Hello fellow Linux users!
I am curious about everybody's favorite Linux distros!
I personally enjoy Debian for server use and Ubuntu with Gnome 3 for desktop use. I really am not looking to start a flame war! I'm just curious!
Arch.
Dat modularity.
manjaro, i also really like elementary os look
I've been messing with Gentoo recently but Arch is still my favorite.
Mint for most things Kali for others. Xubuntu on all my old gear.
i use debian almost everytime and sometimes slackware cause its like no problems there but it can be abit of pain with other things : p want to try arch but it like dont at all want to work on my computer
Mint for many many maaaany tings, Fedora for others and stuff
openSUSE for looks and functionality
Mint for speed on older laptop hardware
There is only one.
bedrocklinux.org
Currently using manjaro on every computer because I'm to lazy to install arch. And if I got the will to install arch I would skip it and go back to gentoo. But since I have to work 11-14 hours a day I'm gonna stick with manjaro even if it is a few weeks outdated compared to arch. Would use Lunar for to entertain myself but they are not multilib... Puppy for just browsing and stuff. gNewSense because I find it amusing to install proprietary software into a GNU certified distro. If I had more time gentoo but I don't so Manjaro because I'm to lazy to install arch onto 4 computers and don't really have the time. That and two of the computers are used by people that are new to linux and they are a little more likely to figure something out on Manjaro than a custom arch build. Ubuntu must die.
For home desktop use, I'd definitely agree that Manjaro is the top distro for the moment in my opinion.
It's funny how bleeding edge linux enthusiasts (like myself) sometimes find it annoying that Manjaro sometimes runs a couple of days to a fortnight behind on the ultimate bleeding edge Fedora Rawhide, whereas MS-Windows users use a system that's 30 years behind and Ubuntu stable users use a system that's up to two and a half years behind, that is IF they always upgrade to the latest LTS version, which is not always the case. There are just so many problems that are solved at a kernel level that bleeding edge desktop linux users do not encounter in comparison to non-bleeding edge linux users or software console users. Even OpenSuse Factory, which is one of the best maintained major bleeding edge offerings since RedHat killed Fedora, runs behind on Manjaro in many aspects.
I like Debian for servers. I used to use CentOS on servers, but I've completely switched over to Debian after RedHat killed CentOS, with the exception of one Slackware machine.
I used to be the biggest fan of Fedora, but unfortunately, the Patriot Act and corporate greed on behalf of RedHat have ruined the experience for me completely.
I also do run a couple of Gentoo machines. I can't seem to move away from Gentoo for some reason. It stays the ultimate "can do" distro...
I also absolutely love OpenSuSE, even though it's certainly not the fastest or minimal distro out there (I still don't understand why they insist on loading the gtk libs on a KDE install by default, it slows down the entire system and creates unnecessary chaos). OpenSuSE is perfectly maintained to the level of Fedora Release, even with the Tumbleweed repos enabled. I also think that OpenSuSE is the nicest KDE distro out there (even though it absolutely sucks in the Gnome version), even nicer than Mageia. It was the first distro that I used for business and that I standardized all my machines on back in the nineties, it's incredibly efficient, and it's for a large part paid for by money extorted from MS-Windows users, which is definitely a bonus lol...
On my business machines, I now use Mageia and OpenSuSE Tumbleweed, with some select Cauldron and Factory packages instead of Fedora. Mageia is very comparable to Fedora, but has some more comfort features, some of which are great (like drakconf/drakxconf). OpenSuSE has a comparable thing with Yast, which is also great for ease of use, and Yast probably makes OpenSuSE the easiest to use community distro for advanced configuration. I prefer RPM distros for business because of the much shortened update time, the extended RPM tools (like the history and the selective undo of package installs), the high packaging standards, and the more secure repo access and DeltaRPM features, which are super efficient (reducing downloaded volume of updates by 70-90% in most cases) and allow for a safe bleeding edge system without losing any time.
Manjaro is adding easy to use advanced configuration tools all the time. The mhwd tool is just great! These are the things that make Manjaro (mhwd), OpenSuSE (Yast) and Mageia (drakconfig) really time efficient and comfortable for anyone.
