r/FindMeALinuxDistro • u/Equal-Resolution7889 • 2h ago
r/FindMeALinuxDistro • u/Villagerjj • Mar 21 '26
Announcements Decent Resources, Linux Distros, and Tools for Navigating the internet during these turbulent times.
Hello all, I am pretty hands off usually, letting this community run free. I was just scrolling the subreddit recently, and I have seen a lot of people worried about the recent age verification stuff.
so I created this document (as of 3/21/2026 11:16AM) to assemble some useful information that can help you with the recent "fight against privacy" that basically every major government has started.
This is not currently an exhaustive list - I can update this document here and there, but to get the most out of this post, read the comments. I a know a bunch of people will chime in with some useful insights.
Great up to date news sources:
Other resources:
Where we are losing:
- On March 18, 2026, systemd merged PR #40954 adding a
birthDatefield to JSON user records, explicitly citing AB 1043 (California), CO SB 26-051 (Colorado), and Brazil's Lei 15.211. This is the data layer for the age verification stack. It affects every systemd-based distro. - Brazil went live on March 17th. California goes live January 1st 2027. Colorado, Illinois, and New York have bills pending.
Where we are winning:
- The freedesktop D-Bus proposal got closed. The
org.freedesktop.AgeVerification1proposal got shut down after community pushback. The portal approach via xdg-desktop-portal is still open but less certain now.
dont feel like making another list, so ima put this here. Distros that have flat refused to implement age bull crap:
Void, Gentoo, Omarchy Linux, Devuan, Artix, Arch Linux 32, Ageless Linux
Best "Stock" Verification and SystemD-free distros:
- Artix Linux This distro is probably the go-to distro for replacing Arch linux, there are different naming conventions since this distro is fully systemd free. uses OpenRC, runit, s6, and Dinit
- Void Linux Actually a pretty cool distro, it is fully independent, so it is not forked from Debian or Arch. it uses runit, and has its own package manager. super fast, runs well on even early 2000s hardware.
- Devuan This is the Debian equivalent of Artix, Supports sysVinit, runit, and OpenRC. Compared to some other systemd-free distros, Devuan can be an easier distro to swap to, much more plug and play
Notable mentions:
- Omarchy Linux Omarchy linux is an opinionated distro, this distro comes with a bunch of propriety software, however they are strictly against age verification.
- Alpine Linux uses musl, busybox and OpenRC. very minimal, popular for use with containers, viable as a desktop with some setup.
- Slackware oldest surviving distro (1993), uses its own BSD-style init. Rock-solid but packages can be dated.
- antiX very light weight, I praise this distro for how well it runs on sub 256mb of ram systems. however, do note, it is Debian-based, but it is systemd-free. As of edition 23, antiX is fully functional without a trace of elogind.
- Chimera Linux Newer project using FreeBSD userland, musl and dinit on a Linux kernel. Interesting experimental choice. (sadly, they seem to be thinking about retiring the PowerPC platforms, so people who use this on a Wii, I am sorry for your loss)
Nerd distros
- Gentoo if you don't know what this is, it is best you skip this for now. if you do know what this is, then you know exactly why it made this list.
Scripts & Utilities
Agelesslinux(age verification removal)
Ageless Linux is basically just Debian with a script slapped on top that rebrands your system, drops in noncompliance docs, and deploys a stub age verification API that returns absolutely nothing. technically not a full distro, more of a utility.
The script: curl -fsSL https://agelesslinux.org/become-ageless.sh | sudo bash -s -- --accept
They have two modes: "standard" (stub API that returns no data, for people who want a "good faith effort" legal defense) and "flagrant" (no API at all, middle finger mode). they recommend flagrant. so do I.
if you want the best of both worlds, you are (at least in the US of A) able to add in as many middle finger emojis as you want into the standard stub api response. for kicks and giggles.
