Linux Desktop: Why Spiral Linux is interesting for Debian/Ubuntu users
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Do you already know Spiral Linux? A Debian fork that wants to differentiate itself from Debian itself with improvements in certain areas and thus convince us...

https://spirallinux.github.io/

BTRFS, GUI Flatpak manager, Theming, nonfree codecs etc., printer support, timeshift preconfigured

Their goal is to make vanilla debian usable, with only debian tech. It is just a config, no “small distro dies and users need to switch”

Might not be the most secure (loose printer configs, preinstalled drivers for random stuff that is not normally a problem)

  • Scoopta@programming.dev
    1·
    3 months ago

    Does the UX suck? Genuine question. Debian is where I moved after I outgrew mint and I’ve never had a problem with it or felt like it was cludgy

    • boredsquirrel@slrpnk.netOP
      31·
      3 months ago

      It is VERY manual. It is simply universal, and doesnt adapt to dedicated uses at all.

      They build great core tech, but no adaption to use cases.

      This means that all users need to do that themselves, which results in a million different ways on how to automatically update, etc.

      At the same time their desktop setups are completely bloated with debian GUI apps, where arguably modern Flatpaks are better and touch the system even less.

      • Scoopta@programming.dev
        2·
        3 months ago

        I suppose that’s true. I also don’t install the predefined GUI options. I always install my GUI manually after disabling recommended packages. Recommended packages are my biggest Debian gripe. They’re great for users that don’t know what they’re doing but for power users I find it kinda bloated. I should probably try flatpak again but last time I did it was just annoying and in the way and gave up.

        • boredsquirrel@slrpnk.netOP
          1·
          3 months ago

          I fixed up a bunch of youth center machines.

          1. Debloat, find out package names literally from the internet (GNOME is made for people that dont want to do that, how the hell do you find out “what package name does this GUI app have”? Task manager? ps ?)
          2. Install flatpak, flathub, GNOME-Software integration
          3. Install all those apps as Flatpaks
          4. Replace VirtualBox with virt-manager to avoid breaking kernel modules
          5. Update and Upgrade to Debian 12
          6. Setup apt-automatic

          I guess they are still running today. I was a bit newer to Linux back then.

          • Scoopta@programming.dev
            1·
            3 months ago

            I personally like to start with a debloated install and then install gnome on top rather than the other way round. Honestly to point 4 it slightly baffles me that people use vbox on Linux, KVM with libvirt/virt-manager is so much more powerful while still allowing for fairly straightforward basic setups without introducing 3rd party modules. Seems like a no brainer to me but apparently it isn’t.

            Cool that they’re still running though. I’ve never setup a Linux system that I then had to turn over. They’re all systems I maintain, I’m not entirely sure what my plan would be for a maintenance free machine that I expected other people to use.

            • boredsquirrel@slrpnk.netOP
              1·
              3 months ago

              VBox has really easy Windows integration. To this day I have not managed to have a shared folder and especially clipboard with any guest, let alone Windows.

              This may be easily possible, but not just a few clicks

              • Scoopta@programming.dev
                2·
                3 months ago

                Shared folders are easy with Linux guests, you just set it up in virt-manager and then mount it in Linux. With windows it’s possible and I have done it but you need to install the virtiofs driver alongside winfsp and then make sure the virtiofs service is running. So the setup is definitely a bit obtuse. I haven’t done clipboard sharing deliberately as I don’t love the idea of that being synced but I should at least try it so I know what setup is like. The file sharing isn’t hard once you learn how to set it up but figuring it out the first time is a challenge for windows guests.