I use alacritty and I’m very very new to Linux. I actually found that working on the config files for alacritty helped me a ton with learning how to approach config files in general. So advanced maybe but simple enough to teach new users a ton of useful things.
Endeavour is just Arch with an installation wizard and a pretty theme.
Definitely don’t use nix or guix as an OS if you’re making posts like this. They’re great as a supplementary package manager, but extremely difficult and convoluted as an OS.
I’ve recently switched from Arch to Nobara after running it for a few years. It’s really nice being able to update without the fear of something breaking. I’m just using flatpak and guix for the few packages that are missing from the repos, no AUR needed.
Install i3 on top of whatever DE you want, don’t look for a specific spin. It’s really useful to have tools for stuff like power management. Also, when you break something, you’ve got a backup.
Use openSUSE Tumbleweed. It’s a rolling release distribution with the best a great KDE Plasma implementation.
Now, your specific question boils down to choosing between Arch and Fedora, since, arguably, Endeavour OS is actually Arch Linux. Now, as you’re willing to use a Qt-based DE, specifically Plasma, I’d say none of your options are ideal. That’s why I mentioned openSUSE Tumbleweed, but, for you, I’d say Arch Linux, however, you currently use Arch Linux, hence, you should just switch to the Plasma DE.
My vote is Fedora. It offers fresh yet stable packaging, and a polished experience that you can rely on. You can then use flatpaks for even newer apps, or opt to run Arch in a container with distrobox/toolbox and play with as many cutting edge apps as you want, all as if they were installed on the host.
Finally, if you like what you see in Fedora, consider trying Fedora Silverblue, Kinoite, or any of their other immutable distros.
I recently started using Fedora 39 KDE Spin as my main driver. It mostly just works out of the box. You’ll need to add some repos to get media support etc. but that is just a quick Google-search away.
I have been using Debian for a long time for my home server and to be honest, and it never once failed me. In my experience, Debian on a server is just rock solid. When I made the switch from Win11 (I don’t like a snooping AI in Notepad) to Debian (stable) I wasn’t that happy. Apps were outdated, Wayland was f**king things up, etc. So I switched to Debian testing (trixie) and installed KDE the manual way. That way I hoped to get a really ‘clean’ system, leaving some of the standard apps (that I wouldn’t be using anyway) behind. Although Debian testing seemed really stable, the ‘manual way’ left me with some quirks that left me unhappy. For a reason I can’t remember, I decided to try out Fedora 39. And I have to say, it has been great. Up to date apps, no unexpected errors or crashes, etc.
Disclaimer: I am by no means a Linux expert, but figured I could give my 2 cents.
I recently installed Fedora on one of my machines that I mainly use for web browsing, file downloading, and general office like activities. And I don’t have much experience with it yet. I specifically went the KDE route, as I am a huge fan of what KDE has to offer. That being said, for the most part everything “just works.” Sorry I don’t have much more to say about Fedora, but I will report back as I use it more.
The distro I have used for a few years now that I quite enjoy is Arch. What drew me to Arch was the fact that it is bleeding edge. That being said, as with anything bleeding edge, you should have backups and other contingency plans for failure. That should be done for all systems, but doubly so with things that are bleeding edge I would argue. Arch has been quite stable for me, but I would say that it is more tailored to someone who is looking to tinker. On my desktop, I unfortunately still run windows due to some proprietary hardware and software that I have yet to figure out how to get working within Arch. The biggest issue I have had with Arch over the few years that I have been using it comes down to the Nvidia graphics card I use in my desktop. I know not everyone has had the same issues I have had with Nvidia, but getting wayland working on it, as well as just general multi-monitor issues, have sort of taken the wind out of my sails for linux on my desktop computer.
Here are a few resources I would recommend checking out to help you make your decision [distrochooser.de](Distro Chooser) - Distro Chooser asks questions about what you are looking for and the like to help you pick a distro to try. [linux-hardware.org](Linux Hardware) - This is Linux Hardware website and is quite handy for looking into getting drivers,and checking to see if there are known bugs for specific hardware you are trying to use on a Linux system.
