openSUSE Tumbleweed - Why I Switched After Years on Fedora

For over a month now, I've been using openSUSE Tumbleweed as my daily driver, and it's been an enlightening experience. As a long-time Fedora user, I was curious about what Tumbleweed had to offer, especially since it often seems to fly under the radar in the wider Linux community. I think it’s a seriously underestimated distribution, so I wanted to share my thoughts on making the switch.

The Lure of the Roll: Why I Left Fedora

I've been a dedicated Fedora user since 2018, with only a brief hiatus on a MacBook. While I love Fedora's stability, the concept of a rolling release distribution that was thoroughly tested and polished always intrigued me. I pictured openSUSE Tumbleweed as something like a 'rolling release Fedora.'

While Tumbleweed is famous for its seamless Btrfs integration, I stick to a traditional LVM with EXT4 partitioning scheme on my laptop. For me, the biggest draw was the option of an officially supported LTS kernel. This is a fantastic feature for users like me who prioritize stability over needing support for the absolute latest hardware.

Package Availability: No Compromises

In today's Linux world, package availability isn't the huge concern it once was, thanks to universal formats like Flatpak. I already use the Flatpak versions of Steam and Virt-Manager because it’s incredibly convenient to keep their dependencies sandboxed.

That said, Tumbleweed's official repositories had everything I needed. The pleasant surprise was finding the LTS kernel right there in the main repo—no third-party solutions needed. This made it incredibly easy to install and test it against the default mainline kernel. For my needs, openSUSE left nothing to be desired.

Security: A Level Playing Field

This is one area where both distributions truly excel. Both Tumbleweed and Fedora ship with SELinux and Firewalld enabled by default, providing a very secure foundation. While Fedora's default firewall rules are slightly more permissive out of the box, the difference is trivial for a desktop user and easily changed. Both teams are also exceptionally quick to patch vulnerabilities. When it comes to security, I consider them to be on equal footing --- you're in good hands with either.

First Impressions: Power vs. Polish

This is where the differences between the two distros become most apparent.

Fedora's Anaconda installer is streamlined and practically foolproof. It's designed to get you up and running with a sensible, working system as quickly as possible.

OpenSUSE’s installer, on the other hand, is a tinkerer's dream. While not as fully customizable as an Arch Linux installation, it gives you an incredible amount of control, allowing you to fine-tune many aspects of your installation, from your partitioning scheme to your exact software selection. This power is fantastic if you know what you're doing, but it also presents opportunities to create a broken system if you're not careful. (I’m looking at you, 'acpid.service' and missing 'xdg-desktop-portal-gnome'!)

This philosophy extends to the post-install experience. With GNOME, Fedora feels more "batteries-included" and takes care of many configurations for you. OpenSUSE expects the user to take the reins, which is perfect if you, like me, enjoy customizing your setup. If you're looking for an OS that "just works" with zero fuss, Fedora probably has the edge.

A Quick Note on Automation

As a heavy user of Ansible for automating my system setup, I did notice a difference. It feels like Fedora has a tighter integration with Ansible, which makes sense given both are under the Red Hat umbrella. This wasn't a deal-breaker, but it's something for fellow automation fans to consider.

Conclusion: Tumbleweed is a Diamond in the Rough

After a month, I've concluded that openSUSE Tumbleweed is far more than just a "rolling Fedora." It’s a powerful, stable, and highly customizable distribution that rewards a user who's willing to put in a little effort upfront.

I see it as the perfect middle ground between the DIY nature of Arch Linux and the polished stability of Fedora. It requires a bit more initial setup to get it just right, but once you do, you're left with an incredibly robust and up-to-date system.

If you feel like Tumbleweed doesn't get enough credit online, you're right. It’s a true gem, and I hope my experience encourages you to give it a try.

Thanks for attending my TED talk ;)

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