I have only used mint,pop,and nobara on my pc,I tried vanilla but didnt like it, Is there any good ubuntu based distro thats easy to use? I can use the terminal fine,I also want gnome 44
I’d go the other direction and choose Debian. It’s what Ubuntu is based on, and actually lives up to the spirit of FOSS.
The only problem that I have with Debian is that packages are several versions behind what would be considered current. If I had to use it, i would use sid, despite the dreaded “unstable” label.
I’m pretty sure sid also has package freezes for when it moves up to testing. In general Debian’s purpose is as a stable distro and it might be better to use a distro that focuses on rolling release for bleeding edge packages.
Out of the box I would say Debian needs a fair amount of work after installation before it is an easy to use desktop OS.
I agree, but OP wants GNOME 44, which is not available yet in Debian, except through experimental.
I’d say Linux Mint or Pop OS.
Otherwise, as other comments say, you can try Debian.
Pop or Mint are fantastic. They are my go to.
Don’t forget elementary!
I’m bearish on Elementary. Their recent-ish drama where the founders split up doesn’t seem good for long-term stability:
Yikes. Was this ever resolved? That was from march last year.
The founders don’t like each other on a personal level, and I haven’t heard about any updates since then, so until there’s new life breathed onto the project somehow, I’m assuming that it’s on the back burner at best.
Oh I didn’t know this was happening, sorry to hear that :-/. (I had elementary back in 2016/17)
what’s your reasoning behind ubuntu? Ease of use and maintenance? I’d argue rolling release distros that don’t require ppa’s or snaps are easier to maintain.
Arch has been amazing in my experience. In the last 5 years I’ve just rsynced my arch install to the 5 different desktop/media pcs across my house with zero issues.
If the DIY aspect of it is too much for you to handle (which really is only user required at install and the install guide is actually great and only requires you to read carefully to succeed) you can use something like endeavourOS that removes the arch install process and is still pretty close to arch. I’ve personally found arch (and endeavourOS but NOT manjaro) significantly easier and less annoying to maintain than ubuntu and even debian that I run on my servers.
Also, I have never used it but ArcoLinux is an arch based distro that has a lot of built in features that allow easy desktop environment switching and a lot more. The main guy (Erik Dubois) has a youtube channel and a real passion for teaching people. There is a wealth of information there.
Linux Mint is great.
Honestly. Debian. It’s just so solid and works so well.
LMDE it’s the best of both worlds, or openSUSE if you’re outside the Debian/Ubuntu world.
Debian is a good choice *if* you’re going to use Flatpaks. If not, it’s a bad idea IMO.
Don’t think about today situation with the new version. Think about two years from now. Without Flatpaks, you’ll have a lot of software problems.
But overall I agree, Debian is a good choice too.
E: formatting
Without Flatpaks, you’ll have a lot of software problems.
How is that?
Probably he means that Debian stable is outdated by definition (e.g., Debian 12 it just released to stable, and has Gnome 43 instead of 44), and to stay on top of new versions you would eventually rely on flatpak.
However this is a false problem, because if you want a updated version, you just change your update channel from ‘stable’ to ‘testing’ in the
sourcesconf file etc voilà you have a rolling release with fresh stuff.I’m not talking about what comes with the distro itself.
I think that to answer that, we would need to know what about Mint, Pop_OS, Vanilla OS, and Nobara you didn’t like.
What didn’t you like about plain Ubuntu?
Have you tried Arch?
You should try Arch.
It will be exactly what you make it.
It has great documentation and walkthroughs.
It’s got a cool name.
You get to say you run Arch.
Join us… cthulu ftaghnDear god, please do not recommend arch to people without telling them what to expect…
OP: With Arch, expect to spend a couple hours setting it up before seeing a GUI, and be ready for periodic system-breaking updates which have to be resolved.
What didn’t you like?
I need to upgrade my ubuntu 18.04 desktop to something now, as it is out of support.
Pop looked interesting, but I am definitely looking for recommendations. I would prefer to stay in the debian/ubuntu type dostro, as that is what I am most familiar with, and can’t be bothered re learning!
I’ve been running pop for a few years and pretty happy with it. Also, if you’re interested, their window manager is a great way to get into tiling without having to fully commit.
I second pop. Nvidia drivers work out of the box. Flatpaks are treated like first class citizens. I hopped around a lot way back (Ubuntu, all its official flavours, mint, debian, elementary, even crunchbang) but landed on pop and haven’t moved yet.
I really looking to get a pre- configured DE. Looks like I will be giving it a go.
Ta
Give Kubuntu a try. It is my favorite so far. It uses the plasma desktop though.
I mean, if you don’t like Ubuntu much and you can also use the terminal, maybe try out Debian? Packages are a little dated but if you are willing to live with it, it’s a great experience. I have some unstable repos added to my install for newer packages, and its been a good experience with 0 issues so far. I mainly use the GUI and its also been easy to use and super stable, although I suppose Pop and Mint would still be easier.
It’s not exactly Ubuntu based, but its worth a shot.
Ubuntu is Debian based… I think you can still call it that. So if you don’t like Ubuntu, try Debian. Its more stable/reliable.
Base Debian is the way
Why did nobody mention Xubuntu?
It doesn’t have gnome 44
Not Ubuntu-based, but I saw a friend who’s mainly a Mac user comment well about Endless OS, which is Debian-based (so Ubuntu’s cousin). Maybe worth checking out?
KDE Neon is great for me.
