Ubuntu has too many problems for me to want to run it. However, it has occurred to me that there aren’t a lot of distros that are like the Ubuntu LTS.

Basic requirements for a LTS:

  • at least 2 years of support
  • semi recent versions of applications like Chrome and Firefox (might consider flatpak)
  • a stable experience that isn’t buggy
  • fast security updates

Distros considered:

  • Debian (stable)
  • Rocky Linux
  • openSUSE
  • Cent OS stream
  • Fedora

As far as I can tell none of the options listed are quite suitable. They are either to unstable or way to out of date. I like Rocky Linux but it doesn’t seem to be desktop focused as far as I can tell. I would use Debian but Debian doesn’t have the greatest security defaults. (No selinux profiles out of the box)

  • KISSmyOSFeddit@lemmy.world
    9·
    2 months ago

    If you want to run Linux on enterprise workstations and expect enterprise level release cycles and support durations, you’re not shopping for one of the free (as in beer) distros.
    SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop is the best offering. It comes with 7 years of standard support and another 3 years of extended support.

  • exanime@lemmy.today
    8·
    2 months ago

    As far as I can tell none of the options listed are quite suitable. They are either to unstable or way to out of date. I like Rocky Linux but it doesn’t seem to be desktop focused as far as I can tell. I would use Debian but Debian doesn’t have the greatest security defaults. (No selinux profiles out of the box)

    Check your requirements … I get that you may need 2 year support and you cannot control that, but are you really going to dismiss one of the greatest Linux distros of all time because the “defaults” are not to your liking? You know you can configure it however you want after the installation right?

    If you are going to value stability and nice wallpaper with the same importance, you’ll never find a “quite suitable” match

  • barbara@lemmy.ml
    5·
    2 months ago

    Tbo, that’s a little bit to little research you provided considering you want to use it for work.

    E.g. why do you need more than 2 years of support for a workstation?

    Stating that debian isn’t secure enough really confuses me as it is one of the most solid distros out there.

  • NaN@lemmy.sdf.orgEnglish
    51·
    2 months ago

    Mint is built on Ubuntu LTS but removes some of the problematic bits, it has a recent Firefox and Chrome is of course available, Fletpak support is also integrated.

    I’ve run Alma and RHEL as a desktop and it was fine, my main use case was “like Fedora but stable” (more than a year of support). However the repositories are very limited, even with EPEL and third parties, so it eventually irked me enough to switch away. Also no btrfs support without replacing the kernel and adding support from third party places.

      • embed_me@programming.dev
        1·
        2 months ago

        Not officially, you can install it separately but you’ll probably have to tie up some loose ends (haven’t tried)

        You can look into Fedora if you want a good gnome experience or Debian if you prefer. The latter will have an old gnome version.

    • jakepi@beehaw.org
      1·
      2 months ago

      Debian Testing + flatpak

      Testing is shockingly stable, kind of up to date, and rolling. Since you will use Flatpak for all your apps it really removes a lot of risk that dependencies will break an app.

      I use this combo as my daily driver for my work PC, knock on wood it’s been super solid!

      • dino@discuss.tchncs.deEnglish
        1·
        2 months ago

        I also use Debian Testing as a work computer. But I am used to more bleeding edge distros. So if somebody strives for rock solidness, I think default debian stable is even a better choice.

  • gerdesj@lemmy.mlEnglish
    41·
    2 months ago

    My wife’s laptop absolutely has to work. For some mad reason I decided on Arch for it. Actually a rolling distro is not so mad. You get the latest stuff and in general issues are fixed as quickly as a LTS jobbie or you get a work around in the forums or you dig out the source and a compiler. It’s no accident that the Arch wiki is an oft cited resource. Its not for everyone!

    I’ve been looking at a similar thing for my company and Kubuntu so far is my choice and I’ve already ditched the LTS bit. I need to run AV and the usual corporate bollocks to pass silly tick box exercises, so my options are rather limited.

    There is no perfect one size fits all distro, that’s what we have rather a lot of them to choose from - they rise and fall according to natural selection and not artifice. Imagine if all computers were sold with a free/libre OS or none at all and Windows or Apples were a paid for add on. Monolithic OSs are completely deluded about being able to cater for all, without some dreadful contortions.

    Anyway, back to the job in hand! If you want a LTS then you must accept older software or you use an LTS as a base and add newer stuff yourself. Most Linux distros allow you to run your own add-ons formally or informally. Gentoo has a rather nifty user patching mechanism for distro ebuilds and you can have your own ebuilds take over entirely. RPM and pkg distros can handle user packages and Ubuntu has PPAs too. I could go on. Also you can go off piste and put stuff into /opt and/or /usr/local!

