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Welly Wu
June 9th, 2015, 01:21 AM
A couple of years ago back sometime in 2009, I tried GNU/Linux for the first time and I chose Ubuntu 9.04 64 bit GNU/Linux at that time. Since then, I have tried almost all of the major and popular GNU/Linux and BSD UNIX distributions, but I found myself going back to Ubuntu. Today, I stopped distro hopping because I don't like reinstalling my desktop operating system repeatedly. The reason why I stopped distro hopping is due to my opinion that Linux is Linux and the different desktop environments and windows managers are nice to play with, but nothing comes as close to near perfect as Ubuntu Unity. It's mature, stable, and well polished and it just works and it gets out of my way. GNOME, KDE, Pantheon, XFCE, LXDE, etc. are all nice and I can see why they have their supporters, but Ubuntu and Unity together are magical. Ubuntu is the most user friendly distribution that avoids a lot of the pain associated with GNU/Linux. It makes smart decisions and it makes the right compromises that balance the desktop user experience with a strong focus on usability and simplicity. There are fewer hoops to jump through in installing, setting up, configuring, and using Ubuntu as my daily driver. Red Hat Fedora is too bleeding edge. CentOS isn't for me. OpenSuSE is a close competitor, but I don't like the RPM system and adding and managing multiple software repositories can be tricky especially for novices. OpenSuSE Tumbleweed is ideal for power users that are experienced in package management. Elementary OS is pretty, but it is only skin deep. I don't like the irregular release cycles that are somewhat unpredictable and it's a bit too focused on the Apple Macintosh OS X like desktop experience for me. Arch is a pain in the butt. Majaro doesn't make much sense to me either. Mageia failed to boot on my PCs. Linux Mint is pretty good, but the Cinnamon and MATE desktop environment are not mature and stable enough compared to Ubuntu Unity and the Linux kernel is kind of locked into place which leaves bugs and security vulnerabilities along with future PC hardware support to be lacking for me.

Now that I've alienated just about all of the other GNU/Linux users, I'll focus on PC-BSD. I find it to be excellent, but it's too small of a community compared to Ubuntu and not all of my PC hardware components and software applications are compatible. Otherwise, I would use it now.

Distro hopping is nice to do, but I'd rather use my legally purchased copy of VMWare Workstation 64 bit to test competing desktop operating systems. The good thing about VMWare is that it keeps Workstation up to date and relatively free of security bugs and vulnerabilities, but is a closed source and commercial software product that is quite expensive. However, the features are worth it for me. This is now my preferred way of testing alternative desktop operating systems. I don't multi-boot. What I noticed about distro hopping is growing confusion and dissatisfaction with specific gotchas in terms of PC hardware or software compatibility issues. I'd find something not to my liking and I would throw away all of my work and switch back to Ubuntu.

I'd be interested in knowing how many members here stopped distro hopping and why along with which distribution you are using now. Thanks.

d-cosner
June 9th, 2015, 02:00 AM
I stopped distro hopping with LMDE 2 Cinnamon. You can't get any more stable than with a Debian base and I really like the direction Cinnamon is going. Cinnamon 2.6 is the best release yet! Everything has a nice new interface now with modern looking toggle switches, Nemo ques copy operations and runs them in sequence, screen savers are back and in a nice new interface, Nemo has a new plug-ins manager, etc. Cinnamon has really matured with the 2.6 release! Performance is outstanding, so much so that it is about as light on resources as Xfce now.

I have nothing to gain distro hopping now!

grahammechanical
June 9th, 2015, 02:13 AM
I never started distro hopping. I did not see any need to do that. All computer operating systems do the same things. They may look differently and have different ways of doing things but underneath it all they do the same things.

I started using Ubuntu in 2007 and I was glad that it was possible to convert my private projects that I started in Windows onto Linux/Ubuntu. I did not find it at all difficult to convert from Gnome 2 panel to Unity. Humans have an ability to adapt.

I satisfy my curiosity by using the development version of Ubuntu and by installing the development versions of the Ubuntu family of distributions and from each of them I can work on my private projects.

Regards.

cariboo
June 9th, 2015, 02:30 AM
I done quite a bit of distro hopping over the years, but over last few years, and even more recently, I've been sticing with Ubuntu. Every 6 months, I upgrade to the next development version. If there is a new distrobution that looks promising, I'll give it a try in vbox, but I usually only install it to see what it looks like, then very rarely visit again.

AS for trying distros on my laptop or main desktop system, it it won't boot in UEFI mode, I give it a pass.

Welly Wu
June 9th, 2015, 02:53 AM
How many here like to research and read about other GNU/Linux or BSD UNIX distributions more than actually trying it out bare metal in a multi-boot setup on their PCs? The thrill is gone with distro hopping for me, but the curiosity is eternal. I like reading articles about the latest desktop environments and window managers just as much as I like reading about the latest release of a competing distribution, but I am very wary about trying it out bare metal. Today, I use VMWare Workstation 11.1.0 64 bit, but I have not downloaded, installed, setup, configured, or used any guest virtual machines yet. I just don't see the need to try out something and pine for it only to be back using the latest Ubuntu 64 bit LTS GNU/Linux again.

The closest I ever considered switching was OpenSuSE Tumbleweed 64 bit GNU/Linux. I really do like the YaST2 tool that is unique to it and I like the OpenSuSE community as well. It appeals to me as a former system administrator quite a bit. Yet, it is largely an enterprise user tool kit and control panel that is largely useless to me as a retired middle aged man today. I also like the Tumbleweed project because it only uses the latest stable software packages, libraries, and dependencies, but once in a while there is an update that breaks the desktop operating system. This is why I don't use OpenSuSE especially Tumbleweed any longer. Besides, I had problems installing it and getting my Lenovo IdeaPad Y510P to work with UEFI and Secure Boot with a previous version.

I have been using almost all of the major and minor GNU/Linux and BSD UNIX distributions and my advice to members here especially for new members is to dabble as much as you would like to do so while using a software product like VMWare Workstation 64 bit and get it out of your system. Let the curiosity for FLOSS technologies burn brightly, but do not stray too far from home. Be especially careful about your own decision making process in choosing your daily driver and remember each reason why you chose it in the first place and let that be your north star that guides you. Distro hopping is interesting and it can be fun at times, but it comes with a double edged sword of stepping out of your own comfort zone and stepping into the unknown.

The more that I continue to use the latest Ubuntu 64 bit LTS GNU/Linux distribution, the more that it continues to grow on me and I have a fond place in my heart for it. It is such an easy breeze to install and use daily. Using my two Ubuntu 14.04.2 64 bit LTS GNU/Linux certified PCs is a pure pleasure daily. I get straight to the purchased premium software applications or content that I own and there is no fiddling around using Ubuntu. I save more time and money by sticking with Ubuntu 64 bit LTS GNU/Linux rather than using Apple Macintosh OS X or iOS and Microsoft Windows combined. The feeling of freedom, liberty, and community here is gratifying so long as I remember to review the forum rules from time to time and I continue to get medical treatment for my diagnosis which is critical. Ubuntu frees me to do what I want without wondering if my PC is betraying my trust with my identity, personal or health identifiable information, and my privacy.

Find out where the masses are going. Go in the opposite direction. Your chances are better.

Adam_GUI
June 9th, 2015, 02:59 AM
I've stopped for the most part.

When I first started, I had a teacher mis-burn a copy of Linspire. (Burned the ISO as a file to disc instead of an image.)
Went from that to Mandrake, to having someone recommend Slax/Slackware.

Used Redhat to Fedora Core to PC-BSD. Absolutely hated setting up Fedora ports in PC-BSD.

Finally got a reliable introduction manual that came with a copy of MEPIS.
Learned MEPIS with KDE3/3.5 until the developer decided he'd switch from Debian sources to Ubuntu sources.

I figured, then, if he was going to use Ubuntu sources, I'd just as well use Ubuntu.


Stayed with Vanilla Ubuntu for a while until Gnome was dropped for Unity.
Then jumped ship to XUbuntu because of its resemblance to Gnome 2.

After all, if the underlying base of apt/dpkg works, why throw out everything you know to spite the DE?

One of the big reasons I stick to Ubuntu and its derivatives is the availability of a LTS edition.
I was getting tired of having to re-setup my system every six months.

Ran g/OS when that was a thing. Then, it disappeared from the face of the Earth.

Have a machine with a GMA500 card that got moved around a lot when it was in heavy use.
--Ubuntu / Mandriva / Fedora. Any time one got a stable-ish video driver, it got tacked onto a 6-month edition instead of a LTS edition.


For a brief while, it ran Linux Mint Debian Edition, until I found I was locked from adding search engines in their custom-packed FireFox.
The machine is now my sole remaining Debian install after I had my desktop install fail.

I still prefer Ubuntu to Debian when I can get it. Debian still feels rather strict in what it allows or how to go about things. Between that and packages being older... You know. Except when you need older.

I look forward to rolling-releases of Ubuntu in the future and having FFMPEG return in place of libav in the next LTS.

Welly Wu
June 9th, 2015, 03:04 AM
I don't use the standard Ubuntu 64 bit GNU/Linux releases. I stick with Ubuntu 64 bit LTS GNU/Linux for long term reliability, stability, maturity, and especially support. I can not be bothered with a botched upgrade every six months. If I really want to try a standard Ubuntu 64 bit GNU/Linux release cycle, then I will use VMWare Workstation 64 bit and I will make sure that I keep it up to date for the latest Ubuntu 64 bit GNU/Linux distribution that I plan to install and use in a guest virtual machine. The beauty of 64 bit LTS releases is that it's entirely predictable and expected to just work right out of the box for up to five years of support from Canonical. I like to purchase and own the latest and greatest high end GNU/Linux PCs and electronics, but my desktop operating system which is my daily driver has to be rock solid day in and day out.

