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this post was submitted on 03 Sep 2024
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Linux
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
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For Linux enthusiasts, how do you decide which distro you would like to try out next among the plethora of options that are available? The difference I perceive between majority of distros gets smaller the more I try to understand about them.
What are the minimum issues I am likely to face using the most beginner friendly distro like Mint for programming and light gaming?
How customizable is the GUI in Linux Mint specifically? What if I want a start menu like Windows 10 with the app list and the blocky app tiles? What about those custom widgets I see in hardcore Linux users' desktops?
I heard there is no concept of file extensions in Linux. How am I supposed to work on my projects that I imported from my Windows machine that do contain extensions?
Bonus: Who creates those distro icons in color coded ASCII in the system info command in the terminal?
For #1, I've made the realization that most distros are lightweight skins or addons on top of another distro. Most of the time, if you start with the base distro, all you have to do is install some apps, change some configurations, and suddenly you have that other distro. It is much easier than doing a reinstallation.
If you filter out all of these distros that only do a little on top of an existing, you're left with a quite small number actually. I'd bet it's less than 10 that are not super niche. Fedora, Arch, debian, gentoo, nixos are the big ones. There's some niche ones, like void Linux and Alpine.
So I'd say if you try all of those, you don't need to try any more 😁