Another win for the FOSS community!
https://redd.it/1lgpu23
@r_linux

A little tweak to turbo charge Debian?

Hi everyone. I just wanted to share something that helped improve how responsive my Debian laptop feels. I’m not a kernel hacker, just someone running Linux on older hardware and exploring ways to make it run better.

I came across the BFQ I/O scheduler (Budget Fair Queueing), which is designed to make disk access fairer between programs. It’s not the default on most distros, but it can be enabled manually. On my system, switching to BFQ made the laptop feel less sluggish when apps were opening or background updates were running. It didn’t increase performance in benchmarks, but it reduced those small freezes or stutters during multitasking.

To check if BFQ is supported on your disk, run:

cat /sys/block/sdX/queue/scheduler

Replace sdX with your actual device (like sda or mmcblk0). If you see “bfq” in the list, you can try switching to it like this:

echo bfq | sudo tee /sys/block/sdX/queue/scheduler

This change is temporary until reboot. If it feels better and you want to make it permanent, you can add a simple udev rule or use a systemd service. Let me know if you want details.

This might not work on every system, and it may not make a difference for everyone. Use it at your own risk. But for me, it made things smoother without any downside so far.

Just thought I’d share in case someone else is using Linux on modest hardware and looking for quiet improvements. Happy to hear your input 😊


https://redd.it/1lgq0qn
@r_linux

Showcase: Diamond Ore KDE Fedora
https://redd.it/1lgrkxp
@r_linux

This Week in Plasma: Plasma 6.4 has arrived!
https://blogs.kde.org/2025/06/21/this-week-in-plasma-plasma-6.4-has-arrived/

https://redd.it/1lgw4u3
@r_linux

I made a frontend for the xsetwacom utility!
https://redd.it/1lgxtiq
@r_linux

My Conclusion after using Linux for 2 years: I was wrong.

Original Post: https://www.reddit.com/r/linux/comments/18607da/my\_desktoplinux\_experience\_so\_far/

TLDR: I have been using Linux for the last 2 years and at first my experience was ... horrible. But I stuck to it and after listening to some tips and recommendations I had a great time and would never switch back to Windows. However there are still some issues, that I want to adress.

About 2 years ago I have decided to finally switch to linux because I started my CS degree and wanted to go away from Windows anymays.

I've had many problems in the first few weeks and I reinstalled it several times just to run into the same or different problems again. So I vented on this subreddit and while I still stand behind some things I said, I thought it would be worth revisiting some of my statements. And give a summary of my journey afterwards.

>Let's begin on what Distros I have tried: Ubuntu and LMDE

Right off the bat I have some thoughts on these choices: IMO for a new user there are way better distros to use. I don't get why people still recommend Linux Mint for newcomers. The argument that it is very similar to Windows was true ... for Win 7 and early Win 10. Windows has changed over the years and Linux Mint has not so much which is fine, don't get me wrong. Using the Debian Edition didn't do me favors either.

My biggest gripe with both is that they don't really leverage the IMO best advantage of Linux compared to Windows: The way software is installed on Linux is just plain better and even MS is aware of that. However neither apt nor Snap achieve this adequately.

Apt lacks many desktop applications like Discord because as far as I'm aware it's not really designed for external packages (which is again fine). And Snap is just horrible, I think this is common knowledge by now and if not it should be.

>Everybody says you should split you root and home directory.

Just don't do this, it's almost never worth it.

>suddenly audio starts crackling

To this day I still don't know what caused this.

>It makes me so angry that Desktop-Linux is in the state it currently is because it should be better than Windows and if/when it works it really is much better. Sadly pretty often that just isn't the cse.

This is still kinda true, Linux is way better when it works but there are ways to make it work consistently.

>I would even go as far as to say that there should be a distro which can't be redistributed further so that everyone who want's to implement new features does that only on that distro.

This is lunacy, it is against the spirit of Linux and open source in general and most distros are unique enough to one another.

>I feel like Desktop-Linux suffers from there being too many distros (I mean in the end they all do the exact same thing). If all knowlegde and experience would be put into one AND I MEAN ONE distro, it surely would be the best experience ever.

While there is some truth to that in some aspects of Linux it's just an unrealistic expectation.

# So, what happened after this?

I read some insults, some general discussions and some tips and recommendations.

