This video sums up my views better than any English text I could write or spoke
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For me, the community makes the difference. I have been on huge forums and seen questions that never get answered. Here, on this small distro, with a small user base, it might take a while to solve the issue, but a team of community members will be helping to solve it. If I needed help, I would rather be here than anywhere else.
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A heart warming comment. When I first started contributing to this forum a decade ago it was because I saw users posting about problems that went totally unanswered for weeks. Granted a big part of that was that we had dwindled to a really very small group. Things certainly have changed. At the time my biggest concern was that I did not have enough technical knowledge to be helping users with problems. But it turned out that one learns a heck of a lot by trying to help and trying to learn. And by not being afraid to ask the OM developers for help. One also learns a lot simply from interaction with other users.
Now I am grateful to see a number of others here helping users. I am retired and I need to spend less time on the computer and more time out exploring and enjoying the rest of my life.
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For me it’s all about community. If you go on any search engine and type what is the best Linux distro for “insert anything”? The answer is always it does not matter anymore. Most distributions can do everything, so now it come down to what the community is like.
OMlx has the best community I have been a part of. Most of not all of us are willing to help each other out to see this project grow!
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Community is a huge factor, no dipsticks, snowflakes or buffoon knobs here. Sane, friendly people who help each other. At the end of this video, there is a sentence like:
We do not need new distros, we need to keep them alive. We must build real communities
This community is one of a last one that really deserve for its name Community.
This distro and people around it are unique
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I’ve been using Linux since 1999-2000 (started with Red Hat and Mandrake!), so that video really resonates with me. The landscape has really changed. Many of the changes don’t really mean much to me as an average, non-professional user. I don’t do immutable, Flatpak, Snap, containers, etc. I know how to use the command line, however, and prefer to use it for upgrades, software installations, compiling from source, etc.
I had to quit using Debian- and Arch-based distros a long time ago out of sheer frustration. No need to go into those details, I’m sure! I’ve used Slackware most of the time. Happy to be here, returning after an absence since 4.3. OM just seems to work really well for me.
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I am reminded of when the older generation laments how terrible things are in the world today, which is exactly what their parents and grandparents and great grandparents (and so on) before them said. Some day it will be my turn.
Things change, that isn’t always bad. I can remember taking a long motorcycle ride on a cold, dark night to bring a freshly burned CDROM to another member of the local LUG for them to try out. It was probably the latest Red Hat release that took me 24 hours to download. He probably gave me a Red Hat sticker in thanks for my effort, I don’t recall. Now days you go get your own ISOs and put a bunch of them on a USB drive and go to town. It is a fond memory, not something I care to repeat every release cycle even if it did bring us together. I am also reminded of the time that at the LUG meeting I won a copy of the O’reilly “Understanding the Linux Kernel” book on the 2.2 version of kernel. Some mouth breather with poor hygiene quickly closed in on me and made it clear that he would really like to read the book, as in before I got to read it.
Last night I was listening to a recent podcast discussing the topic of how to help someone new to Linux choose the best distro for them. My own thoughts were hardware support first, community next, then software selection. I don’t think the people having the discussion put as much emphasis on the community as they should have. We may not meet at the local library once a month for install fests, but we can do so much more now. I regularly collaborate with a Debian Developer in France, that didn’t happen much 20 years ago.
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Search engine output. I tried two different ones. This is what I got:
First one -
Best Linux Distro for Photography
For photographers, the best Linux distribution depends on personal preferences and specific needs, but a few options stand out:
** Manjaro GNOME Minimal Edition : This distribution is highly recommended for artists, including photographers, due to its user-friendly interface and the power of Arch under the hood. It offers a polished and efficient environment that enhances productivity.3*
** Linux Mint Cinnamon : This is a free and user-friendly distro that provides a stable and reliable operating system for photographers. It supports a wide range of creative workflows and is accessible, making it a good alternative to Microsoft Windows or Apple systems.4*
** Kubuntu : This distribution is favored by some professional photographers because it includes KDE-specific applications like digiKam and Kdenlive, which are useful for photo and video management.2*
** Ubuntu Studio : This is another popular choice, especially for those who need a robust and well-supported environment. It includes a variety of creative software and is known for its stability and performance.2*
Each of these distributions has its strengths, so the best choice depends on your specific requirements and familiarity with Linux.
AI-generated answer. Please verify critical facts.
Second one -
Best Linux Distro for Photography
The best Linux distros for photography include Ubuntu, Fedora, and Debian, as they offer a wide range of software and support for applications like GIMP and Darktable. Additionally, Manjaro is noted for its user-friendly interface and access to the latest software, making it a great choice for photographers.
Auto-generated based on listed sources. May contain inaccuracies.
About the only time a Linux distro matters is if you encounter some screwball Windows XP vintage hardware. For instance, I came across one laptop (before I discovered OM) where the built-in Wi-Fi refused to work unless I installed Debian or told the owner to get a Wi-Fi dongle that was Linux-rated. I didn’t want to tell the owner that he needed a dongle, so I went with Debian. Now I wonder what OM would have done with that pesky Wi-Fi? At least I know my “emergency Wi-Fi” dongle works with OM.
I am a truck driver, retired. I know all about dipsticks. They are my friends. I never had an engine seize because of a lack of a dipstick to show my oil level. Stop picking on them! 
Seriously, communities matter. I remember back about 25 years ago when I decided to look at Linux the first time. Back when downloading a distro was not an option. I went to the local computer store and purchased Red Hat. I was never able to get it installed. Back then, hard drive space was a premium and hardware was expensive relative to today. I wiped out Windows and tried to do the installation, proceeding to fail. So I reinstalled Windows because I knew that it works. Then I went online, slowly at 33.6k, and went looking for help. The help I received was a bunch of angry responses informing me that I was stupid because Red Hat will work on anything. Everything must be my fault because I need to read the manual.
I deleted Windows and tried again, with the same failed result. Then I tried again. And again. Finally, I gave up and put Windows back. It took me over 20 years to get past the stigma of “Linux people are always angry and difficult to deal with.” It seems to me that is still the public opinion because of a bunch of terrible elitist apples from several decades ago. We must not let that happen.
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As someone who resembles that remark, I think it is safe to say that not every old person thinks that way. I grew up with a hand cranked wood box on the wall for a telephone, the 1960s riots, getting snowstorms so large that the road was closed for three days, half of January never seeing above zero, and triple digit heat waves that lasted half of July. Keeping an automobile running required having to tweak the carburetors every few weeks as the weather changed, annual engine tune-ups that included replacing the points, spark plugs, and condenser. Tires had to be changed twice a year. The closest there was to a personal computer was mom’s Victor mechanical adding machine that had to go into the shop once a year for maintenance. The printer was mom’s manual Smith Corona typewriter that required equal maintenance. Heaven forbid, either should quit working between January 1 and April 15.
Trust me. They exist outside of computers and electronics. One night in Denver, at a grocery store warehouse, I had one with terrible oral hygiene screaming at me. All because he didn’t like how I had just backed my trailer into the dock space. Lucky for me, I had to hurry up and get the bills inside to the receiving clerk and then find out what the lumper fee was going to be. Unlucky for me, coming out, he was still there. “Sorry, but I have to call in this lumper fee so I can write them a check. My cell phone is in the truck.”
My impression accumulated over the years ends up at believing most computer people are introverts and have trouble communicating with people, mostly because they were never taught how to communicate. They prefer to not be bothered with being nice because in their minds, being nice takes up their time. The result is I learned to be self-sufficient and never ask any questions. Even when I probably should have asked questions.
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I promise I will newer harass dipsticks again 
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