I have a server that is also plugged into my TV. It’s running Ubuntu server, but then I installed the DE when I started trying to use it with the TV as well.
For the TV I’m using Kodi synced with Jellyfin. Unfortunately it’s not very stable. Most of the time it’s fine, but with specific files Kodi will crash, often bringing down the whole system. I expect this is at least partly because the DE was an afterthought and it’s not running a full DE.
I’m looking at doing a full refresh of the server, and am wondering if there is a distro that is particularly good for this use case. I also want to be able to play games on occasion with xbox controllers.
TL;DR: Can you suggest a distro to run on a PC connected to a TV, used mainly to run Kodi and as a server via docker containers, but also for games via wine/proton with controller support?
If it were solely as a HTPC I’d say something Debian-based, but if you’ll be gaming on it you’re probably better off with something more up-to-date like Bazzite (or EndeavourOS, but that may be a bit too demanding in terms of regular updates)
Thanks for the suggestion! Not really “gaming”. Think Stardew Valley or the Lego series. For the kids to play. Currently I have a desktop machine running Windows we use for that (also plugged into the TV). I’m thinking of making that machine the new HTPC/server but it would need the ability to play the games too.
Ah then if the games are Linux-native you’ll be fine. The reason for a more “cutting-edge” distro is if you need to run Windows games, which will require something like Lutris to do, and that benefits from a newer kernel, among other things.
The games largely won’t be Linux native, and will be running on Wine or Proton. Is Mint cutting edge enough? From what I’ve read it lags Ubuntu for stability reasons.
I’ve never used Mint for gaming, but if you’ll be running Windows games I’d definitely look at something like Bazzite, EndeavourOS, or even PopOS. They use more up-to-date kernels and will reduce the odds of your Windows games not working. I’d probably try Bazzite first; PopOS is great but has a huge overhaul coming down the pipeline, and EndeavourOS is somewhat dependent on the terminal and may not be the best first distro to learn with.
I’m running Nobara on my laptop and have been for some time, but I do find it crashes a bit. Not sure if it’s hardware or software (I’m using an original Framework laptop, and I know there have been hardware changes to resolve some things).
I’m looking for stability first of all, so I might try Mint first off and change only if I find issues.