Switch From Windows to Linux

Yes, you have them memorized. Most people don't. Normal users definitely don't. Other people are going to have to search for them and that's going to take more time than just going to the nvidia site. Most will be too stupid to even realize which commands are the right ones for their distro and then they'll get even more confused.
 
MS again agrees with me... just hit up the MS support forums and tell me how many simple fix issues they suggest firing up a command prompt or powershell for. (its basically all of them) its the easiest way to do over the phone support.

Ugh! Please no! Those forums are run by volunteers and are next to useless in 90% of all cases. That's the support you get in paying good money for your OS.
 
Most users are going to spend more time looking up those commands than they are going to the Nvidia site.

But no one on Linux is going to say 6 months later ... who shit my game crashed cause I have a 6 month old NV driver either. Then have to go back and download reinstall... making sure to unclick all the crap they said no to the first time. Then 6 months after that have their system pouch cause well with this update first make sure you uninstall your old driver.... in fact perhaps you should run this extra .exe that really really removes that driver cause the uninstall doesn't really work right.

To be fair drivers are a PITA for all operating systems... Linux at least is install and forget as the package manager will take over. MS gives hardware companies to much power to hook spy crap in, and F with systems they really shouldn't be touching. (not singling out NV here... its common with all hardware vendors)

I think the point I'm making is.... Linux has its quirks with drivers. But so does Windows. The difference is most people are long time windows users and have gotten used to or expect those quirks. Having to use third party driver removal tools.... ya its a PITA reality of windows use that people seem to forget is a PITA cause they have experience with and expect it.
 
Yes, you have them memorized. Most people don't. Normal users definitely don't. Other people are going to have to search for them and that's going to take more time than just going to the nvidia site. Most will be too stupid to even realize which commands are the right ones for their distro and then they'll get even more confused.

My memory's shit and as stated even when you include searching for the PPA and clicking the link there's still less involved installing drivers under Linux than under Windows, and you can see 'exactly' what's going on right through the installation process - Makes diagnosis very simple.

Once again, most Windows plebs (not calling anyone here a pleb) cannot install drivers under Windows, so it's a moot point.

Those commands work under any distro based on Ubuntu - Of which there are many.
 
Ugh! Please no! Those forums are run by volunteers and are next to useless in 90% of all cases. That's the support you get in paying good money for your OS.

I have listened to MS enterprise support people walk customers through powershell commands. You are correct on most windows support official or not sure... but the point still stands. MS themselves whenever possible avoid walking people through GUI anythings over the phone or via text support cause its a messy PITA. When they can get you to open a text terminal and type (or copy) the exact bit of text that will fix the issue regardless of what you have done to your GUI settings ect. ;)
 
But no one on Linux is going to say 6 months later ... who shit my game crashed cause I have a 6 month old NV driver either. Then have to go back and download reinstall... making sure to unclick all the crap they said no to the first time. Then 6 months after that have their system pouch cause well with this update first make sure you uninstall your old driver.... in fact perhaps you should run this extra .exe that really really removes that driver cause the uninstall doesn't really work right.

To be fair drivers are a PITA for all operating systems... Linux at least is install and forget as the package manager will take over. MS gives hardware companies to much power to hook spy crap in, and F with systems they really shouldn't be touching. (not singling out NV here... its common with all hardware vendors)

I think the point I'm making is.... Linux has its quirks with drivers. But so does Windows. The difference is most people are long time windows users and have gotten used to or expect those quirks. Having to use third party driver removal tools.... ya its a PITA reality of windows use that people seem to forget is a PITA cause they have experience with and expect it.

I have never had to use a third party driver removal tool unless I was switching hardware and I don't see how anyone ever would. I don't see how having a package manager update it is any different than letting GeForce experience do it in Windows.
 
Don't even get me started on printer drivers under Windows, the bloat is a laughable joke (HP anyone?). Installing printer drivers can take a full 15 mins depending on hardware and even then it's hit and miss as to whether they work (HP anyone?)

Under Linux installing my Brother printer I downloaded the drivers, which is such a small package it took around 15 seconds to download them, ran the installer script and the .deb installers did their thing - Done, and in total the process took around 2 mins. If I wanted to I could have just installed the .deb installers directly and ran them via the GUI just like under Windows.
 
I have never had to use a third party driver removal tool unless I was switching hardware and I don't see how anyone ever would. I don't see how having a package manager update it is any different than letting GeForce experience do it in Windows.

