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Linux guide for power users (2022)

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Re: Linux guide for power users (2022)

#81

Post by mcpackieh »

gunapologist99 wrote: post #76
iueotnmunto wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Debian 12.1 out of the box, I'm sure there's a workaround, but I had to google 'How do I shutdown my computer. s/ipconfig/ifconfig/ > Overall, from the one of your reply, I have the impression that you might be happier switching to a less opinionated distro like Void Linux or Gentoo. Something as curated as Ubuntu isn't a good fit for you. I agree, but I work in infosec. Nobody ever got fired for running Ubuntu, part…

pulseaudio works in Gentoo now, and you can even run it without switching to systemd (which Gentoo also supports if you're into that). Gentoo also has a new sound server called pipewire that is pulseaudio compatible so that's an option also. (and agreed with all of your other points, and there's still something to be said for the push button utility of ubuntu, etc; to your point, a lot of infosec people, including at…

I strongly suggest switching to pipewire instead of pulseaudio. Most big distros are already switching; pipewire is newer but already more mature/stable.

Re: Linux guide for power users (2022)

#82

Post by RealStickman_ »

tenacious_tuna wrote: post #50
artisanspam wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> considering its history Can you elaborate?

I don't know everything, but I do know they've let their HTTPS cert expire a few times [1], and they apparently delay package updates from upstream for like 1wk for "stability" reasons... which doesn't really add any stability, and just slows down releases. [1]: https://www.reddit.com/r/linux/comments/wr2dps/manjaro_let_t...

The package delays also apply to security updates btw. There's no procedure to get them in faster.

Ironically, on mobile Manjaro has shipped unstable and WIP patches, leading to issues and annoyed maintainers [0]

0. https://dont-ship.it/

Re: Linux guide for power users (2022)

#83

Post by akho »

frfl wrote: post #57
akho wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

(not the person you’re asking, but I have an opinion) For beginners who want to learn how things work — Slackware. That distribution guarantees the beginner will soon graduate to a non-beginner status, or understand that it’s not for them. It’s a really quick result. Ubuntu et al. just make it so people stay beginners forever. I really like the Arch trend among beginners; it doesn’t quite have the educational value o…

Can you explain more about Slackware, in what sense does it help you graduate quickly and provide educational value?

It's the simplest thing you can do, short of LFS. Packages are vanilla; the user is expected to do all configuration in the way intended by upstream. There is no dependency resolution for packages; you typically do a full install of the distro, and install any extras via the method declared by upstream. Nothing is obscured, no hands are held.

Re: Linux guide for power users (2022)

#84

Post by lemper »

i consider myself as a competent linux user, was a linux activist back in the uni days, even. but the article didn't sell me anything at all. if anything, this kind of article is what would drive me away from linux if i were not a linux user.

consider my position, a 9-5 computer guy who lost almost all of my interest in operating system. i just want to get my job done, be it writing software for my employer or redeploy some containers on aws or what you have. in order to do that, i'd need a decent set of toolchains and other things. i wouldn't want to tinker with my graphic driver or any drivers if that matter either. if you want to convince me to use linux fulltime, you'd need to give me a guarantee that i can just sit down, install the damn os including drivers, and the dev. toolchains in less than an hour. but no! the article shows how to be "THAT LINUX GUY".

Re: Linux guide for power users (2022)

#85

Post by memefrog »

Given_47 wrote: post #44
ulkesh wrote: post #35

So it's a tutorial where the goal is to be able to take a screenshot, post to Reddit, and feel cool. There are a few pieces of good information, but it's for people learning Linux (how to install, run a package manager, etc), not power users, which I would define as someone who understands a lot of the OS and takes as much advantage of the system at hand. I feel as if I'd qualify as a power user, who has used Windows…

> This guide is meant as a loose inspiration for a poweruser looking to switch to Linux . Yea the title and the intro sentence have a subtle, but very important difference. And I appreciate the effort but I’m ultimately still confused who the target audience is. I’ve only ever used macOS (like ~9 years computer experience) but currently setting up Gentoo, and being a “power user looking to switch to Linux” myself, I…

Yeah, I don't really know what a 'poweruser looked to switch to Linux' even means. It doesn't compute. A poweruser is a highly proficient user. If you're looking to switch to Linux from Mac, you might be a Mac poweruser but you're not going to be a poweruser in Linux, because you're starting mostly from scratch. And if you're a Windows poweruser, then you're going to be starting entirely from scratch.

So the generic 'poweruser looking to switch to Linux' really makes no sense to me. You can't just be a 'poweruser' in the abstract. A poweruser is a poweruser of something, the thing they are highly proficient at using.

