Long ago, when I first started on my Linux journey, there were two main options: Debian or Red Hat. I went with Debian. This was 1999, a time when installing any distribution of Linux was not as straightforward as it is today. And adding to that complexity was that I had a laptop; getting anything to run was a challenge as Linux back then tended to be slower in rolling out device drivers for the latest technologies. This was followed by language support (I needed Japanese input and fonts) so I eventually switched to Turbolinux, a Japanese distribution based on Red Hat.
As Linux development sped up, issues with device drivers and language support started to become better in the mainstream distributions, and I switched to Fedora Core. Fedora is also based on Red Hat, which explained the choice since I was just switching from one Red Hat-based distro to another Red Hat-based distro. Fedora came with the GNOME desktop, which worked well for me until GNOME 3 came along. GNOME 3's GNOME Shell just didn't feel right for me, so I started searching for an alternative.
In my search, I came upon Linux Mint. It offered the "traditional" desktop feel of GNOME 2 and Windows (yes, I was and still am a Windows user; dual booting was something I did and still do, even though the computers I use now are either Linux or Windows machines without dual boot). I didn't hesitate; I made the switch. Linux Mint is ultimately based on Debian, which brought me back to the world of apt after a long hiatus.
In my single board computers, I am using Ubuntu, Raspbian, and Armbian. These are all distros based on Debian. I am fine with the desktops offered by Raspbian and Armbian; Ubuntu, with its GNOME desktop, is still something that I struggle with. Good thing I use them headless, with almost everything done via the command line on SSH, with the occasional X11 forwarding if I do need something with a GUI.
I am still using Linux Mint today on my main "desktop" (it is a mini PC), and have my older laptop on a Windows/Linux Mint dual boot. I am likely to continue to use Linux Mint on new builds (I am hoping to get the time and resources to build a cheap DL rig with AMD + GTX 1660 Super), although Ubuntu MATE looks "attractive" too. I continue to dream of the day when I can fully ditch Windows, but since my current work requires me to use Microsoft Office, that is unlikely to happen for a while...
As Linux development sped up, issues with device drivers and language support started to become better in the mainstream distributions, and I switched to Fedora Core. Fedora is also based on Red Hat, which explained the choice since I was just switching from one Red Hat-based distro to another Red Hat-based distro. Fedora came with the GNOME desktop, which worked well for me until GNOME 3 came along. GNOME 3's GNOME Shell just didn't feel right for me, so I started searching for an alternative.
In my search, I came upon Linux Mint. It offered the "traditional" desktop feel of GNOME 2 and Windows (yes, I was and still am a Windows user; dual booting was something I did and still do, even though the computers I use now are either Linux or Windows machines without dual boot). I didn't hesitate; I made the switch. Linux Mint is ultimately based on Debian, which brought me back to the world of apt after a long hiatus.
In my single board computers, I am using Ubuntu, Raspbian, and Armbian. These are all distros based on Debian. I am fine with the desktops offered by Raspbian and Armbian; Ubuntu, with its GNOME desktop, is still something that I struggle with. Good thing I use them headless, with almost everything done via the command line on SSH, with the occasional X11 forwarding if I do need something with a GUI.
I am still using Linux Mint today on my main "desktop" (it is a mini PC), and have my older laptop on a Windows/Linux Mint dual boot. I am likely to continue to use Linux Mint on new builds (I am hoping to get the time and resources to build a cheap DL rig with AMD + GTX 1660 Super), although Ubuntu MATE looks "attractive" too. I continue to dream of the day when I can fully ditch Windows, but since my current work requires me to use Microsoft Office, that is unlikely to happen for a while...
No comments:
Post a Comment