Less bloat. Nvidia drivers under Windows are so bloated it's becoming outright laughable. Furthermore, GeForce Experience is full of spyware.

You obviously haven't experienced HP print drivers, you'll use any tool at your disposal to get those things working in the likely event they break under Windows.
 
Less bloat. Nvidia drivers under Windows are so bloated it's becoming outright laughable. Furthermore, GeForce Experience is full of spyware.

You obviously haven't experienced HP print drivers, you'll use any tool at your disposal to get those things working in the likely event they break under Windows.

I can't argue with that, you're right on this one. I can't say I've had much experience with printers so I can't comment on that. I quit buying them because it's so rare that I use one that they usually fill with dust and break between uses
 
I have never had to use a third party driver removal tool unless I was switching hardware and I don't see how anyone ever would. I don't see how having a package manager update it is any different than letting GeForce experience do it in Windows.

It is less common the last few years thankfully. (the first or third party driver removal tool requirements)

The only point was... windows has more then its share of driver quirks. For the most part Linux distros these days.... install all drivers out of the box at install, including closed source stuff like the Nvidia drivers. Those that don't as Maz points out often have a 2-3 line terminal install that takes little effort. The days of building custom kernels to make X or Y bit of hardware work ect are gone for average users.

Both Windows and Linux have gotten better with drivers over the years. I still believe Linux has windows beat... if for not other reason then MS support will ALWAYS rely on hardware vendors due to their micro kernel nature. Windows is annoying with support for older hardware. Which always crops up when MS releases a major version of windows. This is why when I'm out consulting I run into machine shops and hospitals ect using windows XP for some 10 year old CNC machine or MRI scanner. The situation for consumer hardware isn't any better.

Anyway drivers are more of a mess then they should be.... ok its universal to all operating systems. I guess we are all willing to overlook the quirks we are familiar with. lol
 
Don't even get me started on printer drivers under Windows, the bloat is a laughable joke (HP anyone?). Installing printer drivers can take a full 15 mins depending on hardware and even then it's hit and miss as to whether they work (HP anyone?)

Under Linux installing my Brother printer I downloaded the drivers, which is such a small package it took around 15 seconds to download them, ran the installer script and the .deb installers did their thing - Done, and in total the process took around 2 mins. If I wanted to I could have just installed the .deb installers directly and ran them via the GUI just like under Windows.

Gotta love that big sheet of paper they bundle with new printers. DON'T PLUG IN USB UNTIL SOFTWARE ASKS YOU TOO. lol
 
I'm sorry you've had such bad luck. I install software using package managers like most modern Linux users do and I experience no problems.

To state otherwise would be an outright lie.
.

To state Linux OS experience and "it just works" hasn't used Linux to it full capability. Web and email are canned, Games is only canned if you get a Gaming distro. There is a reason Windows Gaming still more popular.

1) truly plug and play - ie, easy
2) performance

Getting there, but not yet.
 
To state Linux OS experience and "it just works" hasn't used Linux to it full capability. Web and email are canned, Games is only canned if you get a Gaming distro. There is a reason Windows Gaming still more popular.

1) truly plug and play - ie, easy
2) performance

Getting there, but not yet.

Linux is all I use at home my friend, you're stuck somewhere in the past and I'm not too sure just what a 'gaming distro' even is.

Furthermore, when it comes to outright performance, Windows is lagging behind Linux due to the NT kernel and the NTFS file system.
 
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I can definitely see you guys side and I understand why you like the command line, but I don't think I'll ever be convinced that it should be the main or only option in any instance and I don't think home users ever will either. I will say that this thread is tempting me to install Arch and document all the things that annoy me for a youtube video. It's been about four years since I last tried it. Maybe some things have changed.
 
I can definitely see you guys side and I understand why you like the command line, but I don't think I'll ever be convinced that it should be the main or only option in any instance and I don't think home users ever will either. I will say that this thread is tempting me to install Arch and document all the things that annoy me for a youtube video. It's been about four years since I last tried it. Maybe some things have changed.

Respect due to honesty. But using Linux to take a deliberate dump on the OS is the reason Windows users get such a hard time from the Linux community.

I believe most Windows users in this thread haven't used desktop Linux in a very long time, and even where they have it's been a quick dabble in a VM whereby they cracked the shits as Linux wasn't the Windows clone they expected it to be.
 
People need to realize that the use of terminal under a modern Linux distro is as necessary as the use of terminal under modern MacOS.
 
Respect due to honesty. But using Linux to take a deliberate dump on the OS is the reason Windows users get such a hard time from the Linux community.

