I’ve been hopping between Linux distros on and off for about 15 years. Through all that, Linux Mint stayed as my main OS—stable, familiar, and Cinnamon felt like home.
A few months ago, I got a new laptop and decided to shake things up: dual-booting Fedora 42 with KDE Plasma. It was a good move. Fedora made full use of the hardware, and KDE was a whole new experience after years with Cinnamon. There was a learning curve, but it was worth it.
Last week, I went for a direct upgrade to Fedora 43. No reinstall, no reformat—just a clean upgrade. That’s something I really appreciate. I don’t jump on upgrades immediately; I usually wait two weeks for things to settle. It’s a habit that works for me.
Now, Fedora has taken the top spot as my primary OS on my Asus ExpertBook B5402CVA. No dual boot this time—just pure Fedora.
Why Fedora Works for Me
- Latest software: I like having up-to-date packages without needing to chase PPAs or third-party repos.
- DNF over APT: Personal preference, but I find
dnfcleaner and more predictable. - Not Arch: I respect Arch, but I don’t have the time or motivation to maintain it. I just need something that works.
- Customization: KDE offers plenty of options, but the defaults are good enough with a few tweaks. Someday, I might spend a weekend tweaking everything—but before that, I’ll make sure BTRFS is configured for snapshots.
- Stability with flexibility: Fedora hits that sweet spot for me—modern, polished, and reliable.
Fedora keeps me excited about Linux even after all these years. It’s fast, polished, and fits my workflow perfectly.
If you’ve been distro hopping too, what’s your current favorite?