Why I keep coming back to Linux Mint

Debian - the grandfather distro

I come from Windows, so I expect a lot from an operating system. I want programs to launch without any unexplained delays (Debian and Fedora, I'm looking at you!), I want Nvidia drivers to be easily installable, without having to read pages upon pages of documentation, and I want to be able to interact with different media formats without bumping into strange issues. All the popular distros, such as Linux Mint, Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, etc. owe their existence to Debian though. Debian started in 1993, and was the first-ever community-driven distribution. I regard this as the "default" Linux distro, simply because of it being mainline, vanilla, and popular in terms of its forks. If you want a pure Linux experience, I heavily recommend Debian. But choosing Debian comes with unexpected issues that sometimes aren't even explainable.

There's a reason why Debian has its forks

Many Linux elitists will say that Debian is all you ever need. And while that is true in terms of getting that minimal installation which you can build off of, it brings a truck-load of issues that you'll have to fix, such as missing Nvidia support, multimedia codecs (.webp, .mp3, etc. not working), package sources, and more. But there are some issues that are seemingly unexplainable, and unfixable for even pro Linux users. I tried Fedora recently, and thought I'd get Minecraft to see how it runs. On all other distros, the .tar.gz version of Minecraft works fine, but for some reason, fails to launch on Fedora. Why? No idea... Here's another one - why does Steam take forever to open up on Debian and Fedora? Why does it take forever to install a Steam game on Debian and Fedora? Again, I have no idea where to look. I keep running into the strangest of bugs that I would never come across on Linux Mint. Here's a funny one - the vast majority of .deb packages don't work on Debian! I was caught off-guard when I was trying to install Minecraft's .deb on Debian. After some research, I learned that most .deb packages ironically don't work on Debian. I-i-i-f I remember correctly, ".deb" s-starts and ends with "D-E-B", and... "Debian" st-starts with "D-E-B"... Excuse me... What? So that automatically severely limits me in terms of software availability, because there are tonnes of programs that aren't found in any Linux repository. I really don't mind having outdated packages in Debian, but it should at least be able to install .deb packages! Yes, there are a handful that do work on Debian, but because of dependency versions and naming convention differences between Ubuntu and Debian, Debian is left behind, because the vast majority of .deb pacakges are built for Ubuntu and Ubuntu-based distros. Listen, I hate Canonical as much as the next guy, but you've got to admit that Ubuntu paved the way for Linux as a desktop, and not just a server operating system. Ubuntu made so many things easier for the average user who just wants to do their programming or gaming. I want an operating system that steps out of my way, so I can focus on productivity, not troubleshooting the most random problems ever.

Why I still kinda like Debian

Every now and then, the "Linux purist bug" bites me, and I suddenly feel like packing my bags, and trying Debian out once more. Debian has taught me a lot about Linux, and even inspired me to learn Vim. I like the feeling of using an upstream distribution. It feels empowering. I like typing terminal commands (When I know what I'm doing, of course). Also, I like Debian's logo more that Linux Mint's logo, and that may or may not make up for half the reasons why I like Debian.

Linux Mint just works

After all the farting around, playing silly buggers, frolicking in the Debian documentation, I eventually come to my senses, drop my ego, and realize that, hey, Linux Mint just works. Why do you feel you have to prove a point by using Debian? Nobody cares about what operating system you use. Heck, using any Linux distro is not what normies do. If Linux Mint just works, then use the darn thing. Take advantage of it. You can still use Debian on an old potato, but Debian is a server operating system first. If you want shit done, then Debian is not or you.