    Please reconsider your use of the term “unstable”. I suggest you write down a list of your requirements and score them according to importance. Then grab a list of OSs and distros - all of them, don’t preclude Windows and Apples: they have their uses. Then score the OSs/distros against your requirements. The scoring might be in the form of a matrix (table). I suggest keeping it simple with a score of -1 to 1 for each item (-1=dislike, 0=neutral/whatevs, +1=like)

    Do a pilot project and see how that goes. Take your time. If it is for personal use then run your tests in a VM. Most modern hardware can easily run a VM or two. Virtualbox or VMware Worskstation or KVM (libvirt is a good effort)

    The choice is yours. Note that word “choice” - its very important.

    • Possibly linux@lemmy.zipOPEnglish
      1·
      2 months ago

      Yeah I do not want Arch or recent packages. I want something I can set and forget.

      Right now Pop OS and Linux mint seem like the best options even though they both lack the support of a larger company.

      • Raccoonn@lemmy.ml
        11·
        2 months ago

        Arch can definitely be a “set & forget” type of distro. Just install it, use it correctly, and that’s really it. No need to upgrade to new releases; just keep the system up to date…

        • sparr@lemmy.worldEnglish
          21·
          2 months ago

          just keep the system up to date…

          The idea that downloading gigabytes of packages every week is a normal and required aspect of using a computer is part of why I left Windows…

          • Raccoonn@lemmy.ml
            1·
            2 months ago

            Doesn’t have to be every week. Could be every other week or at least once a month. I haven’t used Windows since 2002, but personally, I update once a week, and it never takes all that long, maybe 2-3 minutes tops. But I understand that it’s not for everyone…

              • Raccoonn@lemmy.ml
                1·
                2 months ago

                Computer is connected to the router via ethernet. The connection to the router is I believe fiber optics…

      • elucubra@sopuli.xyz
        01·
        2 months ago

        I run Mint Cinnamon. It’s been Rock solid for me. You can modify, add, remove whatever you want. With Flatpacks you are mostly up to date. If you want to install a newer kernel you can, and if you have Timeshift running and something breaks, you just roll back.

        I see Mint as an Un-enshittified Ubuntu.

        I find cinnamon very frienly and comfortable, which I need in a daily driver. To play I have things like NixOS. I could Arch, but I’m not vegan. :)

        That said, I’m giving Fedora Kinoite (Atomic) a try in a VM

  • LeFantome@programming.dev
    2·
    2 months ago

    As suggested elsewhere, I think your requirements map quite well to Linux Mint. I prefer the Debian Edition but it has a shorter support window ( not LTS ).

    If you want / need selinux then you may prefer the RHEL camp. Others have proposed Rocky. I would do Alma ( especially given your security focus ). Either way, the desktop software is going to be ancient and package selection limited. One solution is Flatpak. Another is distrobox.

    An Alma desktop with applications coming from an Arch install via Distrobox would be the best of both worlds. The desktop and overall environment would be rock stable, secure, and boring. Yet the library of applications would be huge and, once installed, they would stay very up-to-date.”

    SELinux is available on Debian though: https://reintech.io/blog/securing-debian-12-with-selinux

  • jkrtn@lemmy.ml
    2·
    2 months ago

    A Universal Blue derivative and rollback if there’s an issue is LTS enough for me.

    For an LTS LTS, I’d be looking at Alma or Debian.

    What is “way” out of date, in your mind? I thought all LTSes were on kernel version 5-something at the moment.

    • LeFantome@programming.dev
      2·
      2 months ago

      The latest Ubuntu LTS ships with a 6.8 kernel.

      Debian Stable ships with a 6.1 kernel.

      Even RHEL ( and so Alma too ) ships with a 5.14 kernel ( RHEL 9 ) but it is newer than that really as Red Hat back ports stuff into their kernel.

  • bob@lemmy.world
    1·
    2 months ago

    Tails. It may not be designed for LTS, but it appears to be stable and secure.

  • breadsmasher@lemmy.worldEnglish
    1·
    2 months ago

    Enterprise environment in what sense, desktop or server deployment?

    I ask because I wouldn’t want a “semi recent … Chrome or Firefox” installed on a production server

  • dvdnet62@feddit.nlEnglish
    1·
    2 months ago

    Kubuntu and other Ubuntu derivatives are okay. they still use apt/flatpak on their software center