#atomic linux

I highly recommend Fedora Kinoite, it's a very user friendly but still customisable desktop setup that can do just about anything you want without you ever having to dig into the command line.

I run a variant of this on the computer I keep hooked up to my TV and I have not once been required to go into the command line from the second I installed it.

Atomic desktops like this are high reliability: if an update breaks the system, it'll automatically roll back to the last good version. You can install a huge number of useful programs from the app catalogue and it includes most things you could want: browsers, document editors, ebook managers, art tools, even Steam and Heroic for playing games. Basically, anything on Flathub:

If you're a programmer or otherwise need access to command line tools, the way to do that is Distrobox, which runs almost any other distribution containerized with high intergration and minimal restrictions. Almost indistinguishable from a native system, very low overhead, if you install a GUI application in a Distrobox and launch it it'll appear seamlessly in your workspace with full access to your directory tree. I currently use this to develop my embedded stuff because a lot of that targets Ubuntu and gets mad when your python and compiler versions start deviating (ESP-IDF, ROS2, etc.)

This is a sort of necessarily locked down system, but it's distinct from, say, an iPad. The locks are not firm, if you really want to you can switch to root and modify the system and tear into the root tree and make any changes you want, BUT you will give up the specific benefits you chose an atomic system for. You can't really use general purpose Linux help for these systems because they'll suggest editing root config files or tweaking your packages but in general I've found in haven't needed to do those things unless I'm doing power user shit.

Using an app library interface can feel bad because it reminds you of smartphones but it's really quite different.

If you do go this route I recommend not trying to fuck with the root stuff, unless you are specifically trying to learn about immutable systems. This is a great choice for computers you want to just work, and the suite of stuff you can get in FlatPak is more than enough for most people, especially if all you do is web browsing, digital art, or gaming.

If you're really into gaming on Linux specifically, another good shout here is Bazzite, which is what I run on my handheld. It's a gaming focused build based on Fedora that has good hardware compatibility, even if you've heard horror stories about Nvidia on Linux from people like me.

The way an ILD works is that unlike normal distro's or indeed any other desktop operating system is that they work in what's called a "containerized state", what this means is that the root OS itself is set to read only by default and cannot be edited by normal users while the system is in use, this gives it an immense amount of stability and for older people or people with kids it prevents them from installing anything that could potentially damage the computer in a way that makes it inoperable. The next cool thing that they do is how they handle upgrades, the most common cause of an OS just up and kill itself is due to bad upgrades/updates. It happens in windows, MacOS, and even non-immutable versions of Linux; it's just a fact of life. A patch isn't tested properly against edge cases and fucks you up and you're stuck either reverting to a backup image or reinstalling your OS entirely. ILD's on the other hand work more like a mobile OS in that they upgrade the entire OS at one time separately from the active OS image and only when it detects that the upgrade succeeded does it roll you over to the upgrade/update. If the update/upgrade fails it just trashes the entire thing and leaves you where you are. So if you're looking for something that's stable and secure for yourself or your loved ones you might give these a look see. Below I'll link a few of the best ones in order from most used to least: 1. Fedora Silverblue: https://fedoraproject.org/atomic-desktops/silverblue/ 2. Bluefin: https://projectbluefin.io/ 3. Aurora: https://getaurora.dev/ 4. Flatcar: https://www.flatcar.org/releases

So load one up on a thumb drive, give it a whirl, see what you think, anything to separate yourself from the corporate oligarchs of Microsoft and Apple while also giving you a safer and more secure experience.

Enjoy!