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There's No "Arch Made Easy" - But That's OK


raymac46

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Archinstall, archfi, Arco Linux, EndeavourOS - you may have heard them described as an easier, or kinder-gentler version of Arch. I won't even mention Manjaro which is quite a different beast. But the aforementioned script/distro set does have its charms. With any one of the above you get either vanilla Arch or something pretty close to it. You get to use pacman, and the AUR. and the install isn't quite as arcane as Arch the right way.

But my recent experience with Git migration, pacman/pacnew/pacsave and .conf merging has shown me once again that Arch will require you to know something about Linux. You need to be familiar with file structure, Terminal, package management, repositories, etc. Otherwise you could be in for a world of hurt.

Is this a bad thing? Not at all. I believe that installing and running an intermediate user distro like Slackware or Arch is a sign that you are getting somewhere with an alternate OS. It shows that you are willing to put in the time and effort to learn something new. If you just want to get stuff done, there are easier ways - like buying a Chromebook, or installing Mint or Zorin. Those are OK ways to go as well. I am grateful I took the time to install Arch the Arch Way, and I really like the look and feel of EndeavourOS, but I think its''s time we stopped trying to look for an easy way to use Arch. And no, I am not migrating to Gentoo any time soon.

Edited by raymac46
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securitybreach

Agreed and I have always felt that the derivatives may have provided an easy installer but when it comes to running things, you do need to know how to maintain an archlinux system. Manjaro excluded as its not even close to archlinux unlike the two official methods and the other two mentioned derivatives which both give you a vanilla arch base out of the box. The derivatives provide a default set of themes, icons and apps but besides some branding; you end up with an archlinux installation in the end. You just miss out on knowing how your system was built and put together.

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I read recently that Linux can be compared to housebuilding:

With Mint or Ubuntu you get a number of prefabricated structures which you can place on a foundation, fasten together and hook up the plumbing and hydro.

With Arch and Slackware you get precut lumber and shingles plus the tools needed to build the structure on your concrete slab.

With Gentoo you get a bunch of logs, hammer, nails, saw, bags of concrete.

With Linux from Scratch you get a compass and a map of the forest.

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I would also say that although I enjoy the nice look and feel of EndeavourOS' Xfce, if I wanted a Window Manager or some other DE I would either go with a script or the Arch Way. I now understand enough that using a traditional Arch install isn't totally foreign to me. And if I had never installed the Arch Way several times - on the rails, in a VM - I would never take the more convenient install method at all. When I used archfi it was basically following the traditional steps.

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abarbarian
8 hours ago, raymac46 said:

I would also say that although I enjoy the nice look and feel of EndeavourOS' Xfce, if I wanted a Window Manager or some other DE I would either go with a script or the Arch Way. I now understand enough that using a traditional Arch install isn't totally foreign to me. And if I had never installed the Arch Way several times - on the rails, in a VM - I would never take the more convenient install method at all. When I used archfi it was basically following the traditional steps.

 

Give it another few months of using Arch and you will be bored stiff. Pacman update, reboot if needed, use system,------repeat, ------repeat,-----repeat------------------------------------------------------pacman update,make minescule adjustment,reboot if necessary,use system,-----------------repeat,-----------------repeat-------------------------------------------------😛

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securitybreach
On 5/25/2023 at 3:33 AM, abarbarian said:

 

Give it another few months of using Arch and you will be bored stiff. Pacman update, reboot if needed, use system,------repeat, ------repeat,-----repeat------------------------------------------------------pacman update,make minescule adjustment,reboot if necessary,use system,-----------------repeat,-----------------repeat-------------------------------------------------😛

 

Yup, I find it much easier to admin than other distros. As long as you update pretty often and pay attention/subscribe to the archlinux.org front page for any major changes, you really will not have any issues for the most part. Even if you run into an issue on a rare occasion, usually you can just revert to the previous version of a package for a day or so until it is fixed.

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Well you always have the "fun" of file sharing or getting a new printer to work which I have always found more challenging with Arch. The Archwiki is a real good resource In my view because it not only tells you what to do but also explains why you do it. Josh is also very helpful here. I have not used the Arch forums because I haven't really needed to. The Endeavour forum looks friendly enough.

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My Toshiba NB-301 Netbook - which by now is a truly awful piece of kit - is by far the most stable and trouble-free Linux install I've ever had. It was my first on the rails Arch install and I did it by the book the Arch Way. No scripts that I knew of back then. It has been rock solid for five years - set it and forget it except for a few manual interventions. Started out with Xfce and now using LXQt.

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