I'm looking to use a different Linux distro but I think that there is a potential issue with ext4 and I wanted to not only ask if it could be the case but also ask what solution I should use if it is.
I'm currently using Ubuntu and I want try a different distro but so far the only one I've tried was Porteus but I had an issue where Porteus wouldn't boot if it was installed on top of ext4 but would boot fine if it was installed on top of fat32, which is also another potential problem because Porteus requires a save file for persistence when using Windows filesystems. If there is a problem where my computer can't boot with an ext4 filesystem, Ubuntu doesn't have this problem because sda1/2/3 all use a different filesystem.
If I'm correct on this, would I be better off trying Porteus on ext3/2 and hoping it works or just use it with fat32 and have a separate partition formatted for ext4 to serve the same purpose as sda3 in Ubuntu and possibly store the save file (if I have the correct understanding of how save files work).
Also, I would just use NTFS but not only have I heard that it has issues with Linux, I've had issues using it with Linux, so I'm using fat32 for stability.
Porteus is a very specific distribution made to be run on a usb stick and not as an everyday system.
the slowness you find in ubuntu is mainly cause by the desktop environent it uses, namely gnome, try something with another desktop environement like xubuntu or the xfce variant of linux mint.
That looks like it’s meant to be stopped on a flash drive for quick tinkering, so fat32 would probably be the way to go.
Having said that I’d rather recommend tinyCore for that purpose instead personally. I’d also really like to point out neither that or porteus seem to be made for general use. If you are wanting a full desktop or laptop install they are both going to be absolutely terrible for that purpose
Well, I'm looking for a Linux distro that can boot and load apps faster than Ubuntu but I'm having issues finding Linux distros that can do that without being portable. Right now, I'm actually going to try Absolute Linux, I just tested Porteus because I had it for a reason I don't actually remember.
To boot Linux, the kernel and initramfs need to be loaded from disk. Most often this is done using a bootloader like GRUB, but UEFI can directly load compatible files as well. For that however, it needs to read the partition where this EFI image is stored.
FAT32 is part of the UEFI standard, so it can always be read. If you want to boot from a more complex filesystem, you first need to load a bootloader that supports it, like GRUB.
Porteus likely doesn't have such a bootloader and is therefor limited to booting from FAT32. Similarly, at least one partition in Ubuntu is also FAT32, where the bootloader and optionally the kernel and initramfs live.
Ok, but the problem I have with that is that I don't know what distros have a bootloader and I don't know how to work around that with the ones that don't. So I'm just going to stick with Ubuntu because It does and it works for what I need it to.
Sounds like just a boot partition issue. you can set up a separate boot vs root vs home on pretty much all distros
Ok but that doesn't answer my question. Should I use ext3/2 as the boot partition or fat32?
You should try Linux mint
Linux mint wouldn't be what I was looking for because it has higher system requirements than Ubuntu.
That is absurd, I wouldn't listen to that. Better yet, you should use Linux Mint Xfce version which is way more minimal than Ubuntu.
How much ram does Linux mint use in an idle state. Ubuntu uses around 1.5 GB and that's enough to cause it to boot and load apps slowly.
Probably around 800mb, but It has been long since I've used any desktop environment. Nowadays I prefer tiling window managers, they are much more lightweight and fast.
Ok I could use it but because I think I might use it as a replacment for Ubuntu and other distros are giving me issues, I have two questions. Does it install the same way Ubuntu does? I.E. I'm not going to have to manually set up the boot loader like other distros and it's just going to work right after installing. Does it have the same app compatibility as Ubuntu or is it possible that something might not work because it expects Ubuntu specifically?
It is based on ubuntu, so everything works out of the box, and no complex setup, mint is no archlinux or gentoo
Ok, I'll try that but one more question that I just remembered, do apps update like they do in Ubuntu? This isn't going to prevent me from using it, I just need to know in case I have to manually update apps myself like how Flathub is.
Yes, updates work the same, I believe there might be a way to enable automatic updates too. And for flatpak I don't know what you mean with "manually update", usually you can just run "flatpak update" on the terminal and be fine, I don't know Mint enough to know if the software center updates them automatically too, look in the settings of it (if there are any). Hope this was helpful.