After much online research, I’ve decided to move my main desktop from Windows 10 to Bazzite. I mostly use my computer for gaming and media consumption so I think I’ll be fine there (I’ve already looked into it and all of my games are compatible).
That said, I’m also an Android developer. I have a work specific computer, but I do some coding on my desktop from time to time (mainly random personal projects). After looking into it a bit I noticed that there’s a dev focused bazzite “variant” (dx), I’m not THAT well versed in Linux (I just used Ubuntu for school for a couple of years) so I’m struggling a bit to understand the difference.
From what I can see, it’s only installing some random apps? I find it odd that they would release a new OS “variant” just for that so I feel I’m missing something, my main questions are:
What benefits does dx offer other than just preinstalling some apps?
Is there any downsides to using dx over the vanilla?
If I install vanilla and just install the android studio flatpak, would I be missing anything by not going for dx (that I can’t just install via a flatpak)?
I’m an Aurora DX user, not Bazzite, but I think Bazzite DX is just Bazzite with more apps installed for development, for example container tools, virtualization tools, Visual Studio Code (not as a flatpak but as an OS package), and also the android-tools package which could be useful to you.
Why a variant? Because some apps cannot be containerized and deployed as flatpaks, for example container tools (podman, docker) and virtualization tools. And it’s impossible to install them in a final “immutable” OS (that’s kind of the idea, for stability). That’s why it’s appropriate to make a variant in some cases, development being such a use case.
That’s also why there is a Bazzite, while we can game in Bluefin and Aurora: game launchers (Steam, Lutris, Heroic) are installed as OS packages, not as containerized apps, to optimize for performance. (And other improvements.)
I’ve been on a DevOps/cloud-native track for a few years (in web dev before), and Aurora/Bluefin DX are really a batteries-included, turnkey OS for me. (And I’m also gaming a little, but Aurora is a better fit for me, I don’t mind the launchers being flatpaks, that’s what I had on Ubuntu before.)
This is an accurate assessment, thanks! What we want to do is make DX transparent, I don’t want to care that it’s a new image, ideally you just put Bazzite in developer mode by clicking a button, snikt, ironman hud-like vibe, boom, you’re now a developer.
The reboot and whatnot sucks but once we soft-reboot support lands in in bootc (soon!) and we manage the group creation as an installation task it’ll be really close. We cannot commit to an Iron Man HUD at this time.
Having them all be properly integrated. You’re not layering them, so you don’t have to maintain that changes by yourself, it’s all just integrated by the devs.
Presumably, just clutter, if you don’t want them. I know some people don’t like that you basically have to use Bazzite Deck if you want Game Mode or that you have Lutris bundled.
I don’t know. DX is basically the “I don’t want to deal/think about it,” option.
Additionally, changes to an image is just changing the build files. It’s all automated. Heck, I have a builder myself. New images requires less maintenance than a full distro – it still requires maintenance, but not AS much.
