Daily Driving Xubuntu


The gayer you are, the more specific your computer problems.

August 08 2024


For the last couple of days, I've been transitioning to Xubuntu from Windows 10 as my daily driver. I'm quite used to Linux by now since I've started using it in 2020 (yes I'm that kind of queer), so I have enough knowledge to work out the kinks that come with doing such a thing, but oh boy is it agonizing.

Why, of all distributions, did I *have* to choose Xubuntu?

I'm able to fix all of my problems with enough time and know-how, but it's almost as if when I get around to addressing one issue, another one pops up in a different place. Here's what happened this morning.

I had fixed an issue where my panel (the taskbar) wasn't showing the apps in the system tray, so I was already annoyed when after I installed Armcord (A modded client of Discord) and attempted to log in. For some reason, Discord wouldn't fucking log in using the QR code. I tried over and over again, but it just wouldn't work for me because the Captcha would reappear right after I did it. I tried with and without my VPN, but to no avail. I looked up the issue online and it turns out that other Ubuntu users experienced the same problem with Captcha. Turns out, the answer to my problem was logging in like normal.

So, what? You're telling me Discord didn't give me a Captcha when I logged in by TYPING IN details that, if compromised, would be really helpful to have a Captcha on? And not only that, but you're also telling me that the QR code method, which REQUIRES THE USER TO ALREADY BE LOGGED IN TO ANOTHER DEVICE, requires one instead???? What a load of baloney.

Okay, so I'm logged in to Discord now. Great. What does my computer decide to do next? NOT SHOW THE DAMN SYSTEM TRAY ICONS. Like, why?? I didn't do anything to make this happen, and yet this operating system wants to be unstable as all hell. I reinstall the panel, AGAIN, and reboot. Problem solved. A lot of shouting at the problem was committed throughout. It's only a matter of time before it happens again.

You know what? Why don't we go over some other things that upset me in the last 2-3 days of using Xubuntu? Let me see if I can remember them.

  1. The issue that I just described.
  2. Applying backup configurations to the panel CLOSES it. I have to run a command to open panel again, and then it's a crap shoot over if the configuration actually applied.
  3. Sometimes my external hard drive doesn't mount automatically.
  4. .deb packages may or may not work. I hit install in the package installer for this one program but it didn't do anything at all. The window closed, and shortly after, the task stopped.
  5. Imagine getting an AppImage file and being new to Linux. You're under the impression that it'll just work, as advertised. You double click it, but nothing happens. Apparently you have to go into Properties and set it to executable. Alright. What's this? It STILL doesn't work? That's because you probably ALSO have to open a damn terminal, ./ the filename, and use --no-sandbox and maybe it'll work then. Wow. So now for almost every AppImage I use, I keep it on the desktop and make a second file for a desktop entry that will execute the command I actually need. How organized is that?
  6. Switching from light to dark mode in Appearance will override my window manager theme.
  7. General Linux complaint here, but why does the App Center (Snap store GUI) on most distros just not show shit? Miraculously, it's not as bad this time on Xubuntu, but I dread opening and using the App Center because I know that mileage varies. I avoid the app store so I get newer versions of programs or things that aren't on there, and doing so probably is the source for my AppImage and .deb woes.
  8. Sometimes, when I log in to my user session, I'll get an error message for some program and the prompt to send the issue to a developer. Most of the time, the program is still there and it looks completely fine. Sometimes, it's not when I log in. It'll just happen for seemingly no reason. You'd think that a program like About Me wouldn't crash by just being open too long, but that's what it did. But nothing was wrong! It was still there!
  9. I UNINSTALLED MY SOUND DRIVER, AUDACIOUS, AND WINE AT THE SAME TIME TRYING TO INSTALL DAVINCI RESOLVE AND CONFIGURE DEPENDENCIES FOR IT WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK. Thank god I don't have to reinstall all those core fonts for Wine. That was kind of annoying. Guess I'm not installing Resolve.
  10. Et cet.

Look, most if not all of these problems are fixable, and for the average user, they might not even face them. DON'T LET THIS SCARE YOU FROM USING LINUX, JUST XUBUNTU. As long as they can get Firefox or Chrome working, they're set. Hell, a lot of people probably aren't even getting a separate program for Discord since they'll use it in the browser. But, the fact I have to deal with these problems in the first place is utter crap. Yes, there is technically a standardized method of installing apps here, but it is not nearly as easy outside of that method.

But really, why did I choose Xubuntu? I like XFCE, that's why. It's a nice desktop environment that I vibe with. It's the least complicated desktop environment (as well as LXDE) and it's quite customizable. It's also pretty powerful despite being so lightweight.

Why Ubuntu? I could use any other distribution of Linux and install XFCE on it. It's because I'm used to Ubuntu. I used to daily drive it back in 2021. Ubuntu is reliable. I know that with any flavor of Ubuntu like Xubuntu, I'm getting the security updates and whatnot. It's not a decision with a million factors or good reasons. I didn't like Manjaro so much, and Linux Mint seems too mainstream. Don't ask me why I feel this way, because I have no good answer. If you use these, there's obviously nothing wrong with you, but I don't feel right using them.

I'm not going to explain why I'm switching to Linux in some fancy way. Fuck Windows, fuck Microsoft, fuck Windows 11. I'm preparing for support for Windows 10 ending, and I don't feel like installing even more spyware than Windows 10 already is.

Maybe it's a good thing that I'm experiencing these problems early on. Either I'll make the decision to switch distros soon, which will save me the headache of building up a bunch of files to transfer over like with windows, or I'll find ways around the problems that don't take much time at all and I'll learn more about how to work this OS.

My recommendation for first-time Linux users? Don't use XFCE. Try GNOME or KDE, or whatever Pop! OS has going on. Regular Ubuntu is great, too. I chose XFCE out of familiarity and aesthetic.