I believe most Windows users in this thread haven't used desktop Linux in a very long time, and even where they have it's been a quick dabble in a VM whereby they cracked the shits as Linux wasn't the Windows clone they expected it to be.

I consider it constructive criticism. Not taking a dump on it. The Linux community is full of super nerds that are so far removed from normies that they can't relate to them at all, yet they want normies to use their software. Someone in the middle has to point things out to them at times
 
I consider it constructive criticism. Not taking a dump on it. The Linux community is full of super nerds that are so far removed from normies that they can't relate to them at all, yet they want normies to use their software. Someone in the middle has to point things out to them at times

Using Linux with a pre determined adgenda is never constructive criticism, in fact it's blatantly biased. My issues with Windows aren't based on problems I've deliberately gone out of my way to induce.

Remember, most of us Linux users were also Windows users at one stage. Many of us still work on Windows based systems daily. Normies struggle to do any more than open a browser, open a mail client, type up a letter under an office suite and read a PDF - None of which is in any way difficult under Linux. The problem with Windows is the fact that is has to cater to the Normies.

Once again, my Wife and 10yo Daughter use Linux just fine. In fact they hardly even notice any difference.
 
Linux is all I use at home my friend, you're stuck somewhere in the past and I'm not too sure just what a 'gaming distro' even is.

Furthermore, when it comes to outright performance, Windows is lagging behind Linux due to the NT kernel and the NTFS file system.

Behind in gaming, and not plug and play. Gaming distros have been discussed, so try and keep up.
 
Using Linux with a pre determined adgenda is never constructive criticism, in fact it's blatantly biased. My issues with Windows aren't based on problems I've deliberately gone out of my way to induce.

Remember, most of us Linux users were also Windows users at one stage. Many of us still work on Windows based systems daily. Normies struggle to do any more than open a browser, open a mail client, type up a letter under an office suite and read a PDF - None of which is in any way difficult under Linux. The problem with Windows is the fact that is has to cater to the Normies.

Once again, my Wife and 10yo Daughter use Linux just fine. In fact they hardly even notice any difference.

I wasn't planing on going out of my way to induce problems at all. I was going to install it and try to do everything I do under windows, document how it's done, and point out what's worse. I may not be a normie, but I don't do anything crazy either. Just game and transfer files to and from a NAS. Maybe convert a video occasionally if it's not in the right format for my roommate's smart tv
 
Behind in gaming, and not plug and play. Gaming distros have been discussed, so try and keep up.

With the exception of SteamOS, there is no such thing as a gaming distro. SteamOS is based on Debian just like Ubuntu.

My experience regarding gaming is no more difficult than gaming under Windows.
 
I can definitely see you guys side and I understand why you like the command line, but I don't think I'll ever be convinced that it should be the main or only option in any instance and I don't think home users ever will either. I will say that this thread is tempting me to install Arch and document all the things that annoy me for a youtube video. It's been about four years since I last tried it. Maybe some things have changed.

Arch isn't a fair reflection of modern Linux desktop.

Arch isn't designed to be EASY to install. It is designed to force you to type every single step into a terminal. To teach people how Linux handles partitions, file structures, .ini files ect ect.

Installing arch and detailing how annoying that is is pointless. YES Arch is annoying to install by design. Even long time Linux users don't install arch for fun. Sure we can all install it... and its a great teaching tool. But its not reflective of all the new user aimed easy to install Linux distros.

It would be like taking a Enterprise version of windows intended to be installed via network install.... and bitch that yep windows is a PITA to install what new user could follow these instructions. lol

If you want to see how easy Linux is to install.

Grab Manjaro (which is based on arch)
https://manjaro.org/download/official/gnome/
Copy it to a bootable USB.... boot into a live environment. Select install... answer its questions about language ect just like installing windows. Click "Use non-free drivers" and reboot in under 10 min into a fully functional desktop complete with Libre office / Steam / Firefox all ready to go. Install anything you like from their slick GUI package manager... including the Arch AUR if you are looking for less common software.
 
I wasn't planing on going out of my way to induce problems at all. I was going to install it and try to do everything I do under windows, document how it's done, and point out what's worse. I may not be a normie, but I don't do anything crazy either. Just game and transfer files to and from a NAS. Maybe convert a video occasionally if it's not in the right format for my roommate's smart tv

Transferring files will be faster in regards to sustained transfers as Ext4 is superior to NTFS, chances are converting video will also be faster as Linux has a better kernel and scheduler compared to Windows. The problem is: You're comparing Linux like it's a drop in Windows replacement. Linux is Linux, it's no more a drop in Windows replacement than MacOS is a drop in Windows replacement.

