The ideal Distro is that distro that you will never find, it is there, but you will not find it. You could get to know all the distributions that exist, but none will be ideal, none will satisfy you completely, it will always have that something that is missing whether a key does not work for you, or the video drivers do not work for you.
But how is it that the ideal distro is there and you won't find it, even if you try all the ones that exist ... was I wrong in making that statement?
In order to answer that question, I will tell how my journey through the world of GNU / Linux. It all started three years ago with the launch of ubuntu 10.10.
It was the first time that I had access to the installer of an OS (be it Microsoft, Apple or GNU / Linux).
I had a new Notebook, it had only been three months since my parents bought it for me and without any knowledge of disk partitioning I ventured to install Ubuntu.
At the end of the process, I only had one OS left on my machine, I had already loaded into Windows (unintentionally and without knowing).
Then I went to version 11.04, then 11.10 until 12.04, when I got tired of having to reinstall everything every 6 months. I could have stayed in 12.04 but by now I would be living in the prehistory of Linux .. 😀 so I decided to find another direction.
I went through OpenSuse, Mageia, Manjaro, Sabayon, Fedora, Fuduntu, Debian, Linux Mint, Rosa, Voyager and others more (not in that order precisely), and in all of them I had some other problem; but there were two problems in particular that it could not solve in any of the above.
- The need not to have to reinstall everything every so often.
- I did not have access to my own broadband internet, only through a Cyber, so I could not perform actions or install programs that I needed.
The first point was solved well Manjaro y Sabayon, but due to problems mentioned in the second point, I could not update them.
The second point was solved Linux Mint, Debian y Travel with the "download script generator" that the Synaptic package manager had (neither in Manjaro nor in Sabayone I found something similar), but they could not solve the first point. So I decided to look for a distro:
- Let it be Rolling (half or semi) Release
- That it had something like the "Scrips generator"
Today i'm in solidk, a Debian-based distro, is SemiRolling-Release and has the best Synaptic package manager, which solves my two main problems.
Now it is only a matter of dedicating myself to my OS to solve their specific problems, which will never be lacking but with forums and communities I can always fix them.
So my recipe to find the Ideal Distro is the following
- Define what is fundamental that a distro should have (stability, that it is updated, that it is cyclical launch, that it brings everything configured, etc.)
- Find one that meets what you want or at least the one that is closest to what you are looking for.
- Seek help in the community, they can almost always help you with what you need.
Following that recipe; ) you will be able to find and make your distribution the perfect one for you.
And answering the question that I asked myself, the perfect distro does not exist, everyone has the possibility of shaping it to their liking and how it best suits them, is what free software has
PS: if you have suggestions for the recipe, tell me XD
The distro that best suits me, which is not the ideal distro, is crunchbang with the backports repos. I can't have a rolling release or be a distrohopper because I prefer to stay in a distro and learn well with it. In crunch I am comfortable but since I do not have time to experiment I have plenty. I have stability, lightness, a good community behind that they do not fight (I do not mention any), and although things go slowly I know that everything works. Even the multimedia buttons (in windows seven they don't work for me !!!). GNU / linux does not work so badly for me it works better than in Windows (possibly I am missing a driver) but since I neither enter windows nor does it bother me 😉
I am a Windows user and occasionally a Linux user. I have tried four or five distros and I find all of them hitches (like Windows, don't think about it). I am currently giving Crunchbang a second chance. Selecting which distro is the ideal from one or two needs is logical if these needs are very specific and are solved by few distributions, but for generic users the needs are more open, ambiguous and multiple. I still can't find mine ...
NB: Correct 'betusto', that the 'hogos' hurt.
I think there is a big problem with your "recipe." It is the point "need not to have to reinstall everything every so often" ... I do not know what distribution creates that need ... :-D. I have used few, but with Debian I have never had the need to install again ... Neither with Debian Stable (before), nor with Debian Testing (now) ... I have been about 10 years without having to install it, having even changed the hard disk several times, with a simple copy between the old and new disc, walking… Anyway. I don't know if your "recipe" is very valid, I think that many distributions you can keep them without having to reinstall every so often ... At least in Debian it is like that! 😀
I think I need to express myself better ..
I don't know how Debian works, I only use it for a short period of time. But for example: when the support period is over in linux mint I have to update to another version and it becomes annoying to me ... Others may not be bothered by absolute., but to me yes. 😉 I know that with an I know that I could update it directly with the terminal but my internet connection did not allow it. 🙁
I was just trying to make this a help to those indecisive people ...
I think whoever says reinstall, says update the distribution. Except for rolling or half-rolling, all create the need to reinstall the system, including Debian stable.
