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Joined 5 months ago
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Cake day: June 9th, 2025

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  • What distro should I use?

    This always feels like a loaded question. I don’t believe there is a one choice that is “right.”

    After distro hopping and trying many, I have come to a few realizations for myself.

    There are a few factors to consider:

    • What Desktop Environment (if any…): KDE, GNOME, XFCE, Cosmic, etc (this gets a bit more complicated depending on if you don’t want a desktop environment. You could just go CLI or with just a Window Manager like Hyprland, Sway, i3, or others I’m unfamiliar with.)
    • What package manager are you comfortable with? And what style of package management do you want? Do you want older but tested and more stable? Do you want bleeding edge?
    • Is systemd a deal breaker for you?

    Really what I am getting at, you don’t know what you don’t know. So test out many! You can do this in a Virtual Machine with Virtualbox on Windows before switching.



  • I have been running my own dockerized instance of SeaeXNG for years now. I love it. I have it setup behind a reverse proxy to serve a cert for https and I am always VPN’d into my home network (split tunnel for only apps I want to use my home network anyways) and it has been working like a charm.

    Search results are reliable, and it’s customizable.






  • I have used GrapheneOS on and off for 3 years or so.

    I used to be on LineageOS with root. I did that so I could run a firewall, and have complete control over every aspect of my OS.

    I tried GrapheneOS before they had ability for android auto. But lacking that, caused me to switch.

    While my ultimate goal is to ditch big tech, Google, Microsoft, apple, etc I have to compromise a bit for some functionality.

    That being said, having sandboxed Google Play has helped. Something I didn’t have on LineageOS.


    Getting data to and from Debian won’t be an issue. Plug it in, and copy files to and from. Ezpz.

    I use Arch BTW. And have had zero issues. So Linux compatability isn’t an issue.


    As far as getting a Pixel with a headphone jack, that May be an issue. Security updates and software updates for a model with one may be an issue.

    I have had GrapheneOS on a Pixel 7 Pro, and now an 8 Pro.

    As much as I hate Google, I do like pixels. The 7 pro was miles better than my 8 pro.


    I want to add, without Google play, you can still use Accrescent and Obtainium. While Accrescent is good, it has few apps. Obtanium you can pull from GitHub, F-Droid, Gitlab, and more and will check for updates.

    I use both.


  • Arch has been the least limiting experience I have had with Linux thus far.

    You wanna delete system files, do it, I dare you. Oh, it broke your system? Okay, not a problem. I haven’t encountered a situation it wasn’t recoverable. You wanna test bleeding edge custom kernels with drivers that are the newest available? Done.

    If you’re afraid of reading, troubleshooting, and trying new things to test your mettle? Yeah, go with something else.


    There is very little I haven’t been able to do with my Arch setups. I ditched Windows, and can’t go back.


  • Just be aware of what you are installing. And do your best to audit your system regularly. Switching to a bleeding edge distro, and using thebAUr absolutely comes with risks. But it is up to the user to be aware of what they are installing. This goes for any OS. Be aware of what you are installing.

    This can happen on any OS you install software willy nilly with no thought behind it.


  • I would agree with this. I don’t see it as melodramatic.

    Enthusiastic, yeah. And nothing wrong with someone interested in tech to also take the more poetic route of expression.

    Many of the tech enthusiast types are more akin to mindless 1s and 0s. And not everyone is.

    So like you did, rather lack thereof, the response of your own story is optional. I chose to share, because it’s fun to discuss. This isn’t a changelog, or patch notes. This is part or being human and sharing something other than binary data.


  • I have distro hopped like many others. Started out on Ubuntu more than a decade ago. It wasn’t something I loved then, or now. But tried a few more along the eayway.

    Ultimately, I landed on Arch. I want newest packages available, I like to tinker. And I wanted arch so that I could learn how my OS worked on a deeper level than windows would ever allow me to learn without extra dissection. I swapped from being a windows user directly to Arch.

    My first few Arch installs were done by hand, but anytime I reinstall now that I have an understanding, I use the ArchInstall script.

    Arch for me is the perfect cross of form, functionality, and up to date with large dash of customizability.

    Yes, I am familiar with what Gentoo is, but never delved into using it. The next “leap” or discovery I am going to invest time into is Nix.