Fedora is solid, but I keep finding myself tempted to try something new. Maybe I get bored easily—or maybe I just haven’t found the one yet.

Here’s what I’m really looking for:

🔹 Large and fast app repository – I want access to a wide range of apps, updated quickly, without weird dependency issues.

🔹 Great UI/UX – KDE is my current favorite. I love how modern and smooth it feels, and I want something that builds on that experience.

🔹 Stability without being outdated – I don’t mind rolling release if it’s reliable. Crashes and breakages are a dealbreaker.

🔹 Good extras – Whether it’s unique tools, deep customization options, or just thoughtful polish, I love a distro with a “complete” feel.

🔹 Active community/support – Docs, forums, or anything that helps when things go wrong.

Fedora already provides what you want. So you just get bored, not haven’t found the one yet.

What would you recommend and why? Any underrated KDE-based distro I should check out?

You better check out KaOS, Nitrux, ALT Linux, and OpenMandriva

Also, if you can, please share some of the best (and free) resources to really learn and master Linux. I’m still learning and only know some basics, but I want to go deeper and really understand how things work under the hood.

LFS book is good resource if you want to know about Linux OS components. Arch Wiki (I’m sure you already know about this), Void Linux Handbook, and Gentoo Wiki are also good resources for learning about Linux OS

Be your own package manager. Choose slackware.

You could try Tuxedo OS. It’s stable Ubuntu minus Snap plus newer KDE packages by a small Linux system retailer. Been using it for about a year now on my work laptop and it’s perfectly adequate.

You’re describing OpenSUSE Tumbleweed.

Many might not like or bored with this answer but NixOS. It has more fresh packages than AUR. You can pin your version if you want or you can do what i did: i have most of my packages on stabile(which is super reliable and mostly fast to catch up) but I’ve defined that i want some from the unstable channel which is basically the cutting edge. Yes there are a few things missing when it comes to desktop apps but can use flatpack for those. On top of that you can program the whole OS to your liking and it won’t build if you fckup or you can roll back on boot if you don’t like what you’ve done. I’ve installed nixos to make my penguin friend shutup and now it’s my safe space really.

OpenSUSE Tumbleweed has great KDE implementation. Best I found and stuck to last time I hopped around.

Rolling release yet super stable. Great configuration tools.

Fedora KDE

Fedora KDE.

Just jump in the deep end and install NixOS. 😉

I was seduced by the possibility of permanent “new computer smell” and it is 100% worth the fiddling: https://grahamc.com/blog/erase-your-darlings/

If you got bored by Fedora is probably the right choice for you. Otherwise nothing compares to Arch, esp if you “I’m still learning and only know some basics, but I want to go deeper and really understand how things work under the hood.”. Another safer-nobrainer is Tumbleweed.

EndeavourOS. The default desktop is KDE these days.

Easy to install.

Attractive desktops out of the box. KDE is the default. A few nice quality of life utilities.

It uses the Arch repos and kernel. The AUR (yay) is installed out-of-the-box. So, the biggest package selection in the Linux world. Always up-to-date. Updates fast.

Great community in the EOS forums. Some of the best Linux docs on the web in the Arch wiki. The Arch wiki is an amazing resource for learning.

Very stable. Breakages are rare, especially if you use an LTS kernel. The current LTS kernel is the same one that Debian 13 will release with “soon”. So, not exactly ancient.

Biggest “downside” is that there is no GUI software installer out-of-the-box.

If that is really a deal-breaker, just install one like pamac or octopi. “yay -S octopi” should do it.

Or install a menu driven text based package manager like pacseek. “yay -S pacseek”

Or just take a few minutes to learn how to use pacman or yay at the command-line. You said you wanted to learn.

I’d personally stick to fedora?

This may be at odds with stability somewhat being rolling release, but you may want to check out SUSE tumbleweed or EndeavourOS. You already have a solid pick based on your established requirements.

Couldn’t hurt to poke around other offerings in a VM, though

Debian stable.

I don’t understand the “fetish” (for lack of a better word) with updates. Apologies for being provocative.

The only update one truly needs are :

• hardware support … but then the process is flipped, namely buy hardware that IS already supported
• security updates for actually important problems e.g. Heartbleed, not theoretically fancy things like BluePilling out of containers

… that’s it!

Everything else might “feel” nice but that’s not up to the distribution. If you want the very latest Blender because you are a 3D artist who needs a very specific feature, get the latest Blender! Get it straight from them, NOT from your distribution. If you really REALLY want the bleeding age, get right from the code repository, get the binaries for your architecture, heck even build it yourself it’s actually rarely that difficult. Maybe the first time you will need some dependencies but the 2nd time it will be way WAY easier.

Anyway… you get he idea, IMHO your system should be 99.99% boring, only necessary changes. For the few things you genuinely, actively, mindfully NEED (even if it’s just due to curiosity) go wild, get the latest!

KDE Neon

I’ve been using Endeavour OS since September last year. Had some hiccups with my Nvidia drivers but other than that smooth sailing.

You get the benefits of the arch wiki and the endeavour OS community. Can’t recommend it enough.