I have a question—I imagine most people here "distro-hop" to explore or try out different distributions, but surely I can’t be the only one who does it because I’m just not satisfied, right? 😭

About a year or so ago, I started taking my first steps with Linux on an Acer Nitro laptop, but it wasn’t a great experience (I had to hunt for drivers on GitHub—lol). I tried out a few different distros (Nobara, CachyOS, Pop!_OS, Fedora), but I eventually gave up—mostly because of the laptop’s drivers (f*** Acer).

I’ve been trying out Linux for a few months now, with every intention of sticking with it—I’ve really tapped into that rebellious, digital-anarchist spirit of the Open Source movement. Plus, my studies (in Web Development) require me to learn Linux in depth—something I was already keen to do. The problem is, I’m just not satisfied with anything 😭. I’ve spent weeks testing different options because, for me, it has to have it all: it needs to be stable (I don’t have much time to spare, for starters), it has to work well with Nvidia hardware (RTX 2060) and gaming, and it must support the entire programming stack I need. On top of that, all of a sudden, I’m running into issues with Ethernet on several distros—it turns out that having a Realtek network card is now a problem (even on distros I had previously tested).

I don’t mean to ask for the impossible, but I’m tired and my ADHD is making it hard for me to think clearly; so, if it’s not too much trouble, I would really appreciate it if you could share some of your experience with me and suggest which distro you think might help me...

I have a Lenovo LOQ-15IRH8 with an Intel Core i5-12450H and an NVIDIA RTX 3050, which I use for gaming on Steam, browsing the web, and software development. After trying distributions such as Arch Linux, Ubuntu, and Fedora, I'm still looking for the option that best meets my needs in 2026.

I'm interested in NixOS for its declarative, reproducible configuration, and Fedora Bootc for the ability to build custom images, version them, publish them to GHCR, and manage updates and rollbacks. I also value keeping applications and development environments isolated using tools such as Flatpak and Distrobox.

My main concern is how well these tools align with NixOS's reproducibility philosophy. I've come across reports suggesting that, although Flatpak and Distrobox are compatible with NixOS, they don't follow the same declarative model. On the other hand, Fedora Atomic Desktops seem to offer more straightforward integration with Flatpak and tools for managing containerized development environments.

For someone who uses their laptop daily for gaming and programming, which approach would you recommend: NixOS or Fedora Bootc?

Hello.

I've been distro-hopping since the beginning of the year, trying to find a Linux distribution that will keep my 10-year-old HP ZBook 15 G3 running reliably for the next two years.

For the reference, these are the specs of my machine:

CPU: Intel Core i7-6820HQ at 2.7GHz
iGPU: Intel HD Graphics 530
dGPU: NVIDIA Quadro M2000M
Memory: 16 GB
Storage: 256 GB

For the most part, I've managed to get all my hardware working, including my NVIDIA graphics card.

My GPU requires the NVIDIA 580 driver, which I can obtain on almost all the distributions I've tried.

Debian is an exception. The 580 driver isn't available in its Stable repositories. I've also looked into version 550, but that branch is no longer maintained and the available 590 driver is not compatible with my card.

Although I've managed to get my hardware working on most distributions, my main concern is that the NVIDIA 580 driver is already on a legacy support branch.

I'm worried that future kernel updates may eventually introduce compatibility problems, particularly if distributions stop providing the necessary patches to keep the driver working. At that point, the driver might no longer compile against newer kernels.

What I'm looking for is advice from people who have previously dealt with NVIDIA graphics cards requiring legacy drivers.

Which Linux distribution would you reasonably trust to maintain kernel compatibility with legacy NVIDIA drivers until the end of its support lifecycle?

In my case, I'm looking for a distribution that will remain supported until at least October 2028.

Thanks in advance for you advice!