I think the 'Author' does not know anything about Linux nor does he know the distro. He even got this job because unemployment didn't work for him
Does it seem that way to me, or do a lot of children's articles come out lately?
Or maybe there are more child commentators than usual.
Well, I have not noticed anything different. Still, we all have the opportunity to blog. If you consider that the articles are childish, you can encourage yourself to write one! I read them all. 🙂
A greeting!
There is very little courtesy in your comment, it is a pity that you try to endorse for free.
more writers and less critics please.
I am anxious to read those high-level posts.
I think that you are promoting the versions less suitable for the common user, that is, rolling you have to simply read the reflection of http://victorhckinthefreeworld.wordpress.com/2013/10/13/distrohopping-y-versionitis/ and to reinstall at least with fedora using fedup I had no problem.
With Debian, I didn't have that problem either.
I was not trying to promote anything .. I only counted my experience and what helped me, I should have been more specific ..
I did this so that when choosing a distro you stay in it and do not move from there.
Rolling works for me, maybe Debian Stable to another * buntu LTS etc.
PS: It's my first day 🙂
The need to reinstall appears when the version I have is no longer supported. And due to problems with my internet connection, I can't update directly. I loved Debian Esrable when I used it, if it weren't for the network driver that I didn't have, I would have stayed.
And one thing is missing ..., the appearance of the distro, because many times, it turns out that you have to spend half a day configuring the appearance, so as not to get a cancer in the eyes xd
Hated by many, but I always came back to Unity ... I got used to that desk, and the truth never gave me big problems ...
If it's not unity, I like something like mate or gnome2 ... I'm quite minimalist to the point that KDE seems supercharged to me (in my opinion, eye)
Regards!
PS: It should be noted that it not only returns to ubuntu for unity, but for documentation on installations, configurations, etc., on servers, languages and programming environments, etc.
Error ... KDE is not reloaded, only that it offers endless configurations that give you total freedom when configuring your desktop. If it seems overloaded, you should take a look at my desk. Mageia 3 KDE (for me the most stable I have tried).
https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/883734_10201039362210453_518420379_o.jpg
For me debian will always be at the top, go through stable testing and now sid and I stay with sid, no problem accommodates what I need, it is quite stable, no serious problem or video printer driver, etc., all right, I don't know why they are looking for distros based on they should many are based on debian testing for me it is best to use debian testing or sid which are quite stable, many debian sid are afraid of it but testing is something else and there is always help to solve problems
Well, people can search for Debian-based distros for a few reasons. In my case, I have been a Debian user for 2 and a half years of the 3 and a half that I have been with Linux. However, now I have been testing Manjaro for a couple of months now and am now on Linux Mint. Just to try the install and forget convenience, as well as to try Mate. The use that I currently give to the computer does not allow me to be configuring things. So I install Mint and forget about it. Each computer is different, and the users are more so ... I have seen problems in Debian that did not occur in Ubuntu, or people who use a specific distribution because it has better support for their hardware.
After all, why do we have to limit ourselves to one distro? If a few years from now I buy a computer that is better for me in a certain distro, then I will install that distro and enjoy.
The important thing is, as the author of the post emphasizes, that it complies with what you need, that after all, a PC is nothing more than a tool.
A greeting!
I am usually using Debian stable because I had already had enough of using Mandrake 9 for many years (which is why I am wondering about the RHEL family). The truth is that I chose Debian because when I was studying office automation, there were PCs with Debian and Windows. That's where I started using Debian.
Very good article, I tried Solidxk but I also found Point Linux (in the latter I stayed, it has what others do not have). It is true that there is no perfect distro, but in all the ones I tried, none of them had samba incorporated, similar or the minimum programs to configure a lan network and be able to share folders etc. etc. I wonder, how much longer can a distro take or lose to incorporate these tools that are more than useful and you have to install them every time you reinstall one of them? "PERFECT" no, we simply need a "COMPLETE" in the minimum configuration requirements, which includes the necessary tools, everything else is our own or to everyone's taste.
excellent post
Very good post. The truth is that I hardly use Windows even though my PC is on Dual-Boot (Windows Vista SP2 + Debian 7.2 "Wheezy"). I stayed on Debian for the simple reason that I got too used to it because it was the second distro I tried and it worked for me, as well as having a version of Firefox that has made me reconsider using Firefox for Windows.
hey eliotime3000 how much support is left for windows vista sp2? only for curiosity
Searching for the ideal distro is similar to a search for the ideal woman: It does not exist. When a woman seems extraordinary to you, marry her: you'll see how she takes the stone out of you and will make you want to run away… .. it's the same…. you like a distro so much, its approach etc, until you
until you come across a "problem" that consumes your patience ... well ... for me it's about constancy ... ... I've been constant with my distro and I'm more than happy ... I've been 4 years now, it's a rolling (semi) ...
