Wed 30 October 2024

I enjoyed The Linux Cast's recent video tackling the perennially-debated question of "the best Linux" distro, and I wanted to present my own somewhat tongue-in-cheek version of a recommended Linux Distro List, but more like a dis-recommendation list.

So here are some distros I (kinda sorta) do not recommend:

Debian

This may surprise many, seeing as I run Debian on almost all my systems, and have been a fan of it for over two decades. I've been running Debian 12 since it was released last summer, and have been very happy with it.

Nevertheless, Debian 12 is getting a bit long-in-the-tooth. My normal habit since Debian 10 or so has been to switch over to Debian Testing after Debian Stable became a year old, but the xz sabotage/vulnerability this year dissuaded me from recommending that course of action, or even doing it myself.

So, Debian 13 next summer is going to be the bees knees. But Debian 12 is getting pretty old, and I wouldn't recommend it on a desktop at this point, unless you really, really want the most stable Linux distro imaginable (it is what I'm currently running).

One other reason to not pick Debian: Unless you're going to be running a Desktop Environment like KDE Plasma, running a rather plain Window Manager/Compositor like i3wm or Sway has some pain points, unless you're running them with an already-good configuration, such as one you've created yourself after a lot of experimentation, or configs taken from a pre-arranged community edition of another distro made just for that environment. I still have things that I haven't figured out how to do with Sway on Debian, like get a proper dark mode configured so that it's auto-detected in programs, or get some Gnome applications to run correctly.

Fedora

This is a dicey topic. Fedora is a good distro, and there's a lot to like. The cons for running Fedora are rather tenuous and not well-argued from what I've seen, but I think it bears consideration:

IBM.

That's it. IBM. IBM is the one big reason why I don't run Fedora, and I know a lot of Fedora fans would say it's not a good reason, as IBM doesn't run or control Fedora. BUT... IBM is seriously evil, and seeing that Fedora exists primarily to feed IBM (RedHat), and how evil they have been in the last few years, I'd rather just stay away from an otherwise excellent distro lest I give even the most tacit endorsement to a snivelingly evil company.

All that to say: "Fedora, you're wonderful, and you deserve to be loved for who you are. I hope you get to dump those feckless corporate 'freeloaders' real soon."

Arch Derivatives

This one is simple. Don't run Arch derivates, period. Just don't do it. Why?

A blown-up Arch install is no small predicament. It takes in-depth knowledge and technical competence to troubleshoot and resuscitate, which are skills you will not develop when bypassing the normal manual Arch install experience and using a "friendly" derivative.

Simply put, if you want to run Arch, run Arch. Install it manually, after reading all of the pertinent docs. Don't even use archinstall. Do it the hard way, and earn a decent familiarity with Linux in the process. And definitely give Manjaro, EndeavourOS, Garuda, et. al. a wide berth.

Arch Linux and Gentoo

Meme distros stink. Intrinsically, they're both wonderful distros. But the memeification thereof is detrimental. Use Arch and/or Gentoo if you want to, if you learn what they are and how they work and what the pros and cons of running them are. Don't run either because of what some "btw guy" says. And for the love of God, meme bros, stop recommending advanced distros like these to absolute n00bs.

Ubuntu and Ubuntu-branded derivatives

Canonical has been having some kind of spiritual/moral/existential crisis the past decade or so. I honestly don't know what's up with that company. I don't like how they push snaps, or put weird ads into apt, and questionable decisions they have made.

But honestly? For a total n00b? Would they even notice the snap vs. flatpak difference? Would they ever run apt and get the weird Ubuntu Pro ad?

If it helps someone get free from a horrible proprietary OS, let them run Ubuntu.
Psych, guys. I'm actually recommending Ubuntu! (somewhat)

Conclusion

If you've gotten this far and are feeling a bit confused, let me explain: The list wasn't actually a "Distros I don't recommend" list, but for the most part a "reasons for not using otherwise good distros" list. ;)

Happy Linuxing!!

Category: Tech Tagged: Computing FOSS (Free and Open Source Software) Linux Non-religious post Productivity UNIX