The Official Unofficial 'Arch is Best' Thread

billbar · 2010-03-31 16:05:16

I have been using Arch, off and on, for better than 7 years. Mostly off because the printer is broke again!
Somehow I fail to understand how almost every other distribution detects and sets up printers "out of the box". Yes, 10 years ago everybody had printer troubles, but now Arch seems to be the last that stumbles around with this problem. Maybe it is a priority problem. Wireless is another such problem. I'm pretty sure that most other users will rank such basic functions a lot more important than eye candy and other fancy tricks.
Even the Chakra Project can find a printer and install it.
Arch taught me long that I better keep my data in separate 'users' and 'home' partitions so that I am not crippled by an update.
My current OS is Mandriva 10x. Its updating and access to recent versions of programs is hardly adequate, but at least it runs printers and wireless without a hitch.

rodbzro · 2010-04-01 20:55:18

I use computers for about 20 years now, started with DOS and must admit that my UNIX (*like) experience has come late.

Started using Slackware in 2004, few weeks later installed FreeBSD and almost in the other day installed OpenBSD, which is the one OS I do *love*. But, due to the poor desktop performance (mostly video drivers), I went back to Linux and took a long walk through Debian, OpenSUSE, Fedora, Ubuntu, and some other minor distros. Can't say those were happy times: there was always some outdated package, unwanted service running, bad scripted inits, and the list goes on.

It was not a matter of getting things to work, because when you are a computer guy you find the solution, eventually. But the amount of time taken and the odd of these situations were unreal, unbearable. So, when I was on the verge to definitely go back, no matter what, to OpenBSD (which I continued to use on servers since 2004) I heard about Arch and the "Arch Way". The propaganda itself didn't impress me, as all distros claims to be the best ones, but once inside the installed system, well, that's another story...

Here I am, still using Arch. Actually, using Arch is the only way I can see myself using Linux now. It is so close to the BSD principles that it always feels like home to me.

Thank you, Arch devs and users. Despite not being a GNU, GPL (can I say Stallman?) fan, I recognize the great work you guys do. (for those who believe that GPL is the best license ever, can't say that for myself)

archman-cro · 2010-04-10 20:33:48

I've been using Ubuntu since Dapper Drake (2 or 3 years (too much)) and been upgrading or reinstalling to Feisty Fawn and Gutsy Gibbon, and later on to Jaunty (been on intrepid for a week or two and hated it). I hated all this 6-month release philosophy, they say it's ubuntu with all-stable software etc, but with every release I kept ending up with more and more damaged software (was unable to use gnome-terminal cause of lib-pango, and noone knew how to help...had to use a workaround for alsa to not start up muted, amarok would hang 2secs before switching/toggling playback, the list goes on and on...) and useless bloat. So a month ago, I've searched for a nice, simple, lightweight, and customizable distribution. I've found THE Arch Linux. Been going through the wiki (which is amazing, no.1 wiki all time I take it!) a few times, and was getting hyped up more and more. I simply loved the philosophy. KISS. Period. Bleeding-edge scheme, not letting me end up in a "dependency hell" (a famous term) like with ubuntu, I'm able to install the software like a real breeze passing by with the ultimate manager called "pacman". If something's not there, I just check the AUR reps and "makepkg". That's it.

Later on. Arch made me use the "man" pages more. Made me to think of my system, to actually get to know how my system works, when and why something starts or stops, allowing me for a 100% customization. Unlike with ubuntu, here you can see what's going on with less efforts, cause it's simple, and beautiful. And bloatless, what I like most.

It even makes me want to contribute to the community, and I'll try to do it, at least by doing a new article on wiki about setting up the system on my laptop. I did have contributed to the Hydrogen Drum app before, and I liked it.

The only maybe sketchy thing about Arch is the thing about not being able to boot into a previous kernel when i upgrade a new one (or I got something wrong?). That's a nice thing with ubuntu. You can boot back. I'll test this on Monday, since I can't upgrade sooner. But I don't really care about crashes or something, cause I had those with ubuntu, which is "stable" .

Cheers! And yes, thank you, Arch devs!

edit: Update: Upgrading to 2.6.33 successfull! I'm happy. Been shaking, though...

