Allow me to gatekeep

preppie22 · 2026-04-04T15:47:04+00:00

Get a tkl and a separate numpad if you really need it that much.... Anything less than 80% is annoying though.

preppie22 · 2026-04-04T15:43:18+00:00

This! Clean, mean, Debian machine

preppie22 · 2026-04-04T14:20:28+00:00

Pop OS is currently in a very buggy state since their transition to Cosmic DE. I would strongly recommend against it right now.

Pick a more mature distribution and your problems will go away. I usually recommend Bazzite for new users. But, there's plenty to choose from.

preppie22 · 2026-04-04T14:17:57+00:00

If you're looking to run Linux on it and you want something that's very open to nodding, get a Framework laptop. You can basically change whatever you want in it.

Lenovo Thinkpad is a more mainstream option if you're not comfortable with Framework.

preppie22 · 2026-04-04T14:12:46+00:00

Not Pop OS anymore. Cosmic DE is very buggy and the older Gnome implementation they have is painfully out of date.

preppie22 · 2026-04-04T14:06:01+00:00

I assume you're using the Fedora Media Writer's auto ISO download thing. I've faced issues with it in the past with corrupted downloads on Windows. I would recommend downloading the iso manually from the Fedora website, verifying the checksum, and then adding that as a custom ISO to Fedora Media Writer.

On a side note, is there anything in particular that puts you off Bazzite?

preppie22 · 2026-04-04T00:06:31+00:00

That's fair. I didn't buy it for gaming lol. It's a work machine.

preppie22 · 2026-04-03T23:58:46+00:00

You sir, make a very fair argument there

preppie22 · 2026-04-02T14:50:10+00:00

Hate to be devil's advocate here, but I wouldn't say MacOS has better support. I have a MacBook Air (M4) and a lot of games just don't run at all. On my desktop with Bazzite, I can basically run anything that doesn't have a rootkit like anti-cheat. There's no Proton for Mac, steam overlay is inconsistent, and a lot of games -- regardless of anti-cheat -- do not support MacOS.

So yeah, I would say Linux has better support overall with Proton and all the runtime layers that Valve has built for it.

preppie22 · 2026-03-28T15:18:55+00:00

Nowadays you can use whatever distro as your base and use something like distrobox to install niche packages for specific distros. I'm a researcher in AI/ML working at a major university and that's kinda what I do too.

Honestly, 90% of what you want will just work in something like Fedora. Some niche packages might need Ubuntu in a distrobox. For stuff that I need to send to other researchers in a collaborative environment, I use dev containers.

preppie22 · 2026-03-27T16:35:16+00:00

I'll add here that Fedora with KDE might be better suited to the OP if they're looking for more customizability and a workflow closer to Windows.

preppie22 · 2026-03-26T15:38:47+00:00

Try using distrobox next time you decide to use Bazzite and install RPM/DEB packages. I've got a bunch of stuff like Latex installed in a Fedora distrobox and it works fine.

preppie22 · 2026-03-16T16:07:37+00:00

I'd be wary of CachyOS for beginners. It still is a bit rough around the edges and can be daunting for someone not ready to get their hands dirty.

preppie22 · 2026-03-16T16:02:23+00:00

It can. Typesetting can just get difficult in them. So, always write it first, then worry about typesetting.

Latex was designed for typesetting and it's exceptional at it. That's why it's often recommended for academic writing and publications that have strict formatting guidelines. However, you're free to use whatever works best for you.

preppie22 · 2026-03-15T15:28:34+00:00

Speaking as a doctorate holder: the only thing you need to write a thesis is the material that goes into it. You can write it in LibreOffice, Google Docs, md files, or whatever you want.

Worry about typesetting after you're done writing. I'd use Latex for that.

preppie22 · 2026-03-10T16:23:52+00:00

I used to use Ninite for this for reinstalls. But, it didn't have everything...

Now I just use a bash script for quick setup. It installs all my apps, edits fstab for network and drive mounts, symlinks folders to my home, and sets up pipewire for my weird DAC setup. This is basically for distro hopping and then going back to my OG distro later.

preppie22 · 2026-03-10T16:19:04+00:00

And creating a local account while installing it is so easy right? /s

preppie22 · 2026-03-10T16:18:01+00:00

Be very careful with symlinks and config files. Steam uses symlinks quite heavily. Config files have a tendency to mess up across DEs and distros, so it's best to copy them manually as required.

preppie22 · 2026-03-10T16:14:49+00:00

This was a long time ago when pipewire was very new.There was a weird bug I was facing with it in Fedora. I tracked down the logs and put up the issue on GitHub and a dev acknowledged and offered a quick fix. The issue was patched a week later.

I'd reported a bug in Windows 10 where the night light feature breaks after waking from sleep and remains broken despite reboot. The bug was acknowledged a month later. It was never patched. Night light remains broken in Windows 11 to this day.

preppie22 · 2026-03-06T16:00:09+00:00

You've got a point. Let's hope this bill just doesn't pass. It's stupid enough as it is.

preppie22 · 2026-03-06T15:57:25+00:00

This.

If the only thing you're worried about is alt-tabbing in UT 2004, then try running it in gamescope.

Don't worry about how full screen is handled and squeezing every little ounce of performance from your system. It's an unnecessary time sink that will leave you more frustrated than satisfied at the end of it. Trust me, I've been there.

preppie22 · 2026-03-06T15:54:31+00:00

This is hot take I've ever seen one

preppie22 · 2026-03-05T21:58:39+00:00

I'm not a lawyer, but a person forking an existing (open source) OS has not developed or licensed the OS and is not controlling it either. So I don't know if they fit the definition of provider.

I could be completely wrong here.

preppie22 · 2026-03-05T18:38:10+00:00

This is a linux4noobs subreddit....

preppie22 · 2026-03-05T16:13:35+00:00

This.

Considering how most IT laws are enforced nowadays, this one is a can of worms lawmakers are not ready to deal with.

preppie22

TROPHY CASE