Which guide to install Arch Linux

rmcellig · 2012-05-07 00:14:49

I am totally new to Arch having tried other rather mainstream distros, I thought that a good way to learn Linux is to install Arch Linux. Is the beginner's guide all I need to install this distro? If so, I think I will print a hard copy and follow the instructions that way.

jasonwryan · 2012-05-07 00:30:19

rmcellig wrote:

Is the beginner's guide all I need to install this distro?

Yes. That will handle the basic install. There are supplementary wiki pages that you could refer to if you wanted information on encryption, LVMs, RAID etc., or you have specific hardware requirements (like a Macbook, for example).

boswbr25 · 2012-05-07 00:33:11

Also, if you want to have everything you need to have a working DE/WM running, your gonna wanna print out the wiki for that DE/WM as well. The beginners guide is great for getting you to a working X but that's as far as it takes you.

/dev/zero · 2012-05-07 00:34:58

rmcellig wrote:

Is the beginner's guide all I need to install this distro?

It is highly recommended that everyone who installs Arch Linux reads the Beginner's Guide from top to bottom. However, it is not sufficient by itself. You also need to be willing to do your own research when questions or problems arise. In particular, trying hard to answer your own questions before posting will be well-regarded on the forum.

oboedad55 · 2012-05-07 00:46:51

/dev/zero wrote:

rmcellig wrote:
Is the beginner's guide all I need to install this distro?
It is highly recommended that everyone who installs Arch Linux reads the Beginner's Guide from top to bottom. However, it is not sufficient by itself. You also need to be willing to do your own research when questions or problems arise. In particular, trying hard to answer your own questions before posting will be well-regarded on the forum.

I second this. Arch is the best-documented distro out there. 99.9% of the issues and questions can be solved with reference to the wiki. The rest can be dealt with using a search engine or searching the forums.

drcouzelis · 2012-05-07 01:30:45

rmcellig wrote:

I am totally new to Arch having tried other rather mainstream distros, I thought that a good way to learn Linux is to install Arch Linux. Is the beginner's guide all I need to install this distro? If so, I think I will print a hard copy and follow the instructions that way.

Here's my suggestion: Read through it before you do anything with your computer (I did). Print out just enough to get a network connection (which probably isn't much). Then load the Beginner's Guide in the Links text-based web browser.

If you're wiping out your previous operating system when you install Arch Linux, just keep a live CD of Ubunu handy, so you can boot into that as an emergency backup.

...you can decide if this method of "installation" will work for you.

boswbr25 · 2012-05-07 02:11:24

oboedad55 wrote:

I second this. Arch is the best-documented distro out there. 99.9% of the issues and questions can be solved with reference to the wiki. The rest can be dealt with using a search engine or searching the forums.

I third this... Wait can I do that .

Really tho, I started using Arch early on after switching to Linux and using like 7-8 distros for a few weeks each. Everyone calls it an Expert-only distro or whatever, but in reality, it just teaches you more about the way your system works and you can literally figure anything out by using the wiki and forum searches. I have learned so much by making the switch and I'm still learning more every day.

By far the best documentation and most intelligent community around. I should probably throw an IMO on there but I swear it 100% is .

fantab · 2012-05-07 04:31:59

rmcellig wrote:

I am totally new to Arch having tried other rather mainstream distros, I thought that a good way to learn Linux is to install Arch Linux. Is the beginner's guide all I need to install this distro? If so, I think I will print a hard copy and follow the instructions that way.

Excellent thought!

I would say hard copy Beginners guide + Guide to install DE of your choice + Guide to Display Manager and jump into it.

axel668 · 2012-05-07 06:49:35

It's good to have another device (PC, Tablet, Phone) with Internet access nearby when installing Arch, especially when doing it for the first time.
Once you have network access you can also use lynx or links2 to search / read ArchWiki, it's very text- browser friendly.

baronmax · 2012-05-07 12:10:32

I have actually been surprised by the documentation, several times (in a good way). Just put a bookmark to the front page of the wiki on your bookmarks of whatever browser you prefer, because you'll be spending a LOT of time there. You'll find writeups on everything you could possibly want and a whole bunch of things you will probably never use. Right under that bookmark, put one to the forums...because if it hasn't been answered in the wiki, it's been answered in the forums. Between those two things, you should be able to solve just about any issue you could ever come across. That's one of the things that makes Arch stand far above other distros.

