Distro-hopping Notes: Reviews of openSUSE and Fedora

infoivonblog.nkfjt@aleeas.com (Ivon Huang) — Sun, 12 Jun 2022 12:01:30 +0800

Linux distro-hopping is here again, just like how Android gets flashed once or twice a year. Distro-hopping has made me put all important computer files on an HDD and in the cloud, so I can reinstall the computer at any time.

1. Arch Linux Is Not for Me
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I used Ubuntu on and off for four years. I once distro-hopped to Arch Linux, but just setting up the desktop caused all kinds of crashes, and I did not know how to set up the input method either. So I switched back to Ubuntu 20.04, and upgraded to 22.04 in 2022.

Later, after learning some system concepts, I realized the crashes were probably the fault of Nvidia’s open source driver, and I also learned to switch the input method to Fcitx5. However, on Arch-based systems, even Manjaro, when software is missing you have to install it through the AUR. There was even a situation where SELinux functionality affected Virt Manager’s access to an NTFS hard drive, requiring a manual switch to another kernel to solve it.

So Arch-based systems are probably not suitable for me. I tried Debian in 2022. Too old school. Even USB drives had to be mounted manually. On Android’s Termux, because there are many packages, Ubuntu and Debian are still suitable for testing all kinds of miscellaneous things, and many lazy scripts are also designed around Ubuntu.

But on the computer side, I wanted to switch again. The main reason is that Ubuntu aggressively pushes Snap. I prefer Flatpak and AppImage, and forcibly uninstalling Snap can make the system unstable. In search of excitement, the next thing to look for was a distribution from a different family, rather than one based on Debian or Ubuntu.

Now my desktop uses openSUSE Tumbleweed (KDE), and my laptop uses Fedora 36 (Gnome).

Because I have become familiar with the concept of package managers, jumping between common commands is not a big problem. There is also no situation where common software is unavailable on some platform. If you ask, Flatpak solves it. These two distributions are both very close to the rolling distro model, but they are not as aggressive as Arch-based systems, because they are mainly maintained by commercial companies.

Also, even without an Nvidia graphics card, Wayland still has piles of problems under the tuning of these two companies, so I will keep watching for now.

2. Review of openSUSE on the Desktop
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Originally I used Leap first, but this stable release model is just like Ubuntu. I did not think that would work, so I jumped to Tumbleweed. Every few weeks when I boot and see that the kernel version is always the latest, it feels great. Also, I heard that SUSE plans to end Leap’s release model and replace it with ALP.

openSUSE is ready to use after installation, and the file system is Btrfs. I think it integrates well with KDE. However, the default looks too much like Windows, so I put the panel at the top, making it look like XFCE. But I was probably influenced by Windows color schemes; I think the combination of white application colors + a black panel is the most harmonious. Also, KDE lets you switch to the next virtual desktop by scrolling the mouse wheel over the panel, which is very useful.

OpenSUSE on Ivon's Blog

Distro-hopping Notes: Reviews of openSUSE and Fedora

1. Arch Linux Is Not for Me #

2. Review of openSUSE on the Desktop #

1. Arch Linux Is Not for Me
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2. Review of openSUSE on the Desktop
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