I am currently using Manjaro Cinnamon with the Unstable branch and enjoying the experience. I like to reinstall my OS a couple of times a year to keep it clean and fresh, and I have a script that automates the installation and configuration process. I chose the Unstable branch because I enjoy using new software as soon as it’s released, even if it means dealing with occasional bugs and issues.

I’ve had two nagging technical issues that I haven’t been able to resolve:

  1. The key repeat rate in Cinnamon keeps getting reset after my computer has been on for a while. I’ve set the rate with dconf but it reverts to default. Restarting Cinnamon fixes it temporarily. I haven’t been able to determine what is causing this.

  2. I have static crackling noise in my wired headphones. Reinstalling sof-firmware used to fix this but no longer works.

I’ve tried troubleshooting both problems but just can’t seem to find solutions. They’ve persisted for months now through reinstalls and config changes.

Because of these two ongoing errors, I’m interested in exploring other Linux distros that might provide a similar experience to Manjaro Cinnamon but without these technical headaches. I’m wondering if there are any other Linux distributions or operating systems that can provide a similar experience to what I have with Manjaro Cinnamon Unstable branch. I’m open to trying new things and would love to hear your suggestions.

Some key features I’m looking for in an OS are:

  • Simple GUI installation process
  • A very large package repository, similar to AUR in size
  • Frequent updates and access to the latest software releases
  • A clean and customizable desktop environment, similar to Cinnamon
  • A supportive and active community for troubleshooting and assistance

I’d appreciate any recommendations you can provide, along with a brief explanation of why you think the suggested OS would be a good fit for my preferences. Thanks in advance for your help!

  • MaliciousKebab@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    9·
    1 year ago

    If you really want the latest updates and technologies, you could use openSUSE or plain Arch. I heard Manjaro intentionally delays updates and I think in a rolling release cycle that would hurt the system. No idea about the size of repos on openSUSE but the other features are already there. Also if you think you can spend some more time to learn new things(nix programming language and more) I can recommend you to try NixOS or at least install the package manager( also called nix) on your current system. It is THE distro for reproducible builds. It has a huge repo too, rivaling AUR.

    I use Arch btw.

    • Limitless_screaming@kbin.social
      5·
      1 year ago

      I heard Manjaro intentionally delays updates and I think in a rolling release cycle that would hurt the system

      OP is using the unstable branch, the unstable repos are synced with the arch ones.

    • russjr08@outpost.zeuslink.netEnglish
      41·
      1 year ago

      Definitely could recommend NixOS here as well, it checks off a lot of the boxes that OP has mentioned. Installing Cinnamon would be as easy as enabling the option for it in your configuration.nix.

      Nix/NixOS is definitely something that you need to be willing to put a little time into depending on what you’re planning on running (just getting a desktop up and running is simple, and something that installer will easily do for you though) and the documentation is definitely… confusing at times, but there is a pretty large community that is happy to answer questions you run into along the way.

      The Nix communit(y|ies) on Lemmy isn’t super active from what I can tell, most of the Nix community is on their forums and Matrix space.