Distro Hopping

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tdockery97
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Distro Hopping

Post by tdockery97 »

I have to admit it...for 9 years I have been a compulsive distro hopper. I have continually bounced back and forth between Mint and various other distros. It has finally come down to bouncing back and forth between Mint and Kubuntu, so today I took the action I should have taken long ago. I set up dual-boot between LMDE 3 Cindy and Kubuntu 18.04.1.

Finally I am at peace with my operating systems and no longer feel the compulsion to "shop around". Just wanted to put it in writing as my final glorious step in the right direction. :D
Last edited by LockBot on Wed Dec 28, 2022 7:16 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Portreve
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Re: Distro Hopping

Post by Portreve »

There have been a few for me over the years (though LM is my daily driver). Fedora, Solus, KDE Neon... they're all different and cool.
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ud6

Re: Distro Hopping

Post by ud6 »

Sometimes I wish I'd been less distro-monogomous. I started with Ubuntu, I think Gutsy Gibbon in 2007. But seemed Ubuntu was high maintenance enough for me. I remember struggling with the plugin vodafone wifi modem and spending days trying to speed up the boot by 0.1 seconds. Setting up the codecs was also a pain, and seemed to be an era when the codecs themselves were in rapid development. I couldn't imagine trying something that was even less user friendly. Indeed I wonder why I stuck with Ubuntu.. I guess it was counter-culture, novel and had free software. Windows itself was slow, buggy (blue screen of death) and virus ridden.

I gave up Ubuntu for a while whilst I was doing alot of VBA programming in Excel. I had Kubuntu preinstalled on some tiny cheap laptop at some point, but didn't like it really. I briefly came back to Ubuntu, and then heard about mint. I think Katya was first version I used in 2011. Things seemed much better.

Of course distro hopping in the past was more difficult cos it meant burning CDs/DVDs because USB support for installation was poor and pretty complicated. That software on mint to make bootable USB was a dream come true when it came out. Mint was so good I never really wanted to try something more complicated again. Maybe this limited my learning curve?

Maybe about 2013 I gave up dual boot at home and just used mint (mostly out of fear of viruses and no necessity to use windows at home). Only last year did I actually stop using Windows at work too.

Of course I've tried Puppylinux and similar, various desktops, but seems only recently has it been easy to try out lots of distros (putting several on a USB). Installation of several distros on a HD seemed impractical unless you're working specifically with computers, cos I needed to work on my computers and I needed the space.

You think maybe I missed out??
BrianI

Re: Distro Hopping

Post by BrianI »

I've been known to do a bit of Distro Hopping in the past. Or should it be "Distro Hoping", where you hope the next Distro will be the one for life? :D

Quite pleased with Mint. Currently running Mint 19 Mate, with Xfce on the top, but will probably do a fresh reinstall soon with pure Mint 19 Xfce. While it may not be as up to date as Arch / Manjaro and the like, I just prefer to *use* my computer, rather than spending a lot of time on system maintenance or a rolling distro. So Mint suits my needs fine :-)
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Re: Distro Hopping

Post by rick gen »

I'm done with "distro hopping."
My first taste of Linux many years ago was Mepis, which, I believe, is now non-existent.
And I don't remember how many more distros I experimented on, I don't think it's many, but I ended up with Kubuntu.
Like many users, I continued with Windows, and occasionally tried one distro or two, then performed uninstallation procedures.
Years later, Linux Mint became popular and finally settled with it, giving my old XP and Vista machines new leashes on life.
Meaning, I had no choice but to replace old Win OS'es that are no longer supported and maintained.
It wasn't really a painful transition for me because I have long been using open source apps like Libre Office, Gimp, Inkscape,
and many others that also run on Windows.
Today I'm multi-booting with Mint Cinnamon, Mint Xfce and Kubuntu 18.04, not to mention Win10.
I have no interest in non-Ubuntu-based distros because Ubuntu-based ones have the largest support resources and software database.
Last edited by rick gen on Sun Sep 23, 2018 5:41 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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Re: Distro Hopping

Post by catweazel »

rick gen wrote: Sun Sep 23, 2018 7:54 am Today I'm booting with Mint Cinnamon, Mint Xfce and Kubuntu 18.04.
I have no interest in non-Ubuntu-based distros because Ubuntu-based have the largest support resources and software.
You might like KDE Neon.
"There is, ultimately, only one truth -- cogito, ergo sum -- everything else is an assumption." - Me, my swansong.
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Re: Distro Hopping

