Is there a reliable, easy to use Linux OS? One with decent package support?

I am tired of Linux shenanigans and want something that works. I left Windows because it doesn’t work plus all the bs they have pulled recently. Now I am finding that many Linux are still difficult, broken by default mess.

Currently trying NixOS but I already have concerns.

  • areyouevenreal@lemm.eeOPEnglish
    0·
    7 months ago

    I remember debian being alright. Shame it doesn’t have up to date packages though and nvidia problems. Might use that on the computer I have which doesn’t use Nvidia.

    • GenderNeutralBro@lemmy.sdf.orgEnglish
      0·
      7 months ago

      Distros don’t have Nvidia problems; Nvidia has Linux problems.

      Do not waste your time looking for a distro that works perfectly with Nvidia; it does not exist.

      I’ve had no more issues with Nvidia on Debian than on any other distro. However, I recommend getting your Nvidia drivers via Nvidia’s manual installer rather than your distro’s package manager, regardless of which distro you choose. I’ve had much better experience with this method over the years, across a few different distros (currently Debian).

      Outdated packages can be an issue with Debian. Personally, I’ve found this to be “fine” for me now, since I get a lot of newer stuff via containers like Flatpak or Docker, or I can backport in a pinch.

      • areyouevenreal@lemm.eeOPEnglish
        0·
        7 months ago

        That’s not acceptable. Full stop. FreeBSD doesn’t have these issues, neither does Windows. Even some Linux OSes have fixed it like PopOS. All of these things work with Nvidia. I get that Nvidia are not always the most helpful, but it’s not like they are being malicious, they do provide linux drivers after all. Linux’s inability to work with external drivers is not a good thing.

        • Possibly linux@lemmy.zipMEnglish
          0·
          7 months ago

          The problem with Nvidia is that there drivers are proprietary. You won’t have issues with Intel or AMD as they work out of the box with no special software.

          On top of that the Nvidia proprietary modules and software are not well made so it is prone to issues. They best answer is to stick to the beaten path with Linux Mint or Pop os as those are the only two decent distros with OK support for Nvidia.

              • areyouevenreal@lemm.eeOPEnglish
                0·
                7 months ago

                Waste of resources, possible security issues. Ubuntu server would probably be better for that purpose. I say this as someone who isn’t a fan of Ubuntu anymore.

                Honestly using FreeBSD for this instance seems to work better so I will probably keep doing that.

                • Possibly linux@lemmy.zipMEnglish
                  0·
                  7 months ago

                  For headless machines I use Debian. My point is that it really doesn’t matter. You can have a GUI on your server if you want.

            • GenderNeutralBro@lemmy.sdf.orgEnglish
              0·
              7 months ago

              Are you using SecureBoot? If so, make sure that you follow the steps to properly sign the kernel module and approve it in your motherboard firmware.

              If using the Debian repo to install, follow the steps to enable the DKMS key for SecureBoot: https://wiki.debian.org/SecureBoot#Making_DKMS_modules_signing_by_DKMS_signing_key_usable_with_the_secure_boot

              If you are using Nvidia’s manual installer, see the readme: https://download.nvidia.com/XFree86/Linux-x86_64/450.80.02/README/installdriver.html#RegisteringTheNda02d

              Yes, this is a pain in the ass. The good news is that it’s a one-time setup; I have performed multiple kernel upgrades on my Debian system without issue.

              • qupada@kbin.social
                0·
                7 months ago

                It can be a one-time setup.

                Right up until your laptop gets its motherboard replaced and won’t boot due to a MOK-signed module (in my case it was ZFS, which I needed for the machine to actually function).

                At which point you

                • Switch secure boot from enforcing to permissive mode (note you can’t turn it off entirely, or the enrollment will fail with an error that your system doesn’t support secure boot).
                • Boot into your OS.
                • Find the arcane command to re-enroll the MOK. That’s sudo mokutil --import /var/lib/shim-signed/mok/MOK.der (for Ubuntu derivatives and probably others), in case someone finds this post in the future.
                • Reboot again, accept enrolling the key.
                • Reboot again, and switch back to enforcing.

                If you have a BIOS password, encrypted filesystem, and all the other moving parts that make having secure boot enabled actually a meaningful exercise, this is neither a fun, nor particularly quick process.

                As for modules being signed automatically when built by DKMS, I’ve never had an issue with that.

              • areyouevenreal@lemm.eeOPEnglish
                0·
                7 months ago

                No it’s not a one time setup. Also doubt there is a secure boot probably BIOS even. It installed the first time and worked, but broke on update, so not a boot issue. This is using the official driver in the non-free repo.

                By comparison FreeBSD you install the driver from the default repos (no enabling non-free) and it just works. Not had an issue updating yet.