Distro hopping teaches you to be good at investigating, researching, critical thinking skills, and self-dependency along with fostering good social and communication skills to know when to reach out for help and support. It just gets a little bit crazy when switching distributions every six to eight months for me. When you know a specific distribution, you know only that one. Don't generalize it to the GNU/Linux and don't mistake it for BSD UNIX either. Every device and operating system has its' own idiosyncrasies just like people in your lives. Distro hopping is like meeting new people and going to new places like travelling abroad, but don't forget where your home is.

I have made the latest Ubuntu 64 bit LTS GNU/Linux my home. This is what I use daily on all of my PCs past, present, and future. It grounds me and it gives me my identity as a computer user in this chaotic and dangerous world. I have retrained my mindset to that of Canonical's strategy for its' future. There is a reason why most people that know even a little bit about GNU/Linux have at least heard of Ubuntu. This is how I got my start into the FLOSS ecosystem and this is where I will stay until the end of my days. Canonical and Ubuntu are forging the future of GNU/Linux like it or not. They have achieved Linux for Human Beings.

wildmanne39
June 9th, 2015, 03:22 AM
I have only used ubuntu for the last several years but I do test other distros on virtualbox, but I have not found any that I like more then ubuntu setup with gnome flashback and the awn launcher.

Welly Wu
June 9th, 2015, 03:49 AM
This is the beauty of GNU/Linux and Ubuntu. Almost everything is 99.9% customizable. GNU/Linux users can customize, optimize, and tweak almost everything under the sun. The great thing about Ubuntu is that it is a well known quantity which serves as its' foundation and it is the leading GNU/Linux distribution with the widest and deepest levels of standardization and support. When a major hardware manufacturer or software vendor wants to make or port something to GNU/Linux, Ubuntu is almost always one of the top supported platforms. The ability to customize your desktop to suit your digital work flow is astounding and scary combined. For me, Ubuntu Unity remains my top pick because I don't have to worry about the other desktop environments and window managers along with their pros and cons. I have tried almost all of the major ones and Ubuntu Unity is my favorite because it is fairly similar to Apple Macintosh OS X yet it is very Ubuntu in its' own right. The apt package management system is state of the art and it reduces the pain of package management for its' users. The click and snappy package system is transactional based and it is innovative while being a big game changer for Ubuntu's history. Imagine a future Ubuntu that is nearly 99.9% guaranteed to just work and it is faster and more secure as well! Click and snappy package management system is going to be the most important fundamental change and only Ubuntu is doing it right. Ubuntu's switch to systemd was a controversial decision so let's not get bogged down in its' pros and cons here, but I will say that more standardization across major GNU/Linux distributions is looking more appealing for independent software vendors that have been skittish to embrace GNU/Linux in the past several years. Now, there is an incentive to port more software products to GNU/Linux and it is a bit easier. Ubuntu Mir is going to be another major game changer because the decades old X.Org display server and client are being phased out gradually over time. Modern 3D graphics hardware accelerated integrated and discrete GPUs will finally be fully supported natively allowing for faster performance, better compatibility, greatly improved security over X.Org, and more features and capabilities are coming in the future. The Vulkan API is going to give SteamOS + GNU/Linux a shot in the arm and it will be the FLOSS answer to Microsoft's DirectX 12 and AMD's Mantle APIs that allow the GPUs to access more of the bare metal with fewer overheads and inefficiencies. This will put 3D graphics applications at the forefront which allows for more GPU computationally advanced calculations to perform at greater performance and efficiencies at lower power consumption and less drain on notebook PCs' batteries.

This is why I am an Ubuntu user permanently and forever. I just don't see any other major GNU/Linux distribution with the guts to tackle these technical challenges with the same clout and resources that Canonical has with its' worldwide team. Canonical is making the right decisions to balance the ideals of FLOSS with the crass pragmatism of proprietary technologies without abandoning its' identity and core values. It's a tight rope walk for sure, but they got the chops to do it right.

malspa
June 9th, 2015, 06:10 AM
These days, I basically run four distros: Debian, Arch, openSUSE, and Ubuntu LTS. On a given day, I might be booted into any one of those four. I like them all.

I'll use a different DE/WM on different days, too. Mostly: KDE, Xfce, GNOME Shell, Unity, Openbox, or Fluxbox. I don't have a favorite.

Yet, I've never really thought of myself as a "distro-hopper." I just don't like using only one distro. Ever since I learned to multi-boot, I've enjoyed having a handful of distros installed. I've dropped some distros from the group, for various reasons. The ones I'm running right now, I've never really stopped using since the first time I installed them.

Almost all of the different distros I've used here have been fine. Some, like MEPIS and SalineOS, are no longer being developed (yes, I do know about the antiX MX project). I ran Fedora through four or five releases, then got tired of it.

I tend to prefer the "bigger" projects, with larger dev teams, deep repos, excellent documentation, and longer periods between releases.

I've got one computer that seems kinda sluggish no matter what distro I try on it, so every now and again I'll try something different on that one. Right now it holds LMDE 2 and Lubuntu LTS. But I don't use that computer much.

Ubuntu's great, but I think of Debian as my main distro. openSUSE, once installed and set up, doesn't give me any problems. My Arch system, with Xfce, is excellent, quite a pleasure to use. I plan to continue running all four distros for as long as they each continue to work out well for me. I haven't seen anything else out there that I want to add at this time, or that I want to replace any of those four with.

To each their own...

Bucky Ball
June 9th, 2015, 06:57 AM
For about five years now I've only done minimal Ubuntu LTS installs so I can create the system I want every time. No bloat, no fluff, no bells and whistles. I need a solid workhorse, not a disco. I faff about with other distros maybe once a year, but out of curiousity (I have a couple of spare partitions and Virtualbox for that). No intention of going anywhere. What I have works perfectly for me and in the end that's about all that matters. :)

mastablasta
June 9th, 2015, 08:28 AM
I think my new PC will have windows again. much more stable and less issues.

LastDino
June 9th, 2015, 10:59 AM
For last year or so, I've stopped installing new OS on my machine directly. I dual boot with Win8.1 and Ubuntu 14.04LTS. I do use VM to have a look at the other versions and Linux distro's, but I'm not that trigger happy as I used to be to install it on machine just to see how it plays out. But I think this is mostly because of my busy schedule lately, might go back to old pattern some day.

buzzingrobot
June 9th, 2015, 11:54 AM
I've followed/used RedHat/Fedora for years, so I usually track Fedora through a release's development process, then get bored with it after release. I've also tracked Ubuntu development versions, but I'm sitting this one out.

Other than that, I've tried enough different distributions to know what I want and what I don't want. That means I don't need to play with the gazillion Ubuntu derivatives or Debian derivatives that are little more than a theme and some icons layered over the base distro. (It's a clue if the distro has no repo of its own.)

OTOH, if a distro seems to deliver what I want, and do it in a new or different manner, I'll give it a try in live mode.

Currently, I'm happy with 15.04 Unity. It is polished and delivers more of what I want with fewer annoyances. I find 'issues' elsewhere push me away: XFCE tearing; current awkward and problematic mix of KDE4 and Plasma 5 in recent KDE distros; Gnome quirks I don't like, etc. Desktop Linux offerings are good enough that little things are enough to stop me using something.

(I've also done a few physical installs of the Windows 10 builds from the Insider's Program. Seems a real improvement in usability over Win8, but it's still Windows. Really bad font rendering and no reason to use Windows keep me from it, as always.)

neu5eeCh
June 9th, 2015, 03:16 PM
//The reason why I stopped distro hopping is due to my opinion that Linux is Linux...//

This is also why my distro-hopping has slowed. I've come to prefer APT over RPM and love PPAs. The latter eliminates Debian as a possibility. I used a Debian Distro for a while, learned to compile from PPAs, but wasn't seeing the advantage. So, my distro-hopping dwindled to hopping within the Ubuntu-based eco-system. Even then, one runs into tiresome little roadblocks. For example, even though Netrunner is Ubuntu-based, I couldn't successfully run the Intel Graphics Installer for Linux (even when trying the various hacks). I follow Webupd8 and OMGUbuntu, among others, and have noticed that various offerings are increasingly optimized for Ubuntu and the Unity DE. Lately, I've been installing straight Ubuntu and have learned to appreciate the Unity DE (though KDE5 is my current & unrivalled favorite). Unity, at this point, would be my second favorite. It's finally feeling polished and somewhat, if minimally, configurable. So, it's Kubuntu and Ubuntu. I haven't been able to install the LTS, needing the latest Kernels for newer hardware, but look forward to installing the next LTS and being done with it. And then, once Snappy Personal gets started, I'm not sure what the attraction of the other Linux Distros will be (except to partisans). The new Package Management could be a revolution and if the other Distros don't follow suit (or develop real alternatives) I suspect they'll be relegated to the land of the old school and purists.

d-cosner
June 9th, 2015, 03:34 PM
The new Package Management could be a revolution and if the other Distros don't follow suit (or develop real alternatives) I suspect they'll be relegated to the land of the old school and purists.

Maybe, but that's like counting your chickens before they are hatched.

buzzingrobot
June 9th, 2015, 03:50 PM
Maybe, but that's like counting your chickens before they are hatched.

A huge established base of enterprise users has a considerable investment in the existing packaging and dependency resolution tools. No matter how sweet Snappy might turn out to be, especially for small devices, that base won't go away for years, if ever. Every distribution that cares about, or markets to, the enterprise market, will support that, and that very much includes Canonical.

neu5eeCh
June 9th, 2015, 04:06 PM
A huge established base of enterprise users has a considerable investment in the existing packaging and dependency resolution tools. No matter how sweet Snappy might turn out to be, especially for small devices, that base won't go away for years, if ever. Every distribution that cares about, or markets to, the enterprise market, will support that, and that very much includes Canonical.

That may or not be correct. Time will tell. In the context of the thread, I was referring to distro-hoppers. I think there will be increasingly less inclination to distro hop, at least beyond the ubuntusphere, as the technological differences (and not just DEs) continue to differentiate Ubuntu from, really, all the others. It won't just be snappy personal, but also MIR. Are the other distros going to snub MIR? Then will they choose Wayland? And if it's Wayland, will Wayland be able to match MIR's pace of development? Will they stick with X? It seems that the difference between Ubuntu & the-rest-of-the-distros-distro will be increasingly more than just the DE. Just speculating...