There's a reason why Windows is taught to primary school students, ingrained muscle memory is a difficult thing to overcome. That's about the only point such a comparison will highlight.

It's the reason why so many IT techs refuse to work on MacOS based machines, they just cannot unlearn the ingrained muscle memory they've been taught as part of their training, they're totally lost under anything but Windows - This is a bad thing.
 
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Arch isn't a fair reflection of modern Linux desktop.

Arch isn't designed to be EASY to install. It is designed to force you to type every single step into a terminal. To teach people how Linux handles partitions, file structures, .ini files ect ect.

Installing arch and detailing how annoying that is is pointless. YES Arch is annoying to install by design. Even long time Linux users don't install arch for fun. Sure we can all install it... and its a great teaching tool. But its not reflective of all the new user aimed easy to install Linux distros.

It would be like taking a Enterprise version of windows intended to be installed via network install.... and bitch that yep windows is a PITA to install what new user could follow these instructions. lol

If you want to see how easy Linux is to install.

Grab Manjaro (which is based on arch)
https://manjaro.org/download/official/gnome/
Copy it to a bootable USB.... boot into a live environment. Select install... answer its questions about language ect just like installing windows. Click "Use non-free drivers" and reboot in under 10 min into a fully functional desktop complete with Libre office / Steam / Firefox all ready to go. Install anything you like from their slick GUI package manager... including the Arch AUR if you are looking for less common software.

I wasn't planning to document the install process unless the old Architect Linux installer happens to still work. If it does, I was actually going to use it as an example of something Linux is better than Windows at. I love the amount of choice Arch gives me and that's why I use it. It's pretty much the only way to get everything exactly the way I want it. For example I don't care for debian or ubuntu based distros, but I do like Cinnamon. That and I hate having to either add a bunch of PPAs or use way outdated software. debian/ubuntu based distros are a little too conservative for me.

My Linux journey started with Mandrake, went to OpenSuSe, Linux Mint, and then finally Arch. I definitely like Arch the best.
 
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I wasn't planning to document the install process unless the old Architect Linux installer happens to still work. If it does, I was actually going to use it as an example of something Linux is better than Windows at. I love the amount of choice Arch gives me and that's why I use it. It's pretty much the only way to get everything exactly the way I want it. For example I don't care for debian or ubuntu based distros, but I do like Cinnamon. That and I hate having to either add a bunch of PPAs or use way outdated software. debian/ubuntu based distros are a little too conservative for me.

My Linux journey started with Mandrake, went to OpenSuSe, Linux Mint, and then finally Arch. I definitely like Arch the best.

You may as well just use Manjaro, it's essentially packaged Arch. Buggered if even I can be bothered with 'Arch from scratch' anymore..
 
You may as well just use Manjaro, it's essentially packaged Arch. Buggered if even I can be bothered with 'Arch from scratch' anymore..

If the Architect installer doesn't work anymore and If I can find a version of Manjaro that uses Cinnamon I'll give it a shot. I hate Gnome, KDE, and xfce.
 
This is Architect Linux if anyone is curious. It's just an installer for Arch. It hasn't been updated in a really long time, but since all it does is download files it might still work. It was a super nice installer at the time that gave a crazy amount of options. You can basically choose every component of your operating system during the install. Beats the crap out of anything else I've ever seen. A+

https://sourceforge.net/projects/architect-linux/
 
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If the Architect installer doesn't work anymore and If I can find a version of Manjaro that uses Cinnamon I'll give it a shot. I hate Gnome, KDE, and xfce.

As an ex Cinnamon user, I really don't like it as a DE, it's very limiting. People need to accept that Linux isn't Windows, I believe that configuring a DE to match Windows just confuses things even more as the familiarity is there but Linux isn't Windows. It's interesting how people can accept this fact regarding MacOS, but they refuse to accept this fact regarding Linux.

It's like PPA's vs the AUR. Many Windows converts prefer the AUR as they can't get their head around PPA's (which are really just smaller, segmented variants of the AUR). Best to force oneself to use an Ubuntu based distro and understand exactly what PPA's are all about as opposed to making your experience 'Windows like'. At the end of the day you may prefer the AUR, but at least you understand fully how PPA's work and understand that there's nothing 'messy' about PPA's.
 
What exactly do you mean by limiting? I actually felt like it had a really good amount of customization. I was able to get it to do things that I couldn't get gnome or KDE to do and I was able to make it look pretty nice too. KDE is similar but feels super bloated to me.
 
