Do you have a distro testing computer?

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Do you have a distro testing computer?

Yes
23
43%
No
19
36%
I have several
11
21%
I never stay on any one distro for long
0
No votes
 
Total votes: 53

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kenetics
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Re: Do you have a distro testing computer?

Post by kenetics »

I had an old desktop computer I used for testing distros, but since I recently upgraded the components it is running Mint Cinnamon very well and I will keep it Mint (at least for a while).

I recently had a Samsung Chromebook that expired (reached end of automatic updates). I tried Peppermint OS on it and will probably stick with that distro, as it is based on Lightweight Lubuntu. Unfortunately, the CB doesn't support hardware acceleration.
Using Mint as primary OS since 2006.
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Re: Do you have a distro testing computer?

Post by DisturbedDragon »

msseufert wrote: Wed Jul 06, 2022 10:02 am "I have several"

To be pedantic, I have a VMWare ESXi server with lots of RAM and drive space that I run several VMs from. Some testing, some permanent.
Exact same answer here 8)
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Re: Do you have a distro testing computer?

Post by roncraig »

I have a separate nvme drive just for testing. I typically test something I'm interested in with VBox first. If it piques my interest then I install it on the extra drive I have.
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Hoser Rob
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Re: Do you have a distro testing computer?

Post by Hoser Rob »

151tom wrote: Mon Jul 11, 2022 11:57 am Every computer I have and I install and use Linux on is a distro testing computer.
Maybe one day I'll find a Linux disto that is the best Linux distro and use it.
Until that day happens I guess I will just hafta keep testing Linux distros.
You're suffering from the common delusion that there's all that much difference between GNU/Linux distros. There isn't. They all get their kernels from the same place and are built from the same bits really. The main thing is the quality of user support, meaning most are useless for most users because they have little to none.
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JerryF
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Re: Do you have a distro testing computer?

Post by JerryF »

Not a physical computer but I use Virtualbox to test.
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Re: Do you have a distro testing computer?

Post by JerryF »

151tom wrote: Mon Jul 11, 2022 11:57 am Every computer I have and I install and use Linux on is a distro testing computer.
Maybe one day I'll find a Linux disto that is the best Linux distro and use it.
Until that day happens I guess I will just hafta keep testing Linux distros.
I think you'll be searching for a long time for the "best Linux distro" and dare I say you'll never find it because there isn't one.
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Re: Do you have a distro testing computer?

Post by ivar »

Heresy! :mrgreen:
Here on the mintforum most all agree that Mint is best, bar none :mrgreen: :D
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MurphCID
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Re: Do you have a distro testing computer?

Post by MurphCID »

JerryF wrote: Tue Jul 12, 2022 10:17 am
151tom wrote: Mon Jul 11, 2022 11:57 am Every computer I have and I install and use Linux on is a distro testing computer.
Maybe one day I'll find a Linux disto that is the best Linux distro and use it.
Until that day happens I guess I will just hafta keep testing Linux distros.
I think you'll be searching for a long time for the "best Linux distro" and dare I say you'll never find it because there isn't one.
LOL :D I find for the most part Mint does everything I need and want, but there is always the desire to see what is over that next hill.....
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151tom
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Re: Do you have a distro testing computer?

Post by 151tom »

Hoser Rob wrote: Tue Jul 12, 2022 10:01 am
151tom wrote: Mon Jul 11, 2022 11:57 am Every computer I have and I install and use Linux on is a distro testing computer.
Maybe one day I'll find a Linux disto that is the best Linux distro and use it.
Until that day happens I guess I will just hafta keep testing Linux distros.
You're suffering from the common delusion that there's all that much difference between GNU/Linux distros. There isn't. They all get their kernels from the same place and are built from the same bits really. The main thing is the quality of user support, meaning most are useless for most users because they have little to none.
Actually I'm not suffering from the common delusion that there's all that much difference between GNU/Linux distros I know that Linux is Linux and one Linux distro ain't no better than the next Linux distro.

I was just being a smart alek nothing more.
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Re: Do you have a distro testing computer?

Post by Petermint »

there is always the desire to see what is over that next hill
Windows 12?
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Re: Do you have a distro testing computer?

Post by MurphCID »

Petermint wrote: Tue Jul 12, 2022 6:55 pm
there is always the desire to see what is over that next hill
Windows 12?
Nooooooo! More spyware, more control.
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Re: Do you have a distro testing computer?

