"Use case distros" mean Linux desktop needs more work!
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00:00 Intro
00:51 Sponsor: Get 100$ off your Linux and Gaming server with Linode
01:44 What is a use case distro?
03:23 They should still exist
04:57 User confusion
07:49 If they exist, it's still too hard
10:54 What can we do?
14:03 Sponsor: Grab a Linux laptop or desktop from Tuxedo
14:51 Support the channel
So a use case distro is basically a more mainstream distribution, with added tools and packages to make it more suitable for a specific purpose. They generally also include a different theme, wallpaper, but the internals are usually just the exact same as the distro they use as a base, and they differentiate themselves by trying to a make a specific niche easier to get into when moving to Linux.
Examples of these would be Nobara, Ubuntu Studio, SteamOS, DraugerOS...
Linux has always offered a ton of choice. This means we already have tons of general purpose distros, like ubuntu, Mint, Fedora, elementary OS, Manjaro, and all their desktop variants. Choosing between these is pretty tough.
That choice gets even more confusing when you add distros with specific purposes. See these distros try to cater to ONE use case specifically, like gaming, or audio work. But rarely do new users focus on ONE single use case. people tend to use computers for a variety of stuff.
The second major issue is that the very existence of these distros means that our mainline distributions still are perceived as too complex to use for specific use cases.
The point is: not everything is EASY. It might seem like it is, because we knew the previous ways which were even harder, but to a newcomer, that's a bunch of mumbojumbo.
And that's why we have "gaming distros"': they come with everything preinstalled and preconfigured: you don't need to look for anything, you just login and get started.
Just like with "Studio distros", where you don't need to hunt for which apps you need to get creative, they're already all there, plus all the tools you need.
So, what needs to be done? All basic drivers SHOULD be preinstalled when they're needed. Yes, that goes foir nvidia drivers too. It also means that we need MORE applications in the stores.
And developers NEED to work to ensure that their apps, whether they're distributed in repos, in flathub, or the snap store, have all the correct permissions set.
To solve the "I need to download 20 apps each time I reinstall" issue, we can also offer app bundles.
And finally, we could also work on helpers for people. For example, if you plug in a mouse that has configurable buttons, we could prompt the user to install the correct utility. Plug in a logitech dongle? Prompt to install Solaar.
Basically, it all resides in the ease of use: if a user feels guided, and if the system does things automatically when there's a 99% chance that the user would have to do them anyways, then we've won. We're even more user friendly than windows or mac os. But until then, use case distros still have a use case, and I think they shouldn't be needed for the vast majority of people. Our mainline distros SHOULD absolutely stand on their own for EVERY use case, and people who really want something specific can still get it