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It looks like my time with MacOS is rapidly coming to an end. Any Linux distro recommendations these days?

dhruvkar 6y ago
Pop_OS! By far the best linux I've tried when trying to get feature parity with macOS.
swebs 6y ago
Give Pop OS a look. It's based on Ubuntu with some additional UI polish. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGcvHMNaDd0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGcvHMNaDd0
speedgoose 6y ago
Windows 10 with WSL if you have a laptop. Debian or similar or ArchLinux if you have a desktop.
- inimino 6y ago
  For reasons of personal prejudice, I'll never install any Windows version on any hardware I own. Debian was always my first choice back in the desktop linux days, and still is for servers, but I haven't looked at the landscape recently. It seems to have become more consolidated, which is not surprising but still mildly disappointing. Edit: and WSL is not Linux
  - speedgoose 6y ago
    I understand but for laptops it's pretty bad these days if you want all features your laptop is providing, and a good energy management. On mobile it's much better with Android, but Android isn't adapted to laptops. I haven't tried ChromeOS but it's pretty restricted from what I understood. WSL2 on Windows is Linux and it works great for me but I understand if you don't want windows in your life.
  - yjftsjthsd-h 6y ago
    > WSL is not Linux It is Linux as of WSL2, it's just also Windows, so you lose many of the advantages that would make a person recommend Linux in this thread.
    - inimino 6y ago
      TIL. But yes, for me, not having Windows installed is the primary advantage of any non-Windows OS.
  - lgl 6y ago
    Also my first choice for servers and have used it several times on desktop so Debian would also be my recommendation even for a desktop these days. Plus, if you're already familiar with how Debian works it should be a no brainer. None of that Ubuntu or other Debian-derived distros with extra sugar and bloat and that many times differ from actual Debian in just the right way to keep you scratching your head. Even Debian "stable" is pretty good for desktop these days which in the past was always notorious for having super outdated packages but has greatly improved in that regard. Obviously, "sid" is still also a good pick for a desktop if you really need to always run the latest of mostly everything.
    - inimino 6y ago
      Debian still feels like home. Unless I try a BSD or something without systemd I think this is probably where I'll end up.
      - lgl 6y ago
        Well, Debian does use systemd by default now unless you want to go through some hoops to remove it (which I believe is still possible but not sure). I personally have really no issues with systemd and now even go as far as completely removing the ifupdown, isc-dhcp-client, resolvconf and ntpd packages in favor of having my entire network stack configured by systemd-networkd, systemd-resolved and systemd-timesyncd instead. It's pretty much a standard now across the board and I can't really find any arguments against it besides old habits so I've embraced it. Although it's obviously a bit opinionated, there is a good deal of functionality and flexibility on that thing.
        inimino 6y ago
        > there is a good deal of functionality and flexibility on that thing. That's also what seems worst about it. Unfortunately there seem to be few other choices these days.
- yjftsjthsd-h 6y ago
  Depends on the laptop. I've had good experiences with thinkpads and business class Dells on Linux (and BSDs, for that matter).
  - inimino 6y ago
    Same.
  - speedgoose 6y ago
    Probably. My ThinkPad has so many issues and unsupported features according to the ArchLinux wiki that I don't even want to try.
- 3combinatorHN 6y ago
  >paying for windows to install linux
j45 6y ago
Ubuntu 20 has been a pleasant surprise, it seems to have turned a productivity and speed corner.. I've been getting lost in it for hours on end and forgetting to use my MacBook. The feeling reminds me of the first Macbooks I used when switching away from Windows Vista.
- mindfulhack 6y ago
  That feels amazing to finally hear some good Ubuntu news. We need it. The only sleeker options for privacy (Windows and macOS) are horrendous. Thanks for sharing, might try out Ubuntu 20 then, might be as sleek at Linux Mint?
  - j45 6y ago
