Reclaiming the desktop: Why I’m still on Linux in 2026 (the.unknown-universe.co.uk)

submitted 1 week ago by cm0002@lemdro.id to c/linux@programming.dev

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I’ve been using Linux for years, but as the proprietary alternatives get more aggressive with telemetry and adverts, I wanted to document the choices that actually keep my desktop predictable.

This isn't a manual, but a practical overview of my setup. From why I’ve settled on CachyOS and KDE Plasma for my main rig, to the reality of dealing with proprietary software and app compatibility in 2026. It’s just an honest look at the transition and why I’m done with the corporate defaults.

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[-] mrbigmouth502@piefed.zip 8 points 1 week ago

"The beauty of the AUR is that you stop waiting for developers to ‘support’ your OS. If the community wants it to work, it works. Period."

I take issue with this statement. The AUR can be very useful, but the packages in it are maintained by volunteers, so the onus ultimately falls on those volunteers to make sure those packages keep functioning. It's not uncommon for packages to fall out of date with upstream, and sometimes packages even end up being abandoned.

Arch is a fast-moving system, so packages for it need to be actively maintained to remain installable and functional. Flatpak packages are often volunteer efforts as well, but Flatpak at least allows packages to use specific versions of different libraries so that they can keep functioning.

[-] luciole@beehaw.org 7 points 1 week ago

bro it's volunteers all the way down

[-] illusionist@lemmy.zip 1 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

And as if fedora and nix wouldn't have repos

[-] zr0@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 1 week ago

You act like there are not enough fembois to maintain AUR. I’ve been using Linux on-off for 20 years, and have tried out so many distros. I had never such a pleasant experience with installing packages from a distro repo. I was not in need to install a single piece of software manually with cmake/make. Everything is on the repo, everything is updated, everything just works. And IF it does not work, you have a humongous community who loves to help you out.

I am now on CachyOS for my main PC and Debian for my servers. And I have no desire to change it up.

this post was submitted on 15 Apr 2026

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