So while my Linux Mint Cinnamon install (20.2) did pick up my new hardware without any noticeable issue, I still think I would be best served with a fresh install.
However I can’t decide whether a regular Kubuntu release, or the LTS release would be best.
At least with the regular (21.10) release, more chance of my hardware being fully supported? Although I somehow fear that the normal releases will be less stable and will require a reinstall every 6 months when the new version comes out.
Hi Brian … I have had only pain trying to keep up with bleeding edge … be it for a particular bluetooth chipset, or a wifi dongle. Inevitably, when it comes time for a kernel upgrade, something breaks. If it is the video driver, it can make fixing challenging, time-consuming and frustrating.
My compromise is to run LTS (i.e. I’m on 20.04.1) but take a risk on very few packages that I particularly care about having up-to-date versions of: I pull the latest master of darktable every few days and compile locally, and I keep Rapid-Photo-Downloader up to date also. Again, I have needed to use Citrix for remote-login to my work environment. Everything else, pretty much, I go with what the Ubuntu repositories offer.
Using the intermediate *buntu releases may work for you. I don’t believe that they are inherently less stable, rather the individual software packages are likely less stable, precisely because they will be the newest versions. Your mileage may vary.
Do let us know how you get on. 
One other consideration which is making me stick to the LTS is there does not seem to be any packages for the latest darktable for 21.10 yet!
I believe *buntu 20.04.3 uses the 5.11 series of kernels, so perhaps less of an issue with my new hardware (Ryzen 7 3700x with B550m motherboard)
‘Normal’ Ubuntu releases are not inherently less stable than ‘LTS’. The only difference is the support length (9 months vs. years) and immutability of the programs (‘stability’ in the sense of ’not changing’). Of course, if you change programs more frequently the chances of hiting a bug are higher, but it’s not different than running the LTS and upgrading the apps by hand, or upgrading an LTS after two years. In fact LTS users are only upgraded to the next LTS something like 6 months after its release to iron out the (normal) bugs.
If you are worried about stability you can use the normal Ubuntu releases, but only upgrade after a couple of months (some apps will take time to support it, anyways). Another option would be to stay on LTS but get the latest hardware support by using their Hardware Enablement Stack (HWE), which ships the newer kernels and firmware more frequently.
Hmmm… Now major issues with Kubuntu 20.04.3 (clean install) hanging at the motherboard splash screen, unless I select recovery mode from the grub menu… Maybe some sorta issue with Kubuntu 20.04, my motherboard and my Nvidia GPU!
*buntu based distros never used to be this difficult!
Just as well I’m having a year off from entering club competitions with my photography club, it’ll probably be next year before I have a working system again at this rate!
Remember I said I was going to return to Linux and even bought a newer than my old laptop refurbished laptop to give it a go. Nope, job and volunteer and job applications are swamping me. No time to spend on Linux or open source, which is yet another time sink. Yeah, it definitely will take time to get back into. Building and setting things up is so very fun. Keep at the fever pitch @Brian_Innes and @Claes!
To be honest, I think I’m better served by sticking with what I know, which is good old Linux Mint Cinnamon.
After all if it’s good enough for @Bruce_Williams it’s good enough for me!
Enough distro hopping, and now time for me to get back into using my system, and getting stuck into catching up with all the changes in Darktable.
@afre OK, I’ll try 
@Brian_Innes might the new thread be of interest to you?
Have fun!
Claes in Lund, Sweden
A jolly good idea that, installing test distros onto a USB stick!
Of course one other advantage of normal *Ubuntu based releases, rather than LTS, is it’s more likely to be able to support newer hardware, or have the most up to date libraries for software etc.
However for a production machine, perhaps more useful to be on LTS! I guess I need to have another look at Kubuntu 20.04.3, and actually diagnose the issue, to get it working well on my new hardware.
LTS releases can have the HWE, hardware enablement kernel, enabled, and canonical back ports new drivers to the LTS kernel.
I really wish I could stop distro hoping, and actually use my system productively.
Unless I have somehow fallen into a Quantum Accelerator, like Sam Beckett, and my next quantum hope into a new distro will be final hop home…
I am home 
. The oldest entry in the pacman log file on this computer is from September 12, 2011 (original Archlinux installation). However, the hardware has changed several times during this period 
.
Why? You never know: next distro might be
another step towards Nirvana.
/Which perhaps could explain why my present favourite
distro is an Indian one, named Garuda./
Hmmm, well, Kubuntu 21.10. Gwenview crashes whenever it opens a darktable exported jpg
Seems to be an issue with libexiv2-27 which ships with *buntu distros…
Time for YADH™ [yet another distro hop]?
Indeed. Even installing KDE 5.23.3, the very latest version, via Kubuntu backports, hasn’t fixed it!
Not really good for a photo editiing system if you cannot view exported jpgs in the standard image view (gwenview!)
Brian,
Garuda presently offers you exiv2 0.27.5-1.
Have fun,
Claes in Lund, Sweden
I’ve just started using nomacs because of the issue with gwenview not opening raw files ATM. It’s a shame because I love gwenview.
I’ve moved on from distro hoping to window manager hoping.
Oddly, Gwenview is showing raws for me (Cannon .CR2)