This is my current desktop.
Jack Wallen_ZDNET
With the exception of perhaps six months, over the last 10 years or so, Pop!_OS has been my default Linux distribution. This all started when I bought my first System76 desktop (a Leopard Extreme, which is no longer offered). Before that, I was happily using elementary operating system.
But I decided to give Pop!_OS a try, and lo and behold, it took me a day to realize that System76’s in-house operating system was perfect for me.
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But what is stopping this Linux pro from succeeding on Pop!_OS? Distribution jump? After all, I used to switch distributions almost every year. Let me explain this with five simple reasons. Maybe, in the end, you will decide to give Pop!_OS a try.
1. System76 Hardware Synergy
This is probably the most important reason why I use Pop!_OS. System76 There is something very special about the combination of its hardware and software. I have installed other distributions on System76 hardware (such as Ubuntu Parakeet) and I always found that I had to take a few extra steps to get the most out of the power available in those machines.
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When I first installed Ubuntu Budgie on my previous Thelio desktop, the PC’s fan wouldn’t stop. It took me a while to realize that the OS wasn’t optimized for the hardware, and I had to install some specific drivers to get it running on par with Pop!_OS again. Even then, it didn’t run at the same level of performance. System76 is doing for Linux what Apple has done for MacOS… without the lock-in to a vendor or proprietary hardware and software. It has tuned Pop!_OS in such a way that it runs seamlessly on its hardware. It’s hard to find that level of synergy between Linux and desktop or laptop computers, but System76 pulls it off.
2. It is based on Ubuntu
Ubuntu is the base for many Linux distributions for good reason. Ubuntu has one of the best hardware recognition systems on the market. Generally speaking, you plug it in and Ubuntu will recognize it. Of course, it’s not perfect and there are some devices (like scanners) that can still be problematic. But overall, Ubuntu is exceptional at recognizing modern hardware. On top of that, you have the apt package manager and Snap (or Flatpak) packages that make installing and managing applications incredibly easy.
3. Next COSMIC desk
Those who have been using Pop!_OS for a while know that System76 has big plans for it. Those plans are coming to fruition in the form of the COSMIC desktop, which will replace GNOME. COSMIC Desk It’s built in-house and (even in its alpha stages) looks like it will be something special.
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COSMIC was built using a Rust-based development environment for Pop!_OS. At first glance, you might think that COSMIC looks a lot like GNOME, and you wouldn’t be wrong in assuming that. There’s a dock, a top bar, a workspaces overview, and an applications overview. Make no mistake, COSMIC is not GNOME.
One of the things I’m most excited about on the COSMIC desktop is the app store. The Pop!_OS app store has always been a bit clunky and has never been as capable as the operating system itself. After a few years of using Pop!_OS, I found that updating and installing apps was better handled through the app. command lineCOSMIC has now fixed that problem. At the moment, the planned release date for COSMIC is set for Pop!_OS 24.04 LTS. The wait will be worth it.
4. NVIDIA and AMD specific ISO images
Another notable aspect of Pop!_OS is that System76 creates different ISOs for different graphics. If you have Nvidia, make sure to download the Nvidia IOS from the Pop!_OS Download PageIf you have an AMD graphics card, make sure you download the default version. This is important because it removes some of the complexity of having to install specific graphics drivers for your hardware. Few distributions offer this option.
5. Recovery and update of the operating system
Pop!_OS offers another feature that is not found in most Linux distributions. If you open Settings and click on OS Update and Recovery, you will find two options under the OS Recovery sections: “Recovery Partition Update” and OS Update. These two items are intrinsically related and make it easy to perform a factory update without losing your user account or files.
If something goes wrong with your operating system and you can’t fix the problem, you can just flash the OS back to factory defaults and you’ll be good to go again. You should make sure that the recovery partition is up to date before running the update. As I said, I used this feature once and it worked perfectly. Once the update was complete, I logged into my account and everything was still available in my home directory. That feature alone makes Pop!_OS worth using.
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You don’t need to use System76 hardware to run Pop!_OS. If you’re in the market for a new desktop or laptop, I highly recommend checking out System76’s line of products. The company makes exceptional devices that last a long time. My previous Thelio served me well for seven years and worked like a charm until it was time to replace it.