From Fedora to NixOS: One Developer's Multi-Year Linux Distro Journey

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A Linux user chronicles a four-year journey through multiple distributions, starting with Fedora and Ubuntu before settling on Arch Linux in September 2023. Frustrations with bloat and lack of granular control drove the switches, eventually leading to a deep dive into window managers, moving from bspwm on X11 to Hyprland on Wayland. Along the way, the user extensively experimented with terminal emulators and shells, ultimately choosing Kitty for its inline image and video rendering support. After nearly three years on Arch, the growing burden of self-managing every aspect of the system became a key factor pushing toward a new change. The journey ultimately ended with a move to NixOS, drawn by its promise of reproducibility and more structured system management.

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