Post by rick gen »

catweazel wrote: Sun Sep 23, 2018 7:57 am
rick gen wrote: Sun Sep 23, 2018 7:54 am Today I'm booting with Mint Cinnamon, Mint Xfce and Kubuntu 18.04.
I have no interest in non-Ubuntu-based distros because Ubuntu-based have the largest support resources and software.
You might like KDE Neon.
Been thinking about it, but latest Kubuntu is now working well for me and feel at home with it.
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Re: Distro Hopping

Post by rickNS »

Not sure if I'm a distro - hopper or not.
I did try ubuntu (about 2008) before mint.
Since then I have had a few virtual machines, namely;
*Solus 3
*Ubuntu mate
*xubuntu
*Linux lite
They are gone now,
I still have, and consider that I could use (if mint didn't exist)
*Debian stretch
*MX 17
in VBox machines
These are both IMO to be decent incarnations of linux.
Next on list to try is manjaro...
Today I tried android x86 v8 Oreo. No reason except it may be a decent way to play modern games ? (NOTE I'M not a gamer) Just curious.

*Android x86 version 7.1 up and running.
Last edited by rickNS on Mon Nov 19, 2018 3:34 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Distro Hopping

Post by Portreve »

I got my start in the world of computers in 1984 when the middle school I was at bought a bunch of Apple IIc units. I've been a technology enthusiast ever since, and yet I'm really not as into all the nitty-gritty troubleshooting and experimentation that I probably was then or would be now if I was that age again. I really need a functioning, "production" computer, because I need to accomplish tasks. None of this means I don't do a variety of different things for fun or for the joy of learning new things, but it does mean I'm rather weary of anything like wanting to do nothing but mess around with my system.

I think it's critical to always keep your options open and always keep learning and expanding your knowledge and understanding. I mean, obviously this is important "in real life" but I think far too many people live some kind of "everything delivered to me on a silver platter with no thinking skills in my part" mentality. It's pretty unfortunate, really.
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Re: Distro Hopping

Post by Hoser Rob »

I went through a distro hopping phase once. Used a netbook because I'm not going to mess around like that except on a machine I don't need. It seemed pointless after a while ... they're not THAT different, they share desktop environments, and the main difference is the level of user support.

Many if not most distros have terrible user support, but with most of them you'd expect that because they have tiny user bases. The biggest surprise was Fedora. When I installed it the package manager was broken. And the forum experts ... and they do know what they're doing ... told me it was my fault for not checking the bugzillas before installing.

Like anyone would knowingly install a Linux distro whose package manager was broken? I believe my reply was something along the lines of "Have a nice life, frakheads, goodbye". Unbelieveable.

So I'll echo the opinion that for me Ubuntu or Ubuntu based distros like Mint (and I'm considering Neon) are the only ones I'd use just for the user base and support.
For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong - H. L. Mencken
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Re: Distro Hopping

Post by Portreve »

I have something of a history with Fedora. I forget the exact year, but a friend of mine "way back when" who is responsible for me learning about GNU+Linux burned me the installation CD set for RedHat 4.2. I used it and, eventually, a few other distros, though back then there was no such thing as a package manager/installer system. This was the era of "dependency hell", after all. But anyhow, I remember thinking how cool (if impractical) it was. Later, once RedHat became a significant commercial presence and spun off their broader community development to the Fedora Project, I also used Fedora Core 1, 2, 3, and 4. I interspersed others and also some later versions of Fedora, but I think you make a really good point, Hoser Rob: so many other distros including Fedora tend to be rougher around the edges, more expertise-requiring, and just not as nice.

And, honestly, no version of Fedora has ever been quite as stable as Debian. Ubuntu, Canonical's derivative of Debian, is not as stable as Debian but is still noticeably more stable than Fedora.

