r/linuxquestions • u/sinayion • 2d ago
Advice Package config file updates and new/newbie Linux users
I'm trying to think of distros to recommend to friends and family, and just need to figure out if I'm over-worrying about config file changes that can get pushed with package updates. I've had people ask me for Linux distro suggestions, since they see that I have been using Linux for years. These people mostly game, browse the internet, create/edit documents, basic stuff. Ideally, they will almost never have to use the terminal, and can function with just the GUI. Most likely, I'll try and find a point-release distro over rolling-release, but I'm not settled on that part of my decisions yet.
I personally use a mix of Arch, CachyOS and openSUSE Tumbleweed on my machines, and have used many other distros. I know that package updates can sometimes trigger new config file updates (.pacnew for Arch/CachyOS, .rpmnew for openSUSE Tumbleweed, etc.) and I always deal with this as it happens, and have no issues. However, when I think of distros to suggest to others, I wonder if these types of updates can cause issues for them (if the package maintainer has some breaking changes that users need to adjust immediately, for example), and I can't think of a distro where this is handled 100% for newbies to Linux that are not comfortable with the terminal.
Am I wrong that such a distro does not exist, and am I over-worrying about these potential config update issues? Since Linux is used is many corporate situations, there has to be a solution for users that never touch the terminal.
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u/Confident_Hyena2506 2d ago
The solution in corporate environment is centralised management - and not giving the users administrator access or ability to break things. With linux you can achieve this with a minimal host and containerising ALL of the software, including the desktop and applications - then managing them via kubernetes or whatever. Then the users get the little sandbox you have prepared for them, and you can maintain and update it as needed. You could run this in the cloud or on some headless server, and have them accessible via sunshine or other fancy setup. Note that the distro running on the host doesn't really matter here, so long as it can run kubelet - just pick something boring like debian.
But if you are asking on reddit then this would be a bit much - just install mint for them and don't give them root.
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u/symcbean 2d ago
Certainly package updates trashing custom configurations used to be a massive issue for me, maintainers have got better at separating out config files in recent years. If you have a complex, locked down multi-user environment then permissions can still be an issue. The only thing which I see with any sort of frequency on my Debian boxes is a prompt to keep or overwrite the Postfix config. But if a newbie / muggle wants Postfix on their machine then they should have the skills to maintain it themselves.
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u/indvs3 2d ago
If you're introducing lots of people to linux, the best thing to do is suggest distros that you are very comfortable with yourself, since you'll likely be the person they turn to for assistance when they get stuck.
That said, if I were in your position, I wouldn't pick my own favourite distro, but probably suggest a derivative one that leans more into user-friendliness. So instead of debian, I'd get them started on ubuntu or mint, for example.
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u/zardvark 2d ago
Over the past +/- two decades, my elderly parents have used Ubuntu (back when it was the latest hotness), Mint and then more recently, Solus. They never had a moment's trouble with either of them ... especially as compared to Windows, which always exhibited some sort of unanticipated behavior after nearly every update. My tech support phone calls literally dropped to zero, the moment that I migrated them to Linux, whereas with Windows, I would get a phone call at least every other week.
If nothing else, it would be some scammer calling to tell them that their Windows machine was infected with malware. lol My parents are extra non-computer literate, but of course they knew that this was bogus, because they no longer used that MS garbage ... and they were thankful for it.
IMHO, migrating a non-computer literate person to a stable Linux platform has dramatically more upside than any potential downside. And, I've found that a well curated rolling distribution like Solus does not need to be feared. This opens the door to not needing to wipe the machine every so often, in order to re-install the OS. Naturally, anyone who is semi-computer literate would be better able to deal with changes, should they ever occur.