    It’s funny you mention Linux Mint, it was the only other distraction I could get lost in for hours. I’d still be fine with Mintfor personal browsing. At the time, I was running mint in a vm on MacOS to try it out and Cinnamon was much more performant than Ubuntu 18. Ubuntu 19/20 however seems to have narrowed or closed that gap. So far Ubuntu has been great as a default dev/staging workstation. It’s nice not to have to fight with homebrew or docker permissions or other issues on the Mac and spin up most anything.. and it just works.
jcadam 6y ago
I switched from MacOS to Linux years ago. For a developer workstation these days I'd probably either go with Ubuntu LTS or Fedora (my personal choice). Either runs fine on my XPS 13. Note: I really wanted to like WSL, but it just didn't work for me.
- _fullpint 6y ago
  Have you looked into WSL2? I just recently switched from Mac OS to windows and it really hasn’t been a bad experience. I would go full Linux but the drivers for the GPU on my laptop seem to be a bit of a mess currently.
  - jcadam 6y ago
    GPU switching (NVIDIA Optimus and the like) seems to be a major headache to get working on Linux. My current laptop (XPS 13) only has an integrated GPU, so I ssh into a desktop for running CUDA stuff. But no, haven't tried WSL2, I'm comfortable with my Linux setup so not to keen on messing with it at the moment :)
sergiotapia 6y ago
https://www.linuxmint.com/ https://www.linuxmint.com/ It's ubuntu without the bullshit monitization.
- nightowl_games 6y ago
  And with a better default DE
andarleen 6y ago
If in doubt just switch to ubuntu (there are better alternatives, but its a good starting point). I’m done with macos (tho i really loved it).
m463 6y ago
After you've gotten used to Linux, you might want to try Arch. It is lightweight, since you choose everything that is installed, sort of opt-in. It has all the latest software. It has "rolling releases" which means there is never a giant lost-weekend distribution upgrade. It has the AUR (arch user repository) for just about any software ever.
- inimino 6y ago
  I used Arch on a server once (still running) but found the experience on Debian was more to my taste, and somehow never liked pacman. Maybe it's time to take another look. I never tried it on the desktop.
  - sergeykish 6y ago
    Interesting, I have opposite experience. Pacman looks so much simpler than aptitude, apt-get, apt-cache, dpkg. And makepkg - it just works. I have not managed to create packages on Ubuntu. No outdated packages, no ppa. No upgrade. Install is rough but it nails how simple the system is. Ubuntu is a good starting point. But there is so much more.
    - m463 6y ago
      I agree about makepkg / PKGBUILD -- I've casually made packages. https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/PKGBUILD https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/PKGBUILD For debian/ubuntu it is not as straightforward.
- zozbot234 6y ago
  I've never lost a weekend to a Debian dist-upgrade. Just read the release notes carefully beforehand, take a full backup of your data (which you should be doing anyway), make a note of any non-Debian applications you're using on that machine (that's the stuff that will need the most extensive testing post-upgrade) and it should simply work.
  - m463 6y ago
wetpaws 6y ago
Mint been my daily driver for a year, does a fine job so far
gnalck 6y ago
Fedora "just works" and has the some of the more sane defaults. Only tweaks one typically needs to do is add the RPM Fusion repos and, at some point, disable/tune-down SELinux when it is a bit too paranoid.
tsukurimashou 6y ago
I would recommend: Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Elementary OS, Pop_OS! if you want: nice experience out of the box I would recommend: Arch, Gentoo, Debian Net inst, Void if you want a base system and install things you want on top of it
valeg 6y ago
Kids love Manjaro these days.
markosaric 6y ago
I switched almost 2 years ago after 15 years on Macs. Fedora 32 Workstation is pretty good if you want to see the best of what Linux can offer. It may not be the lightest and fastest distribution but it is easy to install and everything works. You'll get to experience Gnome which is the most original Linux desktop environment and the best one in terms of user experience in my opinion. If you want something more traditional with the start menu or dock or desktop icons, perhaps something like KDE Neon is better place to start. It might feel more familiar. Will be lighter/faster too. Put each of them on a USB and run them live on your machine for few minutes each and see which one makes more sense to you.