What exactly do you mean by limiting? I actually felt like it had a really good amount of customization. I was able to get it to do things that I couldn't get gnome or KDE to do and I was able to make it look pretty nice too. KDE is close but feels super bloated to me.

Compared to Mate or KDE there's a number of customization limitations regarding Cinnamon. Last time I used it I couldn't even span the panel across two monitors unless I used a third party hack. The simple ability to rid the DE of it's overwhelmingly grey color scheme I find frustratingly limiting.

The ability to make my desktop look and behave exactly how I want it to look and behave is one of the strengths of Linux IMO, I don't want to be locked down in any way whatsoever. Muffin is also very buggy, especially with Nvidia drivers.

KDE is actually very lean.
 
If the Architect installer doesn't work anymore and If I can find a version of Manjaro that uses Cinnamon I'll give it a shot. I hate Gnome, KDE, and xfce.

https://manjaro.org/download/community/cinnamon/

To each their own when it comes to DE. lol :)

If you want a pure arch feel on packages you can switch to Manjaro unstable... which is basically just pure arch pushes. I like the small bit of buffer the Manjaro stable brings to the table though... its basically just arch delayed a few weeks. Arch is pretty stable for sure... just adds a little bit of a buffer. Manjaro basically skips all version 1.1.0 type installs and waits for 1.1.1 or 1.1.2 versions to hit and then mostly just push through revisions until the next new version then they hold again till the first or second bug release.

Anyway see what you think... from what you are saying you may find a bit to much base distro software still. At least its easy to quickly uninstall and go your own way.
 
https://manjaro.org/download/community/cinnamon/

To each their own when it comes to DE. lol :)

If you want a pure arch feel on packages you can switch to Manjaro unstable... which is basically just pure arch pushes. I like the small bit of buffer the Manjaro stable brings to the table though... its basically just arch delayed a few weeks. Arch is pretty stable for sure... just adds a little bit of a buffer. Manjaro basically skips all version 1.1.0 type installs and waits for 1.1.1 or 1.1.2 versions to hit and then mostly just push through revisions until the next new version then they hold again till the first or second bug release.

Anyway see what you think... from what you are saying you may find a bit to much base distro software still. At least its easy to quickly uninstall and go your own way.

That actually sounds amazing. I hate to admit it, but pure Arch was just a tiny bit too bleeding edge for me. I went back to Windows partially because I got tired of having to boot Windows every time I wanted to game and partially because of how often things broke. That tiny buffer sounds just right!
 
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As an ex Cinnamon user, I really don't like it as a DE, it's very limiting. People need to accept that Linux isn't Windows, I believe that configuring a DE to match Windows just confuses things even more as the familiarity is there but Linux isn't Windows. It's interesting how people can accept this fact regarding MacOS, but they refuse to accept this fact regarding Linux.

It's like PPA's vs the AUR. Many Windows converts prefer the AUR as they can't get their head around PPA's (which are really just smaller, segmented variants of the AUR). Best to force oneself to use an Ubuntu based distro and understand exactly what PPA's are all about as opposed to making your experience 'Windows like'. At the end of the day you may prefer the AUR, but at least you understand fully how PPA's work and understand that there's nothing 'messy' about PPA's.

There is nothing messy about PPAs ? Ok
The main issue with PPAs... is it kills one of the things we love to tell windows users is better about Linux.
Being able to trust your software sources.
Yes most PPAs are fine... and no doubt its possible for crap to sometimes find its way into the AUR as well. Both have issues with security. But ya PPAs are not a great intro to Linux for windows converts that have been sold on the security of a package manager and one source for all your stuff.

Biggest advantage to Arch and distros based on it... there is no "need" of the AUR. Its 100% optional. Where as Ubuntu based distros are going to mostly require PPAs for things like GPU drivers (and I grant right now there is a reliable Nvidia and MESA PPAs) and fresh versions of far to many common software packages. People still worry to much about rolling releases being unstable... that hasn't been the case for a long time the major rolling releases are all very stable. The semi-rolling releases even more so. However there is no need to go and install AUR versions of common software like Blender or GIMP ect to get the latest versions... which imo is much a much more secure and reliable way for new users to come to Linux. Asking new users to replace mulitple distro packages with alternates from hopefully trustworth sources is imo inviting switchers regret.

But anyway ya we can disagree. The AUR and PPAs have their similarities and issues. But Arch based distros using the AUR don't really require the AUR to be complete.
 
