When I choose a Linux distribution, I tend to stick with it. Usually for years. That’s been the case since I started using Linux back in 1999. While I have changed distros, and have gone back to some old favourites, more than a couple of times over the decades I don’t distro hop.

Why? If I’m comfortable with a Linux distribution and with what I get out of it, I don’t see any reason to change. And, to be honest, I don’t see the need to jump into every distro that bloggers and others online breathlessly tout in a particular week. I’m sure they’re good, but those distributions offer me little or no incentive to start over.

For me, jumping around distributions is counterproductive. It puts a gap in my work, with me having to spend time reinstalling all of the applications and scripts that I use, as well as transferring files around. That can take a couple of hours on top of the time I might spend test driving and installing a Linux distribution. That’s time I could (better) spend actually doing work.

That’s not saying I’m above taking a Linux distribution for a spin. I do get curious every so often. With a live USB it’s easy. I don’t need to change anything I’m doing now or worry about losing my setup and data. To be honest, though, most Linux distros that I run off a live USB … well, they don’t leave me cold but most of them don’t leave much of an impression on me. Definitely not enough to wipe away what I’m currently using.

If you feel the need to distro hop, more power to you. Enjoy yourself. It’s just something that really isn’t for me.

— Scott Nesbitt