For desktop use, I’m not even sure that minimal binary distros make as much of a difference as they used to. Most of the software I use tends to be flatpak, which is like the opposite of minimal binary.
I’m starting to think that whatever distro installs and updates the easiest is probably the best to use. Either that, or if you want a specialized distro, like one specializing in games, that might be the best, because games tend to be my number one headache.
Flatpaks tend to work more reliably than AUR packages. For example, I tried the markdown editor apostrophe, which only works well with certain versions of GTK. Only worked reliably as a flatpak for me. Flatpaks sidestep dependency hell.
Flatpaks really shine on LTS distros, allowing you to run cutting edge versions of software on a stable older base system.
For desktop use, I’m not even sure that minimal binary distros make as much of a difference as they used to. Most of the software I use tends to be flatpak, which is like the opposite of minimal binary.
I’m starting to think that whatever distro installs and updates the easiest is probably the best to use. Either that, or if you want a specialized distro, like one specializing in games, that might be the best, because games tend to be my number one headache.
Most of what is distributed on flatpack is also available in the AUR if not packaged directly by the distro
Flatpaks tend to work more reliably than AUR packages. For example, I tried the markdown editor apostrophe, which only works well with certain versions of GTK. Only worked reliably as a flatpak for me. Flatpaks sidestep dependency hell.
Flatpaks really shine on LTS distros, allowing you to run cutting edge versions of software on a stable older base system.
I like that flatpak runs the apps in a sandbox.