What caught my eye the most was EndeavourOS which was recommended by a few people, there was also a comment about timeshift+btrfs, which seemed amazing.

So I installed EndeavourOS with KDE on drive with btrfs and I had an absolute blast!

The install went smoothly and KDE is just so amazing to use. I have absolutely nothing negative to say about it, this is the modern Win 10/11 replacement.

Whenever I had a bigger problem or I messed something up I could just use timeshift to revert that change, it saved my ass so many times.

The archwiki is also just amazing and it contains the best and most up to date tutorials.

Using pacman and later yay is just so good. I really think this is the most immediatly obvious benefit of Linux compared to Windows.

I then started to gain more and more knowledge and a

deeper understanding how everything works. I want to especially mention Brodie Robertson because he was the best channel for me to stay up to date regarding Linux news and I also learnt many things about linux from his videos.

After some time I shifted more and more to wayland because I knew that it would eventually replace X11 and for me at least it felt snappier and less laggy.

I was intrigued by tiling window managers and after istalling using hyprland more and more often and working on my config there I decided it was time to make the full switch on a clean system and I have no regrets. Tiling window managers completely transformed the way I work on my PC and it's just great.

Right now I am thinking about trying an immutable Linux distro with niri because I really like idea of scrolling instead of or even in addition to seperate workspaces. I also want to have a more minimal and consistent system.

All in all I could never imagine going back to windows because if you spend some time with it Linux can just give you more... well everything.

# What are my recommendations for newcomers?

KISS - Keep it simple stupid

Distros & installing:

If you feel brave and you want to use arch, use EndeavourOS, otherwise use Fedora (I like the KDE version of it more)
For the stated reasons I would avoid any Debian based distros except maybe Kubuntu
Use btrfs as the file system and install timeshift to create snapshots of your drive

General:

For issues and tutorials the arch wiki is the best resource, if you're unsure then look for answers in reddit but be aware of some biased tips
Install software using the command of the distro (pacman for arch) or if you're unsure, have a bunch of storage space and don't mind updating regulary use flatpak
don't carelessly use sudo
try out new software and projects, especially if you have the ability to undo everything with timeshift

https://redd.it/1lgzn26
@r_linux

What your opinion about a Hyprland making a paid subnoscription?
https://redd.it/1lh1guv
@r_linux

Linus Torvalds & Bill Gates
https://redd.it/1lh34ox
@r_linux

"Triaging security issues reported by third parties" or its time for trillion $ companies to pay their own way
https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/libxml2/-/issues/913#note_2439345

https://redd.it/1lh5t1t
@r_linux

About Plasma’s X11 session – Adventures in Linux and KDE
https://pointieststick.com/2025/06/21/about-plasmas-x11-session/

https://redd.it/1lh6yj0
@r_linux

I'm Freeing myself

I've always been a Windows user. A week ago I decided to install Linux Mint on another drive to test the waters, and I'm pleased to say it's been a wonderful experience. Yes, it takes a lot of getting used to. Yes. Some stuff is way too overcomplicated for my liking. But it's liberating.

But that's not the point. The point is, I boot my PC with Windows 11 today, and it straight up shuts down without warning while I was doing important work, to FORCE AN UPDATE.

I begrudgingly accept and wait as it updates without my consent. When it's done, I decide to take a break and open a game. Full crash. Just like that. Now every single time I open a full screen application my system crashes. The logs? "System crashed! Wowsers!". Thanks Microsoft. I did tons of checks. All good, Windows says. I try to reverse to the last update and it's a nightmare and takes hours of my time. But to install a forced update? Instant! No consent needed!

So you know what? I give up. I'm DONE. I'll go full Linux. At least I don't get locked out of my own machine because Microsoft decided my whole system had to be destroyed at random. Rant over. Feel free to roast me.

https://redd.it/1lh94u1
@r_linux

A free software car
https://redd.it/1lhkfm0
@r_linux

From MacOS to Ubuntu: Rediscovering Linux and Escaping the Windows 11 Ad Nightmare!

Hey folks! 😄

I’ve been a MacOS user for over 15 years, loving its smooth vibe and sleek design. Way back, I dabbled with Windows and Linux (mostly Ubuntu), but never dove deep. Out of curiosity and with some free time this weekend, I decided to play around with other systems on an old laptop. What a ride!