Bucky Ball
June 9th, 2015, 06:07 PM
... and Canonical might forget about Ubuntu and focus entirely on cloud services, none of which has anything to do with the topic of this thread:

How many here have stopped distro hopping?

Could we go back there, please? There are umpteen threads here and elsewhere crystal ball gazing about where Canonical's main focus might or might not be in future and the future of open-source software generally. Please join one of them if you wish to discuss either. Thanks. :)

d-cosner
June 9th, 2015, 06:12 PM
That may or not be correct. Time will tell. In the context of the thread, I was referring to distro-hoppers. I think there will be increasingly less inclination to distro hop, at least beyond the ubuntusphere, as the technological differences (and not just DEs) continue to differentiate Ubuntu from, really, all the others. It won't just be snappy personal, but also MIR. Are the other distros going to snub MIR? Then will they choose Wayland? And if it's Wayland, will Wayland be able to match MIR's pace of development? Will they stick with X? It seems that the difference between Ubuntu & the-rest-of-the-distros-distro will be increasingly more than just the DE. Just speculating...

MIR uses xserver as it's fallback mode if the graphics card is not supported. How will this work when Wayland is adopted fully by everyone else and xserver is no longer developed? In any case, none of this has anything to do with the original topic.

Edit: Bucky Ball, I must have been writing my response when you added yours. I liked the way you summarized things!

PaulW2U
June 9th, 2015, 06:18 PM
How many here have stopped distro hopping?

I suppose I'm one of those users who, having tried OpenSUSE, Fedora and a couple of others, realised that Ubuntu was the only distribution that just worked for me on every piece of hardware that I had available at the time of installation.

However, I remain a flavour hopper to some degree. ;)

I'm currently a user of Kubuntu, Xubuntu and Ubuntu Server but I'm also looking at returning to Ubuntu for reasons that are not really relevant to this thread.

Welly Wu
June 9th, 2015, 07:01 PM
I did try the other Ubuntu flavors, but I found that I ran into various issues. Kubuntu is a good example, I had an old Dell 24" 1920 X 1080P monitor and I could not get KDE 4.2 to work right out of the box with multi-monitor support at that time when I was using Kubuntu 13.10 64 bit. Xubuntu 15.04 64 bit is very good except that I missed the ease of switching among different digital to analog devices as easily as Ubuntu Unity. Lubuntu 15.04 64 bit did not work for me at all as I found it was too lean and there were a lot of missing software packages, libraries, and dependencies compared to Ubuntu and I had a difficult time switching among different DACs. Ubuntu 15.04 64 bit MATE is interesting and I liked the low consumption of CPU and RAM usage, but I found that it was not stable enough for me especially when installing QT software packages. MATE would crash and I would have to fix it repeatedly. Switching among DACs was not as easy as Ubuntu Unity as well.

The biggest difference between Ubuntu proper and the flavors for me comes down to multi-monitor and multi-DAC support right out of the box. Ubuntu 64 bit LTS GNU/Linux is the best choice for me and I'm sticking with it because I get nearly 99.9% hardware support right out of the box with Ubuntu Unity. The other driving factor is that Ubuntu Unity comes with a full set of software packages, libraries, and dependencies so there is a lot less work that I have to do in the terminal to get third party software packages and applications to install and run properly. For example, I own a legal copy of Codeweavers' CrossOver for Ubuntu 64 bit LTS GNU/Linux. It requires a fair amount of installation of extra software packages, libraries, and dependencies, but there are automated scripts that guide me during the complete installation of CrossOver. I ran into issues with missing software packages, libraries, and dependencies with the other Ubuntu flavors and it required me to do extra research to get CrossOver to install completely. The other big issue is VMWare Workstation. While it does install pretty smoothly on some of the other Ubuntu flavors, I found that Xubuntu and Lubuntu would not work and I had to resort to the VMWare community to get support in the forums due to missing software packages, libraries, and dependencies.

This is why I always stick with the latest Ubuntu 64 bit LTS GNU/Linux distribution version at the current time. It just works right out of the box and there is less work on my part to get my third party software packages and applications to install and run properly.

I guess what I'm trying to get at is that I am a lazy GNU/Linux user. I think that lazy Linux users are the best because we want everything to just work with as little work on our part. If it ain't broke, then don't fix it!

buzzingrobot
June 9th, 2015, 07:09 PM
How many here have stopped distro hopping?



I don't believe in 'commiting' to a distribution or a vendor. If I don't like 15.10 or if something seems better to me in the meantime, I'll stopped using Unity 15.04. Is that distrohopping? I don't think so.

I'd define distrohopping as moving from distribution to distribution in the hope that the next one will please you more than its predecessor, or because we just get bored. I'd say I've given up *that*.

But, moving from A to B because A displeases you for a reason you can articulate and because you know B does not, no, I don't think that's distrohopping.

monkeybrain20122
June 9th, 2015, 07:38 PM
I stay pretty much with Ubuntu for reliable performance, easy maintenance and an abundance of software and yes, Unity :) But I also dualboot with Fedora to keep in touch with the rpm world and try alternative software and setups. While there are many good things to say about Fedora I have concluded that it is not a drop in replacement for Ubuntu. I do all my serious stuffs on my Ubuntu partition. Now both Ubuntu 15.04 and 14.04 work well and I have switched to 15.04 as my main OS (though still haven't got the time to clone the installation from an external hd to the internal one) If 15.10 turns out to be crappy I would just restore my 14.04 clone after 15.04 eof.

I have play with other distros at different time, not distro hopping but just to check them out. But I don't have time to maintain all of them, I want to have a life outside Computer stuffs too. :) So I get rid of all of them for now. May install Arch on a small computer I acquired recently though, when I get around to it.

help_me2
June 9th, 2015, 07:45 PM
I stopped distro hopping a few years ago. I just don't feel the need anymore, as Ubuntu gives me everything I need.

poorguy
June 9th, 2015, 09:20 PM
i think distro hopping is a must as until you try different distros you don't know which is best for your needs.
i run different distros on many different desktop computers and they all work great. i just like the different desktops and i like to try different things and not all distros work with all hardware so trying the different distros is a must.

just my opinion and experiences.

the poorguy

MartyBuntu
June 9th, 2015, 10:21 PM
Just so we're clear on the matter, when we're referring to "distro-hopping", we are talking about actually switching distros as our main computing platforms...not necessarily trying out different distros in a virtual machine, a dual boot environment, or an installation on a "test machine"...right?

Because my main workstation is Ubuntu Studio 14.04 64bit, but I have quite a few distros I maintain in VirtualBox, just to keep up with advancements/changes in the Linux world.

monkeybrain20122
June 9th, 2015, 10:41 PM
Just so we're clear on the matter, when we're referring to "distro-hopping", we are talking about actually switching distros as our main computing platforms...not necessarily trying out different distros in a virtual machine, a dual boot environment, or an installation on a "test machine"...right?

Because my main workstation is Ubuntu Studio 14.04 64bit, but I have quite a few distros I maintain in VirtualBox, just to keep up with advancements/changes in the Linux world.

well you have a point there. Just want to add that switching between different DEs (Ubuntu to Kubuntu say) should not count either. Still the same distro though with different DEs:)

poorguy
June 9th, 2015, 10:57 PM
hey all, guess i am not a hopper as i use all of the different distros installed on different computers. don't run any of them dual boot or virtual mode. just like the different distros and all suit all my needs. linux lite 2.2 LTS and ubuntu 14.04 LTS are the 2 that i like the best. all of my distos are all ubuntu based except debian. i do wish they all had the "lite cleaner" as part of the software. don't care for bleachbit.

the poorguy

neu5eeCh
June 9th, 2015, 11:55 PM
... and Canonical might forget about Ubuntu and focus entirely on cloud services, none of which has anything to do with the topic of this thread:

Sorry, Bucky Ball, but I disagree.

The OP didn't just ask "How many here have stopped distro hopping?". He wrote a fairly extensive explanation for why he's stopped distro-hopping, in particular:

"Ubuntu is the most user friendly distribution that avoids a lot of the pain associated with GNU/Linux. It makes smart decisions and it makes the right compromises that balance the desktop user experience with a strong focus on usability and simplicity. "

I picked up on that comment. Why might there be less distro-hopping? Because, as the OP wrote, "Ubuntu is the most user friendly distribution that avoids a lot of the pain associated with GNU/Linux."

What are those "smart decisions"? PPAs is one. Snappy-Personal could be another. Mir could be another.

So no, i'm not off-topic. I'm speculating as to why there might be less distro-hopping and on what the OP is calling "smart decisions". I'm responding to the OP's original post, not just the "Title".

And I thank you for your time.

Welly Wu
June 11th, 2015, 03:46 AM
For me, I define distro hopping as switching among different GNU/Linux and BSD UNIX distributions by reinstalling a new one bare metal on your desktop or notebook PC as using it as your new daily driver. I'm not talking about switching among the different Ubuntu spins or desktop environments and window managers per se.

Committing to a specific distribution has a number of key advantages which are pretty obvious to some of the community members here and I wanted to raise awareness to the familiarity and increased proficiency of sticking to one that works best for you. I regard distro hopping as becoming a jack of all trades. At this point in my life, I would rather dedicate the remainder of my life span toward mastering Ubuntu. Distro hopping is good if you are curious regardless of whether you are new to FLOSS or not, but I clearly stated why I don't partake in this any longer. Becoming an Ubuntu power user is the most sensible choice because it is still the third most popular desktop operating system in the world and communities like this one promote its' adoption and usage worldwide for good reasons. I have noticed that as I get more comfortable and proficient in using Ubuntu daily, the desire to hop onto another distribution is less appealing and the pros and cons of other distributions become less important to me as enticing reasons to switch from X, Y, and Z distribution over a long period of time. I can not overstate the importance of this experience that I have gained later in my life.