Pop_OS! By far the best linux I've tried when trying to get feature parity with macOS.

Give Pop OS a look. It's based on Ubuntu with some additional UI polish. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGcvHMNaDd0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGcvHMNaDd0

speedgoose 6y ago

Windows 10 with WSL if you have a laptop. Debian or similar or ArchLinux if you have a desktop.

inimino 6y ago
For reasons of personal prejudice, I'll never install any Windows version on any hardware I own. Debian was always my first choice back in the desktop linux days, and still is for servers, but I haven't looked at the landscape recently. It seems to have become more consolidated, which is not surprising but still mildly disappointing. Edit: and WSL is not Linux
- speedgoose 6y ago
  I understand but for laptops it's pretty bad these days if you want all features your laptop is providing, and a good energy management. On mobile it's much better with Android, but Android isn't adapted to laptops. I haven't tried ChromeOS but it's pretty restricted from what I understood. WSL2 on Windows is Linux and it works great for me but I understand if you don't want windows in your life.
- yjftsjthsd-h 6y ago
  > WSL is not Linux It is Linux as of WSL2, it's just also Windows, so you lose many of the advantages that would make a person recommend Linux in this thread.
  - inimino 6y ago
    TIL. But yes, for me, not having Windows installed is the primary advantage of any non-Windows OS.
- lgl 6y ago
  Also my first choice for servers and have used it several times on desktop so Debian would also be my recommendation even for a desktop these days. Plus, if you're already familiar with how Debian works it should be a no brainer. None of that Ubuntu or other Debian-derived distros with extra sugar and bloat and that many times differ from actual Debian in just the right way to keep you scratching your head. Even Debian "stable" is pretty good for desktop these days which in the past was always notorious for having super outdated packages but has greatly improved in that regard. Obviously, "sid" is still also a good pick for a desktop if you really need to always run the latest of mostly everything.
  - inimino 6y ago
    Debian still feels like home. Unless I try a BSD or something without systemd I think this is probably where I'll end up.
    - lgl 6y ago
      Well, Debian does use systemd by default now unless you want to go through some hoops to remove it (which I believe is still possible but not sure). I personally have really no issues with systemd and now even go as far as completely removing the ifupdown, isc-dhcp-client, resolvconf and ntpd packages in favor of having my entire network stack configured by systemd-networkd, systemd-resolved and systemd-timesyncd instead. It's pretty much a standard now across the board and I can't really find any arguments against it besides old habits so I've embraced it. Although it's obviously a bit opinionated, there is a good deal of functionality and flexibility on that thing.
      - inimino 6y ago
        > there is a good deal of functionality and flexibility on that thing. That's also what seems worst about it. Unfortunately there seem to be few other choices these days.
yjftsjthsd-h 6y ago
Depends on the laptop. I've had good experiences with thinkpads and business class Dells on Linux (and BSDs, for that matter).
- inimino 6y ago
  Same.
- speedgoose 6y ago
  Probably. My ThinkPad has so many issues and unsupported features according to the ArchLinux wiki that I don't even want to try.
3combinatorHN 6y ago
>paying for windows to install linux

j45 6y ago

Ubuntu 20 has been a pleasant surprise, it seems to have turned a productivity and speed corner.. I've been getting lost in it for hours on end and forgetting to use my MacBook. The feeling reminds me of the first Macbooks I used when switching away from Windows Vista.

mindfulhack 6y ago
That feels amazing to finally hear some good Ubuntu news. We need it. The only sleeker options for privacy (Windows and macOS) are horrendous. Thanks for sharing, might try out Ubuntu 20 then, might be as sleek at Linux Mint?
- j45 6y ago
  It’s funny you mention Linux Mint, it was the only other distraction I could get lost in for hours. I’d still be fine with Mintfor personal browsing. At the time, I was running mint in a vm on MacOS to try it out and Cinnamon was much more performant than Ubuntu 18. Ubuntu 19/20 however seems to have narrowed or closed that gap. So far Ubuntu has been great as a default dev/staging workstation. It’s nice not to have to fight with homebrew or docker permissions or other issues on the Mac and spin up most anything.. and it just works.

jcadam 6y ago

I switched from MacOS to Linux years ago. For a developer workstation these days I'd probably either go with Ubuntu LTS or Fedora (my personal choice). Either runs fine on my XPS 13. Note: I really wanted to like WSL, but it just didn't work for me.

