#immutabledesktop — Public Fediverse posts

What would be a good immutable Linux distro, sometimes called an atomic distro?

First, accept that no matter what phrase you use — atomic vs. immutable — someone will claim you’re using the wrong term. There’s still disagreement in the tech community about the correct terminology for this type of Linux distro.

That said, for the average consumer (home users — most of you reading this), these types of distros are still “new.” By new, I mean they are still establishing themselves. Having said that, if your overall goal is to have a Linux distro that is rock-solid, automatically updates itself, can automatically recover itself, and you mostly just want a basic system — meaning you primarily plan to browse the web, work with documents, stream movies and music, and print or scan files — then an immutable/atomic distro will be fine for you. You should also be comfortable accepting that most apps will come from the app store (Flatpak) rather than installing them manually.

Yes, you can technically add layers to such distributions and customize them to your heart’s desire. You can geek out just as much as you would on any other system. But understand that this requires extra effort, and it’s generally not the primary focus of these systems. The main goal is for users who want a “set it and forget it” system that just works out of the box with a GUI (graphic user interface)

Assuming you are coming from Microsoft Windows, you should first decide between KDE Plasma and GNOME. I recommend KDE Plasma, as it will be the more visually familiar and include the most easily found, easiest-to-use graphical interface settings and options — keeping everything simple and “point-and-click.” Out of the box, it will look closest to Windows 10 or Windows 7. If you prefer a layout more like Windows 8, while still offering many easy-to-use settings (though fewer than KDE), GNOME would be a better choice. GNOME may also be a better option if you’re using a device with a touchscreen, just as Windows 8 was better suited for touchscreens.

Next, it all comes down to what you're looking for from your system.

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#Linux #Foss #OpenSource #AtomicDesktop #ImmutableDesktop #Windows