Thinking to return from Gentoo, should I ?! and what's new

EAD · 2006-12-28 23:12:37

Hi, A long time ago I have been using ARCH, and really liked it! :twisted:
now, after some time I wanted to see what Gentoo is all about, so I am using it up to this day.
But, I really bothered with Gentoo!!! I am sick of all the time wasted on compiling every thing again and again...
So, I want to go back to ARCH, is it ok? do you think it is a good decession ? and what is new in ARCH since I have used 0.70 and so on? What should I know or get? and What about ARCH 0.8 ?
Sorry for the too much questions, but I think ARCH is great and the cumminuty so I am sure you guys will help me out:)
:arrow:

dolby · 2006-12-29 00:11:58

yes

Tatey · 2006-12-29 01:23:48

Please understand that Arch Linux is a "rolling-release" system. Therefore, the only changes between 0.7 and 0.8 are package versions and a few "system" changes here and there. The most obvious being a new method for creating the kernel initrd image. All of these points are trivial. That said, the actual install ISO's are updated to reflect the new changes. I'd strongly encourage you to grab the Voodoo 0.8 Alpha ISO's. While they are alpha, they're the most up-to-date and you won't have to worry yourself with switching from mkinitramfs to mkinitcpio or the PATA subsystem change in 2.6.19. In addition, the new installer also features numerous bug fixes and additional features (EG: Better hardware detection).

On the whole, the Arch community is fantastic. It's full of knowledgeable people. The wiki is in the process of being cleaned up, the forums contain helpful and interesting posts and the mailing list is always active with helpful people.

Personally, I was a former Gentoo user before I discovered Arch early last year. Since then, I've never looked back.

Acid7711 · 2006-12-29 04:46:57

Yeah, I was too a Gentoo user for many years until I discovered Arch. I went back to Gentoo once, and came back to Arch soon after. In the beginnings I had gentoo-withdrawal symptoms but they have subsided. I find a good cold beer helps with this.

Heck, I love Arch so much now that I've converted 2 of my friends (working on a 3ed and working on another to switch to Arch from Windows), I've also converted my parents and my gf's computers to Arch. I've recently acquired a laptop and got Arch working flawlessly on it as well. I'm a believer.

clarence · 2006-12-29 14:21:47

Arch is always getting better bit by bit.

I recommend reading up on the latest 2.6.19 kernel first as there have been changes to how pata drives are named
http://www.archlinux.org/news/276/

deficite · 2006-12-29 16:45:42

Arch is constantly getting better. It might not be so apparent because we don't go on OSNews saying "Come come come! Arch 0.8 is out! Whoa ho ho! It totally has all these NEW features that we developed half a year ago but held off because it's much more impressive to have 1,000 new features at once instead of keeping you constantly on the bleeding edge! WOOHOOHOO! We're CRAZY here at Arch!"

lol, I exagerated a bit, but some distros sound like that a lot. Arch's constantly fresh update scheme is a breath of fresh air. Constant, small updates and not having to put up with the headache of updating EVERY package in the entire repo at once makes me happy. I'd much rather download a few megabytes every week or so than to download a 700MB iso image and waste a CD or have to sit through a distupgrade and cross your fingers hoping that you can walk away and come back and your computer will still function properly.

Besides all of that, Arch is just plain simple. You don't have to read any Arch manuals, all you have to read is manuals for the software you use from their developers. This is because Arch doesn't bastardize software and does not install a bunch of "helper" bullcrap that gets in your way and modifies files you've already edited by hand and makes you scratch your head out of sheer confusion. You'll also notice that unlike all the other distros, you don't see a bunch of people using programs to help configure Arch. Vim/emacs/etc. does the trick.

Arch also has more packages than even the commercial distros I've used. Between AUR and the regular repos, there aren't many programs that aren't a package (even the really obscure ones). Some of the other distros have a lot of conflicts in their repos as well. Install one package to get another package to work, but in the process you've just made 3 or 4 other packages cease to work. Now you have to recompile them all by hand and hope you can figure out how to turn them into packages (because I haven't seen a system that beats PKGBUILD's in simplicity yet)

arooaroo · 2006-12-29 16:58:16

Arch is still rocking for me. My Arch installation will soon be celebrating its 2 year birthday and the beautiful this is that it's as fresh as someone who installs 0.8 today There's nothing amazing with a distro lasting 2 years, per se, other than the fact that I was something of a distro-hopper beforehand.

Of couse, Gentoo users understand rolling releases too - that's why they use a more sensible release numbering system (which AL really ought to use as it'll then stop all the questions about "what's new in 0.X?" or "Should I wait until version X?", etc)

I must admit, I still get urges to try ought some of the new distros, especially Ubuntu just to see what the fuss is all about. Maybe one day I'll do a bit of gpartd magic and make test partition so I can still see what's going on.

