Any good Debian-based OS for a laptop?

I’m planning to put Debian-based operating system onto my Surface Laptop Gen 1, following the guide (linux-surface). Any good Debian-based Linux recommendations? For now I’m considering AntiX (lightweight debian) and normal Debian.

P.S. I’ve installed pure Debian, as everyone suggests. Thanks for advice!

pastermil,

Not Debian-based, but Debian. With KDE.

fin,

Some say that KDE on Debian is unstable. Is it real?

pmk,

There’s a difference between stability and reliability. Stable means that functionality is the same over a period of time, no major changes to how it works. Reliable means that it doesn’t crash all the time. If something crashes the same way for the same reason, it’s stable but not reliable. If something changes a lot but doesn’t crash, it’s reliable but not stable.
In practice what it comes down to is a choice if you want outdated but known bugs or new surprise bugs.

pastermil,

Been using KDE since Debian 9. I’d say it’s stable enough.

pelya,

I’ve had problems with KDE on Wayland on Debian 12, it fails when entering sleep mode with multiple monitors. Thankfully, KDE on X is just one package install away, and it works with no bugs.

eugenia,
@eugenia@lemmy.ml avatar

Go with Linux Mint, but the Edge edition. This will have the best chances to support your hardware, because it uses a newer kernel.

rtxn,

If you want something Debian-but-not-Ubuntu-based, give LMDE a try.

bloodfart,

i tend to go with debian.

solrize,

I just use Debian and it’s fine. I don’t understand the point of using “Debian-based” instead of just plain Debian. Maybe I’m missing something but we have some Ubuntu machines at work and it’s hard to tell much difference.

fin,

Idk I thought something niche is better fun

solrize,

That would be Guix, I think. Debian is pretty traditional.

fin,

Hmm… I wonder if Guix is ok to use with Surface

pmarcilus,
@pmarcilus@discuss.tchncs.de avatar

Ur already a Linux user, being niche is kinda of our character

filister,

Why don’t you give PopOS a try, it is quite user friendly Ubuntu/Debian based

shaked_coffee,

Up! Depending on what you are looking for also VanillaOS could be an interesting option

filister,

Yes, this OS looks interesting and beginner friendly

vk6flab,
@vk6flab@lemmy.radio avatar

What about something novel, like installing actual Debian?

mrgreyeyes,

Will work fine indeed. Only I always have some issues getting the touchscreen working seamlessly. Is there a window manager on Debian who does it well?

vk6flab,
@vk6flab@lemmy.radio avatar

I don’t have a touchscreen, so I have no lived experience, but this should get you started at least:

wiki.debian.org/TabletAndTouchScreen

Fisch,
@Fisch@discuss.tchncs.de avatar

I’ve used both KDE Plasma and GNOME on my Laptop with a touch screen and both worked well. GNOME is better with touch screens in general but that’s just because of the gestures and GTK apps working better with touch screens (e.g. you can always scroll by swiping up or down, not sure if that’s the same in QT apps).

GolfNovemberUniform,
@GolfNovemberUniform@lemmy.ml avatar

You can just go for Ubuntu, Mint or AntiX if you want good experience. Debian can be harder but it’s quite stable (unless you use KDE). Any other suggestions depend on your use cases. For example, you can only use Ubuntu based distros for some Android development tasks

just_another_person,

Pick one. It’s debian-based. You literally can’t pick “the wrong one”. You just have uninstall what you don’t like, and install what you want. That simple.

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