this post was submitted on 29 Sep 2026
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I just saw a DistroTube video with this question. Quite a thought provoking question [for this seasoned distroholic at least].

"What's the hardest Linux distro you've tried?" can be interpreted many ways, and I wonder what kinds of answers we'll get.

Especially these days, with much change underfoot and newer users having a different distrosphere to explore...

What's the hardest Linux distro you've tried?

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[–] Goingdown@sopuli.xyz 8 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Linux from Scratch

Everything is built from scratch.

First, you need some kind of host Linux system, which then is used to compile and install everything to target environment.

It is quite a huge undertaking, needs lots of time and patience. Basic LFS book is around 280 pages, and it will just give Linux terminal - you will need to go Beyond Linux from Scratch to actually get desktop environment running.

I have installed it twice, as a learning experience.

https://www.linuxfromscratch.org/

[–] thingsiplay@lemmy.ml -1 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

Linux from Scratch is not a distribution; it's a documentation how you build your own distribution from scratch.

[–] Goingdown@sopuli.xyz 3 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

It is not a distribution, but when you build your own Linux from Scratch, it will become your own distribution - thus it is distribution!

[–] thingsiplay@lemmy.ml 0 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

No, your distribution is the distribution. Your distribution doesn't make Linux from Scratch into one. Let's say I think your distribution is the best one for me. That does not mean another distribution created with the help of the documentation found at Linux from Scratch the best one too. Those are two different distributions. Linux from Scratch remains the documentation how to create one.

It's like finding a video tutorial how to program your own program a little game. The video tutorial doesn't become a game, it remains documentation how you write your own game. That's comparable situation with Linux from Scratch (in relation to our discussion).

[–] Digit@lemmy.today 1 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

You just asserted elsewhere in this thread, that it's not debatable. ... Seemed like you were already putting forth debate arguments a day ago here.

[–] thingsiplay@lemmy.ml 0 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I am not debating with you if LFS is a distribution or not, I teach you that its not.

[–] sem@piefed.blahaj.zone 0 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

No one here agrees to your definition.

[–] thingsiplay@lemmy.ml 1 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Which does not change facts of being true or false.

[–] sem@piefed.blahaj.zone 1 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I don't think you understand how definitions work.

It might be false according to your definition, but not anyone else's.

It looks like you're prepared to die on this hill though, so you do you.

[–] thingsiplay@lemmy.ml 1 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Just because you define something doesn't make it correct. I think you don't know what a Linux distribution is. There is no definition in where LFS is a Linux distribution.

[–] sem@piefed.blahaj.zone 1 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

I disagree. You may have a definition which excludes it, but clearly most people don't.

[–] thingsiplay@lemmy.ml 1 points 2 weeks ago

This isn't a question of definition. LFS cannot be installed as an operating system that distributes the Linux Kernel. It is a PDF or HTML document describing how you build a distribution. It's like giving me a book in the hand that describes every detail how to build a car, by melting metal and building the motor. And then calling the book is a car. That has nothing to do with definition, if you don't even know what a car is (here a distribution of Linux Kernel in an operating system).

Don't talk about most people if you don't know yourself what you are talking about.

[–] Digit@lemmy.today 3 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

“What’s the hardest Linux distro you’ve tried?” can be interpreted many ways

[–] thingsiplay@lemmy.ml -2 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)
[–] Digit@lemmy.today 1 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Rather than merely repeat and invite an infinite loop... I wonder how you've interpreted what you just responded to.

[–] thingsiplay@lemmy.ml -2 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I don't understand what you mean by that. There is nothing to interpret really. Linux from scratch is not a distribution, its a documentation how you build one from scratch. So I'm not sure what else to say about that. Maybe... a car example. :D

Let's say someone asks you which specific car model you like the most. Would the answer "I don't like a specific model, but I have a tutorial document how to build my own car from scratch, every single bit of it" a correct answer? To me, no. Because the question was about a specific model. A document how to create one is not a specific model. Hope that makes sense. BTW I'm not trying to be an ashowl or anything. I'm dead serious.

[–] Digit@lemmy.today 0 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

I'm not sure if this is trolling, or some kind of philosophical stumble (like some kind of naive realism ~ hence oblivious to interpretation), or even a personality malady (like NPD, impeding capacity for introspection).

To assert there's nothing to interpret... is a difficult stance to approach, having already concluded, contrary to present evidence, as if there's so clearly only one interpretation, so much obliviously so, like the fish asking "what's water?", that there's no interpretation at all...

And so, having dodged answering the question, it's difficult to know how to proceed.