Bom faz alguns dias que estou atras de um novo linux pra usar então eu quero algo assim minimalista ou moderno simples e leve (PC fraco) e so instalar pronto pra uso

Ah que tambem seje um pouco mais facil de usar tipo eu ja usei distros como Arch linux e tals mas não quero um linux MUITO dificil de usar como o Gentoo linux e tals.

depois dessa numca mas publico minhas isos no bitTorrent tem que manter o PC ligado o dia todo eu não sou uma empresa grande antes as verções eram baseadas em 24.04 LTS AGORA É 26.04 LTS por que o programa q uso pra gerar ISOs o cubic não tem muita compatibilidade com verções antigas do ubuntu toda vez tento buildar a iso dar varios erros mas agora no github chegou a nova verção a beta 0.2.1 com o codinome illumi zoldyck agora pra você baixar essa verção e as que vão lançar mas pra só no SourceForge agora o github virou mas um atalho pra quem quiser baixar

Hey everyone!

I'm currently running Pop!_OS on my ASUS ROG G752VM, but I'm interested in hearing your opinions on which Linux distro works best with this laptop's hardware.

I'm not new to Linux, and I'm comfortable with both Arch- and Debian-based distros. I picked up this laptop from an old post, and I've already had to do quite a bit of tinkering to get some of the hardware working properly.

My specs:

- Laptop: ASUS ROG G752VM

- CPU: Intel Core i7-6700HQ

- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB

- RAM: 32GB

- OS drive: 250GB NVMe SSD

- Data drive: 2TB

- Games drive: 1TB SSD

- Current distro: Pop!_OS

My biggest concern isn't really gaming performance, but hardware compatibility and proper support for this specific laptop.

I've had to spend quite a bit of time getting the ELAN touchpad drivers working and figuring out the keyboard backlight. I'd like to know if another distro offers better out-of-the-box support for the NVIDIA GPU and drivers, touchpad, keyboard backlight, function keys, and other laptop-specific features.

I'd also love to find a reliable fan-control application, since the thermals aren't great. The laptop can sit around 60°C shortly after booting, so I'd like better control over fan curves and cooling, if the hardware supports it.

Would you recommend sticking with Pop!_OS or switching to something like EndeavourOS, CachyOS, Fedora, or another distro?

If you own this laptop or a similar ASUS ROG model, I'd especially appreciate hearing which distro you use and whether you managed to get everything working without extensive manual configuration.

I'm looking for the best overall hardware support, not just the distro with the best gaming benchmarks.

Thanks!

I need some advice.

In my work as an engineer, I typically use CAD suites, Quarto + Typst + Python + SPICE + Simulink, etc.

Tired of Windows, I added Arch Linux via WSL to work with "antigravity" and other Linux-native applications; now that excellent CAD suites are available on Linux, I no longer need to work in Windows.

Aside from Arch Linux, what other Linux distribution would you recommend for my specific workflow? It needs to be stable, resource-efficient, and have proven compatibility with all these applications (I mention compatibility because I ran into issues and a lack of support for certain apps on Ubuntu).

Regards.

I got into linux on the start/a bit before summer, and i got into arch. Arch was lovely. Stable on its own level, and overall cool enough. Then i couldnt stop thinking about gentoo. So one day i took out my thinkpad and i opened tony and the handbook. And i dont know. Why do i use it? Logo looks cool. Do i really need all the features of it? Hell no. But i dont know for some reason im happier with gentoo. Pretty crazy distrohopping journey for a begginer id say. and now a tiny tiny demon in me is whispering lfs. tho i dont plan to be that down bad for linux. I found my peace in gentoo, the masochist distro. Didnt have much problems hehe, just one corruption of gpt and overall stable.

I'm looking for a lightweight Linux distribution for an older PC with a dual-core Intel Pentium processor based on the Sandy Bridge architecture and integrated Intel graphics.

My main requirements are:

• Lightweight and responsive: It should run smoothly on older hardware without consuming too many system resources.
• Good-looking desktop: I prefer a modern, polished desktop environment with a clean interface and attractive visuals.
• Easy to use: Something close to GNOME in terms of simplicity, consistency, and user-friendliness would be ideal.
• Good hardware support: The integrated Intel graphics, Wi-Fi, audio, and other basic hardware should work without much tinkering.
• Reliable software support: Access to a good selection of applications and regular security updates is important.
• Beginner-friendly: I'd prefer something that works well out of the box without requiring extensive configuration.