There is a good reason why it is easy to do a search for specific solutions to specific problems when using Ubuntu. It's becoming more akin to using Microsoft Windows in terms of the vast breadth and depth of the technical expertise within the Ubuntu community and I regard it as an alternative tier one desktop operating system that lacks nothing compared to Microsoft Windows. The FLOSS design and the flexibility along with customization possibilities are endless with Ubuntu and problem solving skills are sharpened over time and I also noticed that it becomes less important to look for problems when almost everything just works right out of the box. This is the Ubuntu experience that I have enjoyed for quite some time.

In the end, Ubuntu makes the strongest case for spearheading GNU/Linux especially in the highly competitive and cut throat IT landscape within North America. I have done my job to spread Ubuntu and humanity toward others by converting two close friends of mine to using it and I provided them with two notebook PCs with the latest Ubuntu 64 bit LTS GNU/Linux pre-installed. They rarely contact me for help or technical support. This is proof positive that Ubuntu just works even for less technically savvy users that need a great deal of hand holding. I have found that solving Microsoft Windows problems to be increasingly confusing and challenging because there are so many hoops to jump through regarding closed source and propriety software and newer Windows versions keep adding more junk on top of an already dicey house of cards. People demand new features and capabilities without taking the time to learn and research the basics first. Piling on new commercial features and capabilities only exacerbates this situation for Microsoft Windows users that still rely on ancient fundamental technologies that are inherently outdated and insecure.

Canonical is brave and crazy enough to truly re-imagine Ubuntu by changing the core fundamental technologies in order to develop it to adapt in a new era and technological landscape because GNU/Linux is mostly free, libre, and open source in design and philosophy and the community is more agile, nimble, and cooperative as a whole when a good set of leaders sets a clear agenda based on ambitious goals tempered by a realistic schedule. The Ubuntu community gets their say in future Ubuntu goals, technological innovations, and governance. The things that Canonical are working on for 15.10 64 bit are ambitious and they clearly pave the way for 16.04 64 bit LTS to be one of the most important release cycles in over a decade if they are able to ship most of their promises. Canonical and Ubuntu set the tone and they set the gold standard by which other GNU/Linux and BSD UNIX distributions adjust their own goals and communities. These are exciting times to be an Ubuntu user. The raft of fundamental key changes is akin to the proverbial tipping point on a fulcrum for the Ubuntu project. Why go elsewhere by switching to another distribution? It doesn't make much sense for me when the brightest minds and the best ideas are within the Ubuntu community and project. Ubuntu is quickly iterating more rapidly and Canonical is setting the high watermark for other GNU/Linux distributions and communities to sit up and take notice. The ripple effect extends beyond the UNIX like distributions and communities and Apple, Google, and Microsoft are paying close attention to Ubuntu and they are cherry picking the best features for their closed ecosystems. At the end of the day, the best ideas and execution wins. I now firmly believe that Canonical is shaping Ubuntu to be a major contender worldwide and the Ubuntu desktop market share will go up gradually over time as a result. Call it stubbornness or visionary thinking, but Canonical has the right stuff and Ubuntu is poised to usurp Apple, Google, and Microsoft among other tech giants in the next decade or longer.

malspa
June 11th, 2015, 08:09 AM
Quite simply, Linux is different for different people.

One person's gonna distro-hop; the distro that was the best fit a few years ago might not be the best fit today.

Another person's gonna stick with only one distro, and will have great reasons for staying with only that distro.

Me, I feel that I'm better off taking advantage of what a few different distros offer, but I like to stay with the same handful of distros over the long term. I would not be happy or satisfied using only one distro.

I see no reason for everyone to approach this in the same way. Use Linux in the way that works out best for you.

Habitual
June 11th, 2015, 07:52 PM
I've installed 100s of "distros", but I have only used a few of them over the last 7 years.
Ubuntu
OpenSuSE
Linux Mint.
Slackware
Linux Mint - again

The only reason I'm not still on Slackware is that when Skype dropped support for ALSA and Skype disallowed 4.2 users to connect,
I went for Mint.

To me: the distro doesn't matter. All that matters is good packaging.
I'm fluent in both apt and rpm-based distributions.
Xfce4 everywhere.

I have been cured!
I suppose if Linux Mint goes "south", or I get bored, which is a lot, I might have to try one
I've never been exposed to (it would have to be an apt-based system).

pretty_whistle
June 11th, 2015, 08:12 PM
I used to distro hop when I was trying different ones to see which one I liked. Then I found ubuntu and stayed with it.

Kale_Freemon
June 12th, 2015, 04:54 AM
I doubt I'll ever stop distro hopping completely. But, for the most part, I like to stay within the Ubuntu family of distros, mainly due to more mainstream support. That, and I'm pretty darn familiar with it at this point. At least enough to do what I need to with it.

benrob0329
June 13th, 2015, 07:32 AM
Nope, probably never will. :-D
Right now NetBSD looks really tempting...

OrangeCrate
June 13th, 2015, 07:55 AM
I used to try a lot of distros, but, I just don't have the time anymore. I just use the latest LTS version, and I pretty much ignore everything else.

linuxyogi
June 14th, 2015, 11:38 AM
A couple of years ago back sometime in 2009, I tried GNU/Linux for the first time and I chose Ubuntu 9.04 64 bit GNU/Linux at that time. Since then, I have tried almost all of the major and popular GNU/Linux and BSD UNIX distributions, but I found myself going back to Ubuntu. Today, I stopped distro hopping because I don't like reinstalling my desktop operating system repeatedly. The reason why I stopped distro hopping is due to my opinion that Linux is Linux and the different desktop environments and windows managers are nice to play with, but nothing comes as close to near perfect as Ubuntu Unity. It's mature, stable, and well polished and it just works and it gets out of my way. GNOME, KDE, Pantheon, XFCE, LXDE, etc. are all nice and I can see why they have their supporters, but Ubuntu and Unity together are magical. Ubuntu is the most user friendly distribution that avoids a lot of the pain associated with GNU/Linux. It makes smart decisions and it makes the right compromises that balance the desktop user experience with a strong focus on usability and simplicity. There are fewer hoops to jump through in installing, setting up, configuring, and using Ubuntu as my daily driver. Red Hat Fedora is too bleeding edge. CentOS isn't for me. OpenSuSE is a close competitor, but I don't like the RPM system and adding and managing multiple software repositories can be tricky especially for novices. OpenSuSE Tumbleweed is ideal for power users that are experienced in package management. Elementary OS is pretty, but it is only skin deep. I don't like the irregular release cycles that are somewhat unpredictable and it's a bit too focused on the Apple Macintosh OS X like desktop experience for me. Arch is a pain in the butt. Majaro doesn't make much sense to me either. Mageia failed to boot on my PCs. Linux Mint is pretty good, but the Cinnamon and MATE desktop environment are not mature and stable enough compared to Ubuntu Unity and the Linux kernel is kind of locked into place which leaves bugs and security vulnerabilities along with future PC hardware support to be lacking for me. Now that I've alienated just about all of the other GNU/Linux users, I'll focus on PC-BSD. I find it to be excellent, but it's too small of a community compared to Ubuntu and not all of my PC hardware components and software applications are compatible. Otherwise, I would use it now. Distro hopping is nice to do, but I'd rather use my legally purchased copy of VMWare Workstation 64 bit to test competing desktop operating systems. The good thing about VMWare is that it keeps Workstation up to date and relatively free of security bugs and vulnerabilities, but is a closed source and commercial software product that is quite expensive. However, the features are worth it for me. This is now my preferred way of testing alternative desktop operating systems. I don't multi-boot. What I noticed about distro hopping is growing confusion and dissatisfaction with specific gotchas in terms of PC hardware or software compatibility issues. I'd find something not to my liking and I would throw away all of my work and switch back to Ubuntu. I'd be interested in knowing how many members here stopped distro hopping and why along with which distribution you are using now. Thanks. Just a reminder BSDs are not distributions. I was told so at #freebsd IRC channel. BSDs are considered as a complete OS. I started using Ubuntu since 8.04 and I am addicted to the Gnome2 now Mate DE. I have tried Fedora, OpenSUSE, Debian, PCLINUXOS, Manjaro, Antergos, FreeBSD/PCBSD. Fedora's RPM fusion repo which is used for the NVIDIA non free driver installation is too buggy for me. I tried multiple times and got a black screen with a blinking cursor. I too consider OpenSUSE the next best distro after Ubuntu. Problem with PCBSD is it offers only ZFS as the filesystem and ZFS needs lots of RAM. Also the GUi package manager AppCafe is painfully slow even on a fast internet connection and lacks basic details like ETA, etc. Setting up a dual boot system with PCBSD and Linux or Windows requires manual work. I want to try OpenBSD but unfortunately it has poor support for Nvidia GPUs.

Bucky Ball
June 14th, 2015, 11:53 AM
Just a reminder BSDs are not distributions. I was told so at #freebsd IRC channel. BSDs are considered as a complete OS.

All you need to know is seconds away at trusty Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berkeley_Software_Distribution), which is perhaps a small step up from word of mouth. BSD (what are BSDs?) are a derivative of Unix (and so is Linux I believe).


I have tried almost all of the major and popular GNU/Linux and BSD UNIX distributions

Welly Wu clearly states BSD's relationship with Unix, not Linux, correctly but the only thing I'm curious about are the BSD distributions. As far as I knew there is BSD. We live and learn. I'll have a look. If spins of BSD do exist they would be called distributions based on BSD I guess (the same way Ubuntu is a distro based on Debian which is based on Linux). ;)

Anyhow, How many here have stopped distro hopping?

pfeiffep
June 14th, 2015, 01:18 PM
Well I don't think I'll stop using any one particular OS vs another. I landed on Ubuntu after many failed attempts installing Chromium OS on an old Dell Laptop. I tried Linux Mint and a few other desktops and for now am pretty happy with 14.04 LTS. I don't know if everyone considers having 14.10 & 15.04 installed on separate partitions really swapping just to test??? I also 'swap' between Windows 7 and Ubuntu using Win for photo editing, tax preparation, and iPhone synch.

d-cosner
June 14th, 2015, 03:44 PM
In my case I think I just found the right mix of stability and new features with LMDE 2 Cinnamon. I have the reliability of the Debian 8 base but still get new versions of Cinnamon. The Debian based edition worked perfect out of the box with my hardware, mainly my NVidea GT 220 graphics. The open source driver gave me a perfect working plymouth and still has decent performance for what I use the computer for. My computer is about 7 years old and was originally considered a business class machine.

