The Linux ecosystem is vast and diverse, offering a multitude of distributions to suit every need and preference. With hundreds of distros to choose from, it’s a pity that most are rarely mentioned while the popular ones are constantly being regurgitated.

This thread aims to celebrate this diversity and shine a light on smaller projects with passionate developers. I invite you to pitch your favorite underappreciated distro and share your experiences with those lesser-known Linux distributions that deserve more attention.

While there are no strict rules or banlists, I encourage you to focus on truly niche or exotic distributions rather than the more commonly discussed ones. Consider touching upon what makes your chosen distro unique:

  • What features or philosophies set it apart?
  • Why do you favor it over other distros, including the popular ones? (Beyond “It just works.”)
  • In what situations would you recommend it to others?

Whether it’s a specialized distro for a particular use case or a general-purpose OS with a unique twist, let’s explore the road less traveled in the Linux landscape. Your insights could introduce fellow enthusiasts to their next favorite distribution!

  • @bsergayOP
    15•2 months ago

    May as well contribute my own 😜.

    I’m an absolute sucker for exquisitely hardened distros. Hence, distros like Qubes OS and Kicksecure have rightfully caught my interest. However, the former’s hardware requirements are too harsh on the devices I currently own. While the latter relies on backports for security updates; which I’m not a fan of. Thankfully, there is also secureblue.

    Contrary to the others, secureblue is built on top of an ‘immutable’ and/or atomic base distro; namely Fedora Atomic. By which:

    • It’s protected against certain attacks.
    • Enables it to benefit from more recent advancements and developments that benefit security without foregoing robustness.

    If security is your top priority, Qubes OS is the gold standard. However, secureblue is a decent (albeit inferior) alternative if you prefer current and/or ‘immutable’/atomic distros.

    • @delirious_owl
      4•2 months ago

      What, you don’t have 64 GB of RAM?

      Jokes aside, the hardware reqs for Qubes are about on-par with Windows, so its not too bad.

      • @bsergayOP
        3•2 months ago

        Unfortunately my 8gb RAM (for which 2gb is dedicated for the iGPU) isn’t enough. FWIW, this system could technically run Windows (11) without any troubles.

    • @delirious_owl
      1•2 months ago

      Qubes is great, but TAILS is def the gold standard for security

      • @bsergayOP
        4•2 months ago

        Please correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t compartmentalization through virtualization the best solution we currently have?

        • @delirious_owl
          2•2 months ago

          Compartmentalization buys you disposable VMs. TAILS is amnesic, which is an improvement to this. Everything is lost between sessions

          • @bsergayOP
            3•2 months ago

            Compartmentalization buys you disposable VMs.

            And more.

            TAILS is amnesic, which is an improvement to this.

            How? Please focus on the security merits.

            Everything is lost between sessions

            If this is your reasoning to justify your earlier statement, please explain how this outdoes Qubes OS when it comes to security.

            Btw, it seems you’re conflating protection against forensics with a proper security model. In terms of security, TAILS does not provide anything remotely comparable to Qubes OS. Qubes OS is literally built differently. In case you enjoy tables.

          • @jake_jake_jake_@lemmy.world
            2•2 months ago

            the idea with qubes is that whatever you are doing with tails would just be done in a tails/tor qube (vm), which are/can be amnesic.