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The Best Laptop of 2026 was Made in 2016
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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
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Hello from late 2013 MacBook Pro with NixOS
"I’ve been eyeing NixOS, but I’ll admit I'm struggling. The way the package manager works is a bit of a headache. How has your experience been with it so far?"
Moving to NixOS was quite a challenge for me. It felt like a Iot of different concepts that it took a while to understand.
I'm glad I pushed through because I take like it now. Now that I have my config everything is easy and straightforward.
I would skip it if that is an issue. I think Bazzite with a few Gnome extensions (Dash to Panel, Arc Menu, and GTK 4 Desktop Icons NG) is the best for beginners. It just works.
Sorry dude, I missed this notification. NixOS is a bit of a challenge. The key to understanding it is to know a bit of functional programming, as Nix (the language) is of this kind.
Of course not everyone is going to learn how to setup a system using Nix because there are far easier methods and honestly they are right, but what Nix gives you is the ability to precisely every single small part of your operating system or more generically your package. (The OS is a big package for it).
I wouldn’t suggest NixOS to anyone that started recently to use Linux, but I must say that with a bit of practice, even without being a pro in the Nix language, you can do very interesting things. The con of this is that NixOS shields you from learning the basics of Linux, as it configures everything for you and you will rarely touch configuration files etc.
My suggestion is to definitely have some practice with Linux at first and then make the switch. If you need help pm me
"I’m really intrigued by NixOS. The closest I’ve come is Fedora Silverblue and messing with rpm-ostree, along with a bit of Void in a VM. Even though I’m relatively new—starting with Lubuntu and Mint before moving to Fedora—I tend to pick up patterns quickly once I start breaking things. Gentoo is the end goal, but for now, I’m enjoying the learning curve."