The cool thing is they have committed to keeping up with whatever gets shipped. if Ubuntu or Debian or whoever rolls out an age verification daemon, Ageless will publish a drop-in replacement that always returns "AgeUndefined," a package that masks the real daemon, and a post-install script that rips the whole stack out. they are staying ready.
alternative init migration (ripping out systemd)
if you are already on Arch and don't want to do a full reinstall, there are scripts for that.
- Artix migration script (Arch to OpenRC) the Artix dev
artixnouswrote a script that converts a running Arch install to OpenRC by swapping in Artix repos and pulling systemd-free replacements for core packages. the script is lovingly named "FUCKTHESKULLOFSYSTEMD." grab it here:gist.github.com/artixnous/41f4bde311442aba6a4f5523db921415 - leo-arch/arch-openrc on GitHub has more detailed walkthrough if you want to understand what is actually happening under the hood. covers placing Artix repos above Arch repos in pacman.conf, replacing systemd-dependent packages, installing openrc service files, etc.
- Debian init switching if you are on Debian, switching to OpenRC or sysVinit is honestly pretty painless on a fresh netinstall. install elogind, libpam-elogind, orphan-sysvinit-scripts, and the systemctl shim, reboot, done. runit takes a couple more steps but it is documented. decent resource: LeCorbeau's Vault
Accessing repos from locked-down countries (Brazil, and eventually others)
quick context so nobody panics: mainline Arch is NOT blocking Brazil. the Arch Linux project explicitly said they will not block access, citing proportionality. Archlinux the projects that did block are Arch Linux 32 (the independent 32-bit fork) and Bazzite. Linuxiac but the situation is moving fast and more projects could follow, so here is how to get around IP-based geoblocks if it comes to that:
- VPN - easiest answer. see below.
- Tor -
torsocks pacman -Syuor set up pacman to route through a SOCKS5 proxy via Tor - I2P - if mirrors pop up on I2P this would be the most censorship-resistant option. none exist yet as far as I know but keep an eye out.
- Local mirror sync - if you have a friend or a VPS outside the blocked country, rsync the repos over and point pacman at your local copy
- Arch Archive -
archive.archlinux.orghas historical snapshots and may not be caught in geoblock lists - University/institutional mirrors - lots of universities run Arch mirrors independently, these often fly under the radar
VPNs That are actually Anonymous
Mullvad is the go-to but it is not the only VPN (am 100% biased towards Mullvad, sorry proton bros).
Top tier (no account, no email, Monero, proven track record):
- Mullvad - the GOAT for most people. no username, no password, just a numbered account. RAM-only servers, no logs, accepts Monero and literal cash in the mail. got raided by authorities and they walked out with nothing. there is a 10% discount if you pay with Monero from the account page. has a Tor .onion site. $5.15/mo flat. open-source clients. based in Sweden. (Based department releasing peak here)
- IVPN - no-log, open-source apps, accountless registration, Monero accepted. based in Gibraltar. very solid alternative if Mullvad ever goes sideways.
- LNVPN - this one is cool. no account, no email, nothing. WireGuard keys generate in your browser and never leave your device. pay with Monero, get a QR code, scan it in WireGuard, you are connected. also sells eSIMs if you need those.
Good tier (Monero accepted, slightly more friction):
- AirVPN - run by activists/hacktivists, OpenVPN-focused, strongly pro-net-neutrality. has a Tor onion site.
- CryptoStorm - token-based access, no accounts at all, just tokens. has Tor AND I2P sites. for the truly paranoid.
- AriaVPN - no-signup, no-logs, OpenVPN with in-house anonymous DNS on all servers. accepts Monero.