First up, I installed Windows 11. What a disaster! 😩 The setup was a slog, demanding a Microsoft account (seriously, I need to log in to use my PC?), and it felt like jumping through endless hoops. When I finally hit the desktop, I was buried in ads: ‘Buy this, subscribe to that!’ Even the Start menu was a billboard! 😂 I updated, restarted, cleared everything... and the ads just kept coming back, like Windows was saying, ‘You’re not getting away!’ I was annoyed—just let me use the dang laptop, not play ‘ad whack-a-mole.’

Done with that nonsense, I grabbed a USB and made a bootable drive with Ubuntu. Guys, in under 30 minutes, the system was installed and ready to roll! Zero ads, zero hassle. Ubuntu’s interface is super polished, so easy to set up it almost feels like MacOS at times. It’s just plug-and-play! 🚀

Out of curiosity, I tried about 10 different distros. Pop!_OS blew me away with its insane speed, but I stuck with Ubuntu for its smooth, familiar feel. Mint and Zorin, despite all the hype, let me down hard—their interfaces felt clunky, like Windows XP with a facelift. 😅

In the end, I’m keeping MacOS as my main system, but Ubuntu’s my new buddy for quick tasks on a secondary laptop. It’s the hassle-free solution that doesn’t bombard you with ads. I’m stoked to rediscover Linux!

https://redd.it/1lhlpc2
@r_linux

Built a free, open-source terminal productivity tool after finding nothing up-to-date
https://redd.it/1lho9f0
@r_linux

Saw this at my local Jack in the Box
https://redd.it/1lhs0d9
@r_linux

I built a modern, tileable TUI file manager in Python called veld

**TL;DR:** I made a simple, tileable TUI file manager in Python. You can open/close panels and manage your files all with keyboard shortcuts. [GitHub Link](https://github.com/BranBushes/veld-fm).


Hey everyone,

Like many of you, I spend most of my day in the terminal and I'm a huge fan of keyboard-driven file managers like `ranger` and `nnn`. I've always loved their efficiency but wanted something with simple, out-of-the-box tiling panels, similar to a tiling window manager.

So, I decided to build my own! I'd like to introduce **veld**:

[A screenshot of the veld file manager in action.](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/BranBushes/veld-fm/master/.assets/ss.png)

It's a terminal-based file manager built from the ground up with the awesome [Textual](https://github.com/Textualize/textual) library. My goal was to create something that feels modern, is easy to configure, and makes managing files across multiple directories a breeze.

### ✨ Key Features

* 🗂️ **True Tiling Panels:** The core feature! Open as many vertical panels as you need (`o`), close them (`w`), and navigate between them with `Tab`. No extra config needed.
* ⌨️ **Keyboard-Driven Workflow:** Everything is designed to be used without touching the mouse. Perform all your file operations (copy, move, rename, delete) from the comfort of your home row.
* ⚙️ **Simple TOML Configuration:** No complex noscripting required. To change your keybindings, you just edit a simple `config.toml` file that's created for you on the first run.
* 🐍 **Pure Python:** Built entirely in Python with Textual, making it cross-platform and easy for other Pythonistas to hack on.

### Why not just use [ranger, nnn, lf, etc.]?

Those tools are incredible and I still use them! `veld` isn't trying to replace them, but rather to offer a different experience, especially for:

* Users who love the look and feel of modern Textual apps.
* Anyone who wants tiling panels to work instantly without needing to configure them.
* People who might find noscripting in other file managers a bit daunting but are comfortable editing a simple config file.

### 🚀 Get It on GitHub

It's fully open-source under the MIT license. I'd be honored if you checked it out, and I'm very open to feedback, bug reports, and feature requests!

**GitHub Repo:** [https://github.com/BranBushes/veld-fm](https://github.com/BranBushes/veld-fm)

Installation is straightforward with the setup noscript:

```bash
git clone https://github.com/BranBushes/veld-fm.git
cd veld-fm
chmod +x setup.sh
sudo ./setup.sh
```
After that, you can run it from anywhere by just typing `veld`.

---

I'd love to hear what you all think! What's a must-have feature for you in a file manager? Have you found a bug? Let me know.

Thanks for taking a look!

https://redd.it/1lhx1cx
@r_linux

A long way of saying... Debian really deserves more love.

