I am looking to switch to a different Linux distribution (or BSD). I currently use openSUSE Tumbleweed, which is quite nice, but I’m having issues with my USB ports and it takes a hot second to boot up.
However, the reason I’m asking here instead of going straight to DistroWatch is that my laptop has a problem. When I turn it on, it bootloops unless it’s connected to power when I press the button. As such, this distribution would need to be able to handle running for weeks on end without a reboot.
I could get this repaired or replaced, but I have neither the time nor the money to spare.
So, does anyone have any suggestions? Or should I just slap Fedora Kinoite on it and call it a day?
EDIT: I went for Debian, as well as running fwupd, and it’s all working now. Thanks!
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Vanilla Debian is very stable, it can keep running for years without a reboot, I can’t say if it fixes your USB problem tho
Ubuntu should be able to. They even have some sort of kernel hot patching service I have not used.
If you do not care about kernal updates then most distros should be fine. Just ignore the reboot suggestions.
Edit: If you do not reboot you might want to make sure critical things are restarted such as you web browser. Or just logout and login again. One hopes the distro appropriately handles service updates but who knows for certain.
As such, this distribution would need to be able to handle running for weeks on end without a reboot.
So, it has to be something stable (i.e. receive little to no updates) that’s capable of updating without requiring a reboot. That makes any stable distro a candidate. As such, choose either:
- Debian or something based on it
- Gentoo (stable branch)
- Nixos (stable channel)
- openSUSE Leap
- Ubuntu or something based on it
Ubuntu or something based on it
I would not recommend ubuntu, specially on this case. System updates, snapd mostly, have gone downhill and it’s nearly impossible to avoid reboots for extended periods. Debian seems to be still as solid as it’s always been.
It’s like people forget Ubuntu is based on Debian but I guess with Snapd that may no longer be true.
Also Canonical has added a lot of problems to promote their monetization strategies lately. Mostly aimed at business rather than regular users, but still causes problems for home users.
I generally prefer RHEL based distros over Debian based ones, so Rocky Linux for servers is my current go to and Fedora for desktop, though Fedora is heading in a similar direction as Ubuntu I feel…
Very true I have been a Debian user since 98. I have tried other distros but it only lasts a month or two before I come back. Debian just works and if you need something newer testing works great got home use. I can wait a little when freeze happens and worse case I have flatpak and distrobox to fall back on.
Might even be worth checking if https://github.com/NixOS/nixos-hardware has a straight-up fix for the issue.
When maximizing uptime, Debian is the no-fuss way to go.
My debian machines usually only have their uptime interrupted by power outages or the like. They’re not my daily drivers, but very stable and reliable.
I have Linux mint on my “daily driver” (used for work and gaming) desktop and I’m also very pleased with it - most updates can be installed without rebooting and it’s over-all a pretty trouble-free experience!
Hope this helps!
If I were you I would definitely use Debian 12.
If youre coming on Nixos, I have a lot of resources in the bookmarks section here: https://codeberg.org/BlastboomStrice/LinuxPlan/src/branch/main/LinuxPlan.md#nixos-bookmarks
(This was a guide I made for myself in the span of ~4months to transition to linux and I still update it some times.)
Debian… but also to clarify it’s not “old” at all. I’m using Debian on my servers, yes, but also on my desktop that use daily, to work and to play video games on, including VR. So… don’t think because it’s “old” and “stable” it means it’s outdated.
It’s definitely old, stable, and outdated.
But that doesn’t mean it’s obsolete.
I mean, if you are already on openSUSE, why not just use Leap? You won’t need to update it a lot hence you won’t need to reboot.
When I turn it on, it bootloops unless it’s connected to power when I press the button.
Have you tried updating your BIOS?
That’s a good idea. Why didn’t I think of that?
Well I didn’t think of it when I had Linux boot issues either until I asked a forum lol
I’m using MX Linux AHS on my PC for years, it is my work PC, 40h/week, for 3 years now, 0 problem with it, no systemd, no flatpak, no snap, and using Xfce is so nice :)
It is debian based and always up to date for firefox etc. For instance we are January 30th, my kernel is 3 days old.
6.12.11-amd64 #1 SMP PREEMPT_DYNAMIC Debian 6.12.11-1~mx23ahs (2025-01-27) x86_64 GNU/Linux
Gentoo! Of course!
Basically an distribution that is not a rolling release. Its hard to recommend a specific distribution. You could use one of the Ubuntus, a Fedora Atomic variant, Mint, they should be able to run for weeks without issues. Unless you update a system component that requires a restart to take into effect. Why not openSUSE Leap?
I’m personally on EndeavourOS, a rolling release and update often (even the Kernel). My PC is also on for 24h, usually for days, sometime even a week. One trick to avoid some of the restarts is to just logout and login the user. This should be no problem for you and at least some of the components start fresh due to login.
I’ve been using Linux since 1998 on and off, and in the last few years, exclusively. I like Debian-Testing, and Linux Mint. Nothing else seems to work as I want it, it seems.
Put Aurora on it - an improved version of Kinoite.
That requires reboots to update.
Nothing against Aurora, I might run my customized version of it new systems, but any system update requires you reboot the device.Sure, I was just expanding on OP’s Kinoite comment.
Aurora can however go weeks or months without a reboot (you don’t HAVE to update), so that’s still ok.
Or Bluefin, depending on desktop preference. I’ve been using both and can recommend either.
