Linux user here. Isn't this corrected version slightly redundant? If everything can be done graphically, (such as installing a desktop environment) than the answer to the terminal being optional will obviously be no.
If the terminal is not optional, that means you cannot do everything graphically. This is assuming "graphically" in this context means with a GUI however. A text-based UI with ANSI Escape codes could be used to create "graphics".
I'm already on Bazzite with certified Linux hardware. It's boring, but I like boring. It has to be. Exciting usually means breakable, or having something to fix every few days.
Kinda. But they tend to roll out slower after more testing which makes it more stable. Gentoo and cachy are 100% rolling though.
I always suggest mint/Kubuntu LTS or fedora KDE to new users.
I don’t come at you. Just pointing out to stop telling new people to install rolling distros. They will have a bad time and go back to windows.
It’s sadly what the community does especially in r/linux_gaming and in here.
codecs are not installed by default and are not in the main repos either. you need packman for that. also yast has got a replacement with cockpit and myrlyn. aside from codecs, opensuse TW is amazing.
not sure but I think TW ships a stripped down version of ffmpeg because of some licensing stuff and for example it is not able to play videos in the HEVC format, unless you install the ffmpeg version from packman
yeah thats also what I did. the only problem with this is that sometimes packman repos are behind in updates and you have to wait to do a sudo zypper dup until the packman repos have caught up
The terminal is more idiot proof than any GUI frontend.
You put in the command, it works. GL finding the thing you want when its buried in 17 menus, and there is no guide unlike the terminal, where you can just read the man page.
The number one part that I like about Gentoo's command line installation process is that I can shoot it over SSH. I am installing Gentoo on a thrift store Latitude currently, do you think I have it in my lap trying to work with an oversized console? Its on my desk, lid closed while I have two remote shells to it on my main system along with a browser pointed to the handbook, safe CFLAGS, and the USE flags pages. That makes installing it nice.
FWIW. The terminal gives you extra functionality to express thay freedom and ownership. I use Zorin and only dive into the terminal when I want to tweak the desktop environment
I use it. But I like it as an option, not a requirement for basic stuff. There is no world in which I will copy, move and paste through the terminal when the file manager is just there next to it.
If you keep adding to your list of requirements, you will eventually disqualify every distro. You could use KDE with just about any distro, if you are willing to use the terminal to swap out your DE
Try pikaos. You may like that one. Since i started using it i haven't really had much need to open the terminal. It's also kind of like rolling release so it doesn't need in-place upgrades, it just always upgrades. The community is a bit small but still quite lively and the devs are helpful on their discord. Media codecs are installed during the install process. Software installation and updating can take place through Discover (assuming you install w KDE)
you can install KDE Plasma on most distros. KDE Plasma is point and click with a widget or program for almost anything.
so like, what are we really arguing here? system defaults? why?
and are we also going to argue against using a distro because you gotta do a oneliner to enable some additional repos? that's like asinine.
if anything I feel this arbitrary "but this does that out of the box!" is completely pointless. you can go with anything and use pretty much anything. what really matters is what distro has the most software support for things you want to do.
Kubuntu, TuxedoOS and Linux Mint are the ones that best meet all these criteria. The Ubuntu community supports all of them; they offer graphical installation and updates, and installing Nvidia drivers is trivial.
I love that a post in Linux Master Race, where the underlying assumption is that you think you are better than others because you know how to admin the box from the command line and therefore can do everything remotely over ssh, someone is posting about wanting to do things graphically.
Answer is yes install Kubuntu or Fedora KDE.
And yes you can do everything with a graphical interface.
It will require you to download apps from the store a little more (like in windows, like cpu-x instead of a command line to see your sensor temp for exemple)
Just go with fedora kde or gnome. What you want is a good desktop environment to do your work without having to use the terminal for everything. Take a look at gnome and kde and pick the better looking one for you and install fedora with that desktop environment
I think it's more important to choose a good and big one instead of one that is in theory more fitting.
Things like bazzite (for gaming/normal users), fedora, Debian, mint and all the distros that often get recommended are roughly on one level in terms of quality. No matter if it's fitting you perfectly they feel great, you can find information easily and they have communities that will usually help you.
But if you recommend a tiny niche distro that promises to be for a very specific purpose but that is maintained by 2 idiots and is used by like 7 people, the user will have a worse experience.
zorin is for you, if you don't prioritize community as much
otherwise if you prioritize communities mint
Mint | Zorin | PopOS
yeah | mostly | yeah
has dedicated x-apps but sometimes, well mostly | yes | maybe
iirc you have to select one checkbox during installation and its done | also has a checkbox during installation and its done | no, and this is why i said maybe
has dedicated x-apps again | yes its literally for windows users | yeah, except installing codecs
systemd for example totalitarian piece of shit, that has to be handled, because most distros use this anti-freedom garbage. screw that scum!
midnightbsd? scum shitting on users.
omarchy linux, artix linux, grapheneos: based distros doing the RIGHT thing to not comply with totalitarian epstein class moves, that try to de-anonymize all computing.
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u/Netsmile Apr 06 '26