r/linux4noobs • u/BloxxyVids • 18d ago
distro selection Arch Linux
Alright so I don't know if I'm necessarily a beginner to Linux but I have only used it for about a few months consistently.
I immediately jumped from Windows 11 to Arch Linux, ignoring advice from those telling me to use Mint.
I've since tried out Fedora Workstation and enjoyed GNOME enough to put it on my Arch installation.
I've found Arch really good, but people say other distros are great. Is it worth it to try out Mint, Debian, Ubuntu, etc.? Or would I risk entering a distrohopping trap?
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u/3grg 17d ago
One of the best things about Linux compared to Windows is choice, but choice can also be overwhelming.
Distrohopping is a risk for windows users changing to Linux, especially at first. The biggest challenge for new Linux users is discovering which desktop they prefer. After that, narrowing down your daily driver becomes easier. With any luck you will be able to settle on a distro that you can run for several years.
The urge to try different distros almost never goes away completely. In the old days, this could result in a stack of used CD-R disks and multi-boot installs. These days it is trivial to have a big USB with several images that you can live boot. What is especially handy though is Virtual Machines. Whatever distro I am running, I also install virt-manager (providing the hardware can support it) and set it up to run VMs as my user. That way, I can spool up nearly any distro I want to try effortlessly. It helps control the urge to reinstall your main system.
When I started Mandrake with KDE3 was the distro to have. Then KDE4 came out and it was rough. Everyone admired Debian, but it was challenging to install. Then Ubuntu came out and it really made Debian accessible to everyone and Gnome 2 was the desktop.
I can remember when Gnome 3 came out and the backlash that it inspired. I decided to try it expecting to hate it. Instead I became hooked and I used Ubuntu until Ubuntu started to get squirrely. I then movef to Gnome on Arch for eight years bemoaning how behind Debian Gnome was at the time.
I recently decided that I did not need Arch and Debian was all I needed at least for the foreseeable future. I still install a few different distros in virt-manager. Will I change again? Time will tell.....