i think flatpak has done a lot to make this easier, but at the same time… i’ll admit i’m not a fan of it (mostly due to random issues).

the way i see it, more distros need something like arch linux’ AUR. if an application is reasonably easy to build, it really does not take much to get it into the AUR, from where there’s also a path towards inclusion in the official repos.

i don’t know too much about other distros, but arch really makes it amazingly easy to package software and publish everything needed for others to use it. i feel like linux needs more of this, not less - there’s a great writeup that puts why linux maintainers are important way better than i ever could:

https://web.archive.org/web/20230525163337/https://kmkeen.com/maintainers-matter/

i’d suggest starting by finding out what package in your distro actually decides where audio goes - mostly it is pulseaudio (older) or pipewire (newer).

depending on the details of how your distro and the dongle work, it could either be a simple “pactl set-default-sink <headset-name>”, or a more complicated set of udev rules or pipewire/wireplumber scripts.

note that distros using pipewire still often support a lot of pactl commands, so it may be worth looking at the simple option even when not using pulseaudio.

just another reason to use tiling window managers ;) at least mine opens my windows in the same workspace on the same output every time, if i configure it to

i bought the tuxedo nano (a mini pc but decently powerful), and its not 100% linux compatible. i imagine its better if you install their own distro (maybe) but running arch linux with the standard kernel on it, i’ve had issues with HPET/TSC (some cpu timekeeping stuff, ruined performance when it happened), the wifi card it came with is known to have issues and i’ve had plenty (usable, but super slow bandwidth depending on what AP i connect to, and no its not the AP all other devices work fine on it), and some lockups when my usb microphone is connected (sometimes it only crashed the usb hub which i could reset).

NONE of these issues are present running arch linux on my old desktop and 2 work laptops. Support wasnt helpful either.

However, its still my main device, i just had to work around these issues.

edit oh, and the fan is not controllable from linux at all, i’ve spent hours trying to find a way. i do not know if it’s controllable from windows either, maybe it’s just the mainboard that doesn’t allow fan control at all outside of the UEFI settings.

using dd for that is outdated info that everyone keeps blindly parroting with zero understanding why. cat is simpler and works fine.

note: both cat and dd only work for this when the image is made in a compatible way, my linux isos always work fine but a windows iso didnt and needs a more specific tool.

use arch btw ;)

mostly kidding, but shit like this is exactly why i love arch so much. set up the entire system from ground up - no bullshit on it, and you know how (almost) every part works and what it does.

it definitely taught me about how linux works, at least the parts that are relevant for most users. starting from a clean install without any kind of gui (or common networking tools) really made me understand all the building blocks modern desktop linux uses. sure, installing a full blown desktop environment skips most things, but going with just a window manager and adding required features package by package really does help with understanding, and if a problem does pop up later you’ll know exactly where to look, instead of having to search super generic terms.

most games have never had flicker issues for me on arch/sway with a rtx2070. Steam itself used to be unusable and last i checked was still a bit glitchy, Discord also sucked, but the games always worked fine.

apart from some issues with recognizing the mouse cursor in a few games.

agreed with debian, it’s by far the most stable and no bullshit system i’ve ever used. however, BIG condition: do NOT install .deb files manually. that’s an extremely easy way to break your system. use what’s in the repos, and if it’s not in the repos, use something like flatpak (not sure how well it works for debian since i haven’t used it).

in general though, if you want a stable linux system, just don’t try to install stuff that isn’t packaged in official repos.

that said, i did end up finding open source alternatives for all the software i use often, and don’t use bottles much.

honestly, wine has seemed unreasonably complex to me in the past and i haven’t tried since. but Bottles offers a nice easy to use GUI, i do recommend giving it a shot. at least on arch linux it’s super easy to install via the AUR.

the only issue is some apps need additional dependencies which can take some searching to figure out what exactly is needed. the arch wiki lists a bunch of them though, and often the error messages bottles shows will point you the right way.

i’ve gotten almost every .exe to work with it, most immediately, some after a short bit of tinkering.

since we’re sharing anecdotes… i have a desktop pc with an rtx2070 and ALL my issues are due to the gpu.

recently installed wlroots-nvidia from the AUR and it fixed the worst of it for now, but still getting glitches. i don’t recommend Sway when you’re on nvidia.

So, a lot of people have already mentioned that the arch wiki contains great info. What’s missing, IMO is this: Installing Arch as described on https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Installation_guide will leave you with an EXTREMELY basic system - you just have a bare command line, with none of the tools you’d use daily for actually using your pc.

This is where the learning comes in - choosing the software you need on your system, and learning how it all interacts with each other. IMO, you can be an experienced sysadmin, and never really have to deal with the details of what’s going on during installation - it’s the applications on top that actually do the work, and that you need to configure and run. Sure, you’ll need to learn systemd and other components, but that all comes with use of the software you need, not necessarily the base system.

This is also why I strongly recommend having a second, working machine with a browser while installing Arch for the first time. A plain arch install does not come with the tools you’re used to to connect to wifi, or even wired networks. and without a working browser, it can be hard to figure out how to connect to the internet. First things i had to do when setting it up were searching for the proper network tools and then choosing between desktop environments and window managers. For learning I recommend a WM, as a full blown desktop environment like Gnome comes with a whole host of tools already, but with a WM you need to set things up yourself so you learn more. (I went with Sway, but if you have an nvidia GPU i cannot recommend it - it works but with many little issues.)