For the past twenty years, I’ve been vigilant about choosing an internet browser that values my privacy, one that doesn’t sell the data I create and collect through my browsing habits.

I’ve been using Firefox since its early days in 2002 when it was still called Phoenix. At the time, Microsoft's Internet Explorer reigned as the dominant browser, and it always left much to be desired. It was clunky, slow, and lacked the user experience we expected at the time. When Mozilla released Firefox, it felt like a breath of fresh air. The internet was still in its infancy, back when it was still known as Web 1.0, and though we hadn’t yet realized how much tech companies were tracking us, I instinctively knew that Firefox was the better option compared to Internet Explorer. It was a time when alternative browsers were emerging, and I tried nearly all of them, but Firefox always stood out to me.

It’s been almost two years since I last wrote about my operating system of choice, so I think it’s time to revisit the topic. With a new Debian release on the horizon in a few months, now feels like the perfect moment to share why Debian remains my favorite Linux distribution.

I’ve been using Linux exclusively on my computers since 2019, and for the past three years, Debian has been my daily driver. Over the years, I’ve experimented with various distributions, including Linux Mint, Ubuntu (and its MATE variant), Devuan (a Debian-based distro without systemd¹), EndeavourOS, Fedora, and openSUSE. While each has its strengths, I can confidently say that Debian stands out as the most reliable, rock-solid, and versatile Linux distribution I’ve used. It’s nearly impossible to break—something I can’t say for some other distros. For example, manually installing fonts in the /usr/share/fonts/ folder on Linux Mint would often lead to issues, but Debian handles such tasks effortlessly. Whether I’m installing multiple desktop environments or tinkering with system configurations, Debian just works. It’s like the honey badger of operating systems: unshakable, focused, and always getting the job done.

After using Debian full-time for three years, I've decided to explore other Linux distributions. This decision is purely driven by my desire to learn more, not because I’m dissatisfied with Debian. On the contrary, Debian has been a reliable and trustworthy companion for the past three years. During my time on Debian, I used two desktop environments—Cinnamon and Xfce. I've been using Xfce for the last 18 months, and I love its simplicity and stability. However, choosing a conservative (and slowly evolving) desktop environment like Xfce requires some compromises. For example, while Thunar, the default file manager, is functional, it lacks some features found in other file managers and can be somewhat unreliable, depending on the use case. In my experience, I had some issues when my Synology NAS was shut down while my Linux machine was still running. There was a simple solution to the problem, but it took me a couple of years to figure it out.

I got a new phone after almost three years. It's Oneplus Nord 4. I like it so far. It has 256 GB storage, and 12 GB RAM. It's a fairly big phone with 6,74" AMOLED screen, but it is nice to look at it, since my eyes unfortunately are not 25 years old anymore.

The camera is also solid, while the 5,5500 mAh, and it is very durable. My previous phone Samsung S21FE was the best phone I ever had, so I am changing it only since I noticed that its USB-C entry wasn't working properly. I hope Oneplus Nord 4 would be a useful companion.

Here's the list of all my phones.

Oneplus Nord 4