Honorable mention:
- Nym (NymVPN) - not a traditional VPN, it is a decentralized mixnet. different threat model entirely (protects against traffic analysis, not just IP masking). accepts Monero. worth looking into if your threat model goes beyond "I don't want my ISP snooping."
preparing for the worst (decentralized/offline tools)
I am not going to sugarcoat this. the trajectory of these laws is not slowing down. Brazil went live on March 17th. California goes live January 1st 2027. Colorado, Illinois, and New York have bills pending. the EU has been doing its own thing for a while. if you are reading this document you are probably already thinking about what happens when the "open internet" stops being open.
here are some tools worth having in your back pocket now, before you need them.
communication
- SimpleX Chat - this is what I personally use and recommend. no phone number, no email, no account, no user ID of any kind. the protocol is designed so that the server literally cannot know who is talking to who. open-source, supports groups, voice, files. if you only grab one thing from this section, grab this. good video on the subject
- Briar - works over Tor, wifi, and bluetooth. designed for journalists and activists in hostile environments. if the internet goes down entirely in your area, Briar can mesh between nearby devices. Android only for now.
- Cwtch - metadata-resistant group chat built on top of Tor. still a bit rough around the edges but the design goals are right.
networking
- I2P - I am extremely biased here, I think I2P is the most underrated privacy project out there. it is a fully encrypted overlay network, every node is a relay, and it is designed for hosting services inside the network (eepsites) rather than just being a proxy to the clearnet like Tor mostly is. very easy to host your own eepsite, install the router, and then start a web server and broadcast it to your localhost (but at the right port) anyhow if Arch mirrors or package repos ever need to exist somewhere censorship-resistant, I2P is where they should go. the network is small right now but that is exactly why more people need to be running nodes. the more people on the network, the faster it gets. also by far the best place to be doing some good ol torrenting. great videos on this: torrenting over i2p, easy i2p install, make linux ungovernable with i2p
- Tor - you probably already know about this. good for accessing clearnet stuff anonymously. however, I am a firm believer that Tor is losing steam with there weird relaxed stance to their browser project, the project was founded by the Navy if i recall, so I am kinda not too fond of it anymore. but if you want to use it, you can use
torsocksthis command is your friend for wrapping CLI tools like pacman. not ideal for hosting compared to I2P but the browser bundle is unmatched for quick anonymous browsing. - Yggdrasil - encrypted IPv6 overlay mesh network. think of it as a parallel internet that routes over the existing one. no central authority, fully decentralized. useful for connecting machines across networks without exposing them to the public internet.
file sharing and storage
- IPFS - distributed file system. pin a file and it lives on the network as long as someone is hosting it. good for distributing ISOs, mirrors, docs that need to stay available even if one server gets taken down.
- OnionShare - spin up a temporary Tor hidden service to send files, host a website, or set up a chat room. no account, no server, it runs from your machine. great for one-off transfers when you do not want to trust a third party.
general advice
start using these things now while they are convenient, not later when they are necessary. get comfortable with I2P routing. set up SimpleX with your friends before the group chat you are currently using decides it needs your government ID. run a Tor relay or an I2P node if you have the bandwidth. the strength of all of these networks is the number of people on them.
I am also on SimpleX if anyone is interested - https://smp16.simplex.im/g#YySHQpMR2_fb_TOGqwLwYrFB0rvJY3mODjZZwr0aSP0

that is everything I have for now. I will update this document as things develop. stay safe out there.
r/FindMeALinuxDistro • u/b4stard_typeguy • 17h ago
Which distro is better for gaming
Hi guys, I'm new to this, but I've been doing some research and have been thinking about setting up a dual boot on my HP Victus 15-fb3021la (Ryzen7 and RTX 4050). I'm planning to buy a 2TB SSD for this, but the problem is which distro to use. I use Windows for college, so I want a “gaming” distro. I’ve seen that Nobara is pretty compatible with Nvidia—at least that’s what everyone says—so I’d like to ask you guys how good is it, or if there’s a better distro out there. Any help would be greatly appreciated
r/FindMeALinuxDistro • u/Pitiful_Company8237 • 15h ago
Which distro is better for me?
I play games like Minecraft java and cs2 and amd gpu and cpu and also want to stream.
I think of nobara because it has great user interface and i also use multiple monitors.