That actually sounds amazing. I hate to admit it, but pure Arch was just a tiny bit too bleeding edge for me. I went back to Windows partially because I got tired of having to boot Windows every time I wanted to game and partially because of how often things broke. That tiny buffer sounds just right!

Ya in theory its perfect... in practice imo the best we have in that regard. Its not perfect, but its pretty great. Gaming is the main issue as always and it has been annoying a few times the last few years where the Manjaro team will decide to hold a MESA (AMD open source opengl) version for as long as 2 months cause of some issue. Still I prefer that over the arch route of living with broken games or having to mess around with a bunch of manual fixes that themselves become a problem 2 months later when the issue is fixed. Still painful when you know the new version adds some nice new feature or improves performance somewhere else. If you have the patience you can install individual unstable packages in those cases... you just end up doing a lot more futzing. :)
 
There is nothing messy about PPAs ? Ok
The main issue with PPAs... is it kills one of the things we love to tell windows users is better about Linux.
Being able to trust your software sources.
Yes most PPAs are fine... and no doubt its possible for crap to sometimes find its way into the AUR as well. Both have issues with security. But ya PPAs are not a great intro to Linux for windows converts that have been sold on the security of a package manager and one source for all your stuff.

Biggest advantage to Arch and distros based on it... there is no "need" of the AUR. Its 100% optional. Where as Ubuntu based distros are going to mostly require PPAs for things like GPU drivers (and I grant right now there is a reliable Nvidia and MESA PPAs) and fresh versions of far to many common software packages. People still worry to much about rolling releases being unstable... that hasn't been the case for a long time the major rolling releases are all very stable. The semi-rolling releases even more so. However there is no need to go and install AUR versions of common software like Blender or GIMP ect to get the latest versions... which imo is much a much more secure and reliable way for new users to come to Linux. Asking new users to replace mulitple distro packages with alternates from hopefully trustworth sources is imo inviting switchers regret.

But anyway ya we can disagree. The AUR and PPAs have their similarities and issues. But Arch based distros using the AUR don't really require the AUR to be complete.

The AUR is a 'User Repository', there's nothing inherently safer about the AUR than a PPA as the Arch devs don't actively maintain it. There's nothing messy about only adding the repository's you need as opposed to one huge repository that's no safer than smaller PPA's. Both have their pro's and con's, both are better than installing some random .MSI under Windows. There's nothing unstable about rolling release, unless you believe that means 'bleeding edge'. Bleeding edge is where issues arise.

Furthermore, PKGBUILD is still not ideal or any more secure than a PPA.
 
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The AUR is a 'User Repository', there's nothing inherently safer about the AUR than a PPA as the Arch devs don't actively maintain it. There's nothing messy about only adding the repository's you need as opposed to one huge repository that's no safer than smaller PPA's. Both have their pro's and con's, both are better than installing some random .MSI under Windows. There's nothing unstable about rolling release, unless you believe that means 'bleeding edge'. Bleeding edge is where issues arise.

I agree with you... the AUR is not any more secure then the PPA.

The difference is if you go and install arch or manjaro. You won't NEED the AUR for anything at all.

If you go and install Mint or Ubuntu. You are going to NEED a PPA for a graphics driver. You are going to need a PPA if you want the latest version of blender, gimp... and many other popular packages. If your ok running 3-6 month old versions of all your software then you won't need a PPA either.

If Ubuntu was a rolling release and people only used PPAs for something like the Nvidia closed source driver and obscure not in the main repository software. Then I would agree that the AUR and PPAs are about = for new users. The thing is I have never run into any Ubuntu or derivative user that didn't have multiple PPAs installed. I know its not you but there was one [H] Forum user that was saying they had over 100 PPAs installed. Which is just dumb at that point you are really using the wrong distro.
 
Not according to Gnome devs, they'd like to lock desktop Linux down just like Windows.

I don't think they care if you use another DE.

People may not like their attitude or disagree with their choices. But last I checked GDM the gnome display manager still lets you log into any other DE.... and its been awhile but I'm pretty sure it does a much better job of that then say SDDM. ;)
 
The difference is if you go and install arch or manjaro. You won't NEED the AUR for anything at all.

No, you use PKGBUILD. The problem is: There's really no problem with adding a PPA as PKGBUILD is still not inherently secure unless you manually inspect all code. I fail to see an issue with adding multiple PPA's as opposed to one huge repositiry that isn't maintained when most will only use ~10% of all software contained within the repo.
 
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