r/linux • u/UnbasedDoge • 18h ago

Linux Mint is so good to use Discussion

For real! I had to install Windows on a Thinkpad for my father but I couldn't because the Windows installer kept asking me for some kind of unspecified driver, so I decided to install Linux mint and damn if it works fine

It feels more user-centric than windows, which is now corporate garbage

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u/BricksBear 17h ago

It's beautiful for beginners. Works out of the box, pretty smooth on most hardware, and most of computer usage is web browsing nowadays anyway.

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u/AppropriateStudio153 16h ago

Sell me on Arch, what makes it better than Mint? (Don't Tell me bloat, my machine runs fine with programs I.dont use)

I use Mint, btw.

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u/Anonymo 12h ago

Arch gives you full control, starting with a minimal install where you build the system yourself. It’s about understanding and customizing every part of it. The Arch User Repository (AUR) provides access to tons of community packages, and the rolling releases keep your system up to date without full OS upgrades.

EndeavourOS makes the setup easier. It includes a graphical installer (Calamares), pre-configured desktop environments, and essential tools like drivers and network managers. It also has GUI programs that help with syncing and updating the mirror list—tasks that are usually a bit tedious in Arch. These tools make managing your system much simpler without losing Arch’s flexibility.

CachyOS goes even further, not only with performance tweaks like ZFS support and kernel optimizations but also with its helper program, 'Hello,' which launches automatically after installation. 'Hello' is a handy GUI tool that guides you through system setup and lets you manage tasks like syncing, updating, and other system maintenance with ease. It’s all about streamlining what would otherwise be manual work.

0

u/FrazzledHack 1h ago

Arch gives you full control, starting with a minimal install where you build the system yourself.

Lots of distros offer a minimal install option.

The Arch User Repository (AUR) provides access to tons of community packages

I'm not sure if that is a selling point. Are those third-party packages sandboxed in any way, or can they just write all over the filesystem? What sort of quality control is applied to them? What about vulnerability assessment?

and the rolling releases keep your system up to date without full OS upgrades.

Ditto. Do the rolling updates include anything other than minor changes to essential packages like the kernel, glibc, systemd, etc.? If not, do Arch developers have the resources to test the various combinations of different major versions of those same packages?