Also further made difficult by you not answering the question asked about the substance of the question, but answering something entirely different. I wondered (left it open to answer, did not pose it as a direct question), how you interpreted what you just responded to...

as in

“What’s the hardest Linux distro you’ve tried?” can be interpreted many ways

I was wondering how you interpreted that line. Perchance that may lead to clarification as to what led you to simply repeat

it’s a documentation

re-asserting your position, seemed to be missing that this can be, and (evidently through the other comments) has been, interpreted many ways. So I still wonder, how did you interpret that line that restated that the question can be interpreted many ways?

As for your assertion itself, that you've double down on, as if there can be no other interpretation... Have you heard of a no-true Scotsman fallacy? The lines are blurred as to what defines a distro, even without someone offering reassurance to interpret a question about distros freely. Would you baulk similarly at various ilk of meta distros and installation scripts and other instructions? If the scripts that fetch the programs that comprise your operating system get from upstream sources, are they no longer a distro either? Where is the line for you, since you exclude LFS? And, we're all to just agree with your decree? Given thus far^, not my pope of FOSS. Heh.

If I build a car from instructions, then I have that car. ... Now you've got me hankering after a Caterham again. Heh.

I wonder also how, in your world view, distros based on LFS are assessed. Like on distrowatch, they too draw the distinction, between being Independent, and LFS based.

And still, I am very intrigued by your world view, how you square this away...

[–] thingsiplay@lemmy.ml 0 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Don't you know what a Linux distribution is? It is an operating system that has the Linux Kernel and is distributed so you can install it.

Linux from Scratch is a documentation / tutorial. There is nothing to interpret. That is the definition. You don't buy a book how to build a car and say this book is a car that includes a motor and is ready to be installed.

[–] Digit@lemmy.today 1 points 3 weeks ago

Yeah.

I'd hoped for better. But pretty much expected that kind of a response.

Can't get there from here.

[–] thingsiplay@lemmy.ml -1 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I wonder also how, in your world view, distros based on LFS are assessed. Like on distrowatch, they too draw the distinction, between being Independent, and LFS based.

You are conflicted with what you say. Distrowatch lists distributions. If you build one yourself, then that is a distribution. It doesn't change what LFS is or not. You are not building a LFS distribution, you are building a distribution. There is no such thing as LFS distribution...

[–] Digit@lemmy.today 0 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

I'll be sure to tell the NutyX guys that. XD

And the others. https://distrowatch.com/search.php?basedon=LFS#simple

And we'll need to tell distrowatch they're doing it wrong, and they're not allowed to to allow distros distinguish their LFS origins from independent origins.

Y'know, since you're right, and don't need to be accountable to scrutiny in what you say because you're right, and there's no such thing as interpretation, we'll just have to make everybody agree with what you restate as the one true way, ignoring any questions about it, disregarding any alternative perspectives and interpretations, ... XD

You are conflicted with what you say.

Where?

Even what you said after that seemed offer not only no conflict in what I said, also then went on to undermine your own argument! XD

But I guess if you're completely oblivious to interpretation... there's astronomically low odds of stumbling upon that.

[–] thingsiplay@lemmy.ml 1 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

And we’ll need to tell distrowatch they’re doing it wrong, and they’re not allowed to to allow distros distinguish their LFS origins from independent origins.

I think you don't understand the issue. Those listed distributions are no longer LFS (based). Based on means they take a distribution and build a new one out of it, like Ubuntu and Debian or Achlinux and SteamOS. But you can't base on LFS, because you build a new distribution based on the information. Dude are you trolling or don't you even know what you say? You completely changed the meaning of what I said. It doesn't even make sense to say based on LFS as a distribution. What Distrowatch lists are distributions created with the help of LFS, its not based on LFS...

[–] Digit@lemmy.today 0 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I think you don't understand "open to interpretation".

And you're just stating things that are plain wrong, and already evidenced to the contrary of your claims.

You have not a leg to stand on, yet keep doubling down and avoiding the questions.

[–] thingsiplay@lemmy.ml -1 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I think you don’t understand “open to interpretation”.

I think you don't understand that there is no interpretation. LFS is by definition and by logic not a distribution of Linux. Its not debatable or to interpret.

[–] Digit@lemmy.today 0 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (1 children)

So all the other people who interpreted the question, and the word "distro" in the question, in a manner that led them to answer LFS, are not just wrong to have interpreted it so, but... I'm sorry, I'm still struggling to get my head around your world view, how this is squared away, where there's an internal logical consistency. [Edit: "no interpretation"? So what was it they all did?]

If it's not debatable, how then did we arrive here?

