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!
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:
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.
I wonder what happened to Tails - the one that started it all.
TIL that Tails predates all the distros mentioned in my earlier comment and it also predates Whonix. So thank you for mentioning that! (It's by about 3 years if anyone is wondering; Tails in 2009; Kicksecure, Qubes OS and Whonix in 2012; secureblue in 2023.)
So, the reason I didn't even mention Tails, is because I (frankly) don't regard it as a daily driver meant for general use. However, I might be completely wrong on this. So please feel free to correct me.
However, even if Tails would be excellent as a daily driver, the problem related to reliance on backports for security updates still persists. Furthermore, while its protection against forensics is arguably superior to anything else out there (including Qubes OS), its overall security model is not something special. Even if -for the sake of argument- we'd regard its security superior over both Kicksecure and secureblue, it still wouldn't make a chance against Qubes OS' security model.