Cinnamon got my attention when I saw how refined it had become. The 2.6 release of Cinnamon really surprised me though! I never expected to see new features and a complete overhaul of the user interface. I never expected to see so many developers involved with the project either! I started looking on github and saw not only the number of developers but how hard they were working everyday on the project. In my case I ended up not having to fix problems any more from installing new or different distros and my need to distro hop was satisfied with having the latest version of Cinnamon.

I even learned something along the way! I learned the value of having separate partitions in the event I messed things up. I can have my system back up and running in about 20 minutes with no data loss now. My second choice is still the Ubuntu LTS and I do run the Ubuntu based version of Mint on my laptop because it works well on it's hardware now that the 3.19 kernel is available. I have ran Ubuntu 14.04 on the laptop in the past and it ran reasonably well. Using Compiz with an AMD E1 processor @1.2 GHz makes it kind of sluggish though.

The laptop is kind of an odd piece of hardware, it's only a couple years old but is really under powered for most modern desktop environments. Cinnamon just happened to work decent on it. I like to keep all the computers on the same distro when possible but the Ubuntu based version of Mint offered the newer kernel and the right proprietary ATI drivers the laptop needed. I ended up with decent performance and a modern desktop environment that I would get new versions of. Ubuntu 15.04 did run pretty good on the laptop but I really would rather stay with an LTS release on it because it is a nightmare installing anything on it.

I have installed Ubuntu 14.04 on many of my family and friends computers with no complaints. I just do not have the right hardware for it myself... I distro hopped looking for the right combination of hardware support and performance and finally found something I am content with. My father-in-law was a die hard Windows fan but after several Windows re-installs from viruses he is a very happy Ubuntu user these days! There is a reason both Ubuntu and Mint are so popular!

Welly Wu
June 15th, 2015, 01:38 AM
I am glad that you got someone in your family to switch from Microsoft Windows to GNU/Linux. I gave away two notebook PCs and I installed Ubuntu 14.04.2 64 bit LTS GNU/Linux on each one to two of my close friends and they have had no problems for the most part. I find that TeamViewer 32 bit in its' latest version to be essential. I know for sure that my close friends will not distro hop because they don't know how to download and install a desktop operating system on their PCs unless I do it for them and they have no desire to experiment with different GNU/Linux distributions just to kick the tires. So, they fit in the same vein as this thread of mine. They are not distro hoppers and never will be in the first place. I find that distro hopping is for the more experienced and advanced GNU/Linux user who likes to experiment and this is a key factor under consideration. While most of us within this community might say that distro hopping is simple as pie, for someone that lacks basic technical skills it can be a real nightmare. They regard a PC as an appliance that has to just work until it dies. They hang on to older PC hardware and they use their computers normally to do the basics. Distro hoppers are much more specific about why they want to switch and which specific GNU/Linux distribution that they want to test. I also consider people that dual or multi boot to be more advanced than typical distro hoppers because you have to deal with the GRUB 2 and things like UEFI and Secure Boot play major roles especially when using both Microsoft Windows 8.1 64 bit and GNU/Linux on the same PC.

For me, distro hopping is no longer as fun as it was years ago. I gained valuable experience and knowledge in the process, but those days are behind me today. I am becoming more like my close friends that expect a PC to just work right out of the box like an appliance until it dies. However, I am also a PC hardware and GNU/Linux enthusiast and I am a very advanced, knowledgeable, experienced, and savvy GNU/Linux power user. This is why I bought both a System76 Lemur Ultra Thin (lemu4) notebook PC in August 2012 and a new 2015 ZaReason Zeto desktop PC. I also installed Ubuntu 64 bit LTS GNU/Linux on my Lenovo IdeaPad Y510P notebook PC with both UEFI and Secure Boot enabled and it just worked right out of the box. Ubuntu 64 bit LTS GNU/Linux is a charming distribution that appeals to a broad spectrum of users at different stages in their lives from different walks of life worldwide. I think that people have accepted and learned to live with Canonical's decision to stick with Ubuntu Unity and they have decided to come back because it has gained a lot of requested features and capabilities along with reliability, stability, and maturity along with polish. As an avid SteamOS + GNU/Linux PC gamer, Ubuntu 64 bit LTS GNU/Linux is the only supported platform until April 2017. It will be interesting to see what impact Canonical's future technologies will play a role with regard to Valve Corporation's business strategy regarding SteamOS + GNU/Linux. Ubuntu is like magic and it feels like home for me.

A lot of people deride Ubuntu users worldwide because it is seen as a newbie friendly GNU/Linux distribution, but that is because there is a lot of animosity against Canonical and their Ubuntu brand and vision for convergence. I reckon it to sibling rivalry and a lot of the politics in the FLOSS ecosystem reflects it. One of the understated reasons why Ubuntu is so successful is due to the fact that the sum of its' individual parts eclipses the whole desktop and mobile operating system. Canonical worked hard to get Ubuntu to where it stands today and marshalling that effort has been a tough nut to crack especially in the FLOSS ecosystem. I see other GNU/Linux distributions as being more fractious and divisive with a lot of in house squabbling and politicking that ultimately dooms it over time. The Ubuntu community is not perfect in this regard, but more people are more passionate about Ubuntu than the other GNU/Linux distributions because we as a community are willing to make and accept tough decisions in light of the greater good of the Ubuntu project as a whole. This is not to be underestimated as a major contributing factor that drives the success of Ubuntu worldwide. To this day, Ubuntu feels like it is Linux for human beings. The spirit and ethos of the Ubuntu word and philosophy extends and embraces without extinguishing opposing people and opinions in a relatively civil manner. This Ubuntu community feels more multi-national and it is a much larger and healthier worldwide community than other GNU/Linux distributions. Consequently, the community contributes to the future development of the Ubuntu project and this is what I meant by stating that Canonical has made the right decisions for the most part and they have achieved the right compromises and tradeoffs in developing Ubuntu and keeping that thrust going forward more so than other GNU/Linux distributions and their communities. Ubuntu gets its' worldwide community and the project feels more organic than rather just another run of the mill GNU/Linux distribution with lots of users.

This is the main reason why Ubuntu is the first recommendation for new users when they are considering GNU/Linux for the first time in their computing careers or personal computers. Ubuntu has word of mouth advertising and a thriving community to support its' users worldwide. As the third most popular general purpose desktop operating system in the world, the focus is less so on technical issues and more about the community as a whole and its' unique set of needs and challenges. Ubuntu makes GNU/Linux less intimidating for new users worldwide compared to the more advanced and technically orientated distributions. This is its' major strength and its' major weakness. It serves as an entry point into the GNU/Linux and FLOSS ecosystem and it is a good foundation from which to gain knowledge, experience, technical skills sets, and IT certifications to advance a personal hobby or passion into a fully fledged career path. Ubuntu involves a lot less pain with getting stuff to work and it shifts the focus on enjoying the GNU/Linux advantages and it helps to shape minds and hearts toward greater fostering of FLOSS philosophies. It takes the technical jargon out of using GNU/Linux and it puts the power, freedom, and liberties enjoyed by fellow Ubuntu users worldwide in the hands of many different people worldwide especially in developing nations that don't have the infrastructure or the inherent advantages of the United States of America. It is a powerful tool for democratization and accessibility to information and data worldwide especially in repressive regimes. For some, Ubuntu is their only safeguard from tyranny and oppression. For others, Ubuntu is a choice of free will to discover, explore, and enjoy your PC without the headaches associated with commercial desktop and mobile operating systems.

mbott
June 16th, 2015, 10:58 AM
How many here have stopped distro hopping?



I've pretty much stopped hopping, but still bounce between Mint and Ubuntu on my laptop. My preference is Ubuntu, but Mint provides a slightly different experience for me that is different enough to keep around. EDITED TO ADD: I've installed Mint Cinnamon 17.2rc and I'll check it out over the next couple of days.

--
Mike

poorguy
June 16th, 2015, 02:15 PM
although debian was my 1st linux distro i really learned and like ubuntu 14.04 LTS as it does provide lots of support and software. i don't have any issues with the unity desktop, like it very well. i have also use different versions of ubuntu on different desktops for different reasons. also like linux mint 17.1 as it seems to be feature packed. all linux i use now is very friendly and easy to use. so try different distros until you find the one that suits your needs.

the poorguy

seenthelite
June 18th, 2015, 12:12 AM
I stopped distro hopping a while ago, settled with an install of Kubuntu 14.04 on one machine and Ubuntu Unity on a couple of Laptops.

xiongnu2
June 19th, 2015, 06:28 PM
I used Ubuntu before I switched to Debian when 'Squeeze' came out. Now with 'Jessie' and systemd (don't like), I began to experience with FreeBSD.

still, Ubuntu just worked when I was using it, it's a good distro for new Linux user.

kenharkey7
June 20th, 2015, 09:35 PM
I don't honestly think I will ever really be able to completely stop distrohopping, there is just too many interesting Linux distros out there. I have, however, stopped reinstalling every time I wanted to try something new out and now opt for dual and even triple booting in order to test others out, then if I find one I like better then my main system I'll switch. I always keep a seperate home partition as well so I don't lose all my personal files.

Welly Wu
June 20th, 2015, 09:47 PM
Wow, that's three distros on one PC? That is a lot. I use VMWare Workstation 11.1.0 64 bit to test different GNU/Linux distributions. When I'm done, I delete the guest virtual machine. VMWare Workstation is very advanced and powerful compared to Oracle's VirtualBox. In the past, there were a few prominent security vulnerabilities that targeted the FLOSS hyper visors and VMWare was not affected. Choose the best tool for the job.

