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Immutable Linux for low end PCs? (lemmy.world)

submitted 1 day ago by garold@lemmy.world to c/linux@programming.dev

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I have a laptop with 4 GB of RAM that I'd like to use for occasional comic book reading. (It's a touch screen 2-in-1 laptop that folds over into a tablet configuration.) I use Bazzite on my main PC and I love how low maintenance it is. Are there any immutable/atomic distros that featue XFCE, LXDE, or some other low RAM friendly desktop? Or, should I just layer XFCE or LXDE on top of UBlue Core or make my own image or something? Thanks!

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[–] hirihit640@sh.itjust.works 6 points 1 day ago (1 children)

NixOS is like the opposite of Bazzite. On Bazzite you don't configure anything, so no need for a git repo or anything. Just install the OS and start using it. (Bazzite also supports rollbacks btw).

Having to configure and manage every little thing, is like the opposite of the ethos behind Universal Blue distros like Bazzite.

[–] exdor@programming.dev 2 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

On fedora atomic desktops /etc is completely writable so you can configure some things. And using rpm-ostree it is possible to do weird things too

But you should have a look at how Bazzite is actually built. A bunch of containerfiles, scripts, ujust files, ... not hard to understand but kinda messy. And you kinda need a server. On NixOS you do this on your machine.

And do note that there are presets online and people help you set things up.

[–] hirihit640@sh.itjust.works 2 points 18 hours ago* (last edited 14 hours ago)

I'm aware of how fedora atomic distros work, and that some things are configurable. My point is that a Bazzite user doesn't need to touch the cli or any config file, to just start using their desktop. I think those of us that have been using Linux for years, forget how rare it is for Windows and Mac users to touch the cli or config files. That's the experience that the Universal Blue ecosystem seeks to provide.

A bunch of containerfiles, scripts, ujust files, ... not hard to understand but kinda messy.

I prefer containerfiles tbh, because I use them for my server too.

And you kinda need a server. On NixOS you do this on your machine.

Technically you could set up the ublue infra on your own machine. Building and serving container images inside a container on your own host. Though it's more overhead than NixOS I'm sure.

do note that there are presets online and people help you set things up.

I'm aware but from what I've heard it's similar to docker compose configs. You can't just paste them in and expect everything to work. You'd have to copy one person's config for their entire desktop, and never deviate. At that point you may as well just use rpm-ostree, which is designed for this sort of workflow.