Last edited by archman-cro (2010-04-10 22:10:56)

compaq615 · 2010-04-19 19:47:14

Just my two cents...
I've been playing with linux for about a year now, and have been distrohopping a bit (puppy, ubuntu, debian, crunchbang, slackware, mint,...), and now I was going for "the difficult one"...just to see how far I'd get...
That was 2 days ago, now I'm on the internet, wireless (broadcom 4312 - not evident to get going on some distros), have my sound working (virtualy impossible on some distros-at least for me), running XFCE - looking the way I want it, and have only those applications installed that I actualy use, and the whole thing starts up in no time. And I don't even have to start over again in 6 months since it's a rolling release... all this to say: wow, impressive: Arch rules!
(not in the least thanks to the amazing detailed and idiot-proof wiki-pages)

Kooothor · 2010-04-19 20:06:43

______________
< /me luv Arch >
--------------
\ ^__^
\ (oo)\_______
(__)\ )\/\
||----w |
|| ||

rsw · 2010-04-28 19:06:26

Ubuntu has been dropping support for libraries my applications require left and right, with little justification; so it's back to Arch for me

donovan1983 · 2010-04-30 21:42:11

I have only been using Arch for a couple weeks but I plan to stick with it for a long time. Only switched exclusively to Linux on my desktop (except for a Windows XP VM) about a month ago and was using Ubuntu. Ubuntu is a nice distribution, don't get me wrong, but didn't provide the configurability or customization I wanted. I'm no Linux newbie and have been playing with Linux for over a decade, as well as other Unix-like systems. I just built a new desktop a couple weeks ago as the first machine I have ever built specifically intended for Linux but Ubuntu just wasn't cutting it on here. Not to mention I had the choice between the older and buggy 9.10 version or the newer but even buggier 10.4 beta, the latter of which had completely broken power management. I may have a desktop but I want both suspending and hibernation to work.

I had never tried Arch before a couple weeks ago although I have heard about it years before. It has come closer than any other distribution to what I want. I prefer a rolling release, a comprehensive package management system, a system that only minimally customizes (if at all) the packages compiled for it, a system that truly lets me decide what to install, system upgrades don't destroy my changes to configuration files, and a system I don't have to fight for control with (Linux for me is about having things my way). And that's pretty much what I found with Arch. Sure, it has required a lot more reading to set up but I have yet to lack documentation for anything I've wanted to do. I have no issues with text configuration files since it's what Unix-like systems use natively anyways. The BSD-style init system is a nice bonus since I loathe and detest the SysV init system used by most Linux distros although of course I'll tolerate it. Gentoo and Slackware were also on my consideration list (I've used both before), but the former's dependency on constant compilation and the latter's lack of a package management system were issues for me.

I have to give extra kudos to the Arch team for having a distribution of KDE that not only actually works, it works better than the versions of KDE packaged as the default desktop environment on most other distros (Kubuntu, OpenSUSE, etc.). I've preferred the looks and better integration of KDE for a while but it seems the focus is on GNOME for most distributions. GNOME is also the first desktop environment I tried to install and use on Arch and its lack of integration and functionality really showed itself. I couldn't even get Compiz Fusion to integrate properly with it. But switching out for KDE was easy. Within hours of installing KDE I even had near-perfect integration between GTK and Qt apps with rather little effort.

Yes, Arch requires more effort to get going at first than distros like Ubuntu. But I actually have spent less time configuring it than Ubuntu since it keeps things simple and I can make changes to a configuration file that stick. I found it easier to get a fully-functional system with Arch than Ubuntu and more stuff just works. I get to spend more time using my system than administering and troubleshooting it, which is how it should be.

ebal · 2010-05-07 14:45:16

archlinux is a rolling distro and thats what i hate (love) the most !

Everybody else (eg. ubuntu ,fedora) are planning releases party every now and then, but i use a rolling disto and i 've never been invited to a release party

spidernik84 · 2010-05-07 18:51:11

ebal wrote:

Everybody else (eg. ubuntu ,fedora) are planning releases party every now and then, but i use a rolling disto and i 've never been invited to a release party

Oh God, i never thought about that!
Well, we could manage to celebrate a... birthday party?

ssri · 2010-05-07 22:17:46

ebal wrote:

Everybody else (eg. ubuntu ,fedora) are planning releases party every now and then, but i use a rolling disto and i 've never been invited to a release party

Maybe you have to be drunk to run 'sudo apt-get dist-upgrade' on a perfectly working system, no?

scar · 2010-05-09 08:39:50

I use archlinux since more than a year intesively on my desktop.

