Differences

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--- notes:distro_comparisons [2023/06/29 15:23] – removed Sean Rhone
+++ notes:distro_comparisons [2024/01/02 07:13] – Sean Rhone
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+====== Notes ======
+  * The following list contains various operating systems and my opinions
+  * These are my experiences below; YMMV
+  * Any other distro or OS not mentioned was either not tested, or isn't worth using
+====== Fedora Workstation ======
+===== Good =====
+  * SELinux
+  * Vanilla GNOME
+  * Allows XFS and F2FS root partitions
+===== Bad =====
+  * SELinux on servers (annoying and fragile)
+  * RPM Fusion (shoddy behavior with mesa-freeworld VA-API ordeal)
+  * GNOME (appindicator has been broken for years; it's either use GNOME on Fedora or some other DE not good enough for official presentation)
+  * Wayland (absolute train-wreck for gaming, but being pushed anyway without regard)
+===== Conclusions =====
+  * RHEL/CentOS is mostly relevant in US business and thus makes Fedora a good choice to be familiar with for a Linux sysadmin
+  * GNOME works but is not optimal
+====== openSUSE Tumbleweed ======
+===== Good =====
+  * Rolling-release
+  * Vanilla GNOME and Xfce
+  * Allows XFS root partition
+  * Various Wine packages (standard, staging, standard with nine, staging with nine)
+  * Yast is nice for configuring the network on servers
+  * LiveUSBs automatically have persistence even when ''dd'''d directly to flash drives
+  * Has ''steam'', ''intel-media-driver'', and other packages of interest that Fedora doesn't have in default repos
+===== Bad =====
+  * None
+===== Unsure =====
+  * AppArmor (it's not annoying, but it's not obvious what all it protects)
+===== Conclusions =====
+  * Xfce LiveUSB is a great sysadmin tool!
+====== Ubuntu ======
+===== Good =====
+  * All packages ever wanted exist in default repos
+  * The largest support for Linux apps; if it exists it likely supports Ubuntu
+  * oibaf PPA for graphics
+  * Liquorix and xanmod kernels
+  * [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Unicode_chart_Egyptian_Hieroglyphs|Loads theses fonts fine]]
+===== Bad =====
+  * GNOME
+===== Unsure =====
+  * Snaps (they work, I prefer them over Flatpak, but don't like the concept as a whole)
+===== Conclusions =====
+  * Ubuntu is the best distro for desktop Linux in 2023
+====== macOS ======
+===== Good =====
+  * Message sync between iPhone and macOS
+  * UI scaling (it somehow scales a lower res to a higher res while maintaining crisp text, and being compatible with programs not expecting this)
+  * Better performance with windowed applications with eGPU on internal screen
+  * Hackintosh builds are neat!
+===== Bad =====
+  * eGPU needs 3rd-party software on <del>outdated</del> "unsupported" Macs (automate-eGPU)
+  * Creating custom resolutions needs 3rd-party program (SwitchResX, which is paid)
+  * Some games have significantly lower performance
+  * Limited hardware diagnostic apps, and most are paid
+  * :!: 2023/12: Can not under any circumstance get a recovery ISO or Online Recovery working on a mid-2010 MacBook Pro; Apple offers no guidance or proper tools to get their own OS working on their own hardware unless you're on Apple Silicon
+===== Conclusions =====
+  * Lacks the hard-grit of Linux and performance for games on Windows, but makes up for it being the best visually :p
+  * Might be interesting if using Apple's ecosystem
+====== Windows 10 ======
+===== Good =====
+  * Best performance, by far, undeniably, no matter the GPU vendor for anything with graphics ((Linux fanboys are pushing obvious inferiority to a concerning degree; I've tested a NVIDIA RTX 3060, AMD RX 6600 XT, and Intel UHD 630 and confirm this in 2023))
+  * The most reputable memory testing programs are Windows-only
+  * Best VR (virtual reality) support
+  * No hardware oddities (stuff just works and works as-expected, notably more-so than Linux)
+  * WSL makes Linux barely appealing on desktop
+===== Bad =====
+  * Some drivers are an absolute nightmare to source, but Windows Update does pretty well //most// of the time
+===== Unsure =====
+  * WU forces an Alps touchpad driver that constantly polls the mouse pointer even when it isn't used, and has a service that eats CPU while doing it; WU does not offer an option to deny it, <del>but Device ID restrictions save the day</del> (disabling the Alps HID service works better)
+  * CRU developer claims an Intel driver bug causes issues ([[https://www.monitortests.com/forum/Thread-Custom-Resolution-Utility-CRU?pid=15053#pid15053|post]]), and naturally Intel isn't going to rush to release a driver to fix a 3rd-party tool, unofficial behavior, and on legacy hardware
+===== Conclusions =====
+  * It just-works, and consistently
+  * The best option by-far for gaming and VR
+====== Windows 11 ======
+===== Good =====
+  * Latest-and-greatest
+===== Bad =====
+  * Can't hide clock in Taskbar
+  * Oculus in early 2023 still had inconsistent performance with Blade & Sorcery running at like 50 FPS
+  * Insider editions are notably slower real-world even on NVMe
+  * :!: Could not (mid-2023) disable Windows Defender nor its real-time scan permanently even with NSudo; it randomly re-enables
+===== Conclusions =====
+  * Non-insider may be viable for a general Windows install