So? What do you think? Did you go back to Ubuntu?
Well I think the main “advantage” of MX is that it does not use systemd, yet it is “user-friendly”.
I could not solve the dual graphics issue, I think it is kernel 5.4 which causes the problem because it used to work with 5.2 kernel. Maybe I will go back to the 5.2 kernel.
MX seems less “reliable” than Ubuntu or Debian, meaning certain things may be broken or break. I think it has to do with the fact that it is more “modern” than Debian stable (e.g. newer kernel etc).
Yes, I did.
I was really tempted to stay with MX, which I had already installed on an old Pentium for my son’s sparse use of PC’s, but an issue on XFCE freezes the input when coming back from suspend state, which is nasty for a laptop.
If it was a couple of years ago I’d try to tweak things or add another DE, but now I don’t have time for that.
I’m frustrated about this experience because I really liked it.
In the end, this experience is not even about MX, but XFCE 
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A couple of years ago I set up Void Linux on my laptop, with i3. I had it set up really nice, but it’s like installing Arch; you have to set up EVERYTHING. Somewhat simpler though, with no systemd.
However I kept finding the odd gotcha when I’d go to do things (loading SD cards etc), and rather than keep sinking time into it I tried out Manjaro i3 community edition on someone’s recommendation. I’ve used Arch in the past, so no big deal.
I’m now so happy with it, I don’t think I’ll ever change. I did try the Manjaro Gnome version, but gnome stuff broke on update - so I’ll stick with i3 thanks. I copied over a few tweaks from my Void i3 config to get some usability back. i3 also lets me set xft dpi in .Xresources so I get non-tearing scaling for my 3200x1800 screen.
I’ve not had any issue with programs I needed on Void nor on Manjaro. As a noob with a few clues I managed to build darktable RC2 to try out, so can’t be too bad.
There’s my 2c. It basically doesn’t matter; use what you’re comfortable with.
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I use Fedora and compile DT and RT myself. I like that Fedora offers fresh software and surprisingly it is quite stable for me.
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Finally I was able to install Manjaro on a usb stick. Turns out, the installer does not crash but just does not show the progress LOL. Eventually it is finished. However I don’t think that I will install it on my internal ssd, I prefer to stick to Debian based distros.
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@betazoid, so what’s next on the linux distro menu? 
I’m getting a touch of distro fever as well at the moment. While I’m currently running Mint 19.3 Cinnamon, the fact that it’s based on Ubuntu 18.04, means that it may become an issue with old dependencies for some applications…
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So I already have Ubuntu and Manjaro on usb sticks. I guess Fedora KDE is next, but first I will have a closer look at Manjaro, again, after a long time, especially if the Intel Neo driver works. I think I did not erase Ubuntu from the stick for maybe 2 weeks which is a record. I think I don’t have enough suitable usb sticks/sd cards. And I don’t think I am attracted to Arch.
I have to check darktable speed on different systems, with an without Intel Neo/multiple graphics.
But actually having a closer look at Openbox is on the list.
Ubuntu 20 is coming in April, and Mint 20 in summer, might be long term options for me, currently there are no Debian based LTS systems that support my hardware. And I think the 5.4 LTS kernel should be released soon, but will there be an interesting distro with it?
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I awake each morning with a big smile since I switched to manjaro 
“The best” is all down to what you want/use of course… I find it can vary with the hardware you use (e.g. some distro / DE work great on tablets out of the box, where others are a config nightmare).
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That’s quite a case of distro fever, @betazoid! 
I’ll be watching with interest, to see what you settle on.
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I use manjaro in a VM on Windows every 4 weeks.
I really like that updates are easy: pacman -Syuu
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Yes, I’m getting an itch to try Manjaro (and stick with it). The 6 monthly upgrade cycle of Ubuntu based distro’s is bothersome - while i haven’t had any failures yet upgrading Mint from one release to the next, there is always a risk. Plus at least using the AUR, it’s easier to get more up to date versions of photo / graphic editing software without using PPAs…
- AUR is more or less like a PPA.
- rolling release distros with their packages always being latest are more likely to run into issues than stable releases which often see more testing. For openSUSE Tumbleweed we run the same automatic testsuite as for our stable distribution, which helps to avoid big problems.
Though your real problem is lack of skills for fixing issues. that’s why you worry so much about each upgrade. Learn your system. Learn to fix problems. And suddenly upgrading is something you do in a relaxed way.
Personally … my machines see the latest Tumbleweed at least every 2-3 days. I actually trend towards daily now.
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Slackware was cool when it came out. I was using SLS, an even earlier distribution, that I installed using floppy disks . The Linux kernel wasn’t even at realise 1.0 yet…
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So sounds like Ubuntu/Mint is like shooting jpeg, whereas Arch Linux is like shooting raw
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I must say I’ve never really explored OpenSuse (Leap or Tumbleweed), @darix. Perhaps that’s something I should seriously consider, especially given the Open Build Service for the likes of Darktable, gimp etc.
So I may as well download the Opensuse Tumbleweed iso, burn it to a USB stick and see how I get on. I’m sure the last time I tried OpenSuse was back in the late 1990s, having bought an OpenSuse CD boxset from PC World!
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Amazing that a thread I started 3 years ago is still going strong!
I tried Opensuse and Manjaro but eventually settled on Kubuntu about 18 months ago. Not only is the KDE Plasma Desktop a pleasure to use but being Ubuntu based its easy to resolve any (rare) issues, which is handy for a non-techy like me.
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Ok so as far as Manjaro is concerned: Installation of Nvidia driver + optimus manager went well. Intel neo also works so darktable can actually use both of my GPUs, though I am not sure how much speed I gain, maybe it’s a little bit, like 0.2 secs if denoise profiled non-local + several other modules are active, so overall region of interest processing time is around 4 sec (with denoise).
I must say I find Manjaro interesting. Latest LTS kernel is available, too. Another advantage: the boot manager is not overwritten by Windows every time Windows is used.
There were some minor issues so far, a few times rebooting/shutting down took really a long time, and there was one crash during logout. I suspect that was because of the nouveau driver.
However, the biggest advantage of Debian is the community: yesterday I was again at the Debianna, which is the monthly meeting of Debian users in Vienna. We had very cool discussions, mostly not about Linux but more general questions. Although most participants were developers being not a dev was no problem at all. But they did not know MX Linux either, although there was also a 22-year-old dev lady who uses Debian since 8 years.
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Lol. I’ve installed Opensuse tumbleweed (KDE).
System locks up fully on login!
Back to a Debian based distro for me I think!
Nvidia GT 1030