I used Ubuntu in my college for some light programming and felt really happy about it.
I am more interested in switching to Debian 12 than Ubuntu, since the former is really stable. Also, I came to know installing Debian is easier since it supports non free firmware.
Go ahead.
How do I know if my device actually works with all the foss drivers? Is there a list of hardware supported?
Why don’t you test it with Debian Live first? using a CD or thumbdrive
Yes, I will try it with Debian live before installing. Thanks
I would seriously look a a distro that is a little more desktop oriented like Mint.Straight Debian needs a lot of work after installation before its really nice as a desktop solution, out of the box it does make a great server however.
I use Debian stable on desktop and it’s pretty great. It’s more up to date than Ubuntu LTS, and there wasn’t any extra tinkering needed in my case (and I’m a developer).
Granted, Stable used to be always very stale, even to the point of being nicknamed Debian Stale, but something has happened in recent years and it’s rarely the case anymore. A new release every two years helps, I guess.
Thanks
Use Linux Mint instead, the 21.2 version is just around the corner.
Stable just means no major version jumps in software that might break your current setup. That’s important for operating servers, not desktops.
I use debian Sid (unstable) at work and never had problems. Most of the time I get updates prior to other distributions I am using.
At home I use arch (derivates, manjaro), with great success.
I would abstain from Ubuntu. There, I had problems, it is very opinionated and not in s good way.
In a general sense I would always chose a distribution that isn’t too locked in to a certain desktop environment and provides updates, quickly.
+1 for Manjaro
Debian is not easier than Ubuntu, the opposite is the case, you have to tinker around with some things to get them work how you want them. Usually you end up with a system which is more suited to your needs and preferences, but you have to put more work into it.
In terms of stability, it’s not like Ubuntu LTS Desktop will just break down, I use it way over 10 years and it never end up in a broken state (well it did, but it was my mistake). It’s more of a server thing, were you can just install updates without having to fear that something got incompatible.
@Seltsamsel @test626 Ubuntu LTS Desktop breaks down almost every day. Ctrl-Shift-F5, sudo reboot now
Fedora never broke down for me
I don’t think Ubuntu is easier than Debian. Especially now that they’re pushing for snap instead of apt/deb packages. It’s confusing as hell.
How do I know if my device actually works with all the foss drivers? Is there a list of hardware supported?
From my experience with Linux - your hardware will almost certainly work just fine without a problem.
It’ll be your Windows software that you’re going to have potential problems with. This is likely way less hassle than it was 10-20 years ago - wine has been continuously improved, DirectX 12 was open sourced, and a lot of software is run in web browsers these days anwyay, but depending what you’re trying to do, it can still be a challenge.
From my experience with Linux - your hardware will almost certainly work just fine without a problem.
certainly not always true… sometimes you can still have issues with wifi cards for example
It would be nigh impossible to list all the hardware Bookworm is able to support. What are you looking to run it on? Anything obscure?
I think my laptop is 7 or 8 years old. I have an HP printer which I use. Will my printer work ?
You’re almost certainly fine. Check the Live DVD, but I’d bet it works seamlessly.
HP actively supports their printers in Linux. Debian 12 is not listed though, only 11.
https://developers.hp.com/hp-linux-imaging-and-printing
Edit: Added the bit about Debian 12
Shouldn’t be an issue. I see people recommending other distros but it doesn’t sound like you are asking about that at all.
It also sounds like you understand the catch with Debian: older packages stick around for a bit. But, you can go to Testing or Sid.
@test626 Debian is rock solid & I cannot recommend it enough. There’s a ton of options that’ll suit almost any computer spec. Go install it & see for yourself…
Also, I am planning to use Ventoy for the boot drive. My device has UEFI, so is there any extra steps I need to follow to install the distro properly?
From the ventoy website:
x86 Legacy BIOS, IA32 UEFI, x86_64 UEFI, ARM64 UEFI and MIPS64EL UEFI are supported in the same way.
Thank you
I’ve been running Deb 12 on my laptop for a year and a half and it’s good. The one issue I have had is directly related to being on brand new hardware that wasn’t supported yet by the kernel. Before that I ran 9, 10 and 11 with zero issues on laptops and desktops.
I have just switched from Arco Linux to Debian 12 this week. I was able to get my Nvidia GTX 1080 running and Steam without too much trouble. Playing Aliens: Dark Descent. So far it’s been a rather good experience. Also I’m still very new to Linux and learning.
But I can also recommend Arco Linux if you want to learn and try an Arch rolling release experience. It’s not that hard or frightening. :)
I love Debian! It is a project which provides a lot for the OpenSource and Linux community.
And yes, it is the most stable Linux you can have.
Personally I would suggest to start with a distribution with more actual packages like Fedora, Manjaro or even Arch.