Selecting a distribution is key for your setup.
Selecting a distribution is key for your setup.
Based on my experience, the main problems with AUR on Manjaro can usually be resolved by following these steps: 1) Turn off third-party updates 2) Wait for official repository updates every 2-4 weeks and install them 3) Activate third-party updates right after updating Manjaro, then update those packages and turn them off again (repeat from step 1). If something isn’t available in the official repo, I often use Flatpak or Snap before using AUR to keep the number of AUR packages low. Also, when refreshing from AUR, I always verify the pkgbuild.
I enjoy using Manjaro but it runs on an Arch-based system which often causes issues for me. Compared to Ubuntu, PopOS seems more reliable because the developers maintain the OS well and they produce laptops compatible with Intel and NVIDIA GPUs. This means the OS should handle them effectively. Plus, everything is essential and not filled with unnecessary bloatware, at least in my view. The system runs smoothly and has solid support for NVIDIA RTX 3070 Ti.
To check if NixOS functions well, remains reliable, and offers a wide range of packages is straightforward. The results are generally positive. However, I wouldn't suggest using NixOS as a standard desktop environment. For security, it's advisable to update your system at least every two weeks, which can be more time-consuming on NixOS compared to other platforms. This delay may waste significant time if done correctly. The same applies to blendOS. It seems to operate adequately but can be slow due to the use of containers. The most suitable choices for you might be openSUSE Tumbleweed and mageia 9. Both support many software options; openSUSE even outperforms mageia in this regard. openSUSE also provides a rollback feature through btrfs, enhancing its stability compared to systems like Fedora. On the other hand, mageia tends to offer more consistent performance without frequent issues.