect performance and consistency with development and operational software.
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Specs
Based On:
Independent
Default Desktop Environment:
GNOME
Init-System:
Systemd
Package Manager:
RPM Package Manager, DNF package manager
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1554
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Zorin OS
All
14
Experiences
Pros
11
Cons
2
Specs
Top
Pro
Stable
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Con
Limited desktop styles in Free Version
All free editions only offer Windows XP, 2000, and 7 and Gnome 2. You have to pay $9-10 in order to get Unity (Ubuntu) and Mac OS X themes.
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Pro
Good Selection of pre-installed software
New users may be unaware of what software is available for Linux, but Zorin includes a good selection for everyday tasks out of the box.
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Con
Even with v16 Pro, zero tech support replies
Do not pay for Pro. You’re supposed to get tech support with your $39 purchase. After contacting them a few months ago about the inability to install build tools due to their wonky custom versions, to date there has been no answer. You could find a friend and get them to send you the theme and look packages. The rest is all available easily in the Ubuntu catalog.
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Pro
Windows desktop style
The desktop UI was made to resemble Windows 7, but alternative settings are available.
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Pro
Ubuntu-based
Zorin is compatible with Ubuntu's sizable repositories of Free Software.
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Pro
Bundles tools for changing the look and feel of the distribution
Zorin includes look changer and theme changer.
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Pro
Partial Windows compatibility
Zorin includes WINE and PlayOnLinux to run many Windows applications and games.
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Pro
Installer can set up dual boot
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Pro
Ubuntu got too big
Ubuntu uses too much resources, Zorin uses less.
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Pro
Accessibility features
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Pro
Zorin Connect
Allows syncing notifications with your phone.
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Pro
Low resources consumption
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Specs
Based On:
Debian>Ubuntu LTS
Default Desktop Environment:
Gnome / Xfce
Init-System:
Systemd
Package Manager:
Debian Package Manager
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Free / paid
574
167
Kali Linux
All
5
Experiences
Pros
3
Cons
2
Top
Pro
Better than ParrotOS, BackBox for hacking purpose
Contains too many tools for hacking. Those tools are not already included in BackBox or ParrotOS.
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Con
Not intended to be a daily driver
This distro was written for pen testing and security work. It is not meant to be a day-to-day OS (unless that's your job).
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Pro
Standard pentest tool set
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Con
Very old packages
E.G. Firefox's current version is 61 but Kali linux consists of its 52th version. Though kernel is not that old.
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Pro
Live session distro used for forensics
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271
99
SparkyLinux
All
6
Experiences
Pros
5
Specs
Top
Pro
Based on Debian
You have access to a large user repository, Ubuntu guides can mostly be applied since both are based on Debian.
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Pro
Rolling or Stable Choice
You have the option for Sparky to be based on Stable or Non-Stable, bringing greater flexibility to user priorities.
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Pro
Lightweight core
Sparky is designed to be lightweight in it's core. It is based on Debian but optimised for old hardware, meaning you can run a full heavy desktop environment on a lightweight foundation, bringing greater performance compared to similar Debian or Ubuntu-based distros.
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Pro
All vanilla desktop environments available
Any Linux desktop in it's vanilla form can be installed on top of Sparky, whether that be alongside a pre-existing environment, or on top of a basic command line system. Furthermore, the command line system is easy to operate due to Sparky's advanced installer utility, from which you can choose whichever desktop environment you desire, straight from the Debian repositories. Guidance is on their website.
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Pro
Rolling Release
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Specs
Based On:
Debian stable or testing
Default Desktop Environment:
LXDE/LXQt, MinimalGUI(Openbox)
Init-System:
systemd
Package Manager:
Debian Package Manager
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95
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Siduction
All
5
Experiences
Pros
3
Cons
1
Specs
Top
Pro
Debian based
Apt/Aptitude, debconf or the alternatives system.
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Con
Hardware recognition is bad compared to Ubuntu.
Siduction won't install any non-free drivers by default.
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Pro
Updates are slow, but stable. It is based on Debian after all.
It uses Unstable per default so it is still some kind of stable since all dangerous packages are tested in experimental first.
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Pro
Secure Boot support
It supports secure boot which is great for LiveCDs and dual boot systems.