Old_Grey_Wolf
June 21st, 2015, 02:36 AM
Wow, that's three distros on one PC? That is a lot. I use VMWare Workstation 11.1.0 64 bit to test different GNU/Linux distributions. When I'm done, I delete the guest virtual machine. VMWare Workstation is very advanced and powerful compared to Oracle's VirtualBox. In the past, there were a few prominent security vulnerabilities that targeted the FLOSS hyper visors and VMWare was not affected. Choose the best tool for the job.

What were the prominent security vulnerabilities affecting the hypervisors that didn't affect VMWare? What hypervisor does VMWare use?

Welly Wu
June 21st, 2015, 03:30 AM
VMWare Workstation uses a controversial blend of both FLOSS and their own proprietary hyper visor in Workstation for their GNU/Linux desktop app. I don't know what it cherry picks from the FLOSS technologies, but they got sued by the FOSS organization for violation of the GPL by not publishing their proprietary software source code in Workstation. The reason why I use VMWare Workstation is because it is the best choice for me. There are a ton of advanced features and unique capabilities that it has that Oracle's VirtualBox does not have. The best is that VMWare Workstation supports native GNU/Linux 3D hardware accelerated graphics in guest virtual machines which is useful if you purchase, download, and install Microsoft Windows 7 or 8.1 including preliminary support for 10 64 bit. Check out last month's Jupiter Broadcasting Linux Action Show in their news headline segment and Chris describes the specific FLOSS hyper visor security vulnerabilities. They are fully patched by now.

If you are serious about running multiple guest virtual machines, then VMWare Workstation is an excellent albeit expensive software product that works. It works with Ubuntu 64 bit LTS GNU/Linux including future hardware enablement stacks if you keep Workstation up to date.

yoshii
June 21st, 2015, 05:47 AM
I did a little bit of distro / windows hopping but just to learn and to get away from Windows issues. I recently quit Windows 7 a second time and came back to Ubuntu Studio. I have some good Windows payware and some of it is hard to run in Wine, but after messing around with Windows and malware issues, I realised that Ubuntu Studio is actually EASIER. And for a while I had been using Lubuntu which I liked, but I needed the multimedia features of Ubuntu Studio. So I used Puppy Linux to wipe my hard drive and start over with Ubuntu Studio. Now that everything is running smooth again, I probably am done distro hopping. I'm not looking for any distro to be a replacement for Windows because I don't like Windows. But with Wine I like being able to run my music software, so Ubuntu Studio works out.

I tried some other distros but it's not worth mentioning the list because Ubuntu is where I end up.

Thanks Ubuntu creators!

Bucky Ball
June 21st, 2015, 08:28 AM
Hate to get you hopping again, but ...

You are aware that you can install any of the UStudio components in any of the flavours? For instance, if you like Lubuntu, you can simply install ubuntustudio-audio from Software Centre/Synaptics/terminal and that will add all the audio apps from Ubuntu Studio. ubuntustudio-video adds all the video stuff ... etc. :)

If you prefer the lxde desktop environment used by Lubuntu over the xfce4 DE used by UStudio, but want the UStudio audio apps, you can have both. Conversely, if you are already running UStudio, but would prefer to be using the lxde DE, simply install lxde, log out, choose the lxde session from 'Sessions' menu, login. You now have Ubuntu Studio with the lxde DE rather than xfce4.

t0p
June 22nd, 2015, 11:49 PM
Never really been a hopper. I first tried Ubuntu at 5.10 or something. Experimented with Fedora and another distro whose name I can't remember. And the distro that came installed on the old Asus EeePC (not for long though!). Always returned to Ubuntu, and haven't felt a need to try another.

Old_Grey_Wolf
June 23rd, 2015, 12:05 AM
...Check out last month's Jupiter Broadcasting Linux Action Show in their news headline segment and Chris describes the specific FLOSS hyper visor security vulnerabilities...

I hate to bust your bubble; but, VMware products have also had vulnerabilities.

I am not going to a site I am not familiar with that requires me to download a file to view their show. If they can't stream it, I doubt they are tech knowledgeable enough for me to trust their opinion.

Steve_Schaefering
June 25th, 2015, 10:03 PM
I find myself distro hopping a lot but always end up back with Debian Testing.

Don't have any issues with other distros I've just always been partial to Debian for some reason.

I am giving Ubuntu Wily a go right now though.


On a side note, for the other distro hoppers out there if you ever want to try Arch but want it ready out of the box give Manjaro a go.

Wild_Duck66
June 27th, 2015, 11:34 PM
When Amiga Format ceased production I was sent Linux Format with a free cd, then I used to buy Suse Professional boxsets with Mandrake powerpacks in between. I even did a Gentoo stage 1 install but settled on Ubuntu with Gnome because of he Synaptic package manager. Along came Unity and I swapped to Kubuntu, now I'm quite happy with KDE Mint.

Welly Wu
June 29th, 2015, 03:42 AM
When I stopped distro hopping, that was one of the best decisions that I made a few years ago. It's a lot easier and it saves me a lot of time and money to just stick with the latest Ubuntu 64 bit LTS GNU/Linux distribution. In fact, I lost interest in other competing GNU/Linux distributions and I lost all interest in Apple or Microsoft. The true beauty of Ubuntu is this community which has taken me back from my former self when I was dealing with my medical diagnosis and seeking treatment. I've turned a new leaf and I am much better now. This community has welcomed me back and I have had some interesting discussions with some of the members. Sticking to just one distribution helps me to master it over time and it is still challenging and refreshing to find solutions or workarounds for Ubuntu hardware or related software technical issues from time to time. The good thing is that Ubuntu is widely compatible and it is well supported and this community is an invaluable resource. I noticed that I spend more of my time discussing about the virtues of Ubuntu rather than finding solutions to technical problems. Ubuntu has matured quite a bit and I expect that each future update and upgrade to be pretty smooth so long as I am careful and I read instructions and follow them precisely. The sheer vastness of the Ubuntu PPAs makes this a special distribution for me because most of the time I can find an interesting piece of software package through a PPA that introduces a new feature or capability or it just makes using Ubuntu more pleasurable. The Ubuntu Unity desktop environment and window manager have grown on me over time and I have adapted myself to expecting it. I don't think that the other competing desktop environments and window managers can compare with Ubuntu Unity on technical merits alone and it has made my work flow so much more consistent and smoother as a result. The Ubuntu Unity design and features set it apart from others and it makes using both my desktop and notebook PC a true joy daily. It seems more logical and practical to use. It's less intrusive and it just gets out of my way and it lets me do what I want to do on both of my PCs. It lets each software application shine on my desktop.

I still own the latest version of VMWare Workstation 11.1.2 64 bit and I do try different GNU/Linux distributions inside guest virtual machines, but each one lets me down simply because it is not the main Ubuntu distribution. I don't see myself wrapping my head and heart around OpenSuSE, Red Hat Fedora, Elementary OS, SteamOS, Linux Mint, etc. To me, these other ones don't offer the same unique features and capabilities of the main Ubuntu distribution and I lose interest in each one of them over time. They are also not nearly as user friendly as Ubuntu. I found Elementary OS to be close, but I did not care for their heavily customized design language and features. I also disliked their irregular releases. Linux Mint is pretty interesting, but I found both Cinnamon and MATE to be not nearly as stable and mature as Ubuntu Unity. I also disliked the fact that it is not easy to update the Linux kernel regularly. Everything else just plain old didn't suit me.

Ubuntu maintains its' charms on me after many years of being accustomed to both it and its' community. There's a special affinity that I have for Ubuntu and this community that makes using GNU/Linux worthwhile and interesting with fresh new technologies on the horizon to keep it challenging yet user friendly at the same time. I like how Canonical takes its' own lead to spearhead its' own technologies that will become more widely adopted within the GNU/Linux ecosystem and some specific features were copied by Apple and Microsoft years ago. Ubuntu is the perfect distribution for me in that it is innovative and unique without getting overly technical and painful to use. I have not found these similar characteristics in other distributions or communities.

poorguy
July 9th, 2015, 07:30 PM
it appears we all return to ubuntu or one of the several different versions. i like ubuntu the best and have always wound up back with it. it works and does all that i need. just installed ubuntu mate 14.04.2 lts on a 9 year old dell dimension for someone that was still using windows xp and it is impressive how well it works along with ease of use.

the poorguy

sports fan Matt
July 9th, 2015, 10:15 PM
I stick with Ubuntu 64 bit LTS GNU/Linux for long term reliability, stability, maturity, and especially support...I do the exact same rthing. This Toshiba
Toshiba Satellite L875-S7208 - 17.3" - Core i3 2370M - Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit/Ubuntu 14.04 - 4 GB RAM - 640 GB HDD has become my daily driver and I have a HP thsat has Windows 8.1 for my Windows needs.

tdmeskimo
July 10th, 2015, 03:47 AM
I for the most part stayed with DEB derivatives. One pc once had just Debian installed but I didn't like not having more codecs. In the past I have tried Lindows, then when it became Linspire, Fedora, and found I want satisfied. I now mainly us Ubuntu derivatives, I stay close to Xubuntu, then Ubuntu Unity, and last Lubuntu. I have tried ChaletOS, like for a bit; tried Chromixium OS it was okay and more. After distro hopping I realized find a WM desktop and stick to it, so Xubutnu is one I really like. I do look, try and find out about other distributions of Linux, and I am thinking of trying out Manjaro Linux but not to sure.

Bucky Ball
July 10th, 2015, 05:18 AM
After distro hopping I realized find a WM desktop and stick to it, so Xubutnu is one I really like.

That's about the size of it and you mean xfce4 is the one you really like, in accordance with your comment prior to that one. :)

Install any Ubuntu flavour or derivative (apart from Xubuntu, of course), install xfce4, and there you have it. Something that looks exactly the same as Xubuntu but with (possibly) different default apps.

user1397
July 10th, 2015, 11:33 AM
I was distro hopping quite a bit here and there for a long time, but I've been happy with Kubuntu 15.04 since it came out. It's been incredibly stable on my system, just a couple of very minor bugs that either had workarounds or were known already. I don't really plan on switching anytime soon, except of course I'll upgrade to 15.10 when it comes out, and eventually to 16.04 LTS.

