Agreed, switch the applications first. I like using https://alternativeto.net/ to find replacements.

I agree with this, the issue may be the packages installed rather than the distro. For a more reliable experience, I like to:

• Use Flatpak instead of the AUR where possible
• Use built-in filesystems and avoid DKMS

That’s awesome! I do something similar using Home Assistant. I scan an NFC tag to set my TV to the right input, adjust the volume, change the receiver settings, run Sunshine on my computer for screen sharing, switch computer displays to just one, and start Steam. I wish I could get WoL to work too.

Good question, but you should definitely install both and try them out! Just in case you didn’t know since you’re new to Linux, you can install as many desktop environments as you want. You pick the one to use at the login screen. All your programs and files will still be there.

To answer your question: I prefer Gnome because I find it simpler and less distracting, but I’ve since moved to i3, then Sway, and now Hyprland.

~/github/ and ~/gitea/

I don’t like Notepad++ as a text editor for code, but my god is it amazing for taking quick notes. I’ve been searching for a Linux equivalent but haven’t found it yet. My favorite Notepad++ features:

• Opens immediately.
• Never loses data, and I mean never - unsaved files are restored after crashes, reboots, power outage, you name it.

For jotting down quick meeting notes in a hurry, it’s great. The settings are messy and hard to configure though, so I use Vim/Helix for writing code (hobbyist, not professional).

To be fair, the first time I tried running local AI (and it actually worked), I was so surprised that I actually unplugged my Ethernet and tried again. I’m still surprised, but it’s possible for the massive amounts of training data to be compressed to a model under only 10 or 20 GB.

I use Mailspring. The only thing missing from Mailspring for me is seeing what folders my emails are in when I run a search. Otherwise, it’s the only non-CLI client I’ve found that let’s me use the keyboard to select multiple emails and move them to a folder, something I do in Gmail.

If anyone knows of others, let me know! I’ve tried Claws, Evolution, Geary, KMail, and Thunderbird in addition to Mutt and aerc in hopes of finding something to replace Gmail.

For this reason, I use kebab case for directories. But because I agree underscores show spaces better, I use snake case for files.

I agree and use Arch as well, but of course I wouldn’t recommend it for everyone. For me, having the same distribution on both server and desktop makes it easier to maintain. I run almost everything using containers on the server and install minimal packages, minimizing my upgrade risk. I haven’t had an issue yet, but if I did I have btrfs snapshots and backups to resolve.

I wrote my own program, filetailor. It’s similar to Chezmoi but uses inline comments instead of templates for machine-specific lines. This allows me to make edits directly to my local files and then sync those changes to other machines.

I also use Ansible.

I just moved from Neovim to Helix. I think it’s worth considering, especially if you don’t know the keybindings yet. Plus, Helix is probably easier to learn.

Mostly, yes, X vs Wayland. Hyprland also has a lot more eye candy in the way of window animations for snapping, dragging, etc. I find the Hyprland config file simpler too, but that’s just me.

No command line interface, but if you’re focus is a single solution with a consistent interface for lists, to-dos, etc., AppFlowy might be what you are looking for.

I’m a huge fan of NocoDB, including their kanban views, group by options, and forms. You could use the GUI to create the tables and relations and then use the REST API to quickly update from the command line. It can use any database for its storage, so you could still create scripts or read the data for specific needs.

Interesting idea. If you really break it down, the “terminal with command buttons” is similar in concept to saving each of the commands as a script and putting those scripts in a directory to act as “buttons.”

I’ve also seen some programs such as Kopia, a backup tool, that provide a GUI with the equivalent terminal commands for what is bring done shown at the bottom.

I don’t think what you’re describing exists, probably because experts don’t need it and beginners would prefer a full GUI.

There is Nushell, which promises more helpful error responses for the terminal, but its too early for it to be targeted at beginners in my opinion.

Do you use it for work or personal? I have aerc installed and working for my personal email, but I found it harder to sort through HTML emails as quickly as something like Gmail. I gave up on it after a couple days, but really liked the keyboard-centric workflow.

Agreed on Mailspring, especially if OP wants a modern interface (although I think the new Thunderbird looks fine).

The only thing missing from Mailspring for me is seeing what folders my emails are in when I run a search. Otherwise, it’s the only non-CLI client I’ve found that let’s me use the keyboard to select multiple emails and move them to a folder, something I do in Gmail. If anyone knows of others, let me know! I’ve tried Claws, Evolution, Geary, KMail, and Thunderbird in addition to Mutt and aerc in hopes of finding something to replace Gmail…

Since nobody else said it: make sure you have backups of any data you don’t want to lose. It’s really easy to accidentally partition any connected drive and wipe your data on it. (Learned it the hard way, but at least I had backups.)

Have you tried Chocolatey? https://chocolatey.org/. It’s a package manager for Windows and works great, much like brew for Mac. Or, if you prefer portable installation of programs without requiring admin, try Scoop (https://scoop.sh/). Of course, I’d rather use paru or yay on Arch, but I’m glad these options exist.

I find it hilarious that Microsoft even suggests these tools on their own GitHub page for the Windows Terminal.

Thin clients! I “upgraded” from a RPi3 to an HP T630 that I got new off of eBay for $65, including power supply (and case). I was able to upgrade the M.2 storage easily. I use mine as a home server running over a dozen Docker containers. It’s x86 instead of ARM too.

The only bad part was installing Linux. It took a while for me to figure out where the UEFI expected the boot files and documentation isn’t great.