School Presentation

carseneau · 2010-02-28 19:33:28

I've been asked by the members of my colleges linux club to give a presentation about Arch Linux. What kinds of things would you guys recommend talking about that makes Arch better/different than other distros. I was thinking about giving a demo of the install and the aur. What makes Arch a better alternative to Ubuntu? (which seems to be the distro of choice for new users at my school)

n0dix · 2010-02-28 19:39:49

Look into the wiki is a excellent choice.
Strongly recommend: The Arch Way.

panuh · 2010-02-28 19:40:37

Hm, there was a thread about this before. But I guess it was settled at a higher level than it's supposed to for school. (link)

I don't know how big this presentation is supposed to be but you should definitely mention the advantages of building your own system to a large degree as you want it and the AUR as a great resource to do this (where usual repos aren't enough)

Last edited by panuh (2010-02-28 19:41:14)

carseneau · 2010-02-28 19:44:56

n0dix wrote:

Look into the wiki is a excellent choice.
Strongly recommend: The Arch Way.

This is actually perfect, thanks! Maybe I can convert a few people over while I'm at it.

Cyrusm · 2010-02-28 20:22:27

I agree with the Arch Way recommendation. I would also go into the large amount of customization available (and the ease of implementing said customizations), as in the power to make your operating system exactly what you want it to be.

ngoonee · 2010-02-28 23:24:14

Just please do not promote 'ease of installation' as a feature, since you just know people are going to misunderstand that to mean 'all the work is done for me'...

Bregol · 2010-02-28 23:37:13

It might also be worth mentioning that Arch is rolling release, since this is a contrast to *buntu's 6-month cycle.

n0dix · 2010-02-28 23:38:51

Bregol wrote:

It might also be worth mentioning that Arch is rolling release, since this is a contrast to *buntu's 6-month cycle.

... or Bleeding edge.

panuh · 2010-02-28 23:43:08

n0dix wrote:

... or Bleeding edge.

haha, someone asked me what cutting-edge means. I'm no native speaker so I had to think for a sec. Then first bleeding-edge popped up in my mind and as I remembered the reference I also knew the meaning of cutting edge.

Arch-Wiki helping me in everyday life

Bregol · 2010-02-28 23:51:19

n0dix wrote:

Bregol wrote:
It might also be worth mentioning that Arch is rolling release, since this is a contrast to *buntu's 6-month cycle.
... or Bleeding edge.

Just so long as you aren't implying that it is so bleeding edge you will cut up your system regularly with it. I mean, you can choose to enable Testing repo or various playground repos that are out there, but the main repos have been quite stable for me while still staying current with the newest fun stuffs.

Roline · 2010-02-28 23:56:14

Don't forget the great community!

jwcxz · 2010-03-01 00:52:46

These are just a few of my observations... feel free to read them and use them if you want.

http://blog.jwcxz.com/?p=429

tss · 2010-03-01 05:30:31

Two major things:

(1) If you use Arch and something goes wrong, you wont be helpless when trying to figure it out. Because you've been forced to work with a bare metal system, you've developed the skills necessary to diagnose and fix complex problems. Users of point and click distributions are pretty much regulated to twiddling their thumbs on IRC hoping that someone answers their question. Even if you can't figure it out, the Arch community is full of people that know what they are doing and they will be able to help you.

(2) Related to (1), the Arch community excepts a certain level of effort from its users . Users who don't read the wiki and other documentation are are frowned upon. Because there is little tolerance for hand holding in the Arch community, technical users will benefit from the fact that supporting people that will not try to help themselves is unnecessary. There's less noise and higher quality in the community.

That being said, Linux shouldn't be restricted to technical users only. There may be members of your club that want to use Linux but don't want to become familiar with its inner workings. That is a valid approach and a distribution like Ubuntu would fit them better. It is important to remember that while there are advantages to the Arch Way, it's not the only way. It's not superior or better than other approaches, it just fits a certain type of user better.

n0dix · 2010-03-01 05:36:35

tss wrote:

...
That being said, Linux shouldn't be restricted to technical users only. There may be members of your club that want to use Linux but don't want to become familiar with its inner workings. That is a valid approach and a distribution like Ubuntu would fit them better. It is important to remember that while there are advantages to the Arch Way, it's not the only way. It's not superior or better than other approaches, it just fits a certain type of user better.

Well said.

lilsirecho · 2010-03-01 05:39:11

You may find the spin-offs from arch linux as interestiing as arch itself.

Archiso, Faunos, ArchBang among many others all developed by the community users.

Archlinux provides for variety...system arrangements to suit all tastes.

Very knowledgeable admins and TU's with lotsa help from the community at large.

I am eighty four today and am learning ArchBang X86_64 as it is being developed by arch users.

There is something in archlinux for young and old.

Best of luck with the pres.

Bralkein · 2010-03-01 12:30:05

Bregol wrote:

n0dix wrote:
Bregol wrote:
It might also be worth mentioning that Arch is rolling release, since this is a contrast to *buntu's 6-month cycle.
... or Bleeding edge.
Just so long as you aren't implying that it is so bleeding edge you will cut up your system regularly with it. I mean, you can choose to enable Testing repo or various playground repos that are out there, but the main repos have been quite stable for me while still staying current with the newest fun stuffs.

Yes, I think it's worth mentioning this. Before coming to Arch I used Slackware Current and Debian Sid, which are both sort of "rolling release" in that they are the development/testing areas for those distros. I found them to be quite unstable and full of problems (despite all the positive mentions Sid gets). One of the best things about Arch for me is that core/extra are up to date, but they are also stable, so I think Arch gives the highest-quality rolling-release experience that I have ever had. I think it's one of the best and most distinguishing things about Arch.

That's not to say it's entirely without problems, but in total I think it's no more than the problems caused upgrading between fixed releases in Ubuntu or whatever. Oh yes, and good luck from me too

Arch Linux

#1 2010-02-28 19:33:28

School Presentation

#2 2010-02-28 19:39:49

Re: School Presentation

#3 2010-02-28 19:40:37

Re: School Presentation

#4 2010-02-28 19:44:56

Re: School Presentation

#5 2010-02-28 20:22:27

Re: School Presentation

#6 2010-02-28 23:24:14

Re: School Presentation

#7 2010-02-28 23:37:13

Re: School Presentation

#8 2010-02-28 23:38:51

Re: School Presentation

#9 2010-02-28 23:43:08

Re: School Presentation

#10 2010-02-28 23:51:19

Re: School Presentation

#11 2010-02-28 23:56:14

Re: School Presentation

#12 2010-03-01 00:52:46

Re: School Presentation

#13 2010-03-01 05:30:31

Re: School Presentation

#14 2010-03-01 05:36:35

Re: School Presentation

#15 2010-03-01 05:39:11

Re: School Presentation

#16 2010-03-01 12:30:05

Re: School Presentation

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