What are your top tips for beginners to Arch?

JohnBobSmith · 2014-11-30 08:43:16

Hello all. I hope I am posting this in the right place...

So, I come from Linux Mint, and they have a thread dedicated to the users top tips for newbies. I think Arch would benefit from something simillar, but for Arch of course.

As a complete beginner to Arch, I have very few tips except for...

-Read the wiki
-Use google
-Be prepared to put in effort to install the system
-Don't be afraid to ask for help

What are your guys top tips for beginners?

andjeng · 2014-11-30 08:52:21

1. Use your system.
2. Found a problem? Yes -> go to 3. No -> go to 1.
3. Read wiki.
4. Problem solved? Yes -> go to 1. No -> go to 5.
5. Cry.
6. Rinse and repeat.

JohnBobSmith · 2014-11-30 09:11:44

Heh, I like that so much that I turned it into a flowchart! I hope thats okay with you. Link below...

http://postimg.org/image/anc1qlsqj/

As a programmer, I find flowcharts very useful for seeing what your algorithim or whatever it may be is supposed to do.

andjeng · 2014-11-30 09:17:17

Sure, sir.
Unfortunately, i can't see the picture. Maybe our government policy about censorship already this bad. (Not a joke, you can find about Indonesian censorship @ ddg / your favorite search engine.)

karol · 2014-11-30 09:30:44

See also http://xyne.archlinux.ca/etc/dyn/img/gr … _Guide.svg

JohnBobSmith · 2014-11-30 09:30:58

Ah, okay. Which image site would be able to host pictures where you can view them?

andjeng · 2014-11-30 10:12:28

JohnBobSmith wrote:

Ah, okay. Which image site would be able to host pictures where you can view them?

Pomf.se, maybe?

@karol, wow, you are really the ArchLinux archiver.

ratcheer · 2014-11-30 13:09:52

Read the wiki, yes, but especially follow it for installation. There is really no problem at all installing Arch if you just do that.

Tim

oliver · 2014-11-30 13:17:06

when installing, understand what each step is for and why you're doing it. Don't move on until you do understand.

ewaller · 2014-11-30 16:47:15

I saw on another thread that you are in high school. I started with computers when I was your age. It was a good decision. It was also the mid 1970s.
I would try to find a mentor with whom you can meet in person. See if you can find a local user group around your school or a local college.

Most importantly, remember to turn the thing off on occasion -- go outside, meet people, ski, hike, whatever.
<dad mode> And don't neglect your studies. </dad mode>

Last edited by ewaller (2014-11-30 16:47:39)

Xyne · 2014-11-30 17:15:18

karol wrote:

See also http://xyne.archlinux.ca/etc/dyn/img/gr … _Guide.svg

thiagowfx · 2014-11-30 18:15:08

karol wrote:

See also http://xyne.archlinux.ca/etc/dyn/img/gr … _Guide.svg

PS.: The "Blame Allan" is the most relevant part of this chart.

Nice flowchart, I'll show it to some of my friends who are beginning with Arch.

Last edited by thiagowfx (2014-11-30 18:15:20)

Awebb · 2014-11-30 18:56:44

0. Don't update in mission critical situations. This applies to each and every operating system on this side of the light barrier.

1. Pay close attention to all the *.archlinux.org pages. There is information everywhere. As a hint what you should belooking for, did you know...
... that you can use the packages page to ...
... ... read the changelog of the package (but not of the software itself)?
... ... look at the PKGBUILD file for each package and read the applied patches?
... that you can set the bug tracker to "all projects" instead of just "Arch Linux"?
... that the AUR has an RSS feed, that you can filter for your AUR packages?
... that the main page has a news section?
... ... with an RSS feed?
... that every section and thread in the bbs has an atom feed, that you can filter in your client for everything relevant to your interests?
... that you can find the Arch planet on the homepage?
... ... and that even the planet has a feed?
... that you can subscribe to mailing lists on the home page?
... that there is a slight chance you might drown in information, if you subscribe to every feed and list without a proper filter in place?

2. Never copypasta into the terminal.

3. If you cannot name every file it will overwrite (blindfolded, at gunpoint, high on angel dust, in the middle of the practical part of an affaire du coeur), don't use --force with pacman.

4. Prepend this to every command you are about to invoke for the first time.

5. Learn how to use the AUR prior to using any AUR helpers. Then try to use a rather primitive helper (search and fetch packages) and build your own script around it.

6. Avoid third party repositories, unless you really know what you are up to. Ponder over the dangers of third party repositories, until you understand why building your own packages should be the first option in your mind.

7. Avoid dogmatic thoughts. There is no god behind vim or emacs, there is no One Way Of Unix. Be suspicious of those, who say systemd is (good|bad). Shun those who curse about pulseaudio, avoid those who praise it.

8. Using Arch Linux might get you laid, talking about it does not.

9. Speaking of that... I probably don't have to tell you that and since you are in high school (according to that other post) you probably already have to cater to your basic needs, but make sure...
... that Flash runs in your browser, does not lag, has sound and no weird colors.
... ... before you have visitors. You will not hear the end of it, if you don't.
... that you have means to mount external drives.
... ... with any possible exotic file system (ntfs and stuff like that).
... ... ... before you have visitors. You will not hear the end of it, if you don't. Alternatively, make sure to carry an XFS formatted USB drive every time you visit other people.
... that you know how to configure automatic screen blanking.
... ... before you have visitors. People will simply dress and leave the moment you start reading the Xorg documentation.