Controversial opinion: unless your university studies and work is in OS development, then you should go for Windows or Mac. You won’t have energy or time to keep fixing your laptop OS when an update breaks the Bluetooth driver or whatever when you have a class to attend and assignments to do
A better advice would be: Don’t install updates when you have a class to attend and assignments to do. There is always a risk of breaking something on any OS.
My opinion has been to install PopOS on all my laptops. It’s consistently needed the least amount of fixing to get things like fan curves, or keyboard backlights, etc working
While not choosing a bleeding edge distro is a good idea, there are plenty of stable Linux distros to choose from. And it’s not like Windows is a paragon of stability either. And buying a Mac is a whole other story.
I agree with this in general, but you still may want to consider using Windows or Mac if there’s university only software that is Windows/Mac-based and doesn’t play nicely with VMs, which is really common in test-taking software (since it’s essentially spyware). An alternative would be dual-booting if you want to deal with that.
The reason I say this is that when I went back to school and started course work, there was an online class that mandated the use of certain test-taking software. I tried to get it to work in a VM (by masking the clues of being in a VM), and it kept shutting me down. I ultimately had to borrow a friend’s laptop to take all of my quizzes and tests, which was a real pain. Thankfully, I only had that one class like that, but any others would have driven me to get a cheap throw-away Windows-only box.
In the end, I’d stay away from bleeding-edge for school work, so Fedora is probably your better bet, but there may come a time that you will need to use Windows (much to your chagrin).
I’ve literally never had issues like this with Linux updates, tbf I use Debian and Debian derivatives so maybe that’s why (Debian on my laptop, Ubuntu server on my nas/server, Debian and Mint for my 3d printers). On the other hand I’ve had horrible experience with Bluetooth in windows for audio, some devices losing audio mid meeting but remaining connected for examole.
Yeah, I had sound and printing break on Windows, too. And my mom’s Windows PC breaks every year and a half. I’d say go for linux if you’re comfortable with that, it’s pretty robust. Or MacOS that also seems not to break.
(Of course something like Arch or EndeavourOS is more complicated and may break. Fedora, Debian, Mint … will be a better choice for stability. My Debian install runs without mayor issues for 5 years now. If you don’t do silly stuff an mess with the system, they’ll outperform windows.)
Most people choose an OS because they’re used to that specific workflow and know the quirks and how to get around. That’s why many peoole use Microsoft, not because it’s better. School/College/University is a good time to try something. After that you’re pretty much stuck.
My situation is remarkably similar to yours down to the language, and I happen to have been considering a US keyboard as well so that’s disheartening to hear. I have nothing to add right now but will let you know if I come across anything helpful!
I love US keyboards for coding, it really improves the experience. Typing in portuguese, however, is not a good experience. The default american layout has the ~ key in a really bad spot. Typing à or ã is REALLY uncomfortable/weird. Fortunately, my keyboard has that key on the right side of the keyboard instead of the left, which greatly improves the experience.
The .XCompose file I linked in the main post is perfect and works great on X11. If you’re not yet on Wayland you can use it and have a great experience.
Right, that all makes sense. I’ll definitely keep that .XCompose file in mind, wasn’t aware it even was a thing before your post. Also, do you mind sharing the specific keyboard you’re using for reference?
Side note, I’ve started using vim/helix a few months ago and the pt layout makes things a lot more awkward than I expected, that’s half the reason I’m considering a US keyboard lol
I’m using an Happy Hacking Keyboard Professional 2. Not most people’s cup of tea but I’ve grown used to it and it’s hard for me to swap to anything else now :P
I can see why it’d be divisive with topre keys, no key markings and a pretty non standard layout but man does it look nice. Really appreciate what they’re going for there.
Anyway, thanks and hope you find a solution, I’ll drop by if I come across anything useful!
I did some weird stuff with a custom Hue CLI Module for my lab. It’s a fun little, fairly kludgey example of something you could spin up super easily.
In Haskell (much of the time), they say if it compiles it ships! It’s a lazily-evaluated language which lends itself well to a config and it slots right into NixOS quite well since Nix is also a lazily evaluated purely functional language.
linux
Top
This magazine is from a federated server and may be incomplete. Browse more on the original instance.