So, I migrated from Windows 7 to Ubuntu, but now Ubuntu is down the same path where everything changes and breaks by itself all the time.
Where should I migrate next? How is Mac with updates; is security tradeoff better when staying on old major versions? What flavor of Linux is most like Ubuntu before snaps?
The most recent "new bullshit" I had to learn was figuring out EFI/GPT enough to boot onto a new thinkpad. If you prioritize stability and reliability over features, debian stable might be right for you as well. :) I'd avoid any whiz bang GUI layers. I have a simple window manager which runs xterms, which can then run firefox and emacs.
The next time I imagine being forced to make a change is to move to Wayland, but that's years away.
Maybe try FreeBSD with Mate or a less intense wm like fvwm?
FreeBSD does make changes over time, but most of them aren't without good reason. FreeBSD does have three firewalls, but it's the same three firewalls its had for decades. Most of the time, new functionality will be added to existing appropriate tools rather than through tool replacement. Netstat was changed to run faster, rather than replaced with a faster, but different tool. Ifconfig configures network interfaces, including wifi (although if wifi is important to you, tread carefully). Open Sound System was fixed rather than replaced. Etc, etc.
The separation of base and ports/pkg means updates to ports are really up to the upstream developer --- some do value stability and some don't, but at least the base is pretty good.
In a perfect world, you should be able to buy an operating system that's basically Windows 7, with all the security and kernel updates which have been applied to 10/11, and none of the ads, telemetry, and smartphone-esque UI that modern Windows tries to force on you.
Everything I learned about OpenBSD in the 00s is just as relevant today. The muscle memory all still works. Whereas on Linux I've gone from `ipchains` to `iptables` to `nftables`, etc. OpenBSD still uses the same pf.conf and it works great. It also has the most beautiful rc.d system I've ever seen, whereas I can never fscking remember what the flags are for `systemctl`.
The only downside to OpenBSD is that it's not so compatible with Nvidia cards, which is a bummer if you do anything with CUDA.
I think 'skill expiry date' is an underappreciated design requirement, and one that only gets more important for you with each year.
If we can justifiably look askance at Chromebooks with 3-year lifespans, we can and should give the same sideeye to platforms that make us (or at least, our marketable skills) disposable after 3-5 years.
But if I understand you, OpenBSD may be the one. upgrades are simple, install is simple (unless you need GUIs) and patches are simple. I never had a patch break anything.
To upgrade non-base (installed) software just do a "pkg_add -u" once in a while. You decide when to do that. Plus docs are never out of date.
If you go with OpenBSD you should subscribe to mail list "announce@openbsd.org"
But you may or may not have hardware for it, if you have Nvidia Graphics, you really cannot use OpenBSD.
good luck
X512 (a prolific contributor) got accelerated Vulkan graphics going on it recently (on one old Radeon card), and it has an active community of people constantly working to improve it.
Sore spots:
- driver support is good if you've got old hardware, but I have to run it in a VM on my machine (a Surface Pro 8)
- the available web browsers are old. I use a newer WebKit built for it, but you have to build it from source. The snapshot I downloaded is 1.5 GB of code + an hour of compilation
- alt-tab only works if you put the keymapper in Windows mode (which forces ctrl for cut, copy and paste)
I run Debian 11 to host the VM, run FireFox and watch YouTube. Once I get to a certain point with SolveSpace for Haiku, I might try my hand at writing a device driver or two to make it possible to dump Linux.
Haiku has a very bright future in my opinion. This is due to its simplicity, excellent architecture and user friendliness. It is the true successor to the original Macintosh, built on the kind of solid foundation the Mac never had. In terms of adoption, it feels like where Linux was in 1995.
Ubuntu is based on Debian, and the releases receive mostly security updates ... so this might be really something for you.
Also, no snaps as far as I know.
I use it for all my Windows PCs, even for gaming.
Its developers use the POLA for the system development which means Principle of Least Astonishment.
It also has tons of useful features:
- https://vermaden.wordpress.com/2020/09/07/quare-freebsd/
Regards.
> Vanilla OS is an immutable and atomic Ubuntu-based distribution that receives updates at the right time without sacrificing security or functionality.
> Vanilla OS is an immutable operating system. Core parts of the system are locked down to prevent unwanted changes or corruption caused by third-party applications or faulty updates. Some paths such as the home and configuration directories are still writable, allowing the user to keep and modify their files and application data.
> Core components are updated via controlled and atomic transactions, which are only applied when successful and made available on reboot.
Anecdotally I've been running Ubuntu 18 since it came out and updates don't mess with my system. They're not designed to mess with your system. They're mostly security patches for modular pieces of the OS.
(So, if you're upgrading to new Ubuntu releases every six months, it sounds like that you're not following the upgrade strategy that would be suggested by your requirements.)
But for the user facing parts, I am using my own forks of the suckless tools: dwm (Windows manager), st (terminal), slock (screen locking) It took me a little while to set it up to my liking, but I haven't had to change anything to my workflow, it just works. It's very barebone, but with vscode and a browser, I have all I need.
And I only need to run pacman -Suy once in a while.
I have not had anything break in the last year and a half, and the AUR is a nice plus.
LXQT or XFCE would be my next choices.
Debian is most like Ubuntu before snaps.
OpenBSD is pretty slow and thoughtful about change. Some may say too slow, but...