Hello, i'm a recent migrant to linux, been using cinnamon mint 21.1 for a few weeks now. Wanted to give a closer look to both openSUSE and nixOS. So I was able to get boxes up and running, downloaded to heavywight (not .net, the other one) ISO of LEAP 15.4 and I hit the same issue described here: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+s...b/+bug/1858249

And in the setting/ config for the installation inside boxes, I see that liboso, is 'unknown',

So, what is the correct libosinfo for opensuse leap 15.4?

I'd not use 15.4, since it's one minor version behind, but for experimenting it's not an issue. You should be able to use the zypper command, such as:
...and that's it. Much like the Debian command ("apt-get") or Red Hat ("dnf -i") commands. There is also a website for Suse:
http://software.opensuse.org

...where you can key in a package name, and it does a comprehensive search. Find your distro, and in some cases it's a one-click install to add the repository and install the software.

In your case, I would not recommend doing any of this. Casting about with Mint, openSUSE and nix is only going to confuse you (as a new user), since some admin things are going to be very different. Stick with one and get more familiar.

So 15.5 then?


But I can't use zypper because I cannot complete the install of the VM


I understand. And I've used apt lots, and synaptic (and had it break on me), and git, and nix (but what's the point of nix config inside mint? If I'm going to go to the trouble, I'm going to just use nixOS, and I do really like the idea of pre-defining a system in advance, in a structured document. Plus biggest package repository, plus it's pyenv and venv without pyenv and venv, docker without docker desktop and docker engine, etc.. I have the nixOS VM up and running now, no issues. So. We'll see.
But I digress a bit)

But openSUSE, that (idk the exact name tbh) but that configuration environment, the system settings - oooooh! I saw that and I fell in love. Yeah the GUI looks like the Curve Finance DEX UI... so windows 3.1 basically. Love it. But much more importantly, it just lays everything out. It strikes me as the perfect way to understand and organize (in the brain) a linux OS and DE. That's my intuition.

I think you are right. But I also aint no distro-hopper. I am loyal to a fault, and a creature of habit. And (correct me if I'm wrong) but no serious heavy weight (fill in the blank) is going to be impressed (not my concern) with a candidate's (not my objective) cinnamon mint / ubuntu qualifications. So I settled on cinnamon mint because it was based on ubuntu 20.4, which is what the jesse-ai platform (or rather the installer script) was meant to work on, AND it didn't use snapd, cuz ... gross. But really, if I can't set up a system with a python env, talib, redis and postgreSQL and redis... on any distro, without some script... then ... I should just go back to win or macOS and wait for tim cook shut me down and suspend airdrop so the government can know when and where I disagree with them, and come kick my ass accordingly. lol. but seriously:

My intent here is not to sass mouth you and dispute any good advice I get offered. Not at all. But to take it in, and consider following that advice with a couple of details clarified. Such as: Are my assessments (w.r.t. openSUSE, let's say) accurate? Or is the grass just seem greener to me? And... I guess maybe that's it.

Thoughts? And, thanks, for the reply.

Use whatever you like.
...and in your first post you said, "So I was able to get boxes up and running, downloaded to heavywight (not .net, the other one) ISO of LEAP 15.4 and I hit the same issue described here", indicating you were able to get both openSUSE and nixOS (both boxes) up and running. Now you're saying you couldn't?? The page you linked to is thirteen years old, and applies to a Gnome VM package that you load on an ALREADY RUNNING system.
https://help.gnome.org/users/gnome-boxes/stable/

ViritualBox is typically used for ease of use. And even then, there is a learning curve involved to install/configure VM's, especially with installing and hooking up USB/network devices from real-to-virtual.
Docker is available for any distro of Linux. And unless you're going to bulk-install systems, not sure why you want to 'pre define' a system; install once, use for a good while. And any version of Linux has a huge number of packages. And if you're new to Linux, how have you used apt/synaptic/git/nix "lots"??
And your intuition is wrong. The GUI (desktop) runs on Linux. There are LOTS of different ones, not just the ones that are default-installed. Gnome, KDE, Enlightenment, XFCE, etc. All different, but all using the same Linux framework.
Again, any recent version/distro of Linux supports python, postgres, and everything else you mentioned. Not sure about what you mean about "some script" for these things. Again, ANY version of Linux will give you experience with 99% of any other version of Linux. Small differences at best.
No, they're not accurate. Any version/distro of Linux works 99% the same, has the same desktop window managers available, programming languages/packages/whatever-else available, along with online repositories and everything else you've mentioned. Mint is probably the best for a consumer desktop...anything you develop there will easily run on any other Linux system (if done/written correctly).

Short answer: pick what you want. All you're doing now is confusing yourself with minutia. Address the larger issues of what you want to do and what your goals are. Ask things like, "What are some good development IDE's??" or "I need a good database engine, what are some things to consider?"