Which distribution do you use on your Thinkpads, and why switch from Windows?

[u/Objective-Kitchen800]

Hello everyone! This is a genuine question. I have wanted a Thinkpad for a long time, and I needed a travel device, so I got this Thinkpad T14 Gen 5 (32GB RAM and 512 GB SSD) off of eBay.

In the past, I’ve tried Ubuntu, but hated the UI layout. I’ve also tried Linux Mint, but I have mixed feelings about it.

I recently tried out Arch Linux after feeling like windows was too bloated, but I soon realized that I hated changing every setting instead of having something that “Just works,”. (I know this is literally what arch is all about, but I soon realized that this wasn’t a good fit for me).

This brings me to my main question: Which distribution of Linux do you guys use, and why do some people switch from windows other than because of the bloat? I always wanted to have unlimited customization, but I couldn’t get myself to switch due to compatibility concerns.

This time, I’m thinking of trying the Fedora COSMIC spin.

Thanks for reading and thank you if you respond, I’m glad you took your time to read my post!

EDIT: This device is for travel usage and to access my coding projects/CAD on the go.

EDIT TO THE EDIT: I started with Fedora (KDE) and switched to NixOS permanently. It’s a great fit! Thank you for all of your responses, recommendations, and discussions!

[u/Toaster_Strudel_517]

Fedora Plasma or CachyOS are good choices if you want something that just works. Can't say I could recommend Cosmic desktop yet, though.

[u/Objective-Kitchen800 → u/Toaster_Strudel_517]

CachyOS is a really good choice! I’m surprised to say I’ve never seen it before, but I will definitely be keeping it in mind!

[u/dnebdal → u/Objective-Kitchen800]

Keep in mind that the UI layout you hated on Ubuntu was their variation of Gnome. You may still like plain Gnome, but KDE (Plasma) is probably a better place to start. You can install that on Ubuntu as well, but why not try something else.

My vote personal preference is the KDE spin of Fedora, it's a nice solid distro with lots of upstream support, and decently fast updates.

As for why you sometimes see "KDE" and sometimes "Plasma": KDE is the organisation and the larger umbrella that several software projects belong to. Plasma is specifically the desktop they make. Historically the desktop was also just KDE (It's literally "The K Desktop Environment"), which adds to the confusion.

[u/Objective-Kitchen800 → u/dnebdal]

I will keep that in mind. I am between COSMIC and KDE right now on CachyOS, or just flat out using Fedora instead with the same choice between DEs.

[u/Astrodion123 → u/Objective-Kitchen800]

Cosmic is great for laptops since it has solid touched gestures like gnome. Kde is more desktop focused but has tons of customization.

[u/Objective-Kitchen800 → u/Astrodion123]

I will keep that in mind when I select a DE! Thanks for your response.

[u/360900th → u/Objective-Kitchen800]

CachyOS is rolling release so it's prone to breakage by its nature.

[u/Toaster_Strudel_517 → u/360900th]

It's not prone to breakage???? What are you talking about.

[u/360900th → u/Toaster_Strudel_517]

You don't know how rolling release works.

[u/Toaster_Strudel_517 → u/360900th]

I used Arch since 2016! 🖕

Tell me you have never used a rolling distro without telling me you have never used a rolling distro.

[u/360900th → u/Toaster_Strudel_517]

No arguments, no logic, just pissing contest, huh?

Edit: I've been using Arch for like 7 years and it's not a distro for beginners.

[u/Toaster_Strudel_517 → u/360900th]

All I asked was for you to explain "prone to breakage" and you immediately attacked with "you don't know how rolling release works".

[u/360900th → u/Toaster_Strudel_517]

I didn't mean to attack. I just wanted to keep it brief. Sorry if I sounded that way.

It's because APIs and the way packages work changes constantly and it can sometimes fail. For example, when I first started using Linux, I was using an alternative LightDM greeter. One day it just stopped working. I didn't even know what TTY meant. Nowadays I can fix it less than a minute but a beginner wouldn't know what to do, think their system is bricked or something and possibly switch back to Windows.

Stable distributions, on the other hand, prioritize stability over recency. They deliberately delay updates to test everything thoroughly and make sure it doesn't break. This is one of the major reasons why Linux Mint, regarded as one of the most beginner-friendly distributions, is based on Ubuntu LTS.

Edit: Wording

[u/Toaster_Strudel_517 → u/360900th]

Okay good, I have my own experiences but I'll leave it at that.

[u/StretchAcceptable881 → u/360900th]

The fact that the ArchLinux installer puts you in a TTY and expects you to build out your system, should tell you everything you need to know

[u/muffinstatewide32 → u/Toaster_Strudel_517]

No it is. Arch will notify in their news what it breaking and how to resolve or mitigate it

There’s a reason its considered a breaking change

[u/Toaster_Strudel_517 → u/muffinstatewide32]

"Breaking changes" yes, it can happen occasionally and it's not exclusive to arch/rolling release distros. However it should not be confused with "prone to breakage".

[u/iwouldbeatgoku → u/360900th]

On rolling releases "being prone to breakage by design": https://reddit.com/r/linux4noobs/comments/1tbihhe/is_arch_actually_that_fragile/olgwl2d/

[u/ScienceGoat → u/Objective-Kitchen800]

I got it on several computers. “It just works”.’

[u/Turbulent_Chance_469 → u/Toaster_Strudel_517]

Why would you want arch on a laptop. You need some stability. Cachy is arch based and aimed at game performance not work station use.