Recommend Solus To First-Time Linux Users?

I have no problem with recommending Solus to first time Linux users, although it would most likely depend on their needs. For those with very basic needs from a computer, Solus comes with virtually everything they need. with little need to add more. The only ones I wouldn't recommend it to are those who have more advanced needs that can't be met sufficiently by what's available in the repos.

OmegaSupreme -Most people remark that they're surprised to find the repos actually do have everything they need (I'm sure there are exceptions), I haven't really found anything I need that isn't there (but then my current needs are pretty basic I guess).

dbarron I, too, resemble this remark.

dbarron Not at all the case with me, but I wouldn't expect perfection given that I do a lot of dev & experimenting (although a few times it was just about version differences). The Solus team does seem to have a pretty strict software repo adoption policy though (correct me if wrong?), so this may never change.

I'm planning to provide a Solus Budgie install as the default OS for the next PC I build for the parents, and one potential issue I see is the lack of auto updates. I'm not sure I can get them to check for these even in the Software Center regularly, so it might be 1-2 updates a year if that doesn't happen... Still better security than Windoze I guess, but it does make me wish there was an "auto-update" option (preferably configurable at install time so you don't forget).

However, shouldn't be an issue for a new-to-Linux user willing/wanting to try Solus first if they're going to the trouble to install themselves. And then again, do other distros like Mint even have an automatic update option? Hmm... maybe it's not an issue period?

Louhy You get a notification of updates pending. It doesn't FORCE you though.
Also if you wanted to force them, then you could set up the systemd equivalent of a cron job (haven't got that down pat myself, but you can search the howtos for it) and set it to run at whatever interval you find desirable.

youswer For me, Solus has only one minus. This is something that there are no mirrors in my country Russia and the packages are pulling slowly.

Solus will be soon moving back to the CDN (Content Delivery Network) Fastly. This has mirrors all around the globe and will improve the experience for all.

dlalinsp What problems did they face? Helps to know so we can try and improve it.

dbarron What do you do on your server that you need replicated to Solus to work on it?

Mothman You can do nothing with Simple Scan, I'm sorry.

You can amazingly scan with it, which is what 99% of scanner users want. They aren't fussed about options, they just want the document digitised.

Louhy Auto-update can be set up, it's not a tickbox but is relatively easy using a systemd service and timer.

Justin Err Justin, I simply said that the repository seems to meet most people's needs. WAY back, I siad that if I were doing development would, I would be using the same distro that the server I was working on was using, for conformity/predictabilitys sake.

So I'm guessing the lack of CDN is the reason for eopkg's dropping out as of late, though given I'm in the UK I'd have expected the server location to be relatively close

Though it seems running "up" instead of "update" in eopkg is strangely more stable...

chillyfairy Though it seems running "up" instead of "update" in eopkg is strangely more stable...
I guess that's the placebo effect ^^

Justin He faced some issues with the icons in the taskbar not working after the window is minimized (in Budgie). There was another issue where Viber (from the third party repository) stopped working properly. He also did not like the terminal-like boot we have. He had some issues with LibreOffice. (I am not blaming the Solus devs for that.) Solus has a small window management issue, where some windows are really large and you would have to move the window around to see the rest. Some applications had an issue where some controls were not visible or obfuscated. This was some time ago and the forum was not very active. When we posted on the forum, it usually took about a week or two to get a reply. I appreciate the Solus team for having fixed that now. The Software Centre had a few bugs as well. He said that he liked Solus a bit but it had too many annoying little issues like that. (Now, he zones out whenever I try to encourage him to use Linux. ) I understand the effort that the team puts in to create Solus. However, I feel that too many people will pushed away by minor issues like that. The best thing would be to introduce new users to mature distros, where most minor issues have been ironed out. Once Solus becomes very stable, we can recommend it to new users. Until then, keeping doing what you do and keep making Solus great! ️

dlalinsp It's already very stable in my opinion. Some people have really strange definitions of stable.

Justin It's stable aside from a few bugs that might put newer Linux users off like the software centre being a bit slow sometimes other than that it's really good for home use

Stable actually doesn't mean bug free, it just means it doesn't crash.

Holy crap. Compared to Windows quirks, viruses, and crashes Solus is heaven. A breeze of fresh and stable air. Just need to give yourself some time to get used to Linux.

I still advise Ubuntu because people coming from Windows are already going to dislike giving up some software, and Solus will just make that hurt even more since it's repo isn't as vast as Ubuntu. Plus afaik there is no way to add PPAs or something similar like you can in Ubuntu.

Justin Hey, man! I guess it is kind of a strange definition.

kyrios I totally understand what you mean, bro! However, most people that I know expect it to be bug free as far as possible. That is why I say that we should wait it out instead of getting more people disillusioned with Linux. Introduce them to something mature and they can be introduced to Solus at the right time.

elfprince I get you. That is the entire reason I stuck with Solus and why I am still here. However, not everyone wants to do that. We should take it step by step for new users. That way they can slowly get accustomed to how Linux works. I agree with @Boggle247. Introducing them to a young distro now can push them away. Those are just my two cents. I hope there are no hard feelings!

dlalinsp Yes, Solus is a young distro. However, it performs like a mature, well polished one! I've been running it all day, every day since last August and I haven't experienced a glitch yet. What do I do? Browsing, emails, code development, Netflix, etc. What an average Joe/Jane might do. Works amazing. From what I've heard, other 'mature' Linux distros have regular quirks. How long can one wait for a 'perfectly' functioning os? Forever, me thinks ....
:-)