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Why people change Distro? (thisfieldshouldnotberequired.foff)

submitted 5 days ago by Encephalotrocity@feddit.online to c/asklinux@lemmy.world

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I'm literally deciding which distro to install as a first timer. It's my understanding that Mint is the best for beginners migrating from M$ but knowing nothing about why this is the case one thing nags me:

Why do people switch distro's? What isn't in Mint that you get elsewhere? I really don't want to waste time using Mint if I'm just going to have to reinstall something else because it turns out it is bad for gaming or doesn't support many devices or something.

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[–] pinball_wizard@lemmy.zip 2 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

I really don't want to waste time using Mint if I'm just going to have to reinstall something else because it turns out it is bad for gaming or doesn't support many devices or something.

I suspect that the distro hopping crew that debate the merits of distros here are a vocal minority.

There's two popular distros: Bazzite, and "Mint because I already bought a SteamDeck."

You sound like one of us. We can go a long time without switching distros. I think you will be happy on Linux Mint, if you buy a SteamDeck.

Joking aside, Steam runs fine on Mint, for me, because I don't have an Nvidia graohics card.

Last time I tried, more of my game collection was equally fine on Steam as on Windows. The hassle to get a poorly made game working was about the same between Windows and Linux.

I mostly game on my SteamDeck now. SteamDeck is a console and feels like one. "SteamDeck Verified" games generally just load and play great.

I have had more and more serious issues with Official Nintendo Switch cartridges on my Switch than with SteamDeck Verified games. (And very few of either.)

Unlike a console, sometimes games that didn't work well on SteamDeck get a patch that makes them play amazing (which never happened for me on consoles.) I think this is because game developers pursue the "Verified" badge for better sales.

Edit: Have you considered the "Steam Machine"? We (SteamDeck players) think it is going to be a popular choice for folks who just want a PC that can game, out of the box. Usual disclaimer: no one seems to know what it will cost, yet.

Edit 2: To be clear, the vast majority of my game library runs nicely on my Linux Mint PC.

More of my games than run nicely on my Linux Mint PC than on my SteamDeck. The most common reasons a game gets ranked "SteamDeck Playable" (below "Vetified") are small fonts and needing a mouse - which are not issues on my Linux Mint PC.

I would still play all of my games on my Linux Mint PC, except that now I have a SteamDeck.

Did Linux Mint cause me to buy a SteamDeck?

I guess so. "This, but portable" was a pretty good sales pitch, to me.