Advantages and disadvantages and ... Clear Linux

Has anyone tried using Clear Linux? I was curious about the pros / cons etc.

You can try to read some answers here.

In my case, I found out it is a really stable OS. Believe me, I tried some things that usually break other distributions, and CL is still up and running like brand new.

What is wierd for me is the bundles system. I still don’t know how to use it properly. But flathub works great and once it has more packages it will fulfill this role.

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I do use Clear Linux, for my personal education. Not for daily use.
My personal habits lean to the Mate desktop environment and the tools included in the Debian version.
I will continue. Clear Linux has great promise despite the Gnome desktop.

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As for bundle, the way I use it is to install everything I ever may need.

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I use it for many different things. I use it daily on desktop and servers. I use it for containers and ci testing because the images and bundles are usually pretty up to date, and Intel is doing us a great service by abstracting away a lot of dependency management into bundles.

Also we have a team of programmers where I work whom I supply with laptops and desktop and provide them help and support for a few different OS options and many of them choose Clear Linux. Keep in mind we are not specially a tech company, and most of our development work is specific to our industry – we just happen to do most things in house, mostly because of industry related security regulations. Because CL works for us doesn’t mean it will work for everyone, and even we still offer Macs.

That being said, CL isn’t the only thing I use. And if I had to choose just one I would be in trouble. I don’t have a favorite OS or distro (I do have a least favorite in Windows).I simply use whichever I feel happens to work best for the task at hand. My main desktop PC though, my personal PC boots CL primarily, ubuntu, RHEL then windows, respectively.

Usually when I get done with a desktop installation I archive it on a qcow2 then throw it onto the hypervisor in the network closet, leave it running forever, and occasionally visit it over spice. I have three such CL VM’s.

For example, I have particular laptop from System76 with two nvme’s and a sata ssd. I have CL, POP_OS! and Windows on one nvme; Ubuntu 20.10 on ZFS on the other nvme; and shared data on the SSD. I boot CL for most tasks, POP_OS! when I need NVIDIA support, Windows for standups, and Ubuntu whenever a new version is released and I want to try installing it.

Whenever I install a new OS the first thing I do is create an ansible playbook and the record any tweaks I make in there, so that they can be used to provision the next one. I regularly discard them.

If none of the above makes any sense to you, you should probably try another distro.

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Biggest con is that your system will be unbootable 2-3x per year after a major Kernel/GNOME upgrade, often with no way to fix other than reinstall. Intel does not test CL updates on real machines - CL is developed and tested in and for VM’s only. Baremetal testing is done by us, the users. So you live with a high risk that your notebook/PC may not work before an urgent deadline.

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I think the concept of Clear Linux is very good.

But as with all end-user Linux distributions, there are many problems.

Today all construction software runs on Windows, but everyone knows what Windows does.
Who wants to wait hours for an update? And they always come when you don’t like it. And switching off properly is also not possible.
Many blue screens because Windows 10 update has paralyzed something again. For whatever reason.
Many would use their system on Linux if they could.
Since here too there are problems with almost every distribution.

In 2006 I worked for VW on an IBM UNIX workstation that cost a lot of money at this time.
But you had wait about 20 to sometimes 30 minutes until everything was loaded.
Was with all Unix machines from IBM so why I don’t know.

When I look at CL now it’s fast and I think it’s reliable.
But since I need the desktop and all Gnome or Xfce4 or KDE something doesn’t work here either.
Maybe Intel should think again.
Many computers in the world run on their Intel technology.
Then why not also build a suitable operating system, i.e. the Clearlinux, so that many users can also use their Intel PC system with an Intel Linux if they want to.
A Mercedes driver doesn’t buy a steering wheel from Volkswagen either.
But all PC manufacturers mostly only sell Windows 10 from Micro …

Maybe you should simplify the installation of an rpm for certain programs that are not so extensive.

If <dnf install * .rpm> is already there, why can’t you use that too.
Sometimes all you need is one or two rpm files, but dnf install usually fails.

My tip the Clearlinux is great but makes the Desktop Gnome and XCFE and KDE independent of each other so that they may also work with one or the other desktop.

Not all CL users mainly work with the terminal.

In the construction companies many people are looking for solutions without Windows, only it is difficult with software in Linux.

Some use Apple PC for construction (CAD) and run Windows on it because there is also a lack of software there.

Cl is my favorite I also used Fedora Mx-Linux, Opensuse all are comparable and good.

And why is a Mercedes a Mercedes? It’s more than a car !! The Mercedes at CAD is Catia, there is a reason for everything.
And Intel is Intel!

Good luck with programming Clearlinux, maybe Linux will still be a success on the PC / laptop etc.

------- (english with googletrans)

Ich finde das Konzept von Clear linux sehr gut.

Aber wie bei allen Linux Distributionen die der Endnutzer gibt es viele Probleme.

Heute läuft fasst jede Konstruktionssoftware auf Windows, aber was Windows so tut wissen ja alle.
Wer will schon Stunden auf ein Update warten. Und die kommen immer dann wenn man es nicht passt. Und richtig abschalten geht auch nicht.
Viele Blaue Bildschirme weil Winodws 10 update wieder was lahm gelegt hat. Warum auch immer.
Viele wĂĽrden ihr System auf Linux nutzen, wenn es den ginge.
Da auch hier mit fast jeder Distribution Probleme sind welche auch immer.

