The Perfect Linux Distro

It doesn't exist in reality, but it does in ones own mind. I see a plethora of articles about choosing the perfect Linux distro. But the perfect distro is the one that works for you. Is it easy to setup and use? Does it work well with your hardware? Does it have the software you need? If the answer is yes to all of those questions, then it's the perfect distro for you.

I have been using Linux for over 20 years now. I have used many different distributions in that time. I have used SuSE, Red Hat, Fedora, CentOS, Ubuntu, Linux Mint, RaspianOS and lastly, Pop_OS! I have also trialed a few others in between, like Manjaro.

I have never tried Arch BTW. I like the premise, but I don’t think I’d have the patience to set it up. Prior to switching to Pop_OS! I was using Linux Mint. I have an older personal laptop from 2012, and it worked great on that.

In 2022, I got a new job, and the company allowed us to select our own laptop and spec. I had heard of System76 before, and I liked the idea of a company that made their own hardware and software. I also liked the idea of a curated Nvidia driver experience, which would save me the hassle of trying to get it to work on my own. So the first thing I did when I got it was to wipe Windows, and install Pop_OS! At the time of writing, I am still using 22.04, and it’s been great.

I’m especially looking forward to the full release of the COSMIC. I’ve been following the progress of it, but I haven’t dipped my toes into the alpha release. I like that everything works for now, and I am patient enough to be able to wait for the full release.

What has always drawn me to Linux is the customisability of it. But as it was a work machine, I primarily kept it using the stock DE. I do love Conky and have modified my own themes before. Below is my current Desktop using my own Conky theme.

The machine is no longer a work machine, as I have switched roles, and was allowed keep the laptop having had to switch to a Macbook prior to exiting the company, so for the inconvenience I was able to keep it, which I now primarily use for personal projects, and gaming.

I have used Steam on Linux for a number of years, and use Lutris as well to install older games I’ve bought over the years on GOG.com. The gaming experience is pretty good, I’ve never had any major issues with it, but nor am I trying to run the latest AAA titles on it.

Currently I play the likes of No Man’s Sky, and a number of older titles, more for the nostalgia. It has a Nvidia GPU, not the best one, but adequate enough to run some of the games I play, like Rollercoaster Tycoon 2, and the original Command and Conquer games.

It does well with other games such as No Man’s Sky, below.

And GTA IV.

About the author

My name is Harry. I'm a Front-end Web Developer for Optifly. I like to mess around with code (and Linux) in my spare time and I occasionally try to write about it. I like a lot of other things away from the Internet and Work, like Coffee, Books, TV, Movies, Music and Gaming.