I futzed around with KDE Neon recently, and it is kind of neat. I do think it represents the most refined KDE experience thus far, but KDE is really just not my cup of tea. It still feels awkward and alien and clunky compared to Gnome 2.x and its several derivatives and forks.
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Re: Distro Hopping

Post by Hoser Rob »

Portreve wrote: Wed Sep 26, 2018 7:45 pm ... so many other distros including Fedora tend to be rougher around the edges, more expertise-requiring, and just not as nice.
I've noticed that :wink: . Also, with Fedora I couldn't help feel that I was just a beta tester for RHEL. Red Hat is incredibly influential now, though, because they have probably the best pool of devs around. If RHEL adopts something it's probably just a matter of time before everyone else does. I'm pretty sure that's how we ended up with systemd. Not complaining about systemd, it's the only properly maintained init system nowadays.
I futzed around with KDE Neon recently, and it is kind of neat. I do think it represents the most refined KDE experience thus far, but KDE is really just not my cup of tea. It still feels awkward and alien and clunky compared to Gnome 2.x and its several derivatives and forks.
I do like KDE, it's the only Linux DE that doesn't seem a bit amateurish to me. It has a bit of a bad name in the Linux world because it has non FOSS roots but that doesn't bug me. ANd despite its power ... it has a ton of functions I don't need ... Plasma 5 takes very little more RAM than Xfce does, which makes Xfce look a bit ridiculous. I do agree they should have left Gnome 2 alone but the original Gnome developer abandoned Linux and switched to OS X years ago. No surprise that project went into disarray.
For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong - H. L. Mencken
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Re: Distro Hopping

Post by sdibaja »

Distro Hopping is a healthy exercise... well maybe not "hopping" to something else, but testing them out.

1. Installers are highly important.
can it co-exist with my daily driver?
can I get it up and running without painful tweaking?
will it run on the various machines I have, or will have?

some installers are horrible... they make a mess or just don't work reliably.

2. look and feel
does the desktop you prefer work correctly?
are their conflicts?
are expected features even available?
I try all the desktops. but continue to return to Mate

3. can I recommend it?
some are fun, but not ready for general use
some (very few actually) are Stable and be "ignored" for a length of time without "emergency patches"
if I install it on my wife's computer will she complain and cause me lots of tech support time?

The worst of all "I couldn't help feel that I was just a beta tester for____"
most distros (and desktops) only have one or two regular developers, but less than a dozen... some have in the Thousands.
Bureaucracy vs All of your eggs in one basket.

I have several machines at my disposal, and a few I maintain for others.
I manage a ton of data, stuff the Must Be Preserved.
Today (and for the last year or two) I am comfortable.
Things work as expected, near zero maintenance, and I can ignore the OS and just use the machines in my own way.
When someone complains I know what is going on behind the curtain, and I can either tweak for them or provide simple instructions.

SO, I guess I am not a hopper, but more of a compulsive tester. I always have 3 or more distros on each machine...
but they all default boot with Debian Mate. some Stretch, some Buster. Predictable.

next year all of that could change, but my Data will be secure and accessible.
Peter
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Re: Distro Hopping

Post by rick gen »

catweazel wrote: Sun Sep 23, 2018 7:57 amYou might like KDE Neon.
Tried it two days ago. Almost similar to Kubuntu.
The installation went okay, but it froze twice while downloading and installing software.
Seemed to me it can't handle multi-tasking ops.
(I usually do something else while waiting for it to finish like configure Dolphin, change default settings, etc.)
Which I never experienced with Mint and Kubuntu.
I uninstalled it eventually.
Bottom line for me is it's looking like Kubuntu is more well-organized and it seemed the folks behind it are finally getting their acts together.
Last edited by Moem on Thu Sep 27, 2018 4:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Fixed a quote
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Re: Distro Hopping

Post by catweazel »

rick gen wrote: Thu Sep 27, 2018 4:41 pm Seemed to me it can't handle multi-tasking ops.
lol - I'm running neon on a 16 thread AMD rig. I can stream, transcode video, run a 10TB backup job and compile all at once without so much as the system missing a single cpu cycle. Either you're doing something wrong or your rig isn't up to it.
rick gen wrote:Bottom line for me is it's looking like Kubuntu is more well-organized and it seemed the folks behind it are finally getting their acts together.
Whatever floats your boat, there's no shame in it.
Last edited by Moem on Fri Sep 28, 2018 1:38 am, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Fixed a quote
"There is, ultimately, only one truth -- cogito, ergo sum -- everything else is an assumption." - Me, my swansong.
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