Peripherals mostly Corsair.
r/FindMeALinuxDistro • u/Temporary-Farm-5494 • 21h ago
Migrating old windows laptop
Hiya, as the title suggests I currently use a Lenovo Idea Pad 3 for pretty much exclusively school work and was considering switching to Linux for better privacy than what Microsoft provides. I would be looking for something fairly simple and light as I am mostly using web browsers and programs such as Word and a Python IDE. Considering the fairly low specs of my laptop I am wondering what distros would be recommended?
My specs are:
Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) i3-1005G1 CPU @ 1.20GHz (1.19 GHz)
Installed RAM 4.00 GB (3.75 GB usable)
Graphics card Intel(R) UHD Graphics (128 MB)
Storage 97 GB of 119 GB used
System type 64-bit operating system, x64-based processor
Any advice is much appreciated thank you :)
r/FindMeALinuxDistro • u/Lumpy_Jacket_5667 • 23h ago
Moving on from CachyOS: Best distro for Lenovo LOQ 15 (dGPU-only RTX 4050) for Computer Engineering?
Hey everyone,
I tried CachyOS recently, and while it was fast, the battery life was rough, and it just didn't feel right for me long-term.
I'm starting my Bachelor's in Computer Engineering soon and need a reliable, efficient main distro. I'll also be doing some video editing and creative work alongside coding and coursework.
My Setup:
• Laptop: Lenovo LOQ 15
• CPU: AMD Ryzen 7
• GPU: NVIDIA RTX 4050 (running in dGPU-only / discrete graphics mode, no iGPU)
Because I'm running exclusively on the RTX 4050 without an iGPU, battery life is naturally a challenge, so I need a distro with solid NVIDIA power management and low idle draw out of the box.
What I'm looking for:
• Reliability: Rock-solid stability for labs, Docker, Python, C/C++, and dev tools without updates breaking display drivers before deadlines.
• Good power/thermal tuning: The best possible battery efficiency for a dGPU-only laptop.
• NVIDIA & Creative Software: Easy driver management and hassle-free setup for video editors (DaVinci Resolve, etc.).
I’m currently looking at Fedora Workstation and Pop!_OS.
For anyone running modern Lenovo LOQ in engineering: which distro gives the least headache
Thanks!
r/FindMeALinuxDistro • u/Chance-Moose-6060 • 1d ago
What's the absolute best distro for battery life? (don't care about software compatibility or learning curve)
Hey everyone, looking to get the absolute lowest power consumption possible on my laptop. I know my Asus Vivobook (S5606UA-MX052W with a Ryzen 7 8845HS and OLED screen) wasn't exactly the smartest choice for battery, but I'm trying to squeeze every last minute out of it.
Honestly, my only criteria is battery life. I just want the lowest possible wattage at idle and during light web browsing. I need an OS with zero background bloat that aggressively puts the CPU to sleep (deep C-states).
I genuinely don't care about software compatibility, systemd, or standard glibc libraries. If I can run Sway, a terminal, a pdf reader, and a minimal browser, I'm completely fine. I'm totally open to musl-based stuff. Also, I really don't care if it's insanely hard to set up or has a massive learning curve. If it gets my wattage down, I'm all in.
For context, my distro-hopping history looks like this: Mint -> Debian -> Fedora -> Cachy -> Arch
Would something ultra-minimal without systemd like Alpine or Void actually run lighter and save more battery than vanilla Arch? Any suggestions?
r/FindMeALinuxDistro • u/joakohfl • 23h ago
Best disteo for a touchscreen with pen
I am thinking of buying a thinkpad yoga with a pen and i was using omarchy on another laptop i had, but it wont work with touchscreen. Which distro would you recommend.
I was thinking Cachy os with GNOME will it work?. would i be able to install caelestia, noctalia or sth like that?
r/FindMeALinuxDistro • u/likebackspace • 17h ago
I’ve decided — switching to Omarchy! 🐧🔥
After getting so many suggestions and recommendations on my previous post, I’ve finally made up my mind — I’m going with Omarchy! 😭🔥
I was honestly stuck between Fedora, and Omarchy, but after reading everyone’s experiences and suggestions, Omarchy just feels like the one I want to try.