_fullpint 6y ago
Have you looked into WSL2? I just recently switched from Mac OS to windows and it really hasn’t been a bad experience. I would go full Linux but the drivers for the GPU on my laptop seem to be a bit of a mess currently.
- jcadam 6y ago
  GPU switching (NVIDIA Optimus and the like) seems to be a major headache to get working on Linux. My current laptop (XPS 13) only has an integrated GPU, so I ssh into a desktop for running CUDA stuff. But no, haven't tried WSL2, I'm comfortable with my Linux setup so not to keen on messing with it at the moment :)

sergiotapia 6y ago

https://www.linuxmint.com/ https://www.linuxmint.com/ It's ubuntu without the bullshit monitization.

nightowl_games 6y ago
And with a better default DE

andarleen 6y ago

If in doubt just switch to ubuntu (there are better alternatives, but its a good starting point). I’m done with macos (tho i really loved it).

m463 6y ago

After you've gotten used to Linux, you might want to try Arch. It is lightweight, since you choose everything that is installed, sort of opt-in. It has all the latest software. It has "rolling releases" which means there is never a giant lost-weekend distribution upgrade. It has the AUR (arch user repository) for just about any software ever.

inimino 6y ago
I used Arch on a server once (still running) but found the experience on Debian was more to my taste, and somehow never liked pacman. Maybe it's time to take another look. I never tried it on the desktop.
- sergeykish 6y ago
  Interesting, I have opposite experience. Pacman looks so much simpler than aptitude, apt-get, apt-cache, dpkg. And makepkg - it just works. I have not managed to create packages on Ubuntu. No outdated packages, no ppa. No upgrade. Install is rough but it nails how simple the system is. Ubuntu is a good starting point. But there is so much more.
  - m463 6y ago
    I agree about makepkg / PKGBUILD -- I've casually made packages. https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/PKGBUILD https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/PKGBUILD For debian/ubuntu it is not as straightforward.
zozbot234 6y ago
I've never lost a weekend to a Debian dist-upgrade. Just read the release notes carefully beforehand, take a full backup of your data (which you should be doing anyway), make a note of any non-Debian applications you're using on that machine (that's the stuff that will need the most extensive testing post-upgrade) and it should simply work.
- m463 6y ago

wetpaws 6y ago

Mint been my daily driver for a year, does a fine job so far

gnalck 6y ago

Fedora "just works" and has the some of the more sane defaults. Only tweaks one typically needs to do is add the RPM Fusion repos and, at some point, disable/tune-down SELinux when it is a bit too paranoid.

tsukurimashou 6y ago

I would recommend: Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Elementary OS, Pop_OS! if you want: nice experience out of the box I would recommend: Arch, Gentoo, Debian Net inst, Void if you want a base system and install things you want on top of it

valeg 6y ago

Kids love Manjaro these days.

markosaric 6y ago

I switched almost 2 years ago after 15 years on Macs. Fedora 32 Workstation is pretty good if you want to see the best of what Linux can offer. It may not be the lightest and fastest distribution but it is easy to install and everything works. You'll get to experience Gnome which is the most original Linux desktop environment and the best one in terms of user experience in my opinion. If you want something more traditional with the start menu or dock or desktop icons, perhaps something like KDE Neon is better place to start. It might feel more familiar. Will be lighter/faster too. Put each of them on a USB and run them live on your machine for few minutes each and see which one makes more sense to you.