A. Create a cronjob, that scans for and deletes every non system file that does not have a backup routine of some sort. You did not want to keep that file anyway, why postpone the inevitable?

B. Have a look at the bash-completion package.

C. The password is "ken sent me" ↑↑↓↓←→←→BA.

Last edited by Awebb (2014-11-30 18:57:52)

nstgc · 2014-11-30 19:06:41

First off, Xyne, that is an amazing flow chart.

That said, I've avoid breakage more than once by reading the forums before running a system upgrade, and also waiting a day before upgrading certain core components (the kernel mostly). It takes about 5-10 minutes to go though the forums if you do it everyday, and its easier to avoid a problem then it is to fix one.

[edit] That piece of advice of mine is in addition to reading the front page.

Last edited by nstgc (2014-11-30 19:08:44)

bstaletic · 2014-11-30 19:12:57

If you are too lazy to read the news, there is always pacnanny.

karol · 2014-11-30 19:16:12

bstaletic wrote:

If you are too lazy to read the news, there is always pacnanny.

Or https://www.archlinux.org/packages/comm … /pacmatic/

Edit: Also, read https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=57205

Last edited by karol (2014-11-30 19:18:26)

ANOKNUSA · 2014-11-30 23:09:14

Aw, most of the important stuff's been covered already. Hmmm... ILoveCandy. That's amusing for a while. There, I've made my contribution to budding minds.

lucke · 2014-11-30 23:20:39

It used to be a well-guarded secret, now it's in the wiki! The world is clearly going in the wrong direction.

;-)

drcouzelis · 2014-12-01 00:25:17

Awebb wrote:

Create a cronjob, that scans for and deletes every non system file that does not have a backup routine of some sort. You did not want to keep that file anyway, why postpone the inevitable?

Hehehehehe. I started really pushing thoughts like this to my friends and family members.

"This is a flash drive, and flash drives eventually fail. If you were to stick this into a computer in one hour from now and found out it no longer worked, what would you do? Do you have a backup?"

jasonwryan · 2014-12-01 00:29:34

Assume every breakage is PEBKAC.

Debug ruthlessly until you conclusively disprove that premise.

Then, and only then, blame Allan...

effae · 2014-12-02 09:23:10

karol wrote:

See also http://xyne.archlinux.ca/etc/dyn/img/gr … _Guide.svg

Hilariously informative. Solid advice!

syn42_ · 2014-12-16 04:01:08

Check the news page before performing system updates, or consider using something like pacmatic that checks it and the mailing lists for you.

WFV · 2014-12-16 06:00:30

keep current backups of home and pacman packages (learn to use rysnc), often times Syu forces me to re-install older rev packages (packages I've added, not the core stuff), learn to edit pacman.conf for packages that break with system updates. i migrated from Ubuntu to Mint to Arch, the Arch leap was at the insistence of my son who is far more advanced in linux (i was mostly windozing around in Mint) so Arch still way over my head almost 2yrs later, sorry i am a slow learner but really enjoy Arch anyway. And thanks for good advice syn42 (and others)

ackt1c · 2014-12-16 15:52:09

Man

Last edited by ackt1c (2022-11-05 13:20:04)

LeonardK · 2015-01-02 14:58:54

I read through all this many times but I didn't find it:
Break all the rules mentioned above (that is, the ones concerning backups, security etc). But ONLY if you have time to fix it afterwards :-).

And if you are sure you know that you are a masochist. Ehem ;-)
And then: Don't blame anyone. Try to do that by yourself.

Arch Linux

#1 2014-11-30 08:43:16

What are your top tips for beginners to Arch?

#2 2014-11-30 08:52:21

Re: What are your top tips for beginners to Arch?

#3 2014-11-30 09:11:44

Re: What are your top tips for beginners to Arch?

#4 2014-11-30 09:17:17

Re: What are your top tips for beginners to Arch?

#5 2014-11-30 09:30:44

Re: What are your top tips for beginners to Arch?

#6 2014-11-30 09:30:58

Re: What are your top tips for beginners to Arch?

#7 2014-11-30 10:12:28

Re: What are your top tips for beginners to Arch?

#8 2014-11-30 13:09:52

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#9 2014-11-30 13:17:06

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#10 2014-11-30 16:47:15

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#11 2014-11-30 17:15:18

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#12 2014-11-30 18:15:08

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#13 2014-11-30 18:56:44

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#14 2014-11-30 19:06:41

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#15 2014-11-30 19:12:57

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#16 2014-11-30 19:16:12

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#17 2014-11-30 23:09:14

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#18 2014-11-30 23:20:39

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#19 2014-12-01 00:25:17

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#20 2014-12-01 00:29:34

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#21 2014-12-02 09:23:10

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#22 2014-12-16 04:01:08

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#23 2014-12-16 06:00:30

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#24 2014-12-16 15:52:09

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#25 2015-01-02 14:58:54

Re: What are your top tips for beginners to Arch?

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