Post by JerryF »

Petermint wrote: Tue Jul 12, 2022 6:55 pm
there is always the desire to see what is over that next hill
Windows 12?
:lol: :lol: :lol:
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Re: Do you have a distro testing computer?

Post by JerryF »

ivar wrote: Tue Jul 12, 2022 10:37 am Heresy! :mrgreen:
Here on the mintforum most all agree that Mint is best, bar none :mrgreen: :D
Yes, for me Mint is the best!
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MurphCID
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Re: Do you have a distro testing computer?

Post by MurphCID »

JerryF wrote: Wed Jul 13, 2022 9:27 am
ivar wrote: Tue Jul 12, 2022 10:37 am Heresy! :mrgreen:
Here on the mintforum most all agree that Mint is best, bar none :mrgreen: :D
Yes, for me Mint is the best!
Me too, the Lenovo has arrived and so far I have been hammering away on it.
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MurphCID
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Re: Do you have a distro testing computer?

Post by MurphCID »

Well, so far on the T480s I have tried Fedora 36 KDE, which had some issues, and just did not "feel" right. MX Linux KDE which would not remember the wireless network between reboots, MX Linux XFCE which worked great, looked good, and I have no real complaints, except it is not Cinnamon. I love the built in Conky, TLP, and HTOP. Now it has LMDE 5, which works great. The MX KDE had the same 5.10 kernel as LMDE 5 but LMDE 5 seems much more stable, and the wifi connection remains connected. So it is a kernel issue. The MX XFCE has a 5.16 kernel and works well. I am doing my research on Debian-testing as a possible, same for Mageia 8. I might attempt a dual boot, but doubt it. Like Jay at Learn Linux TV, I prefer to load onto bare metal. I might move the T480s downstairs so that it is beside my chair, and move the Dev One upstairs to my office. I am looking at possibly attempting either Manjaro or Endeavor OS at some point. I am less likely to use the Arch distros since the command syntax in terminal is so different, and non-standard (for us Debian users).
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Re: Do you have a distro testing computer?

Post by Ivy_Pool »

Not anymore. I played on a dual-core and a couple of old laptops but gave that up about a year ago.
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Re: Do you have a distro testing computer?

Post by MurphCID »

Been playing around with distros on the T480s, and I must say I have been enjoying putting stuff on the bare metal. Since it is a used device, I am not worried about the constant changes in distros causing any issues. This is essentially a computer I can break if need be, not that I plan on doing that. So I have spent a couple of days playing with several distros, and none have really "felt" right. Mageia 8 felt a lot like the old Mandrake, but it had some quirks that just made me decided to change back to MX Linux XFCE. I have been enjoying having a "distro testing" device that I can spend whatever time I want loading and reloading distros to see which ones work and feel the best for me (other than Mint which is on all my other laptops). I am actually using the T480s right now at the coffee shop for my standard distro testing procedure.
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Re: Do you have a distro testing computer?

Post by MurphCID »

So far COVID has set me back, but I plan on testing lots more distros on the T480s.
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Re: Do you have a distro testing computer?

Post by Termy »

I miss my old distro-testing days, but I eventually ran out of steam. I tried so many over a couple of my early Linux years, that I guess I got burned out from it. It was fun, though. I definitely recommend y'all have a virtual machine or two handy, because it makes the whole experience much easier — usually.
MurphCID wrote: Sun Aug 07, 2022 10:59 am [...]
Sorry to hear [read] that. Hope you get better ASAP (preferably immediately) so you can nerd out with Linux as much as humanly possible.
there is always the desire to see what is over that next hill
Dunno if they would've held that belief, back in the day, when armies were smashing into each other on a regular and pointless basis. Can't imagine some peasant thinking that, in his village, when he hears a rumor of a Viking army approaching on the other side of a hill. I think the peasant would just run for his life, rather than go exploring over the hill. Granted, I'm massively overthinking this. :lol: That's the price of boredom.
Last edited by Termy on Sun Aug 07, 2022 12:39 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Do you have a distro testing computer?

Post by Lady Fitzgerald »

I originally voted no but I changed it to yes but now that I have three similar laptops, I'm going to use the third one as a guinea pig...er...test bed for upgrading to or installing either Mint 20.3, then upgrade from there to Mint 21 when the upgrade tool comes out, or just directly install to Mint 21. I have 19.3 so heavily customized, I'm loath to do a clean install of 21.
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