Ich habe 2006 fĂĽr VW gearbeitet an einer IBM UNIX Workstation die damals viel Geld kostete.
Aber bei der Musste man ca 20 bis teilweise 30 Minuten warten bis alles geladen war.
War bei allen Unix Maschinen von IBM so warum weis ich nicht.

Wenn ich da jetzt CL betrachte es ist schnell und ich finde auch zuverlässig .
Aber da ich den Desktop brauche und alle Gnome oder Xfce4 oder KDE irgendwas geht auch hier immer nicht.
Vielleicht sollte Intel neu denken.
Viele Computer auf der Welt laufen mit ihrer Inteltechnik.
Warum dann nicht auch ein geignetes Betriebssystem, also das Clearlinux so zu bauen, das viele Benutzer wenn sie es möchten auch mit ihrem Intel PC System ein Intel Linux nutzen.
Ein Mercedesfahrer Kauft auch kein Lenkrad bei Volkswagen.
Aber alle Hersteller von PC verkaufen meist nur Windows 10 von Micro…

Vieleicht sollte man auch fĂĽr bestimmte Programme die nicht so umfangreich ist die Installation einer rpm vereinfachen.

Wenn schon < dnf install *.rpm > da ist warum kann man das nicht auch nutzen.
Manchmal braucht man nur eine oder zwei rpm Dateien aber mit dnf install geht es meistens schief.

Mein Tipp das Clearlinux ist super aber macht die Desktop Gnome und XCFE und KDE von einander unabhängig damit die auch funktionieren vielleicht auch noch den ein oder anderen Dektop dazu.

Nicht alle CL Nutzer arbeiten vorwiegend mit dem terminal.

In den Konstruktionsfirmen suchen viele Lösungen ohne Windows nur es ist schwierig mit Software in Linux.

Manche nutzen Apple PC zum Konstruieren ( CAD ) und lassen hier Windows drauflaufen weil es auch da an Software fehlt.

Cl ist mein Favorit ich habe auch Fedora benutzt Mx-Linux , Opensuse alle sind vergleichbar und Gut.

Und warum ist ein Mercedes ein Mercedes ? Es ist mehr als ein Auto !! Der Mercedes bei CAD ist Catia, fĂĽr alles gibt es einen Grund.
Und Intel ist Intel!

Viel Erfolg beim Programmieren von Clearlinux vielleicht wird dann Linux doch noch ein Erfolg auf dem PC / Laptop usw.

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AutoCAD and other Autodesk sofwares are ones we run into frequently, also 3d cad software used for GPS guidance and automation. Can’t run them without windows! And you can give every one a Windows workstation on a dell or supermicro running 4 Xeon golds 4 qddros and 1800 GB of ram with a 100 GB fiber direct connect and they will complain it’s slow. But only sometimes. Only when they go to try to use it and click the wrong button and say oh no! I gotta go through this again. It’s fine i guess if you’re running VDI and you can manage everything in the background so they don’t have to deal with things like anti virus popups.

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Pros:

  1. Fastest distro I ever used, based on regular usage.

cons:

  1. App availability

  2. Devs don’t care much about desktop version
    There are some minor bugs everywhere, example, try to run Hp-device-manager, it will not work. I noticed it 6 month ago, it is still not fixed.
    try to add gnome-online-account, google login screen will not load, because of some webkit issue

  3. swupd package manager,
    for example, I wanted to install meson to build a gtk-theme. Meson is not available as a standalone bundle, it is a part of dev-utils-dev, whose download size is around 500Mb to some GBs.

flatpaks just run fine.
If any app is not available either as a swupd bundle or flatpak, you can install rpms.
but still not all rpms works, some need extra setup or dependencies
some developers provide universal linux builds, which just works on any distro e.g. pycharm

I still use clear linux, because whatever package I needed, I was able to install it here.

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I have the same problem with my hp Officejet Pro it was along way to install this Printer it is an Hp and the Hp Tools is in a bundle hardware-printing and they do not work.

Hp-toolbox do not work, In MX Linux this is no Problem it works on my other Pc in Fedora also.

I used the Hplib rpm from Hp Internet the Printer HP work.

For an other Printer i used the rpm from Canon they worked.

Gerät für OfficeJet_Pro_7740: hp:/net/OfficeJet_Pro_7740_series?ip=192.168.178.30
Gerät für OfficeJet_Pro_7740_fax: hpfax:/net/OfficeJet_Pro_7740_series?ip=192.168.178.30
Canon-PIXMA-MG5350 akzeptiert Anfragen seit Di 17 Nov 2020 10:04:22 CET


For rpm i use this link you can find a lot , they work

https://download-ib01.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/releases/33/Everything/x86_64/os/Packages/

and i use this for looking rpm
https://cdn.download.clearlinux.org/releases/
https://cdn.download.clearlinux.org/releases/3XXXX/clear/x86_64/

Have fun

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I only use Clear Linux. The only problem I had were related to a release a few weeks ago (or months?) with broke the desktop environment. But after that, no problem.

Not sure about the cons or pros. It’s different for everyone, we all have different requirements. Maybe tell us about what software you use and things like that to get a better idea.
The only cons that apply to any Linux or not macOS/Windows is the availability of third-party apps and things like that. But if you are already a Linux user, then you won’t have any issue, I think.

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