Sure, it's a little more difficult to install and when you install something, YOU have to make sure the .conf files are set up properly and YOU have to make sure the right daemons start on boot...but if you truly take the time to learn about this stuff, you will gain an incredible amount of knowledge about how the system works. You will also feel GREAT when you're finally done and you've got your system set up precisely like you want it. There's this sense of accomplishment that you simply don't get with the hand-holding distros out there. Anyone with a CD drive can install ubuntu (and I'm not putting that down, it's something that's necessary in the Linux world), but that's simply not the case with Arch. It takes time, preparation, a little concentration and a lot of patience. I promise you that you will feel so good after you get it all set up. It's almost like a drug!

This distro won't hold your hand like Ubuntu, but you do get simplicity and technical beauty that you simply can't find elsewhere. I used dozens of other distros over the years and I've finally found my home. Arch is the distro that FITS me, because it's precisely what *I* make it...nothing more, nothing less. If you want some KDE monster with widgets all over the desktop and 15 different programs to do each task...Arch can do that! If you want a lean, mean, console-based server...Arch can do that! If you get sick of all those KDE packages and you decide you want to switch to xmonad, guess what? Arch can do that too! It's 100% about you. Really, what more could you ask for? It's a system built specifically FOR you, BY you.

Last edited by baronmax (2012-05-07 12:19:12)

frette · 2012-05-07 13:17:23

axel668 wrote:

It's good to have another device (PC, Tablet, Phone) with Internet access nearby when installing Arch, especially when doing it for the first time.
Once you have network access you can also use lynx or links2 to search / read ArchWiki, it's very text- browser friendly.

this

I installed arch 20 times or so on various PCs, and I still like having that checklist on a second device within sight. (I use the standard install guide for this, but that's just preference imho, the beginner's guide takes you a bit further)
Nothing beats checklists to prevent human error

edit:
A funny thing happened during my last install though, I went for standard install, slim and i3, so I followed the three guides in order. I had something else to do at the same time, so I didn't really pay attention... until I wanted to start slim and remembered that I never installed xorg, since it's not mentioned in either guide xD
So blindly following guides can lead to awkward situations, too

Last edited by frette (2012-05-07 13:22:56)

triton60 · 2012-05-07 13:37:11

I installed Arch into a Virtualbox before going live on my main machine, this helped me a lot because I knew what to expect during the installation on my main machine.

Andrew

ratcheer · 2012-05-07 20:56:30

I did my first Arch install last week by following the Beginner's Guide. There was some initial fumbling around, but everything eventually came out fine.

Tim

Arch Linux

#1 2012-05-07 00:14:49

Which guide to install Arch Linux

#2 2012-05-07 00:30:19

Re: Which guide to install Arch Linux

#3 2012-05-07 00:33:11

Re: Which guide to install Arch Linux

#4 2012-05-07 00:34:58

Re: Which guide to install Arch Linux

#5 2012-05-07 00:46:51

Re: Which guide to install Arch Linux

#6 2012-05-07 01:30:45

Re: Which guide to install Arch Linux

#7 2012-05-07 02:11:24

Re: Which guide to install Arch Linux

#8 2012-05-07 04:31:59

Re: Which guide to install Arch Linux

#9 2012-05-07 06:49:35

Re: Which guide to install Arch Linux

#10 2012-05-07 12:10:32

Re: Which guide to install Arch Linux

#11 2012-05-07 13:17:23

Re: Which guide to install Arch Linux

#12 2012-05-07 13:37:11

Re: Which guide to install Arch Linux

#13 2012-05-07 20:56:30

Re: Which guide to install Arch Linux

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