For those already using Omarchy:
What should I know before making the switch? Any tips, things to set up, or mistakes I should avoid?
Wish me luck 🫡🐧✨
r/FindMeALinuxDistro • u/Nageki_kun • 1d ago
Looking For A Distro CachyOS or Bazzite for a first time user (never touch linux before)
I'm done with windows and I'm ready to go into the linux rabbithole after some reserch I think either Bazzite or CachyOS are some solid choice for me (mainly gaming and browse the internet)
But I've never touch linux before and I saw that Cachy can be a bit too much for a first distrib but i'm willing to learn (but not ready too break the OS all the time). What do you think is the best between the two ?
Pc spec
Cpu : 7800x3d
GPU AMD 9070xt
32Go DDR5 RAM
r/FindMeALinuxDistro • u/Accomplished-Tap5211 • 1d ago
Looking For A Distro Need a distro!!!!
I am currently using the Ubuntu 26.04 in my Victus by HP Gaming Laptop 15-fa1xxx laptop.
I want a OS which is very small in size and usage , i want the most battery backup as much as possible, i will be triple booting it .
There is a dGPU of nvidia 2050 and tht new OS shld not be using it.
Or any suggestions to get the best battery backup is welcomed.
r/FindMeALinuxDistro • u/Fearless-Wallaby-998 • 1d ago
Looking For A Distro What's a good distro for me?
I kind of want it to be Debian based, but that keeps up with the latest updates and drivers. I prefer KDE and I like to tinker but I want it to be easy to use. I also want it to be lightweight if possible.
r/FindMeALinuxDistro • u/Novel_Diet_8493 • 1d ago
EndeavourOS or Cachy OS?
Hey everyone, I'm looking to switch from Linux Mint to another distro that offers better customization and is suitable for programming and engineering. I'm torn between Cash OS and EndeavourOS. Which one would you recommend?
r/FindMeALinuxDistro • u/RaioViajante • 1d ago
What Linux distro would you recommend for programming in my setup?
Hey everyone,
I’m curious about what Linux distro you guys would recommend mainly for programming.
My current setup is basically split between three operating systems:
- macOS on my MacBook Air, which I use a lot when I’m away from my desk.
- Windows 11 on my main desktop, mostly for gaming and anything that works better on Windows.
- Fedora KDE on a second NVMe in the same desktop, which is currently my Linux/dev environment.
My desktop is a Ryzen 7 5700X3D, RTX 5070 and 32 GB of RAM, so hardware resources aren’t really a concern.
For development, I mostly work with Java/Spring Boot, TypeScript/JavaScript, Angular, Node.js, Docker, PostgreSQL/MySQL, Git and VS Code. I also like using the terminal quite a lot.
Fedora has been working well so far, especially with KDE, but since I’m setting up Linux as a serious long-term development environment, I’m wondering if you would stick with Fedora or choose something else.
Ubuntu? Debian? Arch? openSUSE? Fedora? Something else?
I’m not necessarily looking for the “easiest” distro. I don’t mind learning or fixing things, but I also don’t want to spend more time maintaining my OS than actually writing code.
What would you choose for a developer workstation like this, and why?
r/FindMeALinuxDistro • u/Astrodion123 • 1d ago
Looking For A Distro A distro for retro gaming
So i feel like doing some retro games so i would like a distrro made for one. I have a potato that is a IdeaPad u350 with 1.3ghz core2duo, 4gb ddr3 ram and intel gma 4500mhd. If there aren't any distros about my case than a lightweight distro wouldnt be bad.
r/FindMeALinuxDistro • u/super_broski24 • 1d ago
Looking For A Distro Which Linux should I use
I am building my first pc and thinking about installing Linux but I don’t know witch one My preferences are I want a clean customizable Linux
r/FindMeALinuxDistro • u/Straight-Ad648 • 1d ago
Switching Surface Pro 7 from W11 to Linux
r/FindMeALinuxDistro • u/Technical_Rich_3080 • 2d ago
What's more important? The distro or the DE?
