Solus

If Arch Linux is too bleeding edge for you but you still want a rolling release distro, Solus might be for you. I think the philosophy behind the distro is great and understand wanting a small, lean repo. Some might see this as an issue, but with the advent of Snaps, Flatpak, and AppImages, you should be able to install most software you need that isn't in the repo. Overall, Solus is a terrific desktop distribution.

Fantastic Distro

I have found Solus Budgie to be a rock solid, stable, user friendly, and fast distribution. I like the stable rolling update model as upgrades are not needed. I use this on both my primary laptop as well as our old core2duo laptop. This is the only distro i have tried that doesnt have issues on the old core2duo. Solus is the first distro I've found that allowed me to easily connect my networked printer with CUPS drivers. Just select printer model and Solus does the rest. Without opening the Solus config i never would have gotten that printer to work on Ubuntu. I really enjoy the aesthetic & workflow of the budgie desktop. Under the hood, I'm liking how Solus linux is configured and works. Cleanand efficient. Its implementation of systemd tools, the clr-boot-manager. Cons: Updates from the software center can be a pain on occassion. I find if there are a large number of updates to apply its better perform from the cki using eopkg so thst yiu can troubleshoot if a package update hangs and stalls everything.

Spent 2 weeks running Solus 4.0 MATE on an old laptop with 60 Gb spinning disk and 2 Gb RAM and a 2-core CPU. (I value distributions that can still perform well with older hardware.) Default installation came with Firefox, Hexchat, Transmission, LibreOffice, Rhythmbox, VLC, and Gparted. Isn't as bloated as most of the systemd distros - only 12 unit-files as background services. Solus performed surprisingly well on this old hardware. I'd rate it as 'usable' - but it does have a tendency to swap to disk and thrash a bit. My previous distro performed a little better, especially with startup - but that distro didn't have the overhead of MATE and systemd. I will continue using Solus for a while, but eventually I'll need a distro with better performance.

Best distro I ever used since i started discovering linux back in 2007

Solus is my go-to recommendation for both new and experienced users. I have not tried their KDE and GNOME implementations, but their own Budgie Desktop Environment is both beautiful and snappy. The Solus team is actively working on a new package manager although eopkg is doing a great job already. Summing up my experiences: + Rolling Release distribution + Easy to use graphical installer + Really good package manager + Beautiful, fast DE + Helpful community - A bit more ressource-hungry compared to some other distros - Not quite as many packages in their repos as e.g. Ubuntu (but all the important stuff is there - and then some) Solus has been my daily driver for a long time. Unfortunately, I have to use some exotic software that isn't in the Solus repos and I don't have the time to install everything from source (or maintain packages), but Budgie is still with me and I won't stop recommending Solus to friends and family anytime soon.

Nice, "just works" every time. Osftware selection can do with a bit o widening and software center neeeds that promised overhaul. Otherwise very stable and quick.

High performant and robust rolling release

A good desktop distribution. Fast. Stable. Up-To-Date.

This is a beautiful looking distro. However, as of the last attempt at using this, it still doesn't have simple printer drivers (for Brother printers). And as I do some business work on my computer, the need to print is absolute.

Solid and fast with a very responsive community. When I post a question or issue, I almost always get a prompt reply (often by one of the core team). I like that Solus is its own distribution, and not something built on something built on something.

First off, I'm a huge fan of the Budgie desktop, and it doesn't look better than it does on Solus where it originated. The package manager is simple enough to use on command line, but I found myself using the GUI software app more. The only issue I came across is that I needed to edit the bootloader options because of my video card/apu hybrid setup (necessary regardless of OS), and there is not much documentation on it. I believe it uses the same bootloader as Clear Linux.

tried other distros for laptop use : this is clean / professional / smart and pretty much rock solid PLUS it's rolling - switch to Solus and you will not be disappointed

If you want an easy to use Linux distro, this is it. You basically install it and use it. Everything works. The only downside to this distro is the app selection in their store, but you know the apps in the store work. Its one of the few distros also not based on another. It installs in both Legacy mode and UEFI just fine on every machine I have tested it on.

Highly recommended as daily driver on desktop and notebooks

Simple and fast. Even on a mid 2010 macbook

Solus Budgie is awesome operating system for users of all skill levels. You get a easy and fast install of great curated packages and updates. Fastest startup times i have seen yet andit just works.

I used LinuxMint for a long time, then started hopping. Tried mostly Ubuntu-based and liked Elementary a lot. Never had experience with a rolling release, but was listening to Ikey on Late Night Linux and decided to give it a go. I put an SSD into an old HP Elitebook with i5-2520M and 4GB RAM. It boots to login screen in about 10 second and shuts down in 2. That's better than my $1,000 Windows desktop at work. I mostly use the GUI software center, and this OS has been nothing but smooth. I will stay on this OS as long as it's maintained. It gets low marks for Server and IoT because it's not at all geared to that. They specifically want a good desktop experience and it rocks there.