ArchLinux <3 Just perfect!
All distros are good except Ubuntu
hahahaha
Yes, clear.
Ubuntu Minimal has a good time. You can put whatever you want (although Arch beats him in package management and processing, of course).
The recipe for me would be a distro that respects my privacy first and foremost, a distro that is friendly to me because I am not an expert and so I have many problems to solve more on my machine; a distro that has all its packages free and that I can decide if I want to install something proprietary; a distro that has good security by default (like Selinux configuration); I also had manjaro and I liked that I did not have to update the whole system every 6 months but the problem is that manjaro is very raw and includes many proprietary packages by default and in its repos, my distro was fedora, it is perhaps the cleanest of All in terms of free software, it brings good default configurations and for the university I find easy-to-install software in yum, what bothers me is to be reinstalling every 6 months, hence my sadness when I found out that fuduntu disappeared, I congratulate you for not having your own band you have such an interesting blog that has served me so much Thank you.
I have also tried several distros from Fedora, Ubuntu, mint, ex-mandriva and more, because at one time I was happy to try them and see which one I liked / worked better but later I tried Fedora and the .deb with more time, although Now I'm also testing manjaro and I think about rolling releases, but in the Linux world there are options for everyone. And as the article says, there is no perfect distro since sometimes there are certain problems but there are to cover certain needs on the pc.
Moderator's Note: It is not necessary to put so many URLs. Next time your comment will be moderated and passed to SPAM.
I think that the concept of «ideal» is very relative, the ideal for a Development professional may not coincide with that of one dedicated to Systems, etc.
Being clear about the requirements for use and personal preferences, I think it would be more appropriate to say the "distro with which I feel most comfortable", referring comfortably to the sum of all the factors that make that distro suitable for each one.
I personally work with OpenSuse (MATE) and Debian (MATE), they have what I need, robustness; stability and that I like pussy 🙂
peace and love !
To me, personally, I find it boring to install a distribution, put it to your liking, and use it. And after that nothing happens. I mean I install Debian testing and after years it still has no problems and everything works. Alternatively I try others in a separate partition but in the end I always come back and there it is, it always turns on and everything works. What a bore ...
The eternal problem, the ideal distro. I just wanted to give a contribution:
The easiest, stable, fastest and simplest to use -> it doesn't exist.
What I want to express is that once you've been using a Linux distro for more than a year, and you don't miss the unnameable one. You choose your preferred distro, with the criteria you want, but for the newbie ... I always say the same thing, please recommend a distro that works like a rock and is easy to install (go ahead, ahead ...) -for example Debian if the computer is more than a year old - that although it is not the most wonderful, if someone who does not know anything about linux, but when he installs, everything works perfectly, there are no crashes and it feels agile, he will have a good impression of the penguin set. Later it will come -for color tastes-. A novice who tries to install arc linux, will never return to the penguin, although as a user of more than 10 years it seems like a great distro.
I said.
Well, I found what could one day be my ideal distro, elementaryOS (and I wanted to try Manjaro, openSUSE or Arch) ... And following your recipe I could fall into Ubuntu, I miss that wonderful distro.
But I decided on elementaryOS because it works for me and it's beautiful, simple….
Good post 😀…
I dare to say that Crunchbang is the best of all the distros (daughters of debian) that I have tried, the only downside that I have seen (a very particular case) is that I cannot use the flash plugin that chrome offers. one of my machines is really old and does not support such technology, so I have to defend myself with gnash which, to be honest, is not the panacea ... I am solving the problem in Flash with a Puppy Precise .ISO that I remastered by eliminating a lot of software (unnecessary for me) I have installed libraries and programs of my liking such as: Guayadeque, VLC, Firefox 25, Pidgin - Whatsapp, Openbox and other things ... I still can't find my Ideal Distro ... It's funny but my ideal recipe may consist of a Debian with pacman and yaourt 😉
I am too new to even dare to lose information updating. I know I have to, but hell, my Xubuntu 12.04 can still last a couple of years right?
All that you put me solves ARCH. 🙂 oh yes ARCH! I don't know why they are afraid of him 🙂
What many of us agree is in the magic of Arch, Arch is already exceeding the time it lasts with Ubuntu + Mint and Fedora. From the moment I used Arch I felt a great relief, as if I had to stop looking, I finally found it, the perfect distro.
