technology

24142 readers

137 users here now

On the road to fully automated luxury gay space communism.

Spreading Linux propaganda since 2020

Rules:

1. Obviously abide by the sitewide code of conduct. Bigotry will be met with an immediate ban
2. This community is about technology. Offtopic is permitted as long as it is kept in the comment sections
3. Although this is not /c/libre, FOSS related posting is tolerated, and even welcome in the case of effort posts
4. We believe technology should be liberating. As such, avoid promoting proprietary and/or bourgeois technology
5. Explanatory posts to correct the potential mistakes a comrade made in a post of their own are allowed, as long as they remain respectful
6. No crypto (Bitcoin, NFT, etc.) speculation, unless it is purely informative and not too cringe
7. Absolutely no tech bro shit. If you have a good opinion of Silicon Valley billionaires please manifest yourself so we can ban you.

founded 5 years ago

MODERATORS

context@hexbear.net

SexUnderSocialism@hexbear.net

gaycomputeruser@hexbear.net

Wakmrow@hexbear.net

SwitchyandWitchy@hexbear.net

Maybe a weird question about Linux (hexbear.net)

submitted 1 week ago by 9to5@hexbear.net to c/technology@hexbear.net

31 comments fedilink hide all child comments

cross-posted from: https://hexbear.net/post/7066703

Like I hear a lot of people trying a lot of different distros till they find the one they stick with.

Is there a point in Distro hopping ? Like assuming im mostly content with my Mint. Have been using it for about 10 days now.

Ofc Im curious about Desktop enviroments for example. Cinnamon is nice if a bit basic. But beyond that am I missing out on some cool stuff :3

Sorry if this a babys first Linux question.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments

[–] dead@hexbear.net 10 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

LEARN HOW TO USE THE PACKAGE MANAGER.

Based on how you wrote this post, I feel like you at least read my comment on your previous post.

The main difference between Linux Distros is the software repository. The software repository contains all of the system software packages for the Linux Distro. All of the system updates come from the Distro repository.

There are some niche distro such as Kali Linux (DO NOT USE), which have specialized repositories for specific purposes. Kali Linux repository is filled with hacking tool. Kali is not intended for daily use.

Another example of a niche distro is Devuan, which was forked from Debian to used sysvinit instead of systemd. Around 10 years ago, Debian and most distros changed to use systemd. There's all kinds of conspiracy theories around systemd. Some people claim that systemd is against Unix development principles. I'm not recommending Devuan.

The Debian Linux repository is based around providing stable and secure software. The Arch Linux repository is based around having the latest software. Gentoo Linux repository is made on the principle of compiling software yourself.

If you pick a less used distro, it could have less developers and receive security updates less frequently. Distros with less developers will have less software in the repository.

You should use the distro which meet your needs in term of software release cycle, whether you want to compile your own software, your preference on software licenses, your preferences on what software is available in the repository. Pick the distro based on the repository, not the default DE.

The system package manager on the Debian-based systems including Ubuntu and Mint is called 'apt'. apt is the program which installs and updates all of the system software on the distro. apt is the program which communicates to the distro repository. There are different user interfaces for apt.

INSTALL SYNAPTIC SO THAT YOU CAN EXPLORE THE REPOSITORY

Open your system terminal and type:

sudo apt install synaptic

type your password and press y when it asks for install confirmation.

Then open synaptic. It should be in your programs menu.

You will a list of all of the packages that have been installed on your computer. You will see a list of all packages which can be installed from the repository. You can click on the packages to see a description of what the software does and what other packages it depended on

When I started using Linux over a decade ago, I spent a lot of time exploring the package manager. I was fixated on having as few packages as possible for a minimal system. When I saw a package that I did not think was used, I would uninstall it. This is the wrong way of doing things; the correct way would be to do a minimal install from the start. However, reading the package descriptions and knowing what different parts of your system does is helpful for knowing how Linux works.

You will see that there are many different DEs or WMs available to be installed from the apt repository. Some of them may even conflict with each other, meaning you can't install both.

DE (Desktop Environment) is a full system interface. DM (Desktop Manager) is the name of the user log in screen. WM (Window Manager) is the software which puts borders on your windows and moves the windows, ( _ [] x ) buttons is the WM.

Some WMs are designed to work without a DE. Some nerds like to use a WM without a DE for minimalism purposes. Custom WMs is a whole rabbit hole. If you're a turbo nerd, look for i3wm or dwm or awesomewm or something.

You can install different DEs from the repository. If you want to have the GNOME DE, you would install the 'gnome-core' package.

Some of the popular DEs available in the Debian repository includes GNOME, KDE, XFCE, LXDE, LXQT, MATE, Lomori (Unity fork), Cinnamon (Mint DE). There are even more in the repository which are not list on the wiki. For example, there is a phone/tablet DE versions of GNOME and KDE in the repository.

https://wiki.debian.org/DesktopEnvironment