<![CDATA[Hi friends, I could use your input]]>Hi friends, I could use your input!
My mom has asked me to install Linux on her laptop, which distro should I pick?

- Dell Latitude 7320 Intel Core i7-Gen 11 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD
- Has to be stable, good hardware support
- Sysadmin tasks will be performed (remotely) by me, so doesn't have to be "beginner friendly" per se in that area (she won't be added to the wheel group 😅)
- Support for Xfce desktop (I guess most distros have that)
- Ideally support for encrypted root on ZFS

No: Ubuntu, Fedora, RHEL (or derivatives) please.

Given my recent fascination, I'd go with FreeBSD, but I'm afraid the hardware support isn't quite there yet. Voting and boosts are appreciated!

What should I pick?

#Linux #LaptopLinux #Poll #Debian #VoidLinux #AlpineLinux #ArchLinux

]]>https://billboard.bsd.cafe/topic/0d8a9a5e-9723-4d69-8617-538316ed95ac/hi-friends-i-could-use-your-inputRSS for NodeSat, 04 Apr 2026 11:19:52 GMTMon, 30 Mar 2026 14:37:46 GMT60<![CDATA[Reply to Hi friends, I could use your input on Thu, 02 Apr 2026 16:40:43 GMT]]>@grahamperrin yes, I think I'll just schedule the admin sessions with her and have a chat afterwards, since I'd have to ask her to turn on the laptop anyway. But it's a fair point, we'll see how it works in practice.

]]>https://billboard.bsd.cafe/post/https://kedara.social/users/ruben/statuses/01KN7H331079WVGM1MKFJK5NKAhttps://billboard.bsd.cafe/post/https://kedara.social/users/ruben/statuses/01KN7H331079WVGM1MKFJK5NKAThu, 02 Apr 2026 16:40:43 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Hi friends, I could use your input on Thu, 02 Apr 2026 16:17:16 GMT]]>@ruben@kedara.social said:

Sysadmin tasks will be performed (remotely)

Maybe difficult with OpenZFS-encrypted root-on-ZFS. Will your mom be prepared to enter the passphrase when a task requires a restart of the OS?

]]>https://billboard.bsd.cafe/post/69https://billboard.bsd.cafe/post/69Thu, 02 Apr 2026 16:17:16 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Hi friends, I could use your input on Thu, 02 Apr 2026 16:02:42 GMT]]>openSUSE perhaps? Never let me down in 20 years. Void Linux also sits nicely with zfsbootmenu (but will consume the whole weekend probably).

]]>https://billboard.bsd.cafe/post/67https://billboard.bsd.cafe/post/67Thu, 02 Apr 2026 16:02:42 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Hi friends, I could use your input on Thu, 02 Apr 2026 15:38:52 GMT]]>@ruben@kedara.social
I don't know how xfce does it, with KDE we have updates as gui popup. If thats a thing, I would use that over unattended.
]]>https://billboard.bsd.cafe/post/https://snikket.de/social/menel/p/1775144332.673945https://billboard.bsd.cafe/post/https://snikket.de/social/menel/p/1775144332.673945Thu, 02 Apr 2026 15:38:52 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Hi friends, I could use your input on Thu, 02 Apr 2026 09:49:13 GMT]]>Thanks everyone for voting and the super helpful advice!

This is my current game plan for Saturday:
- Debian root on ZFS with xfce
- She'll be a regular user with no privileges, but can install Flatpaks via the Warehouse app (https://flathub.org/en/apps/io.github.flattool.Warehouse )

Some open points:
- I'm not sure whether I'll use grub (using the openzfs guide https://openzfs.github.io/openzfs-docs/Getting%20Started/Debian/Debian%20Trixie%20Root%20on%20ZFS.html ) or zfsbootmenu (https://docs.zfsbootmenu.org/en/v3.1.x/guides/debian/uefi.html )
- Related to ZFS DKMS: to unattended upgrades or not? I don't know how high the risk is of breaking the system via a botched kernel upgrade.
- On another SSD, she'll keep Windows. I'm a bit hesitant if I should synchronise files two ways somehow between windows<->zfs, or just provide the windows share in Linux (so she can just copy files she'd need incidentally in Windows)

As much as I'd like to experiment with NixOS or e.g. Chimera Linux, it's a bit too risky for this project, since I have no experience with those yet.

Anyway, just for the fun of it, here's a follow up poll re: my open questions. Voting/boosting/commenting with feedback is highly appreciated!

#Debian #Xfce #ZFS #ZFSbootMenu #poll

]]>https://billboard.bsd.cafe/post/https://kedara.social/users/ruben/statuses/01KN6SHM0EWE70B66XZAS3B2HAhttps://billboard.bsd.cafe/post/https://kedara.social/users/ruben/statuses/01KN6SHM0EWE70B66XZAS3B2HAThu, 02 Apr 2026 09:49:13 GMT