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Specs
Based On:
Debian Unstable>Aptosid
Default Desktop Environment:
KDE, Xfce, Cinnamon and LXQt
Init-System:
systemd
Package Manager:
Debian Package Manager
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221
30
ArchLabs Linux
All
8
Experiences
Pros
6
Cons
2
Top
Pro
All the benefits of Arch Linux
Since this is an Arch-based distribution, it has all the same benefits.
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Con
The installer has been broken for most of this year
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Pro
Powerful AL-installer
The ArchLabs installer is very simple and gives users so many choices such as kernels, bootloaders, which extra programs to install, whether you want LVM, etc.
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Con
Systemd
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Pro
Lightning Fast
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Pro
Retains the minimalism of Arch
ArchLabs provides an easy-to-use installer without including unnecessary packages by default, unlike Manjaro.
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Pro
Inspired by BunsenLabs, Powered by Arch
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Pro
Highly technical and helpful forums
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Devuan GNU+Linux
All
9
Experiences
Pros
5
Cons
3
Specs
Top
Pro
Stability
It is stable like Debian.
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Con
Difficult to install on non-free hardware
Unlike Debian, Devuan offers no unfree netinstall media, so if your system needs unfree drivers (e.g a laptop or a tablet), you'll have to download the Debian firmware on a separate USB.
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Pro
It's Debian
Devuan is Debian just without systemd, it just mirrors the the Debian archive and repacks packages that have hard dependencies on systemd.
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Con
No systemd
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Pro
Excellent for normal people
It is easy to use and is a good choice for beginners.
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Con
Fragmentation
Forked distributions like Devuan and Artix fragment the Linux community and hurt the original project. Debian users who do not want systemd should use Slackware or BSD instead.
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Pro
No Systemd
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Pro
Most decent look amongst other XFCE distros
Default XFCE theme is unique of all the XFCE distos including MXLinux, Xubuntu etc.
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Specs
Based On:
Debian
Default Desktop Environment:
XFCE
Init-System:
SysVinit, runit or OpenRC
Package Manager:
dpkg with apt, aptitude or apt-build
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Redcore Linux
All
4
Experiences
Pros
3
Specs
Top
Pro
Stage 4 build of Gentoo
It is a full stage 4 build that is fully compatible with Gentoo.
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Pro
Focuses Qt-Software
It focuses Qt-desktops and software but it also has GTK+ software available if you need them.
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Pro
Easy to use
Best Gentoo based distro.
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Specs
Based On:
Gentoo
Default Desktop Environment:
KDE, LXQt
Init-System:
OpenRC
Package Manager:
Portage
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133
30
openSUSE Tumbleweed
All
12
Experiences
Pros
6
Cons
5
Specs
Top
Pro
Stable
Tumbleweed is stable enough to use every day. Updates are OpenQA tested to ensure stability before being released for Tumbleweed. Bleeding edge untested software can be tried using OpenSUSE factory.
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Con
Little / no third-party support
Like it or not, most third parties don't want to deal with less-popular distros. So most of them only support Ubuntu LTS and those versions of RHEL/CentOS that are still supported.
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Pro
Easy installation and cutting edge apps
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Con
Complex multimedia codecs and plugins installation
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Pro
A large amount of software
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Con
"Online Update" update in YaST control center only works in openSUSE Leap
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Pro
Tumbleweed + OpenSUSE Build Service
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Con
Packman repository has to be added to have good software support
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Pro
Good selection of preinstalled applications
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Con
Slow and painful unfortunately, especially compared to other modern distros
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Pro
User friendly + Good support
Active and friendly user community, updates come fast
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Specs
Based On:
Jurix>SUSE
Price:
Free
Init-System:
Systemd
Origin:
Germany
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Void Linux
All
22
Experiences
Pros
15
Cons
6
Specs
Top
Con
Not suitable for those new to Linux
Documentation is scarce, NTFS partitions aren't automatically mounted, etc.
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Pro
Rolling release
A single instance of Void will be supported forever without needing to reinstall (you can update the system every day instead of having to install one major update every 6 months or so).
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Con
Not popular
Void Linux is not a popular Linux distro. So, if you run into a problem then it's likely you won't find any fix except from the maintainers.
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Pro
Very minimal
More minimalistic than Arch since it doesn't use systemd.
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Con
Manual unclear about base configuration
Manual does not explain how to fix GRUB and gives no partition hints to the available options.