As background... I started with Linux in the mid/late 90's while doing InfoSec work for large financials and Internet concerns. During this time, I was big-time into tinkering with different distributions/desktop environments.

Around 2003/4 I consolidated my personal setup from a windows box and a Linux box to a single Mac. At work I ditched Linux for a Mac (I had pull in the org, lol).

Fast forward to early 2021, needing to better align my workstation to my work, I moved back to Linux as my daily driver.

From 2021, until last week, I had been running Ubuntu, when the snap system started to again give me grief. I was done fucking around with it and decided to find a distribution that didn't deeply integrate snaps into the system.

For perspective, I have a business to run (BotBarrier), environments to maintain, coding to do, testing to do.... I need my workstation to be rock solid. As such I require a distribution that is: stable, compatible, and relatively low maintenance. It needs to be well established (has staying power), and it would be nice if - all other things being equal - it didn't have corporate ownership/entanglements that can arbitrarily change the direction or availability of the distribution.

Debian 12 checked all the boxes, so I installed it and I must say, I am very impressed. As with Ubuntu, I'm running GNOME as the DE. Here's what I quickly noticed: The system is significantly more responsive, resource efficient and performant compared to the same system running Ubuntu - a Dell XPS laptop (i7, 64G ram, 1 1tb ssd, 1 2tb ssd, nvidia dgpu, intel igpu).

With just GNOME running, Debian is using about 1/3 less memory than the same state in Ubuntu. Everything is just smoother and snappier in Debian. Even Vim, my editor of choice, is noticeably better (especially with large files). Firefox ESR is lightning fast and far less memory hungry compared to the snap based Firefox running on Ubuntu.

Here's what I think you folks will find really interesting...

Debian's Wayland running with the Nouveau drivers is smoother, snappier, crispier, with better color rendering than Ubuntu's Wayland with Nvidia drivers. Now, I am not a gamer, nor do I do 3d graphics work, but I do watch videos and really value a quality picture.

In the "if it ain't broken, fix it anyway" department...

I thought if the Nouveau drivers were performing this well, the Nvidia proprietary drivers must be even better! After HOURS of dick'n around, I simply couldn't get Wayland to load with the Nvidia drivers (and yes, I went through Debian's wiki), only X11 would run (it looks like Debian's implementation doesn't like having an intel integrated gpu co-existing with the dedicated GPU). Even with X11 and Nvidia drivers, Wayland with Nouveau driver was smoother, crisper, snappier and with better color across the built in display and the Sony 4k TV/Display I use at my desk. I have since removed the Nvidia drivers. The only drawback is that when mirroring displays, I only have very reduced resolutions... so now I join them instead.

In the smidge of irony department....

I wound up installing snapd as it was the only way to get MySQL-Workbench to install (don't give me crap about using it, I like it). It is what it is...

In the end, I'm very happy with Debian 12. My system is back to doing everything I need, and even better than before. Yes, the software may be a bit older, but it does what I need it to...

Sorry for this being so long... hopefully this is helpful to someone.

https://redd.it/1lhycue
@r_linux

When did you use Linux?

Hello, when you first installed linux on your device and why you did it. I installed Linux on an old computer that was having trouble running Windows, about 3/4 years ago. And when you discovered Linux.

https://redd.it/1lhpzx4
@r_linux

How do I get rid of a desktop in Ubuntu
https://redd.it/1li4t1d
@r_linux

A humble experiment in project management on Linux

This is another one of my quiet little experiments. Not about kernel tweaks or responsiveness this time, but about managing complexity in a simple way.

I’ve been looking for a clean way to do personal project planning on my Linux machine.

So I tried this:
• Debian
• Emacs
• Org-mode
• TaskJuggler (tj3)
• Firefox-ESR or Flatpak Firefox to preview the charts

I write my projects in a .org file. Tasks are just headlines with properties like :Effort: or :Start: or :Depends:. Org-mode can export it directly to a .tjp file. TaskJuggler compiles that into beautiful HTML reports. Gantt charts, task breakdowns, even basic budget simulations. All from text.

That’s all. And surprisingly, it just works. Curious if anyone else does project planning this way. Not just todos or lists, but actual timelines and dependencies. Is there anything else out there like this that stays local and minimal?

Thanks for reading. Just wanted to share this in case someone else is looking for something similar.


https://redd.it/1li7ius
@r_linux