See... its like you're not even in reality. Reminds of NPD. Stating things as true or not true, contrary to what's immediately evident. Like your failing efforts at saving face lead you to just try double-down harder, even further removed from awareness and reality. The ignorance that dies is not you. There's no threat to you here. You can entertain an idea. It wont hurt.

[–] thingsiplay@lemmy.ml -1 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (1 children)

If it’s not debatable, how then did we arrive here?

I am not debating with you if LFS is a distribution or not, I teach you that its not.

[–] Digit@lemmy.today 0 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I teach you that its not

Let me know when that starts.

[–] thingsiplay@lemmy.ml 0 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

You said yourself you don't know and still don't want to learn from someone who knows it and teaches you. If you don't want to learn, then you are not able to debate in any way and lock up yourself in a circle like this discussion.

[–] Digit@lemmy.today 0 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

You've accused me of doing what you're doing now. I smell DARVO. Putting words in my mouth. Slow down, read a little more carefully. I did not say I do not know any of the things you've just asserted. I'm leaning towards this not just being an honest misinterpretation, and seems more like you're just seeking loosh. Bye.

[–] thingsiplay@lemmy.ml 1 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

Putting words in my mouth. Slow down, read a little more carefully. I did not say I do not know any of the things you’ve just asserted.

Wrong. You said nobody knows what a distribution is, which at least includes yourself. So you told me directly that you don't know what that means.

Edit: From this reply of yours (before any edit): https://lemmy.ml/post/53349438/28101050

Arguably, no one does.

[–] thingsiplay@lemmy.ml 1 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

You know what a distribution is, right?

[–] Digit@lemmy.today 0 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (1 children)

Arguably, no one does. But this is a point that seems to be going completely over your head.

[Edit: There was a (iirc) good video about that recently from some linux youtuber... that I'm failing to find... If I do encounter it again, I'll try remember to add it here.]

[–] thingsiplay@lemmy.ml 0 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

If you don't even know what a distribution is, then why do you discuss and state others are wrong? A Linux distribution is an operating system you can install, that distributes the Linux Kernel. And LFS is not doing that. LFS is not a distribution. It's documentation that helps you create one.

[–] Digit@lemmy.today 0 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

You're still not getting it.

Open to interpretation.

Contemplate these words.

I don't know how to help you, since you're not getting this.

[–] thingsiplay@lemmy.ml 0 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

You’re still not getting it.

Interpretation of LFS being a distribution or not is not open to interpretation. I explained to you what a distribution is (as you admitted not knowing what a distribution is). And you are still stuck.

Sorry to tell you, but LFS is not an operating system.

[–] Digit@lemmy.today 0 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (1 children)

Happy to tell you, I asked the question, and I stated it was open to interpretation.

And many people have done so. Fitting as intended.

If they want to say the distro they made following LFS is the hardest they've tried, they're perfectly within the remit of the question with that; perfectly on topic. If they were to proclaim their re-write from scratch of templeOS in dreamberd was their hardest Linux distro, I'm happy to accept that. If they were to state the hardest linux distro they tried, was using GNU Hurd, instead of something with a Linux kernel, I'm happy with that too. If they had an entirely non-gnu userland, and an ironclad kernel, fine with that too. If they said Windows, satirising how hard that was on their life, how ignorant and disempowered it made them, that's fine to interpret the question that broadly too. If someone said a piece of toast, with nothing to do with the linux kernel at all, then that's fine too. If someone said Norway, by whatever crazy brought them there, that's still within the remit of the question's reassurance that it's open to interpretation. See how open to interpretation works?

See how we've been arguing past each other, at different levels?

You're free to interpret LFS as not a distro. That too is within the remit of open to interpretation. I wonder why you're so insistent on only your interpretation of the question, and of that one aspect of one possible answer, and so stubborn to accept that the question itself, not merely LFS considered as a distro, is [as already stated in bold italics repeatedly] open to interpretation (and if you've even yet got that that's what's being questioned here).

(Probably not... but I thought this reply was good enough to help clarify... but then, I thought that several times already... and yet still, astonishing levels of not getting it, like taking a step back's too difficult for your current apparent catecholamine tone.)

[–] thingsiplay@lemmy.ml 0 points 3 weeks ago

You’re free to interpret LFS as not a distro. That too is within the remit of open to interpretation.

It's not. LFS is not an operating system. Just because you state its free to interpretation doesn't make it free. It's not. It's like if you said "its free to interpret if our sun is actually not a star, but in reality it is an asteroid".

I wonder why you’re so insistent on only your interpretation of the question

I'm not insisting my interpretation, I explain to you what LFS is. Because it is not an interpretation, its' a definition. What do you think the worlds "operation system" and "distribution" means? Do you know the difference between what an operating system and a book is?