I'm open to desktop environments other than GNOME, since the full GNOME desktop might be too resource-intensive for this machine. KDE Plasma, XFCE, Cinnamon, MATE, or other alternatives are all worth considering, provided the experience is polished and reasonably lightweight.

I don't necessarily need the absolute lightest distribution. I'd rather have a good balance between performance, appearance, usability, and reliability than a barebones system that requires lots of manual setup.

Which distro and desktop environment would you recommend for this hardware, and why?

Edit: I have 4 GB of 2666MHz Ram and 256 GB of HDD. Used AI to clean my grammer.

Just installed debian after using ubuntu my first few months on linux. Also using any excuse to show off my desktop lol

my pc is actually empty so im an a big distro hopping phase, what's some "unknown" distro worth trying out? nothing too difficult tho i dont want to build my own audio menu (gaming mostly btw)

I apologize in advance for the huge blurb of text.

So I have a ThinkPad P70 with an Intel Xeon E3-1505M, NVIDIA Quadro M5000M (left on hybrid graphics), 96GB RAM, two 500GB SSDs and one 1TB hard drive (one SSD holds the OS and the other two drives hold games and storage). I use it for college course work (general education for now, but I’d like a degree in computer engineering), general office work, media streaming, and more than a fair bit of gaming and emulation. Since Windows 10 lost support, I’ve been looking for a good daily driver Linux distribution for my hardware and personal needs. I’d like something with enough reliability to not break when I need it most, compatibility or access to whatever I might need for college (I’m planning on using a mobile SSD for a separate Windows 10 LTSC installation for the stuff I can’t do on Linux), and a good degree of customization to make my system my own; something with rollbacks just in case something goes wrong would be awesome too. I know that I’ll need a now outdated driver which means an update on almost any distribution carries the risk of breaking it. I’m kind of leaning towards openSUSE Tumbleweed, Fedora, and CachyOS, but what would you recommend (I’m not saying pick between the three I listed, I was only recommended them)?

Atualmente uso Linux Mint interface Cinnamon e queria deixar ela mais moderninha mas é um saco porque cada coisa que vou colocar preciso atualizar manualmente umas 3 configurações escondidas diferentes… e olhando aqui no Reddit tem outras distros que parecem já “vir” com a interface mais parecida com a que quero usar (como a Gentoo).

O que vocês recomendariam para uma iniciante no mundo Linux: procurar uma distro mais pré configurada do jeito que quero ou aprender a deixar o minha distro do meu jeito?

PS: Eu gosto muito da liberdade de conseguir desinstalar literalmente tudo o que eu quiser sem ter ninguém me barrando nada (como no Ruimdows).

💛

I’m thinking about switching my personal desktop from Windows to Linux. I already use Ubuntu at work, and while I keep putting off the switch because I’m too lazy to back up my files, I’ve been testing distros like Debian, Ubuntu, and Fedora in virtual machines.

I use a laptop with an Intel i5-12450H, an RTX 3050, and hybrid graphics. I’m looking for a Linux distro with good NVIDIA and Secure Boot support for web browsing, gaming on Steam, and programming.

Beyond these requirements, I want more control over installed and removed packages, so I can keep track of what’s on my system and avoid dependency issues and conflicts, which I often run into in my work environment.

Based on these requirements, I’m torn between NixOS and Fedora Bootc, including Universal Blue images, and I’d like to hear from people who have used either option.

For those using NixOS, how has your experience been? If you switched to another distro, what made you switch?

And for those who have used Fedora Bootc or Universal Blue, how was your experience? If you eventually switched to something else, why?

What Linux distro would you recommend for gaming that’s stable like Debian but has newer drivers and doesn’t use rolling releases?

Something similar to EndeavourOS, but more stable.

How is it ?

I have been using Fedora KDE edition for a while now and i love how smooth and indeed stable everything is. It never crashed for me. I really like that i can update trough Discover and it keeps me pretty up to date. But is Debian different for gaming or just as good?

I kinda just want an OS that runs smooth out of the box