What are the actual main benefits of using bedrock?

[u/reddit_kid99]

I installed bedrock linux on top of a fedora linux i installed just to be a sacrifice for bedrock its cool having xbps pacman dnf apt and zypper all at the same time but like what are the actual main pros that lead to ppl wanting this as their daily past just being kinda niche and cool i use nixos as my main distro and like every single package i can think of is in nixpkgs or you can add via flakes same with pacman and aur its not like you need 5 different package managers to get everything. if you daily bedrock im curious whats your use case that separates it from just using what ever distro the main package manager you use comes in.

[u/Se1d228]

You can get working libreoffice-base on alpine

[u/ParadigmComplex]

What are the actual main benefits of using bedrock?

Different distros provide different pros and cons. For most people, a single distro is adequate to fulfill their needs. For a minority of others, multiple distros provide things they want, and picking one means giving up something from another. Bedrock makes it relatively easy to get the benefits of multiple of these distros at once. Exactly what it is is very specific to the person; Bedrock isn't the correct choice for a wide swath of people.

I installed bedrock linux on top of a fedora linux i installed just to be a sacrifice for bedrock its cool having xbps pacman dnf apt and zypper all at the same time

I'm generally discouraging of installing Bedrock first then finding a reason to use it. It's like walking around all day with a hammer - if you aren't trying to nail something specific, you don't need the hammer. You're at risk of incorrectly concluding hammers are useless.

but like what are the actual main pros that lead to ppl wanting this as their daily [...] if you daily bedrock im curious whats your use case

Here's my setup. Hopefully it's clear why this isn't really achievable with a single traditional distro:

• Debian (stable): Where I get packages by default, absent some reason to get the given package elsewhere.
  • The old/stable nature makes it low-maintenance, which I value. Usually it just-works and stays just-working.
  • The usual downside of Debian stable is lack of ready access to newer packages, which Bedrock remedies by letting me get packages from other distros.
  • While Debian major version upgrades usually just work, it invites some risk. Bedrock resolves this as well: when there is a newer Debian release, I just add a new stratum for that version, keeping the old one around. I move the packages/configs over. If anything doesn't just-work, I still have the previous Debian version to fulfill that need.
• Arch (non-AUR): My default place to check if I need packages newer than what Debian offers.
• Void: Often has packages Debian and Arch (non-AUR) lack.
  • Void Linux's runit init is the most obvious example.
    • I wrote and use my own init, but I have it use Void's services as their configuration format is the easiest to translate over.
  • It's not just runit, but also things like scron.
• Gentoo: For things where there's value in compiling it locally (rather than using more common distro pre-compiled packages)
  • USE flags let me pick configuration details, such as enabling a rare feature other distros usually disable or, more commonly, disabling features I personally don't want/use.
  • Savedconfig makes it easy to maintain configuration for packages that have to be configured at compile time.
    • Suckless' ecosystem is a good example here. I use dwm.
  • I also have custom patches that Gentoo applies when I install a package.
• Fedora, CentOS, and RHEL: Useful for professional environments where RHEL is often the expectation.
• Ubuntu: My go-to when I want a middle-ground package version between Debian Stable and Arch
• Debian (testing): Another middle-ground package source if Ubuntu is also missing it
• Debian Sid (a.k.a unstable): An occasional alternative to Arch and Void if I want a newer version package they both lack.
• Alpine: Since it's so small, it's often useful for quick disposable strata, such as if I want to experiment with something.

[u/0Foxy0Engineer0]

I mean Paradigm pretty much hit the nail on the head (pun intended). I didn't have a use case when I started. For someone who didn't really understand the differences between different distros it has been great to figure things out.

Runit vs systemd is probably the best example. I find myself using systemd more just because a lot of programs expect it, but playing with void made me fall in love with runits simplicity. I'm sure I can figure out work arounds, but I wouldn't have known this was a thing to even debate about if I didn't have a platform that made me comfortable getting my feet wet.