~~> plus sudden updates that nuke active applications.~~

~~This is not what's supposed to happen. If an app installed through flatpak is active while it's receiving an update, then the update is not supposed to affect the running application until it's closed/restarted.~~

Edit: Somehow I didn't realize the concern was raised against Snap and not Flatpak.

Packages are out of date even in the unstable branch (I know it’s unfair since it’s not trying to be a rolling release… but… but…)

Sure, some packages are outdated. But in terms of percentage of up-to-date packages, it's (AFAIK) the best out of any distro repo. And that's perhaps even more impressive of a feat when realizing it also sports the biggest repo. For actual stats: https://repology.org/repositories/statistics/pnewest

the performance will take a hit

This is not entirely true. Is there overhead? Sure. But, if the distro used for the container provides (somehow) faster or more performative packages to begin with, then running software within a fast container can be faster that running it natively on the slower host. Link to the comment in which the link to the above benchmark can be found as proof. As can be seen, the Clear Linux container performs better in 90% of the benchmarks. And, the Fedora container is only negligibly (so within margin of error) less performative than the Fedora host.

I’ve heard it has poor long term stability.

Relatively speaking, sure. But I'd argue this is by design. Basically, every 'modern' distro is trying to solve the problem that come with updates on an 'open'/'free' operating system. The solution they come up with essentially dictates a huge part of the identity of the distro. As I've noted elsewhere, these include the following:

• Some choose to outright freeze packages and only come with security updates
• Others have (almost) excessive testing to prevent breakage
• Yet others employ rollbacks to ensure that the (eventual/inevitable) breakage can easily be deflected
• Finally, there are distros that fall on a spectrum in regards to their more radical state management in hopes of minimizing breakage
• (Though, I'm sure I've forgotten some other methods...)
• And, of course, we find combinations of the above employed on the very same distro/system

And, of course, we shouldn't forget to mention Arch's approach; lay the responsibility on the user 😅. So, Arch 'breaking'/'borking' after an update is a user error. Which other distro can tout such an impressive entry in their documentation for system maintenance?

To be fair, this makes total sense. The user can basically build their system from scratch. So..., why wouldn't they be capable to come up with their solution to the above problem? Besides, the ArchWiki continues to be a guiding light whatever solution they'd like to adopt: be it 'freezing' the kernel, or using better tested software, perhaps setting up Snapper for rollbacks etc...

Is there a distro that’s like Arch for installation but more stable?

Gentoo

Unfortunately, based on what I saw on the Proton website, if I want to use it on linux it looks like the only way is to get it on Ubuntu, Debian, or Fedora using the console.

For official support, yes. Thankfully, ProtonVPN is also available as a flatpak. As such, any distro that allows installing (unverified) flatpaks through its GUI software store suffices. Though, not all distros are created equally in this respect. Focusing on Kubuntu and Linux Mint specifically:

• Kubuntu requires the use of CLI to set this up.
• Linux Mint, on the other hand, supports it by default. Though, by default, unverified flatpaks are hidden. Thankfully, you can change that in the preferences window of its software manager.

I wonder what this means for Linux Journal as a platform.

I’m just using it for general terminal stuff, nothing terribly fancy.

OP, to be frank, descriptions like "general terminal stuff" and "nothing terribly fancy" are too generic to be useful here. Though, I suppose this is simply indicative that you're (probably) perfectly served (as is) by Konsole.

what do you folks use

Ptyxis

and more importantly, why do you use that over the (many) other options available?

Because it came with the distro and I had no need for something different.

One feature that might be nice is some kind of local LLM integration so I can get help on how to tinker with settings and such where i’m doing the tinkering instead of constantly tabbing out to duck.ai or w/e.

Unsure if I understood you correctly, but perhaps Warp and Wave are worth looking into for ya.

There’s also Zed.

Noted. Thank you!

And helix.

I believe this doesn't have folding (yet). Unfortunately.

Also neovim is really dope! Just have to throw that there

xD , Neovim is definitely pretty cool.

Would anyone that installed their current system using ventoy be at risk?

In absolute sense; we don't know for sure. It's possible to interpret this^[i.e. The lack of communication regarding this issue for more than a year, the recent finding in which fake root certificates are injected. And, of course, the maintainer finally addressing the issue.] in widely different ways:

• Just the unfortunate occurrence of a set of uneventful events from an innocent party that tries to make up.
• (OR) A facade (from a malignant/malicious party) in order to keep the communities' trust so that people continue to get caught in the web.
• (AND) Anything in between*

Should I reinstall?

You should make up your own mind on that. The last time I installed an OS, I had become aware of this concern (i.e. the blobs). At that time, trusting it for what it was, would go against the threat model I've set for myself. And, consequently, if I had any (other) systems that were installed with it, then I would have proceeded to reinstall. But I'm not you, nor are you me... So, at the end of day, if you had something that resembled a threat model, then you would have used that to answer this question for yourself. As you don't seem to have one, making one just for this seems overkill. However, you could (re)assess how safe your system is in its current state and act accordingly. (Just to name a couple of examples:)

• Do you just randomly run scripts that you've found on GitHub? Well, then this ventoy situation shouldn't be very concerning.
• Do you deliberately refuse to install the unverified software on Flathub and only^[Within the context of Flathub. The packages found in the repo of your distro are trusted by default.] stick to its verified offering?* Then, you should seriously consider reinstalling.

I was hoping someone else would step in, but alas...

Look, if your goal is spreading awareness of software freedom, search manipulation isn't the way 😅

GNU's approach has become increasingly dogmatic while the ecosystem moves forward. Their stance on firmware blobs and microcode updates creates genuine security problems that projects like coreboot solve with a more balanced approach.

The FSF views software freedom as an absolute, even when it means sacrificing security or functionality - kinda like refusing to use an umbrella because it wasn't made with 100% free-range organic materials... while standing in a thunderstorm

This is why Torvalds rejected GPLv3 for the kernel and why distros are finding better ways to respect user freedom without the absolutism.

People discover valuable ideas when they solve real problems, not when they're forced into terminology debates. If GNU's philosophy is truly compelling, it'll spread on its own merits, no search engine tricks required!

I was looking for an official documentation entry on this matter to share with OP, ideally something centralized like Fedora's RPM Fusion or the comprehensive Arch Wiki. While I found various user-created resources, I was surprised not to locate a centralized official documentation page addressing this topic. I'm quite familiar with Linux Mint's user-friendly approach, so perhaps I've overlooked something? I'd be genuinely delighted if someone could point me to such a resource, as it would be tremendously helpful not just for OP but for the community as a whole.