Fedora did not last long. It was fine. I may try it again.
So I got wacky and installed CachyOS with GNOME. It’s the #1 distro on DistroWatch because it’s fast and modern and such.
The install was easy. The software manager looks a little rudimentary, but it works.
I’ll probably switch again, even if just the Desktop Environment (DE) to KDE Plasma, because GNOME just doesn’t appeal to me. I think it’s because it spreads its UI elements all over the place, which is fine on an old 19″ monitor but maybe not so much on a widescreen 32″ one. And yes, I could just try installing Plasma onto the current CachyOS by reciting the proper incantations, but I’m fine with just wiping and starting over.
I am beginning to get a good feel for what I want in a Linux distro by constantly switching, though.
Things I like in a Linux distro:
- Hassle-free installer and support for dual boot setups
- Easy to use update manager
- Comprehensive software manager/store
- Good set of built-in tools and utilities
- Built-in support for flatpacks
- A good, flexible file manager
- Hassle-free support for network shares/NAS
- Overall high degree of customization of the UI