As someone who’s in the process of moving to an almost fully Linux environment but only has experience using Ubuntu. Is there a lateral alternative or ‘step-up’ distro you would recommend I try given the downsides of Canonical/ubuntu?
If you want start menu and taskbar, Linux Mint. It was based on Ubuntu so under the hood is very similar but the desktop is more Windows like.
If you want a similar experience to Ubuntu then Fedora, which uses the Gnome desktop environment like Ubuntu but without all the Ubuntu changes. Plus Fedora does some things in different ways under the hood so there is a learning experience that is a nice stepping stone rather than being thrown in the deep end.
The dock/taskbar. Gnome’s default one being hidden in a menu was unpleasant. I did try the dash-to-dock and dash-to-panel extensions, but I preferred Ubuntu’s implementation.
I was a primary Kubuntu user for a long time, but I just recently started using EndeavourOS and I’m really liking it so far. It is Arch-based, but a usable system immediately post-install.
As someone who’s in the process of moving to an almost fully Linux environment but only has experience using Ubuntu. Is there a lateral alternative or ‘step-up’ distro you would recommend I try given the downsides of Canonical/ubuntu?
Mint is generally the suggested new go-to for newbies, as I understand it, because it’s probably the closest to Ubuntu but has snaps disabled.
Debian if you’re going for something more pure, but they are a lot less current, albeit more stable due to that.
If you want start menu and taskbar, Linux Mint. It was based on Ubuntu so under the hood is very similar but the desktop is more Windows like.
If you want a similar experience to Ubuntu then Fedora, which uses the Gnome desktop environment like Ubuntu but without all the Ubuntu changes. Plus Fedora does some things in different ways under the hood so there is a learning experience that is a nice stepping stone rather than being thrown in the deep end.
I tried raw Gnome and hated it. Ubuntu’s changes made it actually usable. At the same time, I don’t really like all those DEs that just mimic XP.
Interesting. I love Vanilla Gnome over Ubuntu’s version. What do you prefer from Ubuntu that I might have overlooked?
The dock/taskbar. Gnome’s default one being hidden in a menu was unpleasant. I did try the dash-to-dock and dash-to-panel extensions, but I preferred Ubuntu’s implementation.
Ah, OK, it’s a personal preference thing. Personally, that’s one of the things I like over the Ubuntu one.
I am using a laptop, very limited screen real estate. I wonder if that makes a difference.
I was a primary Kubuntu user for a long time, but I just recently started using EndeavourOS and I’m really liking it so far. It is Arch-based, but a usable system immediately post-install.
Seconding the Mint suggestion. I started on Ubuntu ~15 years ago, nowadays I run Mint if I need a GUI, or Debian on anything headless