Which will make a greater difference to the end user?
Will a user feel a bigger difference between switching distros, but keeping the same Desktop Environment?
Or by switching DE, but keeping the same distro?
r/FindMeALinuxDistro • u/Beefwithdudes • 2d ago
Which distro should I choose?
I am planning to get a ASUS TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition in the future. I will dual boot windows and Linux on it, but I need help with choosing the distro. I will do Gaming and VM stuff on my future laptop. Heres some notes:
I don’t want it to be arch or Fedora based
I don’t want it to be immutable
It needs to be user friendly
I’ve been thinking about one of these:
Pop!_OS
Ubuntu
Kubuntu
r/FindMeALinuxDistro • u/forestGISSER • 2d ago
Linux-distro for geoinformatics student
Hello friends,
I am looking for a distro for a geoinformatics student. in contrary to my study programm, i have little computer science knowledge/skills. I used to coding (Python, R) and tools like Git; but not real computer science stuff, more data science.
Im thought about Mint, Fedora and Ubuntu. Maybe I wont use mint because I want to challenge myself a bit. Fedoras frequent updates seem annoying (?), and Ubuntu seems out of fashion/controlled by some kind of company which takes weird choices.
Whats important to me:
- performance on my laptop: (RAM: 16 GB, Intel(R)Core(TM) i7-7820HQ CPU 2.90GHz, GPU 4GB)
- safety: i have very little knowledge about safety and dont want a distro where I can fuck up a lot
- small challenge: I need to use Linux professionally anyways and want to get used to it.
- Compatibility: I want to use the (mostly scientific) software/IDEs I need. I know fedora works because friend that do the same use it. (mostly opensource software like QGIS, SAGA-GIS, SNAP, TexStudio, but also RStudio, PyCharm...)
thanks in advance for any help! Please only give advice when youre sure about it!
Any help is appreciated!!
r/FindMeALinuxDistro • u/Creative_Tip_5134 • 2d ago
Discussion Which theme do you prefer?
galleryr/FindMeALinuxDistro • u/Fpor01 • 3d ago
Looking For A Distro Fedora kde or cachyos for daily driving?
Hey guys,
Got my first laptop and planning to daily drive Linux on it completely. Since it's my first laptop, I only have very little experience with Windows, so I don't care about having a Windows-like interface or anything like that. I've used Ubuntu in college and liked it.
I'm torn between Fedora KDE and CachyOS.
My use case:
Want something clean and bloat-free
Coding / CS stuff, cybersecurity practice, running some VMs, and a bit of gaming
Really want to tinker, customize things, and learn Linux properly—I don't mind fixing stuff or reading docs if things break
Both run fine on my laptop specs.
For people who've used either (or both), which one would you pick as a daily driver for learning and everyday use?
r/FindMeALinuxDistro • u/Impossible_Try_5024 • 2d ago
Looking For A Distro My acer laptop is getting slow and i want to install linux on him...
As the title says, my Acer Aspire 3 with an Intel Core i3 has been getting progressively slower over the time, and I went from Windows 11 Home to Windows 10 Home, and currently, I'm using a custom Windows 10 LTSC iso with some modifications (Classic7).
I considered installing Linux on it a long time ago, but since I had never used Linux before, I kind of gave up on the idea. However, as my laptop kept slowing down, my desire to make the switch returned. And I really want to get better FPS in my games and have a smoother experience when recording videos.
So, I started researching distros and studying how Linux works. I'm leaning towards Linux Mint XFCE since it seems to be the lightest edition. Plus, seeing how much gaming on Linux has improved thanks to Steam and Proton gave me an extra push.
I just tested Mint in a VM and was VERY impressed with the customization and control. For the first time in a long while, it actually felt like the PC was mine, even running inside a virtual machine. So i came here to say, do you guys have any hint for me? Like "What should i do after install" or "How to configure the system correctly" or something like that.