It gives you the possibility to do whatever you want.

Some problems can show up but never around the core system, and I think it is really the best distro I've ever had.

Love it.

However to use it as a server it is a bit dodgy I think - on my servers I still use debian and ubuntu server edition.

ngsupb · 2010-05-12 07:32:20

Still happy Arch linux user

have been using it aroud 1.5 year already or so.

LOVE IT.

psyomn · 2010-06-04 22:32:03

Kind of newbie to arch. Love this Os, congratulations for your hard work!

No more OS jumping for me.

brova · 2010-06-10 09:04:35

LOVE my arch linux .

i have been using it for a long time now, and i think its just great . i will never change my distro !

I have arch installed on my laptop, which had a "Powered by windows" sticker, naturally, that was unnacceptable so i ordered one of these stickers:

found here on the arch schwag website.
http://schwag.archlinux.ca/product/laptopsticker/

Gremnon · 2010-06-11 15:54:03

I finally got my desktop working on Arch. Two tiny issues fixed, and it's all good. That was a while ago, actually, I just got distracted by the odd bit of work, and running around customising it. A lot.
The only other distro that's ever come as close as Arch has to being the best, though I hate to say it, was Fedora, with Ubuntu a close third. Ubuntu isn't good for those who want to go digging behind the scenes though, and Fedora and I fell out because I can't stand SELinux.
Those aside... even then Arch trumps them.
I like Arch. It's nice, simple, and works just how you expect and want it to.

xione · 2010-06-12 00:35:54

Fast, tidy, extremely responsive and puts the control in the hands of the user. For actual usage, whatever that may mean to the individual, for whatever software I happen to be running, the snappiness of applications and efficiency of resources frequently surprises me. I have yet to find a comparable distro, within any operating system.

I would say Arch is a refreshing and incredibly intuitive distro to use and is as elegant as it is stable.

On the down side, now that I've finished playing about with it for a bit, there's really no excuse to get some work done.

Gremnon · 2010-06-12 00:59:37

Oh, I don't know about that. I can usually find something new to experiment with. Finding a new app for something, trying a new way of doing something, or just looking through the AUR and finding something interesting.

shak · 2010-06-17 11:08:39

I'm so grateful for this distro . It really is the best , i just love the ease and speed of arch . Oh and pacman , it's superfast the best package manager out there

I've been using arch for about 3 years and i won't be changing this distro

switch86 · 2010-06-20 04:45:24

I'm back to Arch after absence from the distro for quite some time. I never was very active here, mainly because Arch just works if you have a modicum of *nix experience and step through the (excellent) wiki documentation.

Had some time over a school break to finally get around to axing Fedora 12 (meh) off my AA1 (before that it was Ubuntu, and before that was the OEM WinXP install). Getting Arch up and running on my netbook turned out being a lot less work than I figured it would. It's working great. I have a soft spot for Gentoo, but I don't have the patience for the build time on a netbook, so Arch seems to be a very good fit for my netbook. (It'd take a lot for me to give up CentOS on my servers, but that's beside the point.)

crucki · 2010-06-27 16:57:26

I used other distros for years. But everytime, there was something that didn't fit. With Arch, I'm happy now :)

Last edited by crucki (2010-06-27 16:59:17)

Kobussie · 2010-06-28 19:12:16

I'm back!

After more than two years working with Debian (Lenny & Squeeze) I'm back at the GREAT Arch Distro .
I installed it on my latest 'small footprint' hardware: Asus AT4NM10-I with a (fanless) Intel Atom D410 and 1 G memory. Easy installation (Netinstall) and a simple and clear configuration. Just what I was missing in Debian.
Thanks to everyone who has been, or still is working to make this Distro what it is!

