I’m not by any means a Linux power user. I’m just a front-end dev that likes the idea behind FOSS and I love that a lot of these distros can breathe life in to old machines, plus it’s exciting to distro hop, try out different desktop environments, and try out all the cool software that people have built. Linux may be intimidating for some, others may question why they would switch. With distros like Zorin OS, Linux Mint, Elementary, Pop!_OS, and others of the like, Linux has become easier to install and use. I do not believe in gatekeeping, Linux should be for everyone.
For a year or so I was an avid distro hopper. I would install a distro, test drive it for anywhere from one day to a couple of months. However, Debian 11 was my first long-term distro (7 months). What made me stay with Debian for so long? Honestly, Debian does everything I need it to do, which honestly, ain’t much, and I got kinda burned out on hopping. That being said, I’m sure most distros would meet my needs. I’m a (mostly) front-end developer who likes using VS Code/Codium, Node.js, and other front end tools/things I like to use to help me do my thing. I used Debian with Xfce and I love love love Xfce.
Why Fedora? Well…honestly a lot of the distros I hopped around to were Debian/Ubuntu based distro’s. I did try OpenSuse at one point, however, the laptop I installed it on was driving me nuts. The touchpad would just stop working. This was not an OpenSuse specific issue, this touchpad issue persisted across all distro’s I installed on the laptop. The laptop was a Goodwill find, and worked well otherwise. I would like to give OpenSuse another shot, I really like Yast and I like the idea behind Snapper. This time around I went with Fedora because I’ve read good things about it on Reddit, people tend to compare Fedora to Debian, and i’ve been wanting to give it a go and hopefully find my next long term distro. I went with the Xfce spin, because i’m super biased when it comes to DE’s.
I found nothing wrong with Debian, and if it weren’t for my curiosity regarding other distros I could see myself staying forever. I do plan on checking out OpenSuse after Fedora…if and when I get the energy…which could be months.