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Pro
Runit init system
An init system with the "do one thing and do it right" mentality. Void Linux does not support systemd.
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Con
Niche distro
Fewer developers, smaller community, fewer packages than other distros.
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Pro
Easy to use installer
Unlike it's closest competitor, Arch, Void includes a very user-friendly and simple installer in the ISO.
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Con
Nvidia CUDA cumbersome to setup
If your using a Nvidia card with programs that require CUDA for fast rendering (Blender), you can expect some trouble getting it to work as it's not included with the Nvidiadriver of the nonfree repo.
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Pro
Runit is fast and easy to configure
Runit init system is incredibly fast to boot and very simple to use.
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Con
No packages
Void developers refuse to package brave.
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Pro
Different DE's live ISO's are available
Arch Linux doesn't make ISO's with different DE's. One need to manually install it through CLI version. But Void which is competitor of Arch, provides a wide range of DE's ISOs.
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Pro
Very lightweight
Base installation can idle at less than 250 megabytes of RAM.
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Pro
XBPS (X Binary Package System)
A brand new package manager that is fast, full-featured, and tailored specifically for Void Linux.
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Pro
BSD-like improvements with Linux
Full support for LibreSSL, an OpenSSL fork focused on maximizing security. The xbps-src package builder works in a similar manner to BSD's ports collection.
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Pro
Musl image available
Musl libc is lighter and faster than bloated glibc. Musl has been argued to be more secure overall than glibc also but is also not supported by all software.
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Pro
Friendly forum
Unlike the Arch Forum, it is a friendly forum (although small).
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Pro
Xbps-src
Xbps-src is a source packages collection which is pretty similar to FreeBSD's ports and may replace AUR for Void users.
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Pro
Many packages
There are some packages in official repos, than may be found only in AUR.
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Pro
Cool Neofetch logo
Neofetch looks good.
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Pro
No systemd
Uses runit instead of systemd.
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Specs
Based On:
Independent
Default Desktop Environment:
CLI, XFCE, Cinnamon, Enlightenment, LXDE, LXQt, MATE, GNOME
Init-System:
runit
Package Manager:
XBPS & xbps-src
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Peppermint Linux OS
All
10
Experiences
Pros
8
Cons
1
Specs
Top
Pro
Looks great
The XFCE Whisker menus and dark theme are well designed. Easy to move the panel to the top and add plank on the bottom.
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Con
Since it is based on Lubuntu, the double click speed needs to be slowed down
It's false that Peppermint 7 is tout court based on Lubuntu. Take a look at this: "Peppermint Seven makes use of the Xfwm4 window manager and Xfce bottom panel in the LXDE desktop environment. This is unlike other Linux distributions that use LXDE as the default desktop environment where it is common to use the Openbox window manager and lxpanel." And more: "Peppermint Seven is built on the Ubuntu 16.04 LTS code base and makes use of its package repositories." Contrarily to other Linux distributions, Peppermint creators never said Peppermint 7 is based on Lubuntu, like LXLE. Using LXDE and being based on Ubuntu is very different from being simply based on Lubuntu. In fact, Lubuntu is not faster than Peppermint and has loads of lacks for a nowadays OS experience.
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Pro
Friendly and helpful forum
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Pro
Fast and light on resources
RAM consumption is the same as LxLE, but more efficient and because of Whisker Menu and other tweaks that let us feel more like we have a XFCE desktop environment, as keyboard shortcuts, for instance, it looks like we got here the fastest and lightest, globally speaking. Very good on performance. Download Respin 7 (March 2017), install Libreoffice and then compare, for example, opening Libreoffice Writer inside Peppermint 7, Extix 17.04, Lubuntu 16.10, Xubuntu 16.04, Backbox 4.7, Linux Mint 18.1 Xfce an Mate or Linux Lite 3.4 (and others). Finally, you'll find out that after opening a few apps in Peppermint it remains smooth and light. Nemo file explorer on Peppermint is incredibly faster than on Mint Cinnamon; lx terminal is very fast when opening; updating is fast. And after all this, distro keeps working and working very solidly and consistently along the time. And yet the look and feel of the environment is pleasant.