I do try out a lot of linux and BSD distros as they come out. Most distros are pretty decent, and generally offer a great experience. That is with the exception of Canonical's Ubuntu, which has been a consistent nightmare since about 11.10, after which Shuttleworth clearly has only one thing in mind: to shape Canonical for a lucrative takeover to Microsoft. Anyway, besides the fact that Nadella has just fired almost all MS-Windows developers, the fact that Canonical has progressively closed all links to the communities and has put Unity on a modified BSD license instead of a GPL license, the fact that Gabe Newell still invests in Linux gaming (which he simply wouldn't do if he didn't know already that linux had won over MS-Windows in the gaming market because of the future switch by Microsoft), and the fact that Microsoft always copies Apple about a decade later (Apple stole OSX/iOS from BSD and made it proprietary) this proves that Microsoft is actually going to take over Canonical and that MS-Windows X will be based on Ubuntu Core with all of the NSA and Bing spyware trimmings as per usual from Microsoft, and of course with no open source aspect whatsoever... after which decades of court wars will start whereby Microsoft will claim patents over linux from their investments in SuSE and in Canonical, and the Linux community will as per usual not have enough money to enforce the GNU licensed kernel and the logical legal fact that anything that is built for or on or uses that kernel, is per definition also GNU/GPL licensed. Microsoft has also never made an operating system itself, it has always bought or stolen it (MS-DOS was bought for 25000 USD lol, and IBM let Microsoft have MS-Windows for free in the form of OS/2 Warp). They are simply not capable of developing the operating system that is needed by the market now: an operating system that is platform-independent and runs on ARM-devices like it runs on x86-devices. That's why they necessarily will have to base MS-Windows X on linux, and that's also why they have just fired almost their entire MS-Windows division. This is also reinforced by the fact that the Chinese have figured out Microsoft's Linux takeover plans, and have filed a complaint against Microsoft for lack of transparency, which has lead to 4 razzias being held by the Chinese Antitrust Squads in Microsoft affiliates in China, whereby servers, documents, and data was seized. China wouldn't do this extra effort after already having banned MS-Windows 8 from all government systems a few weeks ago, unless they wanted to make their point extra clear. China is investing in Ubuntu Kylin and has a lot of money at stake, so they want to send Microsoft a message because they know it's necessary.
I know that this is a bold statement, but in my opinion, it's clear that Microsoft is moving towards linux and wants to commercialize and corrupt it. Many of you know that Microsoft is the largest commercial linux license vendor in the world (it really is, they surcharge 50% on the Novell SuSE licenses they resell, and add no value at all, but they still get the most sales, and Novell does the support). Soon the real community linux development will have to move underground again in the Commonwealth countries...
"I know that this is a bold statement [..]"
That's an understatement. False or true, bold statements are always educative.
Looks like it's time to give Mageia and OpenSuSE a look.
+2 to NSA watch list.
Well there are other factors that indicate that Microsoft wants Linux: some time ago, Microsoft has moved their German headquarters to a location close to Munich. Now everyone knows that Microsoft is not loved in Munich. Back in 2003, Ballmer was pretty much tarred and feathered in Munich, and Munich decided to switch to Linux and Open Source Software completely, with overwhelming success and tens of millions of Euros in tax money savings. After a decade of using Linux (originally they were using Debian, but later switched to Kubuntu as the donor distro for their own LiMux distro), they know how it works in all aspects of governmental and public use of the operating system, on all levels and with users of all degrees of expertise. This is knowledge that Microsoft wants to buy, so they move their headquarters to Munich in the hopes of finding staff there that has the expertise they're looking for. They're not doing it because Munich is a central location, because it is not, it is in the South of Germany, in Bavaria, and therefore not as centrally located as the more northern German cities, that host most of the German software scene (LibreOffice is in Berlin, Steinberg is in Hamburg, Crytek is in Frankfurt, SAP is in Walldorf, just south of Mannheim and Frankfurt, etc...). Bavaria on the contrary is known for the vivid linux scene and abundant linux talent. It's not a good place to find staff that is specialized in MS-Windows at all, it's a typical linux feeding ground. There is no other reason for Microsoft to move to Munich than to find Linux talent. The origins of SuSE Linux, with which Microsoft has made an agreement back in 2006 (and renewed in 2011), originates also from Bavaria, from Nuremburg, to the north of Munich. So this is important enough for Microsoft to invest in completely new headquarters and to move an entire huge operation to a place that largely despises Microsoft and pretty much all it stands for... it just can't be coincidental!
That's unfortunate, we need Richard Stallman to do something about it.
When I am in the mood to tinker: Gentoo your build is unique to your machine because you compile it yourself. I have this on a chromebook
Opensuse: In tumble weed is great for a professional setting and Yast makes life easy. I have this on a Mac mini.
Gaming/entertainment: Sabayon based on Gentoo and comes ready to go for gaming with drivers, Steam and WINE. It also has a Steambox/XBMC mode. I have this on my main tower and gaming laptop.
Mobile: Ubuntu Touch, Canonical has some really cool ideas and it is stable enough to run as a daily driver. I dual boot this with my Nexus 7 and 5. I am considering running Ubuntu across all my devices because I like having only one GUI.
Android ROM: Paranoid Android full Android with out having to rely on Google. This is what I dual boot with Ubuntu Touch.
Distro I want to try: Sailfish once they get a good image for the Nexus 5 I will give it a try.
GUI: Gnome 3 after I add the Shell Shape plugin (it adds tiling) and Docky (OSX llike dock) it give the best of all worlds. The new release of KDE looks cool but I will wait until it is mature.
Linux Mint. Never gives me any issues.
arch/kde. i like gentoo and debian too, but arch is really nice.
I like Kali Linux, I was trying Open suse too but I don't like that
Linux Mint 17 Cinnamon is my current favorite, but then again, I haven't used other distros in a very long time.