"what's the best linux distro?"
i get asked this loads whenever i talk about linux, as if there is a simple answer.
i will make some attempt to answer it here, and cut through the crap you hear from most people.
distros are most differentiated by their package management.
q: what?
on linux, any software you install is a package, and your package maintainers decide what packages you'll be having.
for instance, on ubuntu, google chrome is a package, and gets updates every time the ubuntu maintainers decide to ship chrome.
q: why does it matter? how could any distribution argue on software? isnt software distributed by the developers?
no, on linux you use what you might call on other OS's an app store.
you typically can't buy anything from it, but you can download apps, libraries, games, tools, etc.
the key difference is how frequently these apps are updated, and where they come from:
while gimp (the GNU image manipulation program) may get updates every two hours, it might only be packagedonce a week.
sometimes, developers release "stable" versions of their projects.
if you've ever downloaded an emulator, you might see it offering normal builds and "nightly" builds.
those normal builds are considered decently bug free, and are tested.
meanwhile "nightly" builds are just that, at the end of every night the final code is shipped off to be downloadable by you - bugs and all.
some people like having "nightly" builds, they want to have all the latest features and are okay to wait for a few days if something goes wrong.
meanwhile, some people only want the most stable of software --- they never want to update anything and cant be bothered to wait for fixes.
where you fall on this scale might vary, maybe for some things you prefer nightly but others stable.
maybe you want the best of both worlds, that's fine too.
q: okay, so, which distribution is which?
most distributions are built on one of three distributions:
- debian - an extremely slow and stable distribution. updates are so infrequent you basically only do it once a year. security updates are seperate and frequent.
- fedora - a distribution dedicated to mostly new software, while still not incorporating 100% new features. think of it as less stable than debian, but more stable than the next choice.
- archlinux - a distribution dedicated to the newest software. frequently you'll get software as new as the developers, sometimes directly from the source. archlinux often involves automatically compiling software, meaning actual code is literally downloaded to your device and processed.
now, there are other distributions, but a lot of them aren't very popular, so they might not be worth using
q: why is it important to download a popular distribution?
on windows, when something breaks, it can be assumed you can look it up.
on linux, this is only true if other people have also had the same problem.
if you are using a distribution only 12 other people in the world use, you'll essentially be on your own.
that is why it is typically only advisable that advanced users use obscure distributions.
q: are there any other distributions popular enough to recommend?
yes!
in fact, the only "first" distribution i could ever recommend is linux mint.
even if you're a gamer, or a teacher, or a student, or some bullshit.
linux mint is built off of ubuntu, which is built off of debian.
ubuntu is one of the most popular enterprise distributions, used by companies like amazon, and loads of individual customers.
linux mint is a much more user centric version of ubuntu, designed to incorperate a lot more user focused software.
q: is linux mint the best distro?
well, no.
unfortunately, some people have workflows that aren't compatible or arent best on linux mint, myself included.
q: i want to try linux mint, but i can't decide which edition to try. what are the differences?
almost exactly as the website says, they look different.
cinnamon is the most modern, windows-like option, and was adopted fairly recently.
XFCE is the lighter option with less system resources.
not that it's much to begin with.
MATE is kept around for historical reasons.
on my own desktop, i use mate, but it might not be right for you, as it is really a continuation of a much older desktop, GNOME.
q: why do some advanced users avoid linux mint?
this question can come up a lot from people who have become accustomed to the distribution.
in short, we probably dont have good enough reasons for you to switch.
if you thought our reasons were good, you wouldn't be using linux mint.
perhaps if you use linux long enough, you will switch away.
perhaps not!
some users have been using linux mint for over a decade without issue.
q: i've seen KDE mentioned a lot on linux elsewhere, how can i use KDE?
this is one of the larger reasons to use another distribution.
because of how KDE is developed, it can only be packaged in extremely specific ways, and often is not stable.
the best way to get a mint-like experience is likely the latest non-lts release of kubuntu.
keep in mind you might have to manually add flatpak support to get all the apps that are available on linux mint.
it takes 60 seconds, tops.
tags: linux, technology
the bookshelf
often times i am asked about why i spend my time caring so much about computers.
