the thing it offers is no systemd, and the mx-linux gui tools to configure your system. Also the advanced hardware support (AHS) is a neat feature. They basically take Debian and make it slightly more user friendly. It’s just less well known than something like ubuntu or mint.

No it’s not widely used. But I think it has a small loyal community. Some people really love it. I’ve only tried it a couple of times, and only on virtual machines. I liked doing admin via text files, and I like that using the “kitchen sink” option you basically have a tool for every task after install. It’s linux but sort unixy or bsd-like in how it approaches some things. That works for some and not so much for others. I might try it out again, but most likely I will stick to Debian.

If you want more software it’s up to you how to do it. With 3rd party tools like sbopkg it’s easier than before, and with tools like flatpak install other software is even easier.

There is also slackware current, and all the other repos, like the work alienbob does to provide plasma desktop etc.

I like it, for the most part. Obviously you need to check to see if your hardware is supported, but it’s a good OS. It’s stable, has neat features like boot environments, and it with pkg and the ports tree you can have newer versions of software. Also, they don’t make changes to the OS for the sake of it, or because one person or group wants it. They make change with a clear plan in my mind. Sometimes that means features land later in FreeBSD, but they’re implemented more thoughtfully imo.

OpenBSD and NetBSD are also cool projects in their own right.

thanks for reminding me about the tri continental

since you’re used to debian, maybe try something that isn’t debian based.

PCLinuxOS

Mageia

Slackware

OpenSuse

Free/open/netbsd

they’re pretty great imo

that’s what I was thinking of…I knew they had used someone elses VPN just couldn’t remember which one

awesome thanks

would have to check on that specifically.

even when chrome was obviously faster, and was gaining in popularity, I still used FF. It’s my preferred browser, and using it along with ublock origin makes going online more hassle free. Add to that multi account containers, reader mode, and just the general ability to customize it, I really can’t see myself using another browser

btrfs and snapshots is one solution

Also, it looks like you were able to solve the problem, even if you aren’t 100% sure why. Maybe the difference in package versions lead to some problem with the bootloader, causing it to go to emergency mode, and updating it fixed the problem?

Another is using a more stable distro…

rif was one of the reasons I stuck with android lol…It was probably my most used app. Probably borderline phone addiction due to it lmao.

I heard about this a little while back. I think it’s interesting, and it’s nice to see someone try something slightly different. The creator is obviously opinionated about how their distro should work. At least it’s not just another debian/ubuntu based distro.

vlc

for just music/audio musicolet is a good one

yast can be ugly, but effective. And aesthetics are definitely subjective. Agree about zypper though.

I actually kind of like that.

I remember using Icewm and it had a theme that mimicked XP lol.

np; feel free to ask for help

the honest answer re: any type of hardware and linux is to google it. I know that’s not a great answer, but it’s true.

Debian is an OS. The official release is Debian stable. You probably heard “vanilla” debian in reference to the fact that there are many linux distros based on it. The only updates are security updates. So some people that the software is older. But everything works.

I use a combo of stable and unstable (called sid). Sid is what the developers use. I don’t have a problem with it, but it’s not for first time users.

Here’s a little explainer:

https://www.debian.org/releases/

I would recommend using Debian stable at first. There’s a little learning curve, but once you get used to it you’ll be fine.

for your use case almost any linux distro will work. Pick one of the bigger ones, so support is easier to find. Debian is my personal favorite.

To stay “safe” on linux just keep your software up to date and don’t click on any shady links online and you’ll be fine.

For hardware literally just google your hardware + linux and you’ll get an idea of what’s supported.

the gpl is never really enforced