this post was submitted on 24 Mar 2025
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Those who don't have the time or appetite to tweak/modify/troubleshoot their computers: What is your setup for a reliable and low-maintenance system?

Context:

I switched to Linux a couple of years ago (Debian 11/12). It took me a little while to learn new software and get things set up how I wanted, which I did and was fine.

I've had to replace my laptop though and install a distro (Fedora 41) with a newer kernel to make it work but even so, have had to fix a number of issues. This has also coincided with me having a lot less free time and being less interested in crafting my system and more interested in using it efficiently for tasks and creativity. I believe Debian 13 will have a new enough kernel to support my hardware out of the box and although it will still be a hassle for me to reinstall my OS again, I like the idea of getting it over with, starting again with something thoroughly tested and then not having to really touch anything for a couple of years. I don't need the latest software at all times.

I know there are others here who have similar priorities, whether due to time constraints, age etc.

Do you have any other recommendations?

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[–] truthfultemporarily@feddit.org 1 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Get a big mainstream distro and stop tinkering with it.

[–] d00phy@lemmy.world 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

This really is the answer. The more services you add, the more of your attention they will require. Granted, for most services already integrated into the distro’s repo, the added admin overhead will likely be minimal, but it can add up. That’s not to say the admin overhead can’t be addressed. That’s why scripting and crons, among some other utilities, exist!

[–] crazyminner@lemmy.ml 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] that_leaflet@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

This comment should be deleted soon

[–] Naich@lemmings.world 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Ubuntu. It's boring but it all works.

[–] danielquinn@lemmy.ca 0 points 1 year ago

Ubuntu is literally just Debian unstable with a bunch of patches. Literally every time I've been forced to use it, it's been broken in at least a few obvious places.

[–] asap@lemmy.world 0 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Desktop:

Server:

Zero maintenance for any of them. Not just low maintenance, but zero.

[–] JustEnoughDucks@feddit.nl 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Doesn't ucore also have to restart to apply updates?

Not super ideal for a server as far as maintenance and uptime to have unexpected, frequent restarts as opposed to in-place updates, unless one's startup is completely automated and drives are on-device keyfile decrypted, but that probably fits some threat models for security.

The desktop versions are great!

[–] axum@lemmy.blahaj.zone 0 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Not super ideal for a server as far as maintenance and uptime to have unexpected, frequent restarts

This is such a weird take given that 99.9% of people here are just running this on their home servers which aren't dictated by a SLA, so it's not like people need to worry about reboots. Just reboot once a month unless there's some odd CVE you need to hit sooner than later.

[–] dino@discuss.tchncs.de 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

So why would somebody run that on their homeserver compared to tried and true staples with tons of documentation? 🍿

[–] axum@lemmy.blahaj.zone -1 points 1 year ago

You're right, they should be running Windows Server as God intended 😆