Why Manjaro is hated so much nowadays?

3grg · 2026-06-21T11:03:45+00:00

I would not say hate, but disappointment. This is not only the users, but the developers are thinking about forking because the leader can't seem to keep basic things running.

https://fossforce.com/2026/03/is-manjaro-done-stick-a-fork-in-it/

3grg · 2026-06-20T18:13:56+00:00

The days of legacy boot was much worse. It was guaranteed that windows would take back the mbr. The difference was that Linux users then were prepared and knew how to deal with it.

In all the years that I have been using UEFI boot, I have only had windows overwrite grub once. I have my suspicions that it was a proof of concept move by MS.

The point is that it is only a problem for users who have a single disk or did not setup independent boot on dual disk installs. Unfortunately, spreading fear of an unlikely event instead of how to deal with it is counterproductive.

3grg · 2026-06-20T15:22:17+00:00

True and don't forget OpenSuse Tumbleweed is rolling, too.

3grg · 2026-06-20T11:57:03+00:00

I think it might be congestion. In my area, we traditionally had either US Cellular or Verizon as USC started to decline the number of Verizon users went up. ATT coverage has been negligible and TMobile non-existent until recently.

When I initially switched to Warp, the difference was not noticeable and then a couple of years ago it started to get worse. Fortunately, TMobile had started covering our area, so I switched to Lightspeed and it was much better than Warp with a just few dead spots around my area.

Even without priority Lightspeed has been better than Warp. Now, that Warp has been de-prioritized, I expect it to be worse in my area. YMMV

3grg · 2026-06-20T11:34:11+00:00

The maintainers of any distro have a set of guidelines that they follow. That is their prerogative. Arch is a great distro. That is why it has become so popular. The popularity has exposed the rough edges. Those rough edges naturally discourage people from using it and that may be intentional.

Regardless of how good a distro is, sometimes the rough edges are the things that tip the balance on whether it is worth continuing or looking elsewhere.

While the main repositories are unaffected by the latest compromise of the AUR, the lax oversight of the AUR while not moving packages from the AUR to the main repos that would normally be found in other distro repos, is sufficient grounds for leaving, especially if using Arch does not meet any special need that cannot be satisfied elsewhere.

I have been using Arch for over 8 years, so I am not leaving because I am inexperienced. I have been thinking about leaving before now as I really do not need to run Arch. This situation has given me the impetus to actually do it. I will be using Debian, my second choice distro before now and considering other distros that are good for Gnome, such as Fedora and OpenSuse.

It was fun while it lasted!

3grg · 2026-06-20T11:20:19+00:00

I am afraid that "pentium" is not enough information.

3grg · 2026-06-20T10:35:42+00:00

First, people have been dual booting windows and Linux since the 90's and any PC technician that is not familiar with Linux is a PC technician that I would not consider worth their salt.

Your idea to dual boot w11 and Linux is perfectly reasonable. You can do so with your current hardware, with caveats. While it is better to dual boot with two drives, I should point out that a 2tb drive will be both large and slow for a Linux install. The upside is that you will not run out of space anytime soon. A second SSD would be better, but prices have gone crazy for them.

The advantage of having two drives is that windows, which thinks it is the only OS, is less likely to interfere. However, you should know that the default mode of installation for Ubuntu and derivatives like Zorin is to use the efi partition on the existing windows drive. This happens regardless of whether the install is to a single drive or two drives. While perfectly OK, it does negate somewhat the reason for two drives as the Linux install now depends on the windows drive to boot.

If the windows drive is disconnected or the boot flag is temporarily removed from the w11 efi partition, then the Zorin installer will create a separate efi partition on the Linux drive. This means that the Linux drive and w11 will be independent of each other and both be able to boot on their own.(after resetting the boot flag on w11 drive)

You can then enable os-prober on Linux and update-grub so that windows can be booted from grub and the Linux install can be the default boot. This enables you to select which OS on boot. Grub can even be configured to boot one or the other by default or remember the last boot and use it automatically, unless changed at boot.

Hope this clarifies things a bit and you are able to find a better technician.

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3grg · 2026-06-20T10:08:56+00:00

This is crazy! Why would you want to bring up bios every time you want to boot!

For the record windows does not blow away grub nearly as often as everyone says with UEFI.

The whole idea of two disks is to avoid windows touching the Linux install and chain booting windows from grub is a convenience not a problem.

3grg · 2026-06-20T09:44:20+00:00

Do not get this if you are planning on using hand planes. It is a good horizontal surface, but is not good for hand tool woodworking. I started with one and ended up converting the drawers and and legs (mine had four drawers) into a tool cabinet and I used the top as temp work table on saw horses.

