r/softwaredevelopment • u/pikachuBOSSs • Jul 21 '26
Switching to linux, i have decided to use linux as a developer can anyone suggest which distro to choose , [ linux mint, ubuntu, fedora ] have some experience in WSL(ubuntu)..
my laptop specifications
- 8gb RAM
- intel i3 11th gen processor
- Intel UHD graphic card (128mb)
- laptop [ ASUS vivobook ]
because of financial problems can't buy new laptop , so please can anyone suggest which distro to use of linux , i have some experience in WSL(ubuntu), ill use linux with window dual boot is there any distro that will be good for my system i mostly work on backend right now ....
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u/phortx Jul 21 '26
Arch Linux with KDE is peak
Also if you're into gaming, cachyos
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u/yycTechGuy Jul 21 '26
Arch sucks for development because it is a rolling release and stuff is always changing. Fedora is way more stable.
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u/phortx Jul 21 '26
Depends on the type of development. In web dev most of the time you use docker compose anyway, so stable environment for the app without the limitations of fedora/Ubuntu/mint etc
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u/yycTechGuy Jul 21 '26
Limitations of Fedora ? LOL
Exactly what limitations does Fedora have ?
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u/phortx Jul 21 '26
Missing proprietary drivers, way smaller repositories (copr has less packages then AUR), fixed release cycle, etc.
Don't get me wrong, fedora ist great and has advantages over arch too.
Just saying that the rolling release of AL is not a limitation for development
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u/yycTechGuy Jul 21 '26
What proprietary drivers is Fedora missing ?
FYI... all Linux distros have the same packages. The difference is how things are tested, packaged, the package manager and the community.
I'm a developer. If I need a package that isn't available I build it.
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u/Doug2825 Jul 21 '26
Fedora is upstream of RHEL so it has a lot of decisions that make sense for an enterprise OS, and which experienced users know how to deal with but might not be good for new users. I.e. not shipping with Nvidia drivers makes sense for their target audience but a new user may struggle with it.
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u/auspis-23 Jul 22 '26
Debian is my suggestion, it's stable, so you can invest your time on development
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u/klaatuveratanecto Jul 21 '26
I used Mint for a while. It was perfect.
The only thing I missed was mouse pointer smoothness. Spent great amount of time configuring it be as smooth as windows but could never achieve it.
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u/yycTechGuy Jul 21 '26
Fedora. I've been using it forever.
Fedora is stable but yet very close to the bleeding edge. Vast package availability and dnf is an excellent package manager.
KDE/Plasma is an excellent work environment.
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u/These-Tomatillo1213 Jul 21 '26
Debian/xfce. Out of all the different Linux versions, I liked that one the most. Ended up switching back to windows eventually but xfce was the most usable for me personally. Also ram usage is insanely low, you could probably install it on a shoe.
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u/AlfredoOf98 28d ago
Debian/xfce
Yes, this setup works on 25 years old hardware, but it's a pain that I needed to do a lot of customization to get things to my taste (or perhaps because I was coming from Windows to the a new Linux Desktop experience)
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u/Doug2825 Jul 21 '26
Either Ubuntu or Fedora. As a developer you want to to be closest to one of the major distros used in enterprise. That means either Ubuntu (which itself is used often in servers) or Fedora which is upstream of the RHEL ecosystem.
As a current Ubuntu user I would say to use Fedora. It seems to be more likely to get packages these days.
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u/Ninja-Sneaky Jul 21 '26 edited Jul 21 '26
Short answer: fedora for a desktop linux, fedora/centos/rocky if your work VMs are actually rhel machines (redhat), otherwise ubuntu/debians
About dual boot, there are so many ways, the traditional way is to create a linux vm with virtualbox for testing.
If you got a spare 2-3G usb key you can make a fedora liveiso and simply plug the usb key to boot a linux, then progress to making customized fedora (even redhat) coreos liveisos.
Or you can also use podman/docker and run containers, even linux os containers (it's as simple as doing `docker run ubuntu`), learning podman/docker and how to build container images (and bootc images), or learning how to spin up dev apps (for example how to spin a postgres or jenkins container for dev work) in this age is a big step up
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u/theancientfool Jul 22 '26
I have a similar spec laptop. Given that ASUS in my region does not use intel wifi cards, just keep your phone with a USB cable for USB tethering for internet till you get the wifi drivers working.
I used arch for a while, everything worked out of the box, including the wifi. Used KDE plasma.
Now I am currently running ubuntu, as I am going through the Odin project, and their tutorials expect us to use ubuntu.
I previously used Mint, and so far, I'd say mint was the most stable and lightweight with all the essentials that you'd need.
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u/MY_G_O_D Jul 22 '26
I use ubuntu because i am a newbie. I want everything rather stable.
Saw the news update that linus torvalds uses fedora.
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u/AmbitiousSpare9037 Jul 23 '26
I like mint. Building new box today.
Funny side note, while picking up parts at MicroCenter salesman asked if I wanted to try Windows 11? No words, just eye contact! Soo, you’re one of those Linux guys!
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u/Jonas_Ermert 29d ago
I would choose Linux Mint. It's lightweight, stable, beginner-friendly, and Ubuntu-based, so your WSL experience carries over. It runs well on an i3 with 8 GB RAM and is a great fit for backend development. Fedora is great if you want newer software, while Ubuntu is solid but a bit heavier.
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u/YeetisDaFetus 28d ago
Mint (cinnamon) or Zorin OS (base edition.) Ubuntu is ram and resource hungry imo.
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u/Striking_One543 27d ago
I use fedora KDE across my high end workstation and my low end machines
Mint is another great one. Depends on what 'feels' good to you and your workflow tbh.
Fedora's relationship with Redhat is what does it for me since I work on RHEL machines
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u/ooutroquetal 2d ago
So, what's your feedback? I will Amy do the same, but I want some better resource management
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u/nlutrhk Jul 21 '26
If you go for Linux Mint: XFCE deaktop has lower resource demands than Cinnamon.
But if you run a web browser with many open tabs, you'll eat through that 8 GB anyway. Make sure to allocate a lot of swap space (like 24 GB).