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Pro
Comes with a variety of helpful tools
Works great with Teamviewer, Synaptic, XNview, KODI, and Pdf-Xchange editor (via playonlinux). Netflix works awesome with Chrome browser. The ICE SSB tool is great for creating web apps that run as if you installed them locally. The Software Boutique (packaged with The MATE Welcome software Center) recognizes all software and installs it with one click.
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Pro
It works well "Out Of The Box"
There are enough useful back end packages installed by default to make the system useable for normal use right after the installation of the base distro.
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Pro
Peppermint 7 is stable
Peppermint 7OS (32 and 64 bit) has been updated to the Respin PPA . Kernel updated to 4.9.24 on 23-April -2017 with no issues and all software still runs great.
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Pro
Peppermint 10 is Stable
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Pro
Peppermint9 is stable
Peppermint 9OS (32 and 64 bit) has been updated to the Respin PPA.
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Specs
Based On:
Debian and Devuan
Default Desktop Environment:
Xfce
Init-System:
Systemd (not in Devuan base)
Package Manager:
Debian Package Manager
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Debian GNU/Linux
All
44
Experiences
Pros
29
Cons
14
Specs
Top
Pro
Wide choice in desktop environments
Debian offers stable and testing CD images specifically built for GNOME (the default), KDE Plasma Workspaces, Xfce and LXDE. Less common window managers such as Enlightenment, Openbox, Fluxbox, GNUstep, IceWM, Window Maker and others can also be installed.
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Con
Stable release contains extremely outdated packages
If you want the newest packages, you'll have to do a minimal installation of Debian stable then upgrade to testing or you need to install testing directly.
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Pro
Standard vanilla Linux desktop
Debian runs standard Gnome, XFCE, KDE - it doesn't use its own special desktop environment or debian specific modifications or customisations, which means that users benefit from the work of the whole Linux community, Debian developers can focus on the distribution itself, and any support for your desktop environment on other distributions should work on Debian as well.
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Con
No default support for unfree drivers
Debian does not official support unfree software so if you have a wifi card or anything elese that requires an unfree driver you will need to download the unofficial/non-advertised non-free iso image which contains all unfree driver packages.
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Pro
Wide choice of hardware platforms
Debian has the widest choice of hardware platforms, including: amd64, armel, armhf, i386, ia64, kfreebsd-i386, kfreebsd-amd64, mips, mipsel, powerpc, sparc, s390, s390x, source, multi-arch.
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Con
Ridiculous package splitting
Even though it makes sense to split devel and the actual binary of an application, the splitting has become as mess in debian and its derivates: for example the nvidia driver is splitted into over 40 different packages.
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Pro
Very stable
Debian has a Stable branch, where packages are thoroughly tested before release. Furthermore Debian is know to be the definition of stable when it comes to production systems.
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Con
Internal quarrels harm the project
Instead of working all together to provide the best Operating System, some maintainers are just ignorant and aggressive to new ideas or new maintainers. That led to many crises and controversy in Debian's history.
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Pro
Install and forget
Once installed you can almost forget about it and start to use your desktop for your daily tasks.
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Con
Systemd is everywhere
Systemd is very hard to debug by itself, and can break in very strange ways (such as not being able to mount a single partition on bootup), but the increasing number of desktops that are relying on specific functionality provided only by systemd (policy kit, dbus, etc) makes the entire system more fragile and harder to debug.
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Pro
Easy to find help with any problem
Debian is one of the oldest and most popular distros out there. Debian's popularity means that you will always be able to find a solution for your problem just by searching on Google, or if by chance nobody has had the problem you are having it's very easy to ask the community and quickly get a solution.
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Con
Outdated kernel of the live system
Since the LiveCD is based on Debian stable the kernel is old, outdated but stable.
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Pro
Comes with over 55.500 packages
Because of its popularity, Debian has a lot of applications available which range from productivity programs to business software, games and development tools. It comes with over 55.500 packages (software that is precompiled and ready to be installed on a local machine) -- all of them for free.
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Con
Not designed for general desktop usage
By default, Debian Stable is not that great of a distro for general desktop usage, since the packages are very outdated. You'll have to spend a while configuring the system in order to make it work.
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Pro
Highly secure system
Known for being consistent in maintaining a highly secure system. Several other popular distros use Debian as a base or core for their own Linux OS, the security being one of the main factors why it's so commonly used.