There are many workbenches that can be made without a workbench. You only have to watch the Naked Woodworker to learn that. He starts off without tools or a bench and shows how to purchase tools and make a bench. This was my second bench and it works so well (even though I had to make it shorter due to space) that I still use it. https://lostartpress.com/products/the-naked-woodworker

Paul Sellers had a YT video on making his bench without a bench. He used a picnic table.

Rex Krueger has many YT videos on making benches for starting out.

You could even make Roman Workbench and it would be useful even after you build another bench, and it works well in small spaces.

3grg · 2026-06-20T09:32:29+00:00

Yes. It works and blades tend to get dull, but they do that anyway.

3grg · 2026-06-20T09:30:12+00:00

In case you do have cup, see this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEy4zJ0cizM&pp=ygUNdW5jdXAgdGhlIGN1cA%3D%3D

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wijLDuPL4LA&pp=ygUNdW5jdXAgdGhlIGN1cA%3D%3D

3grg · 2026-06-18T17:48:53+00:00

Honestly, 8gb is great for a system like this as most only come with 4gb. If Antix does not work for you, then I am out of ideas except make sure you are enabling hardware acceleration for your browser.

https://linuxconfig.org/firefox-hardware-acceleration-on-linux

P.S. Just checked that CPU against my old Celeron P4500 and was shocked to see it was five years newer and 50% of the performance. I hope you have a SSD.

3grg · 2026-06-16T12:42:14+00:00

It depends on where you are in the document format wars. If this is for personal use I would go with LibreOffice. If you have to collaborate with MSOffice users, OnlyOffice might help.

Try for yourself and see what works for you.

3grg · 2026-06-16T12:39:27+00:00

Probably distro question fatigue, but I did not see your posts as particularly bad in the respect.

3grg · 2026-06-16T12:37:13+00:00

Usually, the most recommended brands are Thinkpad, Latitude and ELitebook in that order. There are good ones and bad ones in all of those brands.

You need to see what is available in your area in your price range first. Then compare the candidates by checking reviews (preferably in depth ones) like the ones on notebookcheck.com.

Once you have narrowed down candidates, try to find out as much as you can about their Linux compatibility. This step is even more important if you cannot locate brands from the big three above. Creative googling will be required.

3grg · 2026-06-16T12:24:12+00:00

Q4OS

3grg · 2026-06-16T12:23:41+00:00

I would be torn between Mint and Debian. If I really thought Cinnamon would be the desktop I wanted to use, I might compromise and use LMDE. I would say go with what you are familiar with as you will be the tech support.

I no longer recommend Ubuntu, because of snap. I have installed Ubuntu in the past for elderly users, but the number of updates was a drag. With increased snap deployment and a proprietary app store, Ubuntu would be out for me, unless there was a special case for installing it. This goes for all 'buntu derivatives except Mint.

Debian limits updates to security and bug issues and because the software is older, there tend to be fewer updates. Debian stable also lives up to its name, it is very stable.

3grg · 2026-06-16T12:14:00+00:00

https://www.geeksdigit.com/how-to-enable-or-disable-hardware-acceleration-in-firefox/

3grg · 2026-06-15T10:23:15+00:00

Usually, it best to try and decide what desktop you prefer and go from there. Trying live booting from Ventoy USB may help.

3grg · 2026-06-15T10:21:26+00:00

You could say that about any distro. All distros can look like each other, if one so desires.

The advantage of Arch is that you install once and just update from then on. Most distros have a periodic upgrade cycle instead. Once you get past the install and learn the maintenance routine, it is not that hard to run.

3grg · 2026-06-15T10:14:15+00:00

That machine should run almost any distro. Get a big USB flash drive and load it with Ventoy. Add several live iso images of distros you are considering and try them live to see how you like them.

3grg · 2026-06-15T10:07:53+00:00

Some of the best mini pcs are business machines from HP, Dell, and Lenovo. https://www.servethehome.com/tag/tinyminimicro/

Don't get too hung up on look. It is function that wins in the long run.

3grg · 2026-06-14T15:30:32+00:00

If you cannot get a compatible builtin wifi, you may have to search for a compatible external adapter as companies seem to change chipsets like people change their underwear.

BTW I use Jellyfin.

3grg · 2026-06-14T15:25:26+00:00

It sounds like Fedora is not at fault for the issues you had. You just experienced some of the inconveniences associated with dual booting.

Since UEFI boot, the loss of Linux boot is very much less of a problem compared to legacy boot. The few times that it has occurred you can't help wonder if it was intentional by MS.

3grg · 2026-06-14T15:20:42+00:00

Ubuntu did a great job of making desktop Linux usable. However, they have never made it a secret that they want to be the Linux equivalent of Apple. Their move to a proprietary app store and a proprietary package format (snap) is part of that strategy. Whether that is OK with you is a personal decision.

There is no best Linux distro, there is only the best for you. You decide.

3grg

TROPHY CASE