My first exploration in Linux Happened around 2001 with an install of Suse 9 (I think). This primative desktop was my first dive into the FOSS world and it was ok ... it was clunky and hard. I then tried to compile Gentoo for a couple of weeks to find it was no different to another OS. During my Ph.d, I started off on the limited, old but stable RH9 and discovered ubuntu which was a fast moving updating OS which supported hardware from the current century :) I've been a faithful ubuntu-it since as it is has just worked and I've been

The ubuntu cracks have started to show

• Snaps just don't work well enough
• Ubuntu is heading towards snaps
• LTS support is frustrating. 3 years is a long time in linux space and I can't rebuild my server/desktop everytime
• I've needed to play with settings to make newer packages work
• The version upgrades have never worked

So, encouraged by a collegue, I've looked at Suse Aeon and have installed it on my laptop. How is this different? Well the main points

1. It has a small Immutable OS. I just install it and forget about it. This just runs a basic gnome system and that is it. It updates in the background and just woks
2. Extra apps use flatpak... like snap but they work
3. If that isn't enough, distrobox enable you to run any os in a container and install anything. I'm using ubuntu, alpine and arch os to make sure I can have any program and any version of that program

If this takes off, i'll be migrating my server to this so there will be no more reinstalls until it dies.