ClosetMonkey · 2010-06-28 20:43:10

Arch is awesome... ...so am i

~ >>> Truthfully speaking, iv tried over
-openSuSE (actually i always try each release) - love the green
-Ubuntu (n00bz) (my opinion!)
-Kubuntu (n00bz ver. 2) (my opinion ver.2)
-Debian (no comment)
-FreeBSD (ok, this should'nt be here)
- & some other wierd ghost raped solutions

~ >>> Then we got Arch....

 ____________ 
< OWH YEAHHH >
 ------------ 
        \   ^__^
         \  (**)\_______
            (__)\       )\/\
             U  ||----w |
                ||     ||

Last edited by ClosetMonkey (2010-06-28 20:48:02)

Mannex · 2010-07-08 13:13:11

Well, time to bump this topic. Yay I came from Ubuntu/Kubuntu/Debian and raged at the slow update progress from their main repos. And I had to try ArchLinux, Rumor: how much harder it was to install and I found it quite fast and easy instead. Sure the installer is not full o' Graphics and pre-configuration. But after you've followed the beginners guide you're all set with X-servers, Drivers, Graphical Workspace and Internets. LOL jokers!

Now I feel like home, latest stable KDE 4.4.5 moving towards 4.5 workspace, Xorg-server 1.8.2(rc) and up to date Nvidia drivers. Could not be any happier at this moment It has worked wonderful since the start for me.
If I ever feel like I need anything, I could just find it in the AUR or compile it myself from git/svn. No more Repository Searching needed to get the latest things. (Yeah I like updated stuff.)

Some bash_aliases later and it's a breeze to update and remove/clean packages, It's stable, awesome and free. You learn so much about Linux and all the software while maintaining it! Even bigger view about other Operating Systems!

To everyone involved making this distro work as great as it has for me. THANK YOU!

CyrIng · 2010-07-17 11:40:07

Back 20 years a go with my Linux 0.XX , only Arch still carry the spirit of a deep control of the OS

Running the Arch x64 release with a Core i7, it just rocks !

Check also my blog about tweaking Linux with a SSD : http://blog.cyring.fr/?page_id=271&lang=en

CyrIng , France

valium97582 · 2010-07-18 18:15:20

 BTW Lets use lolcode to say arch is best!
HAI
CAN HAS STDIO?
VISIBLE "HAI WORLD! ARCHLINUX FTW!!!!"
KTHXBYE

Arch Linux

#401 2010-03-31 16:05:16

Re: The Official Unofficial 'Arch is Best' Thread

#402 2010-04-01 20:55:18

Re: The Official Unofficial 'Arch is Best' Thread

#403 2010-04-10 20:33:48

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#404 2010-04-19 19:47:14

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#405 2010-04-19 20:06:43

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#406 2010-04-28 19:06:26

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#407 2010-04-30 21:42:11

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#408 2010-05-07 14:45:16

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#409 2010-05-07 18:51:11

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#410 2010-05-07 22:17:46

Re: The Official Unofficial 'Arch is Best' Thread

#411 2010-05-09 08:39:50

Re: The Official Unofficial 'Arch is Best' Thread

#412 2010-05-12 07:32:20

Re: The Official Unofficial 'Arch is Best' Thread

#413 2010-06-04 22:32:03

Re: The Official Unofficial 'Arch is Best' Thread

#414 2010-06-10 09:04:35

Re: The Official Unofficial 'Arch is Best' Thread

#415 2010-06-11 15:54:03

Re: The Official Unofficial 'Arch is Best' Thread

#416 2010-06-12 00:35:54

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#417 2010-06-12 00:59:37

Re: The Official Unofficial 'Arch is Best' Thread

#418 2010-06-17 11:08:39

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#419 2010-06-20 04:45:24

Re: The Official Unofficial 'Arch is Best' Thread

#420 2010-06-27 16:57:26

Re: The Official Unofficial 'Arch is Best' Thread

#421 2010-06-28 19:12:16

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#422 2010-06-28 20:43:10

Re: The Official Unofficial 'Arch is Best' Thread

#423 2010-07-08 13:13:11

Re: The Official Unofficial 'Arch is Best' Thread

#424 2010-07-17 11:40:07

Re: The Official Unofficial 'Arch is Best' Thread

#425 2010-07-18 18:15:20

Re: The Official Unofficial 'Arch is Best' Thread

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