FWIW I ran my gaming rig on Manjaro for a couple of years.

It doesn’t need constant maintenance, and it doesn’t break. The whole point of it is to be a stable variation of Arch.

It does need regular maintenance, as highlighted in every single stable update announcement. It doesn’t break if you follow these maintenance steps when relevant to your install. It is absolutely not stable (as in Debian Stable or RHEL or SLES stable) as things are moving quickly. It might be “stable” as in “crash-free”, but it is not “stable” stable. And as I said, after running it for 2 years, I’m not convinced it’s that crash-free either. I remember an era (I think 5.9-ish kernel series) that crashed all the time.

It doesn’t have a highly irregular update schedule, it’s quite regular — every two weeks

Okay, almost-semi-regular then.

AUR doesn’t “expect” anything, it’s a dumping ground where anybody can put anything.

True, AUR is not sentient. AUR creators, on the other hand, are overwhelmingly Arch users who builds their scripts targeting an up-to-date Arch system.

You’re welcome!

Yeah I think the recent nonfree images should take care of the most pressing driver issues (last time I installed Debian, I had to separately download and put on a second USB stick the drivers for my WiFi card just to be able to proceed with the installer). I don’t know if you still need to manually install proprietary blobs for the CPU or the GPU post-install tho. If not, that would mean modern Debian is indeed very close to OOTB functionality.

Good call about Atomic distros, I’m adding some precisions.

I pondered a lot including a bit about rpmfusion in Fedora’s paragraph, but I elected not to because there is already too much stuff here :D

As a 20-years Debian user who switched to Fedora a couple years ago on my main laptop, I would say confidently that Debian is the distro I’m the most comfortable with. I love Debian. But, there are a couple things that prevent me from recommending it as a very first distro:

• The base system is very barebones and you’re required to manually install vital things like proprietary drivers (I think it’s a bit more painless now with the nonfree installer but I haven’t installed a fresh Debian in a few years). For me, having a fully functional Debian laptop is not hard work but requires a bit of knowledge beforehand.
• A lot of people want the latest and shiniest, and with Debian might be tempted to switch to Testing or Sid which is a very bad idea for a daily driver.

Good call about Kalpa, I’m removing it

Very nice! Thanks!

Haha yeah I can’t do concise, thanks ADHD.

Just make sure the case either fits a 28.5mm dial or takes a standard chapter ring. That’s probably the only caveat. Parts from the reputable shops are guaranteed to fit so it might be more reassuring to start there. Parts on AliExpress need careful examination of the listing and customer pictures.

Also, grab a couple extra stems just in case.

Thanks!

It’s not that hard really. I made about half a dozen Seiko 5 mods and small repairs with basic tools.

I’d say:

• Get a cheap watchmakers toolkit, it’s more than enough for this purpose, plus some good wire cutters, Rodico watchmakers putty and lint free cotton pads for nail polish.
• get familiar with the terminology so you know what to look for and which ones you need (eg. movement, stem, crown, dial, hands, chapter ring, case, crystal, bezel, bezel insert etc.)
• because the Seiko 5 modding scene is huge, start with a cheap standard Seiko movement like an NH35 or NH36, and search for compatible case, dial and hands. Most aftermarket dials are the Seiko 5 standard 28.5mm, so most hands and cases assume this diameter.
• A good starting point would be an SKX007 base as it was the king of modding. Unfortunately, like all “real” Seiko 5s, it’s not made anymore, but there are a truckload of compatible parts in a infinity of styles still being made, including cases.
• you can get cheap but random quality parts on AliExpress, or very high quality but rather expensive parts at reputable online shops like Dagaz Watch, DLW Watches, Namoki Mods or Lucius Atelier.
• The hardest part by far is fitting the hands, especially the seconds hand, the rest is trivial in comparison. Even cutting the stem to length.
• There are video tutorials everywhere on YouTube to help you on the nontrivial bits (inserting and removing the stem, fitting the crown, fitting the hands etc).

Don’t hesitate to ask more questions ;)

Thank you so much!

BallisticNG. Incredible WipEout homage, Linux native, VR compatible, runs locked at 60fps on Deck. Fun tracks, cool ships, nice lore. Physics and mechanics are by default more geared towards classic PSX games (1, 2097, 3), with “modern” physics and mechanics (Pure/Pulse/HD with absorb, barrel roll etc.) getting an overhaul in the next version.

It’s giving me anxiety 😅