However, I still reckon that the other distros aren't matching AL for its speed/ease of use (from an admin POV).

Also, if you've been away from Arch, you probably missed the recent release of Jacman 0.4!!! You gotta try it [/plug]

LB06 · 2006-12-29 18:31:29

You're sick of waiting. Trust me, it'll only get worse. Especially if the process some magically fails after waiting x hours.

So you can do two things:
1. Buy a new system that is way faster at compiling things or buy several machines and set up your own dedicated compiling farm.
2. Switch to Arch, where you only have to compile packages if you really need to.
(3. Do both)

dtw · 2006-12-30 00:02:24

If you want opinions I think you are a distro-hopping fan boy and I pity the people who waste their breath on you.

ozar · 2006-12-30 00:50:49

You could install Arch on another partition(s) and then dual-boot between both distros.

When you get tired of one, switch to the other. Doing that should give you a good opportunity to compare them to see which one meets your needs and liking.

iphitus · 2006-12-30 09:43:59

wait... you were here 6 months ago weren't you?

you know what arch's like already, and you probably could work out by looking around, that there's not all too much different in how arch works.

The decision to distro hop is yours, not ours. God help us if every one of the 7500 members of this forum asked.

James

Crooksey · 2006-12-30 22:21:56

Well, lets say you install the arch base system, its going to take about 1hour to download and run an ftp install, 30mins to pacman xorg/kde and a few other apps, then spend about 1 hour tweaking the system to your needs, within a total of 4 hours you have a configured system, ready to roll how you like.

Lets see with gentoo.. 4 hours maybe you have done the base install?

Arch is so much faster, if you want to compile from source, check out the ABS.

I myself am an ex-gentoo user, i have been tempted a few times, but then i just thought how much time i wasted on gentoo.

dtw · 2006-12-31 13:40:40

Will someone consider locking this thread. I hate to see people genuinely trying to help someone who isn't remotely interested or influenced by what anyone has to say but who merely creates threads out of vanity?

chrismortimore · 2006-12-31 15:13:57

LB06 wrote:

buy several machines and set up your own dedicated compiling farm.

I considered building one when I found out a local computer shop was selling off really old computers on the cheap... Thought "If I get enough, it'll be worth it.....". But the bank statement forbid this venture

Anonymo · 2007-01-01 02:52:35

use it if you want and don't use it if you don't want to. Sheeesh. Stop asking and do something.

detto · 2007-01-01 15:19:34

Someone who's interest in trying Arch another time and asks for information help gets such harsh answeres, uh! :?

Sorry for the too much questions, but I think ARCH is great and the cumminuty so I am sure you guys will help me out:)

No problem, there IS no dumb question only dumb answers.

kensai · 2007-01-01 16:42:32

But please, EAD do not plague this forum with the questions, you do on Gentoo forums, Please I ask you kindly, well Arch is much more easy so I guess you wont. As second guess I think you already did making this thread as pointed by Dusty.

Speaking of my experience, for not being off-topic, well I came back recently and something has changed, the GNOME installation feel more polished. So I'm liking this thus far.

Arch Linux

#1 2006-12-28 23:12:37

Thinking to return from Gentoo, should I ?! and what's new

#2 2006-12-29 00:11:58

Re: Thinking to return from Gentoo, should I ?! and what's new

#3 2006-12-29 01:23:48

Re: Thinking to return from Gentoo, should I ?! and what's new

#4 2006-12-29 04:46:57

Re: Thinking to return from Gentoo, should I ?! and what's new

#5 2006-12-29 14:21:47

Re: Thinking to return from Gentoo, should I ?! and what's new

#6 2006-12-29 16:45:42

Re: Thinking to return from Gentoo, should I ?! and what's new

#7 2006-12-29 16:58:16

Re: Thinking to return from Gentoo, should I ?! and what's new

#8 2006-12-29 18:31:29

Re: Thinking to return from Gentoo, should I ?! and what's new

#9 2006-12-30 00:02:24

Re: Thinking to return from Gentoo, should I ?! and what's new

#10 2006-12-30 00:50:49

Re: Thinking to return from Gentoo, should I ?! and what's new

#11 2006-12-30 09:43:59

Re: Thinking to return from Gentoo, should I ?! and what's new

#12 2006-12-30 22:21:56

Re: Thinking to return from Gentoo, should I ?! and what's new

#13 2006-12-31 13:40:40

Re: Thinking to return from Gentoo, should I ?! and what's new

#14 2006-12-31 15:13:57

Re: Thinking to return from Gentoo, should I ?! and what's new

#15 2007-01-01 02:52:35

Re: Thinking to return from Gentoo, should I ?! and what's new

#16 2007-01-01 15:19:34

Re: Thinking to return from Gentoo, should I ?! and what's new

#17 2007-01-01 16:42:32

Re: Thinking to return from Gentoo, should I ?! and what's new

Board footer