I am thinking about switching from Windows to Debian 12 Bookworm
I used Ubuntu in my college for some light programming and felt really happy about it.
I am more interested in switching to Debian 12 than Ubuntu, since the former is really stable. Also, I came to know installing Debian is easier since it supports non free firmware.
Go ahead.
How do I know if my device actually works with all the foss drivers? Is there a list of hardware supported?
Stable just means no major version jumps in software that might break your current setup. That's important for operating servers, not desktops.
I use debian Sid (unstable) at work and never had problems. Most of the time I get updates prior to other distributions I am using.
At home I use arch (derivates, manjaro), with great success.
I would abstain from Ubuntu. There, I had problems, it is very opinionated and not in s good way.
In a general sense I would always chose a distribution that isn't too locked in to a certain desktop environment and provides updates, quickly.
I am currently using Fedora and have been eyeing Debian for a while. Just curious which one do you think would be closer to fedora between sid and testing? And when a new major version of gnome drops, about how many months would it take before its available for sid & testing?
+1 for Arch for desktop setups. If setup well, I have not really encountered my desktop system breaking, and if broken, usually can fix since it teaches you how to set up when you install the first time. Also, great documentation and forums.
+1 for Manjaro
I will say, in my experience, the “stability” boost that Debain has over other distros very rarely shows itself for a normal desktop user. It’s more for mission-critical/long-term business calculations where that stability makes a difference. Ubuntu LTS is incredibly “stable” for most desktop users, in that it will do what you want it to without fail, and will have safe, up-to-date programs (that last part is not always the case for Debian).
Use Linux Mint instead, the 21.2 version is just around the corner.
Do stable, use Flatpaks for anything you need to be newer. It works well.
Shouldn't be an issue. I see people recommending other distros but it doesn't sound like you are asking about that at all.
It also sounds like you understand the catch with Debian: older packages stick around for a bit. But, you can go to Testing or Sid.
Debian is not easier than Ubuntu, the opposite is the case, you have to tinker around with some things to get them work how you want them. Usually you end up with a system which is more suited to your needs and preferences, but you have to put more work into it.
In terms of stability, it's not like Ubuntu LTS Desktop will just break down, I use it way over 10 years and it never end up in a broken state (well it did, but it was my mistake). It's more of a server thing, were you can just install updates without having to fear that something got incompatible.
Non-free drivers and firmware are available in the main installer now, so i'm not sure what extra tinkering you have to do on debian.
It's always been super easy for me
I don't think Ubuntu is easier than Debian. Especially now that they're pushing for snap instead of apt/deb packages. It's confusing as hell.
@Seltsamsel @test626 Ubuntu LTS Desktop breaks down almost every day. Ctrl-Shift-F5, sudo reboot now
Fedora never broke down for me
Just be aware that "stable" in the linux world means "old." All of the software in the Debian repos will be much more out of date than some other distros like Pop!_OS, Fedora, or even Ubuntu. If you upgrade to newer hardware, or want to use newer software, Debian may not support it without jumping through some major hoops.
LOL. It's not hard at all. Run "unstable". Unstable doesn't mean it's going to crash, it means it gets updated. There are zero major hoops, and Debian is usually more rock solid than its offshoots, and aside from release freeze windows is at least as up to date as those you mentioned. I mean, use whatever you want, most major distributions are going to be fine, but you don't need to pointlessly spread FUD.
I'm using Debian with the testing branch for a while on a Lenovo T470, haven't had any issues with it ever.
From the software part, I think this is only an issue if you're a developer. If you want something like the most recent LibreOffice, you can just install it via Flatpak. A bigger issue arises if you need something like a more recent Python or GCC.
From the hardware part, you should of course always check beforehand with a live distro if your hardware is supported. Debian 12 however is very recent and should support most recent hardware and it will keep supporting it unless you upgrade e.g. your GPU.
I've been running Deb 12 on my laptop for a year and a half and it's good. The one issue I have had is directly related to being on brand new hardware that wasn't supported yet by the kernel. Before that I ran 9, 10 and 11 with zero issues on laptops and desktops.
Also, I am planning to use Ventoy for the boot drive. My device has UEFI, so is there any extra steps I need to follow to install the distro properly?
From the ventoy website:
x86 Legacy BIOS, IA32 UEFI, x86_64 UEFI, ARM64 UEFI and MIPS64EL UEFI are supported in the same way.
Thank you
I would suggest Linux Mint instead, or using Flatpaks to update apps.
Now it's new, so you'll have less problems, but in two years, the situation might be different.
How do I know if my device actually works with all the foss drivers? Is there a list of hardware supported?
From my experience with Linux - your hardware will almost certainly work just fine without a problem.
It'll be your Windows software that you're going to have potential problems with. This is likely way less hassle than it was 10-20 years ago - wine has been continuously improved, DirectX 12 was open sourced, and a lot of software is run in web browsers these days anwyay, but depending what you're trying to do, it can still be a challenge.
From my experience with Linux - your hardware will almost certainly work just fine without a problem.
certainly not always true... sometimes you can still have issues with wifi cards for example
Stability does not mean what you think it does. Stable in Linux means "packages don't get updated, i.e. versions of things remain stable" and Debian is VERY stable, which means he's sometimes years behind in updates. As a desktop user you're likely to not like that sort of stability in your system, but that's great for servers since you can be relatively safe that things won't change that much when you do a system update.
Ubuntu is also very stable, and it supports non free firmware as well. But if you're happier with Debian go ahead, it's an excellent distro and at the end of the day distro choice is something completely personal that you're likely to change several times before settling down on the one you really like.
Debian has always had support for non-free firmware, just not by default, which has changed with Bookworm
@test626 Debian is rock solid & I cannot recommend it enough. There's a ton of options that'll suit almost any computer spec. Go install it & see for yourself....
I love Debian! It is a project which provides a lot for the OpenSource and Linux community.
And yes, it is the most stable Linux you can have.
Personally I would suggest to start with a distribution with more actual packages like Fedora, Manjaro or even Arch.