I ran this distro about a year. I came to it from Manjaro, which was a major upgrade. VERY stable and extremly few issues on either install or updates. Good desktop with a very clear design language. I also used this distro on older Apple Intel computers (macmini and Macbookpro) with very nice results. In fact one of my laptops still uses it. Not the fastest or slimmest distro but extremly stable and user friendly. Not to mention nice looking. I never experienced many issues with programs despite lesser number of available packages. So all in all I would recommend this distro to anyone. The only less good thing is the lack of ability to change kernal beyond 'current' and 'LTS'.

Distro for modern PCs with 64-bit architecture and SSD disks. Solus is really straightforward (great for beginners), fast and stable rolling release. It comes with great Steam integration, newest GPU drivers, both for AMD and Nvidia, and Snaps and Flatpack support. I recommend Budgie desktop, as it's pretty slick and does great job at themeing both KDE and GTK apps. The most significant problem I see is lack of developers. Some bugs hang around for ages, some more exotic software is not available or outdated. In case of software you can go to their Phabricator website and get your case solved in matter of hours / days.

Solus is a great operating system, very easy to install, very fast booting and running the system, it does have a couple things it needs to iron out as it matures, nothing show stopping, the rolling release strategy used in Solus is second to none, it is currently the most stable and best rolling distro out there. take some time to read the solus devs philosophy regarding how they vision Solus to be, you will be pleasantly surprised

I love this distro, I have been using Solus for months. It doesn't have the biggest repos but I can find everything I need. Solus is rolling distro but in my opinion more "stable " than Arch.

This is a top-notch distro and is a go-to distro for when I want something fast and polished and to just work. This is the distro that, about 3 years ago, got me back onto linux as a full time linux desktop user. Key positives of Solus: 1. Speed. It is fast - it boots and shuts down very fast. It just feels very lightweight. I actually run the Gnome version and it is very fast. 2. Polish. It looks great without any customizations. That said, I am not a fan of the newer release with the *very* dark black theme. This is easily rectified by going to the Software center and installing arc dark or another theme and applying. Negatives: 1. You really have to rely on the relatively few maintainers/people who develop Solus. When I started using desktop linux fulltime a few years ago, Solus was pretty new and Ikey was doing some great stuff. But I was worried about it long-term when it is controlled by one guy with a few side helpers. So eventually I switched to other distros but kept an eye on Solus from afar. Sure enough, Ikey ghosted the project (literally ghosted). Fortunately, there are some guys sticking with it. But, like when Ikey ran it, these guys are very opinionated. Can't blame em! So you're either onboard with their vision or you are not, and they will tell you that if you hit them up asking for something out of line. I still personally am not a fan of distros that are maintained by just a small number of people. Alas, I just switched my desktop hardware to an AMD cpu and AM4 motherboard with B450 chipset and unfortunately it has the dreaded Realtek 8168 ethernet controller chip, which I had never dealt with before or else I'd have never purhcased this board (MSI Tomahawk B450). I went through 4 different distros and ALL of them would not reconnect the ethernet after coming out of suspension. So I either needed to never suspend my PC or manually unload/load the 8168/9 drivers each time. I tried Solus and it works - no issues with suspend or ethernet. So will stay with it for a while and see how it goes. I will say this: Solus would *absolutely* be my first choice on a laptop. It is super fast and polished.

I took a break from Solus for the last year. But I picked up a new laptop about 3 weeks ago and after liberating it from Windows, I decided to start with new install of Solus. I am pleased to say that they have come along way in the last year. My main gripe in the past was there lack of packages in their Software Center. But their Software Center has really come a long way. I've been able to install everything that I want without any trouble. Their default theme is great and I've only made a few tweaks to help with my own personal workflow. I really see no reason to switch to anything else for now. A polished desktop experience that just works,

I tried out Solus a while back around the summer of 2018 and liked it overall. The Budgie desktop and Brisk menu both looked great and ran well, and I'm a fan of the Raven notification panel. That said, when I used it certain basic functions weren't finished yet, like automatically mounting drives. Working past the limitations wasn't a big deal, but it wasn't something I was going to do on a regular basis for my daily driver. I'm sure it's progressed since then so it's worth checking out again.

Pretty unreliable at install. Can't handle UEFI properly.

Solus is a good operating System. I have used it on and off since its very early days. It used to give me hassle with UEFI installs but I believe I now have a usable workaround. Turn off all other UEFI flags on partitions and give Solus it's own EFI partition with the flag set. Install as usual, reboot (enter your UEFI listings - however you do it on your pc - mine is F8) and Solus was now listed there (For me). Happy Days as I can also boot any other Distro via the F8 option and or set another OS as the main UEFI booter and just use F8 when I want to use Solus. I have the Gnome DE installed as it is the Best Gnome implementation (IMHO). It has all the software I need from the software centre. My needs are simple so your experience may vary. Updating is very simple. Gaming is good too, though others achieve better FPS in the Rise of the Tomb Raider Test. Stable and reliable.

I LOVE budgie and so having the core team from Solus making it this is the best experience with it. I also love that you get a modern kernel also. the ONLY issue I have is with the ability to install some apps. I have a couple apps that are only packaged as deb/rpm files and so not possible on Solus right now. This is my fallback distro on machines.