Hello everyone!
Just rambling a bit here as a new Linux user.
I started using Linux maybe a couple of weeks ago and since then I hopped on a few distros to see what they were like, I read Linux stuff and watch Linux videos every day as somehow it just sucked me in.
I use Windows for my personal computer and Mac at work, I have an Android phone, and a Steam Deck. I have some IT background, so installing operating systems and software (at least with graphical interfaces and basic command lines) is not really new to me.
I use my personal PC to game and for some video production.
I started with a “Windows-like” distro like Zorin OS, and found it was dependency hell. As much as they try to make it user friendly and make it look like Windows (thing that I soon learned every distro can do because of the desktop environments), it does lack any sort of guidance when you are struggling with dependencies.
I also learned later that Ubuntu can be a bit of a pain with that.
Then went onto Bazzite. Now, I didn’t go there thinking I’d get better performance or because it looked like Steam OS with KDE out of the box, but because I wanted the gaming software, including things like Mangohud to be preinstalled (for example I was struggling with Mangohud on Zorin, although now – two weeks later – I could probably go back to Zorin and make it work).
But looking at benchmarks it does seem like Bazzite is performing well, probably due to the fact that it now uses the CachyOS kernel.
I tried just using Fedora 42, I was having some issues with Steam games not launching, even with Proton turned on, and there is that weird bug where the native version needs an extra command line on first boot. I thought, well, why don’t I go back one layer from Bazzite and take more control over it? But with that Steam issue I wasn’t having on Bazzite nor Zorin, I decided I’d go back to Bazzite where everything works.
And I have been online telling people how important it is for Windows users, especially those who are less technically inclined, to have things that just work with graphical interfaces.
But.
While I LOVE Bazzite, and “it just worked”, I was having some issues with it due to how locked down Bazzite is. Also I was having trouble with my Azeron and VMs not allowing pass through and even just being able to start a VM if I was using anything other than Boxes (…I later learned that I could have just typed “ujust setup-virtualization” in terminal, but moving swiftly on.)
Other than those things, again there was nothing to do, other than just using my PC. It had exactly what I wanted, like I said, it just worked, and graphical interfaces were all there.
And yet, I felt hollow. I wanted to get that experience that Linux users talk about, of building your own stuff.
So I tried CachyOS.
“Maybe I can start with an Arch distribution that eases me into it and then I can build on it.”
All good until I tried to set up virtualization and I had an issue there with the Kernel not being properly picked up (I can’t remember all the details now, but my Google trail lead me to that conclusion). I did not feel ready to mess with that yet.
So I went for EndeavourOS.
I spent a couple of hours setting it up kind of like Bazzite, but without the SELinux stuff. And that means proper Nvidia drivers (for whatever reason Endeavour installs the Quadro drivers by default so I have to swap them to GeForce ones), Steam, Mangohud, Goverlay, the GPU switchy appy I can’t remember the name of right now (as I have also an integrated card). Some other bits.
I love Yay and Pacman btw. They were the BEST tools for installing stuff through Terminal I have seen so far, really clear at explaining what is going on. I did use Gemini AI to help me identify packages and in a couple of places I asked it to look at some code for me. (It even checks comments and the author etc and tells you, it’s pretty good like that.)
But I was surprised at how easy it was to install everything because there were no things locked down that would stop me without giving me an error code to let me know why they failed. So generally… nothing failed.
Boxes AND Virtual Machine Manager also worked immediately and I could pass through my USB devices (I still have issues with the Azeron, but I think that’s specific to that peripheral).
It was the best new user experience I had on Linux, even though I didn’t touch a single Flatpak like on Bazzite and installed everything through Terminal (and this is someone who thinks you should have graphical interfaces).
But now, even though I have fairly good habits with passwords, checking that what I download is from trusted sources, having firewalls, (I used Gemini for code because I am not a coder so it is better than not checking), in the back of my head not having SELinux or Apparmor feels wrong. And I know they can both be installed, and the latter can be installed via the EOS installer, but there is more set up to do.
I see often people say, “Well I turned it on since it’s an option, why not?” Well because turning it on without any other set up means you might as well leave it off.
And now I am thinking, that’s so much work and what if I get it wrong? I don’t need a high threat model, but security policies like that for me are base security, not extra. And I don’t like Firejail, purely from the point of view that I have to use its own dock (maybe there is a command line I can add to the app launchers themselves?)
I suppose I could fall back in Flapaks+Seal and do what I do on Android for permissions.
But it feels like I am sort of defeating the purpose of being on Arch.
I was having fun with Arch. I did stuff. Bazzite is AMAZING… but there is nothing to do now and I wanted a project. So I guess figuring out SELinux or Apparmor are next.
The Arch bug bit me.
I cannot leave my Operating System alone now.
I always said, “Most people want to do something WITH their PC, not TO their PC.” And I stand by that.
But now I think I have become one of those who like to do things TO their PC.
It reminds me of the days of green screens and having to use DOS when I first started. I feel a bit like a kid again, learning computing.
forum 
& thanks for sharing, that was a great read 