The ideal distro exists, it is only a question that you ask yourself what I need and look for how each distro solves the questions you asked above, for example if you want the latest in updated packages, Ubuntu could solve them through ppa or source compilations, but you don't like to put your hand on the console. On the other hand arch simply with a source synchronization and then update the packages to their latest version, or through yaurt. and so I could continue. But the point I am going is that we use our emotions to think, and not react from our emotions.
I was seeing virtues in each one of those that I tried, but in the end the one that left me satisfied and sure (in the sense that you want) was debian. If I could build a distro I would have the boot cleanliness, relatively updated system and the possibility of forcing dependencies that gentoo gives, the support time, relative stability and ease of solving debian dependencies, the delta rpm that saves a lot of consumption in Fedora, the out -of-box and ubuntu drivers, and the KDE port of OpenSuse. The problem is that many of those features would need to sacrifice others. If I want the drivers that the kernel and system include in ubuntu, the boot will not be as fast as gentoo. Frequent updates to Fedora may not be compatible with work environments where you want a bit of stability, as it happened to me. That is why this search will have no end and we will have to settle for one that has a little bit of everything. Some choose choose arch, others choose debian.
I find your article very interesting, and in several cases I have felt identified (Praised be the RR distros)
I first went through Ubuntu (it is what I use right now on my laptop, because it was the easiest to put), and from there Fedora, OpenSUSE, Debian, ArchBang, Mandriva, etc. Until about 1 year ago I decided to install ArchLinux and since then I had not been happier, a rolling release distro with which I could only load the packages I wanted, and of course always have the latest version (I suffer from versionitis ).
At this moment, I wait for wget to finish downloading Slackware, from what I have read it is a very stable, fast and 'UNIX like' distro, let's see how it goes with it
I also started with Ubuntu, but I quickly realized that reinstalling everything every few months was not going to help me. So looking and looking, I ended up in Linux Mint Debian Edition, it meets my only requirement, not reinstalling .. It seems to me that it works Well, it meets what I need, my Nvidia drivers are fine .. So nothing to say, especially since I don't know another distribution, like to compare .. I've tried ArchLinux, Fedora, Debian above, but I recognize that LMDE attracted me a lot .. Within the distributions, I found that I didn't like Gnome (it has nothing to do with the technical, but about tastes) and that I liked Cinnamon from the outset, so problem solved .. (I think)
Using the concept of use value, and testing "n" distros, I have come to find my ideal distro: Arch + KDE and then Debian Wheezy + KDE and alternatively Linux Mint and / or Manjaro.
Hey? Install everything every 6 months? 4 years ago I have a Debian in «testing» that has been migrating from disks and machines, WITHOUT THE NEED TO REINSTALL. By definition, the "testing" branch IS "rolling release". And if you like strong emotions, you have the "sid" branch. And even more, if you are into extreme sports, Debian itself can be given a "little taste to Gentoo" by downloading and compiling sources and their respective dependencies with apt-rdepends. More "tailored" than that, impossible. Let's not even talk about stability, considering that "stable" is the most used in servers. Regarding "everything updated" ... one thing is "updated" and another is "latest version", and "latest version" is often opposed to "stable", it does not matter what operating system you use. And the Debian community in Spanish ... well, I don't think there is another more active http://lists.debian.org/debian-user-spanish/
I have versionitis; (
I stick with Mageia 3 KDE (for me the most stable I have tried). This is my desk
https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/883734_10201039362210453_518420379_o.jpg
That depends on your personality 😉
And you didn't try PCLinuxOS?
Ps that "the perfect distribution is the one that best suits your needs" has never worked for me, rather, it is the distribution that best suits my hardware, I have installed countless distributions on laptops and / or desktops and only on 2 occasions they have been 100% (unfortunately none of the 2 pc's was mine) I always find problems with the video, the network, stability, the desktop, sound, etc etc etc there is always a black in the rice and I sincerely believe That is the advantage that windows has always had over linux (you install windows on the machine you want and it almost never gives you a hard time about anything), I know that it is more the fault of manufacturers than developers, but ps the point is there! that there are always manuals, tutorials, support in forums, etc. but that is not the joke, there are many mortal users (like me) who do not understand how to use the terminal or do not want to have to struggle with commands or file editing, they just want to give it a next step and make everything work great. I am one of those who denies every time I install something new and it does not work for X or Y reasons.
oh and before the criticism and / or complaints come hahaha, I write this from my work (yes, I have a lot of free time), not from my personal pc, I use Ubuntu 😛
It may be easier and less headache to find the ideal hardware for the ideal distro.
Just look for the components that go best with your favorite distro.