I've tried many debian derivatives, fedora, arch, and several others but I always come back to one of the *buntus. Although I will say I had usually been an ubuntu unity user but I'm liking kde plasma 5 a lot now and I don't think I'll be switching to anything else for a while.

fredcarru
July 13th, 2015, 02:49 PM
Like (http://ubuntuforums.org/member.php?u=956515) Welly Wu (http://ubuntuforums.org/member.php?u=956515) Ive settled for Ubuntu 14.14 LTS and will upgrade t 16.04 when it comes. Others I just try from the CD.

Linuxratty
July 14th, 2015, 08:49 PM
I'm fine here. Too content to hop.

scriptkitten_
August 9th, 2015, 07:33 AM
But if you don't hop distros you can't argue that your distro of choice is dominant :D

Dragonbite
August 10th, 2015, 04:37 PM
I have finally stopped distro-hopp.....

...wait!

nevermind. ;)

benrob0329
August 10th, 2015, 04:56 PM
Same here, i though i was done for a little while...going to just use one distro until something either drastically changed or I made my own OS altogether....then i looked at Gentoo....

kle-swe
August 11th, 2015, 06:43 AM
Well i used to use Linux Mint and tried other flavours and all, but in the end i decided that i rather stay with the distro i tried first (tried ubuntu for the first time back in 2009) and support it.
Been donating money monthly for 3 months now to and could not feel any more prouder of my self :)

Roasted
August 14th, 2015, 04:18 AM
I started with Ubuntu in 2006. I became a huge fan of it and used it heavily for years. Upon the arrival of Unity, I stopped using Ubuntu and tinkered with others. As the months passed and 12.04 landed, Ubuntu brought me back with a far-less-terrible Unity. Since then, I've been quite happy with Ubuntu and Unity. There are a few quirks that make my eye twitch, such as how the HUD (at times) seems to respond to "replac" but not "replace" in gedit, but whatever. Small potatoes versus some other things I run into with other distributions/desktop environments/operating systems of the non-Linux variety.

I still distro hop, but only in the experimental sense. I'm a curious person, I like to see what's going on here, there, everywhere, etc. Different people's ideas just intrigue me. That said, I twitch at the thought of removing Ubuntu 14.04 LTS off of my main desktop and main laptop. I tinker with virtual machines, and for the serious tests, install to spare partitions on my hardware, but it's been a long time since I've dedicated myself solely to a different operating system.

Something that keeps me on Ubuntu is the hardware support. I can't think of the last time that I had an issue installing Ubuntu on a system. I can't say the same thing about other distros though. One Arch derivative in particular I have been fighting with constantly over the last few days to install on my desktop (i3 proc, 9600 GT gpu), but whether with the Nvidia card (where it hard locks during boot to live session) or if I yank that and run with the Intel integrated graphics (where it hard locks several seconds after boot into a live session), nothing seems to work, even with every grub setting/tweak known to man. Through it all, all I could think of is... I've had this desktop for 6 years now. Not a single time has Ubuntu given me issues (and to credit fairly, many other distros run great on it too). Point being, I have to fight far less with Ubuntu to get it to do what I need. I like that.

Another topic about hardware support is the fact there's new hardware support, as in actual vendors. My work laptop came from Dell with Ubuntu preinstalled. That was pretty neato. Likewise, System76 is a very attractive company. Someday I'll have a rig from them. I just need to stop spending my money on other hobbies.

Another thing that's kind of neat is how heavily we use Ubuntu at work. I work in a school district. We have a 1 to 1 program (every student has a laptop) in the high school, and starting this year, the middle schools will be on board as well. All running 14.04 LTS. I dig that.

So to sum up, I'm a busy guy, I like things to work, Ubuntu works the best for my needs, and it's nice that I can go to work and be in that familiar 'well working' territory.

DougieFresh4U
August 14th, 2015, 12:15 PM
Back when I started using LINUX I used UBUNTU/KUBUNTU and settled in on UBUNTU.
I didn't care to distro hop but I did give PUPPY a spin as my machines way back were older.
I did build a machine that could handle dual boot and all was good for about 6 years until it died.
I bought a brand new computer last November with WIN 8.1 now updated to WIN 10.
I have tried over and over to get Ubuntu on it but only end up with blank screen and having to
re-install Windows again. Until they find a way for me to dual boot WITHOUT having to jump through
'hoops', a 'simple no fuss install' (I'm getting to old)on these new machines I will have to be happy (and I am) with UBUNTU
on my great laptop.):P

kevdog
August 15th, 2015, 06:20 AM
I don't distro hop a lot but I think its very very informative if you are into computers and such. If you're not, its kind of a pointless exercise. I love how Ubuntu LTS works great out of the box -- very very reliable, however Arch especially holds a place in my heart. Although a rolling distro and a community that isn't too patient with dumb uninformed users that don't do their research, its an awesome experience and teaches you a lot about manipulating your system. The Arch Wiki pages although highly technical, seem to be one of the most well written forms of documentation you can get on many many subjects. I find the level of information and technical expertise offered is great, where as the typical Ubuntu type response usually is a regurgitation of other information -- not that this is bad since I've been guilty of doing this a thousand times over, however its great to learn new things and approaches from very well informed sources.

craige2
August 16th, 2015, 12:55 AM
I distro-worry rather than distro hoping lately.

I am not a long time linux user. I got into it by staring my friends pc. He didn't even talked me into it. I had him over a year or so ago and I liked what I saw. I was at his laptop whenever possible and I liked...pretty much everything. The bindings, the tools available, the different themes, the programs...everything.

I checked all the available OS and I went for KDE, I just loved it. I installed Kubuntu 14.04.

I distro hoped for Kubuntu 15.04 and Plasma 5.

I distro crashed when I installed it and found that I had the plasmashell bug/incompatibility, don't know how to name it, with the memory leak.

Then I learnt what's the point of LTS and rolled back to 14.04

Now I just distro-worry after the incident of canonical and kubuntu communities, or whatever they called.

Prior to the incident I was counting days for a Plasma 5 on LTS version of Kubuntu 16.04. Now is only 15.10 guaranteed. Not sure if things have changed. I don't look too much into it. Just waiting to see how things will turn. I know only Ubuntu and I like only KDE as DE, I just hope will keep on going together.

Welly Wu
August 16th, 2015, 03:26 AM
One essential software product that I use almost daily is VMWare Workstation 11.x 64 bit for GNU/Linux. Rather than distro hopping, this software product allows me to install different guest desktop operating systems in guest virtual machines so that I can play with each one without having to reinstall a different or multiple desktop operating systems bare metal on my ZaReason Zeto desktop PC periodically. I use VMWare Workstation 11.1.0 64 bit for GNU/Linux to install Elementary OS "Freya" 64 bit GNU/Linux and I like what I see so far. Of all of the GNU/Linux desktop operating systems currently available, Elementary OS "Freya" is the closest resemblance to Apple's Macintosh OS X in terms of the design and graphical user interface along with the styling. It is an Ubuntu based GNU/Linux distribution and it is based off of Ubuntu 14.04.2 64 bit LTS GNU/Linux. My plan for this weekend is to continue to test it in a guest virtual machine and to complete a nearly identical and full installation that closely resembles my Ubuntu 14.04.3 64 bit LTS GNU/Linux desktop operating system which I installed bare metal on my ZaReason Zeto desktop PC. One cool feature of VMWare Workstation is Unity whereby I can have a guest virtual machine appear full screen on my ASUS VS228 21.5" 1920 X 1080P resolution desktop monitor so that it appears that I am using a guest virtual machine just like a primary desktop operating system. Of course, there is no need to purchase and install VMWare Workstation per se; rather, almost anyone can download and install VMWare Player or Oracle Virtualbox to accomplish the same end results without spending a single penny. In doing so, this satiates my desire to discover and explore the other desktop operating systems in a safe and secure manner without the gotchas involved with trying different ones by installing each one bare metal and managing multiple boot loader options or even by restarting my desktop PC just to switch to a different one. Guest virtual machines can be disposable in a sense that it is fairly easy and simple to delete a specific one and get rid of it permanently. Each guest virtual machine can also be backed up for long term archival just in case it is mission critical as well. This is a best of both worlds solution for me and my natural curiosity and intense research into different desktop operating systems can be further investigated without worrying about ruining my primary desktop operating system in terms of reliability, stability, security, or performance. Over a long period of time, I wish to try out PC-BSD, OpenSuSE, Red Hat Fedora, Microsoft Windows, etc. by creating separate guest virtual machines and experimenting with each one individually.

Welly Wu
August 16th, 2015, 07:31 AM
For me, I think that the reason why I returned to Ubuntu especially the latest 64 bit LTS version is because it is like wearing your favorite old pair of jeans or sneakers. I remember when I registered here on Ubuntu Forums back sometime in April 2009 and I chose Ubuntu 9.04 64 bit GNU/Linux because my research at that time pointed out that it would be the most compatible and easiest one to learn. Much has changed since then, but the hallmarks of Ubuntu remain constant. The reason why I stick with it today is because I have come full circle and to a stop with distro hopping. Ubuntu is my choice by default today. Nothing else comes close to it. Ubuntu has the best chance of gaining market share and growing its user base worldwide simply by word of mouth recommendations and it just works most of the time on most legacy and cutting edge PC hardware. Canonical, Ltd. works hard to make Ubuntu distinguish itself as a leader within the FLOSS and GNU/Linux ecosystem which is not easy to pull off. Ubuntu is just plain great to use as my daily driver. I can finally enjoy using my ZaReason Zeto desktop PC system instead of chasing my own tail in circles with other GNU/Linux distributions. It is like magical technology. I rarely encounter problems and researching solutions is simple and fast. Most of the time, I don't find solutions to specific technical issues here at Ubuntu Forums. I'm here at Ubuntu Forums to communicate with fellow users and to reinforce why I made the correct decision to get curious about GNU/Linux and to have chosen Ubuntu as the first port of call years ago. Let the other GNU/Linux and BSD UNIX communities go on about their own business. Ubuntu shines on and it holds a special place in my mind and heart. I like the future direction and I think that give it a couple more years than initially planned for for things to pan out eventually. The growth is organic and it blooms slowly over a long period of time. I have become accustomed to the Ubuntu way of doing things and it feels natural to me now. This is like eating comfort food daily.