for a long while, it didnt seem to matter what answer i would give. it is never understood by my family nor friends, and in speaking with them i have realized that some things may be impossible to explain.
anyhow, i will try anyways. my current choice of phrasing goes like this:
imagine you live in a world where everyone reads.
everyone in this world spends 60% of their waking hours reading, and mostly talk day to day about the books they've read.
now, imagine YOU have a bookshelf.
you've ordered the parts from a company, and built the entire bookshelf yourself.
while your bookshelf took several hours to set up, you go to the store and buy each book individually, and come home to place them on your shelf.
sounds pretty cool, right? well, imagine you go over to your friend greg's house, to see his bookshelf.
greg's bookshelf came pre-assembled, and already had each book placed on it. for him, he reads only the included books.
on his bookshelf there sits a camera and microphone, each time he picks up a book it is recorded.
any time he talks about his books, it is recorded.
his books are all written in painfully simple english, all for a 3rd grade level.
in the middle of each book, there are advertisements for superhero movies, and various products that greg has around his house.
greg's bookshelf intentionally breaks once a year, with a large motorized piston inside the bookshelf.
instead of repairing his bookshelf, he buys an entirely new one (with entirely new books).
his old bookshelf is subsequently thrown into the trash, and greg talks about how much nicer his new book shelf is, and how he's happy with all the new books.
when greg comes over to your house to read books with you, he has this to say about your bookshelves:
"why are you spending so much time organizing your books?
i buy all my books already on my shelf, already sorted for me."
"why do you spend so much time building your own bookshelf?
i think that you should buy an entire bookshelf like i do.
it's a lot easier and more convenient."
"where are all the good books?
these books are really complicated to read, can we go back to my home and read my easy books?"
now, if you were in this situation, you'd probably think greg was being silly, and that buying individual books isnt abnormal at all.
now, imagine when you go back to greg's house, he pulls out a book detailing why his bookshelf is better, and why you should get the same bookshelf.
the book is plainly propaganda, and contains a lot of false information.
it even says bookshelfs naturally break, and that it's normal to buy a new bookshelf every year.
you try to give greg a book on building bookshelves, but his bookshelf is intentionally made too small to fit the book.
greg tells you your book is too big.
you tell greg his bookshelf is too small.
you explain to greg that his bookshelf breaks on purpose, that is was intentionally built too small to fit normal books,
and that the manufacturer of his bookshelf is lying to him.
he calls you a conspiracy theorist, and stops inviting you over to read books in the future.
this is probably the best explanation of iphones, windows laptops, samsung devices, macbooks, etc. each device is designed to break, and gets slower over time.
when i talk to people, they actually tell me (and they do fully beleive this) that their computers slow over time, as if the materials for the computer have magically degraded.
they will buy new phones and laptops every few years, and call it "progress".
they'll even tell you that their devices are easier to use than yours, and that convenience should be valued in a device above all else.
when you tell them their iphone intentionally slows itself down over time, they tell you that it's not intentional, and that apple would never do that.
when you show them proof, they instantly change their attitude and tell you that there's no avoiding it --- that it is completely inescapable.
when you show them that your devices are substantially less powerful, they'll talk about how all of their terrible bloated programs dont work on your computer,
and that your computer is extremely hard to use (even though you don't seem to be having much issue using it).
behind my back, people will often make jokes about me using linux, or having a custom android rom. i'm called paranoid, a "conspiracy theorist", a "nerd", or sometimes i'm told that i'm just being contrarian.
i've even been told that i have some sort of mental illness, or that i must be a criminal because "only criminals have things to hide".
i am losing my patience.
i can no longer assist people, i can no longer convince them.
social media and advertisements have created a space where mass mind control is the norm, and people are unwilling to escape, fearing they'll have to learn a new skill or put any effort.
people will tell me i care too much about my computers, meanwhile they will spend 60% of their day glued to a screen.
if you spent all day with someone, wouldn't you want to get to know them?
if you spent all day driving a car, wouldn't you make sure it's in good condition?
if you spent all day playing video games, wouldn't you make sure you have the best game system available?
oh well, such is life.
Tags: rants, technology, people, linux