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Con
No choices
Debian basically doesn't give you any choices, even dpkg supports this feature with virtual packages: for example, it is very hard to use a different sound system than ALSA, like OSS4 or to use ALSA with pulse audio emulation, and the same goes for different init systems.
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Pro
Rolling or Release based
Every Debian Release can either use a Rolling or Release based model.
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Con
Inconsistent init systems
While Linux uses systemd, non-Linux ports use the traditional sysvinit.
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Pro
Well-working team
The developer works very well so the the code is one of the best written out there.
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Con
Hard to learn
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Pro
A lot of ways to install software
You can either use aptitude, apt or apt-build to install software from the Debian package archives.
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Con
Breaks if you suspend/resume
Breaks when you resume the activity on the system if you use nvidia cards.
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Pro
Great for gaming
As Debian is the base for SteamOS and because Ubuntu is based on it, it's almost certain that all Linux games will run properly and require no hacks like creating symbolic links because of some hardcoded paths.
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Con
Buggy and non-user friendly
You need to know almost as much as Arch and deal with documentation not as good as the Arch wiki in order for Debian to work.
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Pro
Big open-source project
The Debian project is one of the biggest open source projects with over 5000 active contributors.
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Con
No good choices of fresh desktop environments
GNOME is quite outdated and buggy; KDE is too old, even in Sid it is at 5.14 branch (at Jun 13 2019 Plasma 5.16 is available in many rolling/fresh distros); XFCE behaves like crooked, visual artifacts at the taskbar and so on; Cinnamon as far as I know works better in Linux Mint compared to (almost) any other distro; For other desktop environments (e.g. MATE) can't say - these are too new (as projects) and possibly incomplete, thus might have many bugs.
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Pro
Supports SecureBoot
You don't have to disable SecureBoot if you use it, which is useful for LiveUSB or dualboot setups.
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Con
Old software is not useful, but is stable
Certainly for the stable and old stable versions. But the testing version has quite up to date software.
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Pro
The Debian Social Contract
Guaranteed commitment to adherence to values, principles, priorities, requirements and guidelines by the Debian project.
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Pro
A real installer
Unlike other distributions that just extract their Live image, Debian offers a real traditional and modular installer to customize the installation.
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Pro
Strict separation of non-free software
Debian is one of the few distros that let the user choose if he wants a free system or not.
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Pro
Debconf
Depending how it is configured debconf does the most of the hard work for you and only asks you with configuration /file conflicts.
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Pro
Widely supported
Almost any software that is available for Linux provides a Debian package.
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Pro
Many ports
Debian supports almost any Kernel maintained CPU instructions set. It has also a few non Linux Ports.
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Pro
Apt-build
It is possible to rebuild the entire system and optimize it for your hardware (of course, it is not as detailed as Gentoo's USE flags).
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Pro
Unique release cycle
The most Linux distros have one or two stages before a release, but Debian has five before a new stable version is released (experimental > unstable > testing > code-freeze/bug hunting > stable).
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Pro
TUI installer
The Debian installer can still be launched as text/curses-like installer which is more compatible and keyboard-friendly than the graphical version.
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Pro
Standard archives
Debs are normal ar and tar archives with shell scripting and additional gz, bz, lzma or xz compression.
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Pro
Live install images for CDs, DVDs and USB thumb drives
Debian releases live install images for CDs, DVDs and USB thumb drives, for the i386 and amd64 architectures, and with a choice of desktop environments. These Debian Live images allow the user to boot from a removable media and run Debian without affecting the contents of their computer.
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Pro
Wise release model
Debian stable does not update a lot and instead provides stability and well tested softwares. You don't get distracted by every shiny new stuff that comes out, and focus on what matters: productivity and reliability of your system.
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Pro
Debian Fast Track for stable
Stable gets backported software from here.
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Pro
Great choice for returning Linux users
If you haven't used Linux for a long time, say 5-10 years, it's a great distro in which you can quickly get in the boat again. You don't have to worry about falling back. Everything is in its place.
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Pro
Has small amount of today's bugs (e.g. no duplicate web cameras in Skype - likely not Skype's fault)
But has quite a few bugs from 2016-2017, apparently for long term.
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Specs
Based On:
NONE
Default Desktop Environment:
GNOME
Init-System:
Systemd
Package Manager:
dpkg with apt, aptitude or apt-build
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