This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/fedora by /u/Sogi-Tipidzi on 2024-10-01 05:33:32+00:00.

Hello Fedora Users,

I finally decided to nuke Windows 11 and make the jump to Fedora Silverblue! Being a hobbyist programmer and an undergraduate student of civil engineering, I wanted a system that was more stable, secure, and would be more efficient not only for studies but also for my programming projects. Fedora Silverblue has been a breath of fresh air, and I would love to share my experience and get advice in some areas.

Why I Made the Switch

• While I have experience using Linux through WSL, Windows 11 started to feel slow and restrictive. I have been using Windows for almost all my life, but over time it became somewhat tiredsome because of constant updates, telemetry concerns, and just the general closed nature of the system. I just wanted something lightweight, secure, and yet customizable but stable enough for doing development work. That’s when I read about the immutable file system of Silverblue and the way it is oriented towards containers, and I knew this was it.

My Fedora Silverblue Experience

• Installation: Surprisingly smooth installation. I opted for manual partitioning to preserve some existing data and used rpm-ostree to manage packages.
• Software: I love the integration of flatpaks with Silverblue, placing apps in without trashing up the base system. The toolbox for development environments is a game-changer! I feel so free keeping my dev environment separate.
• Performance: Everything opens and runs 10 times faster compared to Windows 11! Launching apps and switching from one task to another, everything is so fast and responsive; it is unbelievable, as if the full potential of my machine has been unlocked.

What I Miss (Autodesk AutoCAD!)

• The only big drawback is that, being a civil engineering student, AutoCAD is not supported. That’s a very important tool for my work, and I have yet to find some decent alternatives or workarounds that actually work fine on Fedora.

Issues of Customization (Login Manager Help Needed!)

• I have tried to customize my GDM login manager with no big success. Trying different tweaks and themes, they do not survive the Silverblue environment. Does anybody have any tips or suggestions on how to customize the GDM login screen without breaking the system?

Final Thoughts

• Bumps here and there, but Fedora Silverblue was the turning point for me. It is so stable, fast, and perfect for my programming hobby and studies. Really welcome any good tips about how to customize GDM or AutoCAD alternatives.

Thanks for reading!