The Ubuntu Unity desktop environment and window manager sets it apart as a unique feature and capability. It is keyboard and mouse friendly while also being touch friendly in the future. It is a clean, modern, and desktop focused design that is efficient in terms of utilizing every pixel of screen resolution and it adapts to multiple form factors. Unity makes the most sense in terms of its long term growth potential. It serves as a platform by which new products and services can be launched and grow in a healthy manner. The other ones have their attractors and detractors alike and Unity is no different, but it is the best one that I have grown used to. It makes no bones or concessions to cater to specific users or usage case scenarios without Canonical's stamp of approval and that is the way that it should be in the long term future. The most wonderful part about Unity is that there is enough room for growth and improvements or refinements over a long period of time. One thing that I do miss is the Ubuntu One cloud service. I think that was a cornerstone technology that I hope Canonical will revisit in the future even though I have my own serious doubts about that. It is hard enough to develop Ubuntu nevermind the hyper competitive cloud markets worldwide. This is a great way to interact with my desktop PC and it strikes the right balance of compromises in terms of usability first and features plus capabilities second.

Don't forget the usefulness of type two hosted virtual machine management software. It can be a great boon to play with other desktop operating systems for free of charge or at a low cost without breaking your desktop or notebook PC in the process. Virtual machines can be interesting and fun to learn how to use for discovery and exploration. It is essential to test mission critical software especially in terms of patch management or shipping software containers to specific customers. VMs make it easy and safe to build a near perfect guest desktop operating system with all of your favorite software and your private or public user data and move it around or copy it for safekeeping without the PC hardware compatibility issues of distro hopping. I even considered trying Ubuntu standard releases in guest virtual machines just to see what new features and capabilities are included in newer versions. That can be useful if you are contemplating LTS or standard release and you want the best of both worlds without breaking your PC.

yoshii
August 23rd, 2015, 06:26 AM
I quit distro hopping because my main goal is a system that allows me to compose music and still use VST(i)'s. I currently use Ubuntu Studio v14.04.3 LTS which has a low-latency kernel. For a while I used Lubuntu, since my computer is about 7 years old by design, but without the low-latency, overdubbing wasn't quite working out. Luckily, Ubuntu Studio uses XFCE so it has some lightweight characteristics like Xubuntu. Wine is on it too, so I'm able to run Windows softwares such as Reaper and FL Studio, both of which can load VST instruments and effects. It took some effort to get here, but it's fairly smooth sailing now.

I also do some image designing and editing so Ubuntu Studio is good for the visual applications available, such as GIMP.

Overall, I'm happy with Linux because it's very customizeable and it hasn't corrupted itself like my former Windows OS did. Also, I'm more relaxed about worrying about malwares. One of my previous Windows installs got completely overridden by a very pesky adware/malware.

Also, I enjoy the support that the Ubuntu community provides. Some of the other distos I liked I couldn't continue with because the support wasn't strong enough. I happen to like Puppy Linux as well, but most of the puplets aren't supported after a few years. With Ubuntu, I like the LTS support (Long-Term Support). This is something fairly important to consider when choosing an OS. Also, Ubuntu (Studio) was a good choice because it's more user-friendly for beginners who need point and click instead of consoles and scripts. But it still has enough console support to make certain advanced tasks possible.

On http://distrowatch.org Ubuntu and it's derivatives are really dominating the hits listings. That is very encouraging.

yoshii
August 23rd, 2015, 06:38 AM
Hate to get you hopping again, but ...

You are aware that you can install any of the UStudio components in any of the flavours? For instance, if you like Lubuntu, you can simply install ubuntustudio-audio from Software Centre/Synaptics/terminal and that will add all the audio apps from Ubuntu Studio. ubuntustudio-video adds all the video stuff ... etc. :)

If you prefer the lxde desktop environment used by Lubuntu over the xfce4 DE used by UStudio, but want the UStudio audio apps, you can have both. Conversely, if you are already running UStudio, but would prefer to be using the lxde DE, simply install lxde, log out, choose the lxde session from 'Sessions' menu, login. You now have Ubuntu Studio with the lxde DE rather than xfce4.

The one problem with that suggestion is that Ubuntu Studio is built with a low-latency kernel, but the other Ubuntu's might not be. The low-latency kernel reduces some issues with recording. Somebody please correct me if I'm wrong.

Roasted
August 23rd, 2015, 07:19 AM
I started with Ubuntu in 2006.

**SNIP**

So to sum up, I'm a busy guy, I like things to work, Ubuntu works the best for my needs, and it's nice that I can go to work and be in that familiar 'well working' territory.

Funny how things change. I'm not so sure if flirting between two distros is considered hopping... perhaps it is... but I've admittedly been tinkering with Manjaro lately. I've been intrigued by the idea of having a straight forward distro that still can tap into a continual flow of updated software, which of course brings the AUR into mind. I kept coming back to my Ubuntu partition for sense of comfort given it's my old faithful.

In recent times I've grown a little more disinterested in the way things have been progressing with Ubuntu. I've been intrigued by Manjaro's ability to blend stability with a rolling structure. For kicks, I installed the old Manjaro Gnome ISO from February 2014 and upgraded it (912 packages), including Gnome from 3.10 to 3.16, and whichever major changes came with the territory over the last 19 months. There were zero (yeah, zero) problems. I was surprised.

I admittedly dig the left-justified alignment of the Unity launcher, but I found within the dash-to-dock extension that two checkboxes sends Gnome's left dock into an unhidden panel mode Unity feeling launcher. Couple that with the activities menu that is far simpler (and as a result, far easier to just get my darn files/applications without the other cruft), and you have a snazzy looking UI with the functionality I dig.

I'm sure in some capacity I'll continue using Ubuntu, but as time passes I find it's more difficult than before. I like to see what other distros are doing so it's an inevitable thing for me to keep checking them out, though what distro ends up as my primary desktop and laptop partition are the clear top choices (as opposed to a VM for a quick test drive or a hardware install on a spare testing partition). Perhaps whenever Unity 8 lands with all the snappy-ness and whatnot I'll change my tune, but sadly I think that's quite a few years into the future. We shall see, though. :)

Welly Wu
August 27th, 2015, 02:39 AM
Ever since I purchased VMWare Workstation for the past several years and I am now using VMWare Workstation 12 Pro 64 bit for GNU/Linux, I have had no desire to distro hop any longer. I stick with the latest Ubuntu 14.04.3 64 bit LTS GNU/Linux desktop operating system as my primary and sole choice for my 2015 ZaReason Zeto desktop PC system and I use VMWare Workstation to install and play with multiple guest virtual machines. It also gives me the safety in knowing that I can do so without messing up my Ubuntu desktop operating system by making things unnecessarily complicated with multi-boot configurations. I still like to play with different desktop operating systems primarily GNU/Linux and BSD UNIX, but I have a hankering to try out Microsoft Windows 10 Pro 64 bit as well as Apple Macintosh OS X El Capitan. I will need to wait for a VMWare Workstation 12 Pro Mac unlocker program to become available later this year in order to do so, but it looks like I might go down this road. The beauty of installing and running multiple guest virtual machines gives me the best of both worlds scenario. I suggest this approach to those that are seriously considering to distro hop in the future. You don't need to purchase VMWare Workstation for GNU/Linux. You can download and install VMWare Player or Oracle VM Virtualbox and install to run multiple guest virtual machines for free of charge. Once you find a GNU/Linux distribution that you like, then you can do your distro hopping after testing it out extensively. Of course, this is sort of a gamble because installing your chosen GNU/Linux distribution bare metal on your desktop or notebook PC requires that you do your research in terms of PC hardware compatibility especially with cutting edge PC components. This is why I also recommend that you purchase your desktop or notebook PC directly from System76 or ZaReason so that you get guaranteed compatibility with your chosen GNU/Linux distribution. It makes life much easier rather than fighting your PC hardware for compatibility.

yetimon_64
August 27th, 2015, 04:29 AM
The one problem with that suggestion is that Ubuntu Studio is built with a low-latency kernel, but the other Ubuntu's might not be. The low-latency kernel reduces some issues with recording. Somebody please correct me if I'm wrong.

You're not wrong as such, BUT ...
You can also add the low-latency kernel to normal ubuntu along with the specific audio and video packages previously mentioned by Bucky Ball. Either use the software centre or synaptic and search for your current kernel with "-lowlatency" on the end of the name and install it. You may also need the headers for your kernel version number etc.

On a standard install using the low latency kernel here, even without the ubuntu studio packages. This is only to give me a second kernel option should the main image become corrupted by my tweaking etc after I accidentally removed all older kernels at one stage.
As it is listed first in grub, I just happen to be booted into it right now, note the bolding in the next quote/code box. :-)


$ version-redacted
Description: Ubuntu 14.04.3 LTS
Codename: trusty
Desktop: ubuntu
Linux ******* 3.16.0-46-lowlatency #62~14.04.1-Ubuntu SMP PREEMPT Tue Aug 11 17:28:03 UTC 2015 x86_64 GNU/Linux
Note the command used above is a bash alias I use to remove my hostname from the above output. "version-redacted" is NOT a normal Ubuntu command.

Getting back to the original topic of the thread.
I started distro hopping a bit after the introduction of Unity in 2011. Used xubuntu then debian with xfce etc for a while. I even checked out Fedora for a while, though that didn't last long. I have finally come to grips with Unity and am now back on Ubuntu predominantly, though I am preparing to do a Debian Jessie install on this multiboot system (currently Win 8.1/Ubuntu 14.04, with 6 spare partitions for up to 3 more linux installs). I don't see multi-booting as "distro hopping" as such since Ubuntu is still installed, more like "distro testing" ;-)