Bazzite, ChimeraOS and LibreELEC come to mind as distros fit for HTPC/console experiences.
LibreELEC all day if you're just watching/listening (minus a little emulation support (OH and moonlight docker addon))
Just enough os for Kodi with a little more sizzle
ChimeraOS? digging in now
Thanks for the suggestions! With these, do you get a full desktop environment or are they quite specific to being that home entertainment experience, more like a smart TV?
Thanks for the suggestions!
It has been my pleasure 😊!
With these, do you get a full desktop environment or are they quite specific to being that home entertainment experience, more like a smart TV?
So, if intended as a HTPC, both Bazzite and ChimeraOS are 'meant' to be used with Gamepad UI; i.e. the one found on the Steam Deck. Of course, this is your console experience. However, just like the Steam Deck itself, it offers access to its so-called "Desktop mode". Which, as you'd expect, is a full desktop environment. For Bazzite, you get to choose between GNOME and KDE Plasma. While ChimeraOS currently only offers GNOME.
LibreELEC, on the other hand, is a distro that merely functions as a wrapper for Kodi. Hence, there's no desktop environment (by default).
Thanks! From a suggestion from someone else, I'm thinking of separating out the machine that runs Kodi and the rest of the stack. I have an old laptop that's currently running Kodi + server, and a desktop machine that is used for games.
I'm thinking of installing Linux Mint on the desktop machine and using that for games and for the server, and then using LibreELEC on the laptop to run Kodi.
That makes it a bit easier if I decide LibreELEC doesn't work and I want something else.
Relevant https://lemmy.ml/post/17815510
That's great, thanks!
ive been using kodi with mint for oh maybe 5 years now. i cant even remember the last time kodi crashed.
kodi is the only thing i do not run in a container though.. had some video driver issues
Thanks for the suggestion! I presume you're using the Cinnamon desktop? Is Cinnamon it's own thing, not a Gnome/KDE DE?
I wasn't expecting to run Kodi in a container, just the server stuff (Nextcloud, Mediawiki, FreshRSS, Photoprism, etc)
Yes, cinnamon is its own DE. Its similar to KDE in layout, but iirc it's a fork of a very very old gnome version. I remember seeing a benchmark at some point that Cinnamon was less resource-intensive than GNOME or KDE
Interesting, thanks!
yep, im using cinnamon.. its based off of gnome but is its own thing. i thought i read something about the mint guys wanting to control bigger portions for stability hence their curated app store and desktops.
Interesting! Linux Mint isn't something I've used before, it sounds like a good option. Thanks for the suggestion 🙂
If it were solely as a HTPC I'd say something Debian-based, but if you'll be gaming on it you're probably better off with something more up-to-date like Bazzite (or EndeavourOS, but that may be a bit too demanding in terms of regular updates)
Thanks for the suggestion! Not really "gaming". Think Stardew Valley or the Lego series. For the kids to play. Currently I have a desktop machine running Windows we use for that (also plugged into the TV). I'm thinking of making that machine the new HTPC/server but it would need the ability to play the games too.
Ah then if the games are Linux-native you'll be fine. The reason for a more "cutting-edge" distro is if you need to run Windows games, which will require something like Lutris to do, and that benefits from a newer kernel, among other things.
The games largely won't be Linux native, and will be running on Wine or Proton. Is Mint cutting edge enough? From what I've read it lags Ubuntu for stability reasons.
I've never used Mint for gaming, but if you'll be running Windows games I'd definitely look at something like Bazzite, EndeavourOS, or even PopOS. They use more up-to-date kernels and will reduce the odds of your Windows games not working. I'd probably try Bazzite first; PopOS is great but has a huge overhaul coming down the pipeline, and EndeavourOS is somewhat dependent on the terminal and may not be the best first distro to learn with.
I'm running Nobara on my laptop and have been for some time, but I do find it crashes a bit. Not sure if it's hardware or software (I'm using an original Framework laptop, and I know there have been hardware changes to resolve some things).
I'm looking for stability first of all, so I might try Mint first off and change only if I find issues.
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