Re: Linux guide for power users (2022)

#86

Post by memefrog »

vdfs wrote: post #22
frfl wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Personally, the biggest appeal of Arch is the great wiki, a large number of up to date packages without snap/ppa whatever else Ubuntu makes you do, and the AUR for anything else that isn't available in the regular package repos. I've only used Ubuntu for work, and typically the versions of things are quite out of date. Where as Arch, for all it's warts and costs (setup, maintenance etc) gives you those things for fre…

Arch wiki is a great resource even if you are on an other distro, only difference is config file location in most cases. Having up to date packages also mean having new bugs you have to deal with, for some users having a stable things outweigh having cutting edge. Never understood people obsession with distro, whatever work for you is fine, they are all linux+open source tools

Having up-to-date packages means having old bugs fixed as much as it means new bugs introduced. In my experience, most programs get more stable over time, and not less. They fix older bugs, add features that resolve old limitations, etc.

'Stability' is an overloaded and confusing term. In the world of Linux distributions and their variants, 'stable' doesn't mean 'less likely to crash', but just 'unchanging'. Arch Linux isn't less 'stable' in the sense that it is more prone to bugs or glitches. It's less stable in the sense that it's always up to date.

The main benefit of stable distributions is that proprietary software works better on them. Hardware that only has drivers for particular kernel versions work forever. That sort of thing. They're not actually more stable in the sense that they're more reliable, at least not just because they don't update. I think they tend to have more bugs, because they tend to patch the software more and the upstream is usually better at doing that than the random Debian maintainer (or whatever) is.

>Never understood people obsession with distro, whatever work for you is fine, they are all linux+open source tools

Yeah there are differences though. The people that distrohop between a bunch of distros only to install the same big GNOME or KDE stack every time... I don't get it at all. On the other hand, Gentoo and Arch and Debian, for example, are all very different in the way they organise and install packages. The user experience at the end of the day isn't really so different though. It matters far more which desktop environment you use (if any) than what distro you run.

Re: Linux guide for power users (2022)

#87

Post by memefrog »

safety1st wrote: post #16
orliesaurus wrote: post #3

Why would you install Arch-based Manjaro? Why not just go with a flavor of Ubuntu to start becoming productive from like minute 5? And if you're really trying to become a super-user why not NixOS?

NixOS is not an obvious choice if you want to become a "Linux super-user." It takes a very unconventional approach to package management, building and configuring your system. All great for what it is but not going to teach you the conventional Linux way of doing things. I don't know if this is still the case but when installing Arch, it used to be that you would start with a very basic set of essential packages and…

Yeah to me NixOS doesn't even really feel like a 'Linux distribution'. It's just a totally different sort of experience. A cool one, but if someone had only ever used NixOS I think they'd struggle as much with a normal distro as someone that's only ever run a normal distro would struggle with NixOS.

Re: Linux guide for power users (2022)

#88

Post by memefrog »

_jal wrote: post #36
orliesaurus wrote: post #3

Why would you install Arch-based Manjaro? Why not just go with a flavor of Ubuntu to start becoming productive from like minute 5? And if you're really trying to become a super-user why not NixOS?

I still don't know what a "power user" is supposed to be, after seeing the term for like 30 years. Seems to describe a range from "able to leap tall spreadsheets in a single bound" to "the person in the office who knows how to fix things". In my experience, most long-term unix nerds today seem to end up using (a) whatever is in front of them or (b) vanilla Debian.

I think a poweruser is a highly proficient and knowledgeable user. That means a Linux poweruser is comfortable configuring their system, writing shell scripts, installing software, fixing issues they encounter, etc. A Linux poweruser understands the layout and organisation of the system, so they tend not to lead themselves down blind alleys as much as beginners do.

I wouldn't consider myself a systemd poweruser, for example. I still haven't really wrapped my head around its operating model. I have to read the documentation too much, and I often think one thing is wrong but something else entirely is going on.

Re: Linux guide for power users (2022)

#89

Post by memefrog »

29athrowaway wrote: post #78

A much simpler guide if you are not a terminal fiend 1. Install Xubuntu 2. Start your session 3. Run sudo apt update sudo apt install pocillo-icon-theme materia-icon-theme fonts-clear-sans 4. Go to the Appearance properties. Under style select "Materia-dark-compact", under Icons select "Pocillo", under Fonts select "Clear Sans". 5. Remove the default desktop wallpaper, use something else. 6. Edit the XFCE panels 6.1.…

Why is installing your preferred font and theme included in this?

Re: Linux guide for power users (2022)

#90

Post by memefrog »

BillyTheMage wrote: post #12
nateb2022 wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not if they don't want to spend a third of their time maintaining their system.

That's a bunch of propaganda. Sure it takes longer for the initial setup, there's no "click this button to install Gentoo" menu, but once you've got it setup it's easier to maintain.

Nah I totally disagree. This is true of Arch, but Gentoo makes it incredibly easy to screw up your system. You never really truly break things, of course, not in a way you can't fix. But if you start adding USE flags all over the place it's pretty easy to get to the point that you can't update anymore because of endless blockers and other weird stuff.
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