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#201 2012-08-02 05:46:02

Zancarius
Member
From: NM, USA
Registered: 2012-05-06
Posts: 207

Re: why you choose ArchLinux?

drobole wrote:

1. A kick ass name and logo. (I wonder how many potential users SUSE, Mandrake, Ubuntu and last but not least PClinuxOS looses over this issue)

Reading this comment after reading this thread is actually kind of entertaining. More so because it's interesting how many people see it as "Arch" (as in the bishop) rather than "arch" (as in the structure). I wonder how many read it as "arch" for "architecture" (i.e. x86 or x86_64)?


He who has no .plan has small finger.
~Confucius on UNIX.

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#202 2012-08-02 07:05:51

drobole
Member
From: Norway
Registered: 2012-07-23
Posts: 125

Re: why you choose ArchLinux?

Zancarius wrote:
drobole wrote:

1. A kick ass name and logo. (I wonder how many potential users SUSE, Mandrake, Ubuntu and last but not least PClinuxOS looses over this issue)

Reading this comment after reading this thread is actually kind of entertaining. More so because it's interesting how many people see it as "Arch" (as in the bishop) rather than "arch" (as in the structure). I wonder how many read it as "arch" for "architecture" (i.e. x86 or x86_64)?

I remember back in the days when I first read about Arch one of the first things I read was that it was optimized for i686, so the idea of architecture has always been my interpretation of it.

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#203 2012-08-02 09:25:15

kelloco2
Member
Registered: 2012-02-13
Posts: 124

Re: why you choose ArchLinux?

I think to give up the Arch. first abandoning grub-legacy, but it was possible to accept. Now no installer - installation process difficult. rc.conf dropped (one of the best things in Arch). many things had to be set up and verify after the last update. now scattered files you need to look for configuration files, you need update wiki. developers getting worse ideas.

Last edited by kelloco2 (2012-08-02 10:10:43)


sorry for my english. {Arch Linux, Debian} User

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#204 2012-08-02 10:12:47

flying sheep
Member
Registered: 2012-02-29
Posts: 90

Re: why you choose ArchLinux?

well, there are reasons, you know. we may not know them all, and they may not be sufficient, but i’d be glad to get it all explained to me.

what i do get:

  • why the installer was dropped. there is no reason to keep on using something which isn’t maintained anymore, but would need to be maintained. but the new way isn’t good either, read on.

  • why grub-legacy was replaced by grub2. 1000s of lines patch shouldn’t have to be maintained in a distro doing minimal patching. grub-legacy is gone, we had to admit it.

what i don’t get:

  • how dropping the rc.conf was a good idea: after all, nothing is more simple than to configure all vital settings in one file.

  • although i get why this particular installer was dropped, i don’t get why no alternative was employed. up to now, you could get a system up and running until the point where you could access the wiki (and thus have a possibility to read up how to continue from there). i think it’s better to do it that way than having to print some wiki articles before attempting an install.

so, summing it up: i like how you need to use the wiki for everything – except initial installation up to the point where you can access the wiki.

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#205 2012-08-02 10:43:39

progandy
Member
Registered: 2012-05-17
Posts: 5,184

Re: why you choose ArchLinux?

flying sheep wrote:

how dropping the rc.conf was a good idea: after all, nothing is more simple than to configure all vital settings in one file.

Arch is preparing for the switch to systemd. You may have to learn the new file paths, but they are all referenced  in the rc.conf manpage.

although i get why this particular installer was dropped, i don’t get why no alternative was employed. up to now, you could get a system up and running until the point where you could access the wiki (and thus have a possibility to read up how to continue from there). i think it’s better to do it that way than having to print some wiki articles before attempting an install.

There are 3 steps you have to perfom without the wiki (you have to write down 1 or 2 commands: less /root/install.txt, man netcfg)
1) set keyboard layout
2) setup internet. You have netcfg, rp-pppoe with all manapges available, so you don't have to connect manually to more complex network setups.
3) open the wiki with elinks or download sai if you want.

My reasons were:
- KISS
- pacman
- documentation
- rolling release
- binary repositories
- ABS
- AUR

Last edited by progandy (2012-08-02 10:47:17)


| alias CUTF='LANG=en_XX.UTF-8@POSIX ' |

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#206 2012-08-02 10:56:57

drobole
Member
From: Norway
Registered: 2012-07-23
Posts: 125

Re: why you choose ArchLinux?

I'm not convinced migrating to systemd is a bad idea myself.
The RH guys does write solid stuff and the syntax on files and commands are pretty intuitive and even KISS considering how much it does for you.

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#207 2012-08-02 15:09:51

flying sheep
Member
Registered: 2012-02-29
Posts: 90

Re: why you choose ArchLinux?

progandy wrote:
flying sheep wrote:

how dropping the rc.conf was a good idea: after all, nothing is more simple than to configure all vital settings in one file.

Arch is preparing for the switch to systemd. You may have to learn the new file paths, but they are all referenced  in the rc.conf manpage.

although i get why this particular installer was dropped, i don’t get why no alternative was employed. up to now, you could get a system up and running until the point where you could access the wiki (and thus have a possibility to read up how to continue from there). i think it’s better to do it that way than having to print some wiki articles before attempting an install.

There are 3 steps you have to perfom without the wiki (you have to write down 1 or 2 commands: less /root/install.txt, man netcfg)
1) set keyboard layout
2) setup internet. You have netcfg, rp-pppoe with all manapges available, so you don't have to connect manually to more complex network setups.
3) open the wiki with elinks or download sai if you want.

My reasons were:
- KISS
- pacman
- documentation
- rolling release
- binary repositories
- ABS
- AUR

sold.

the only thing I'd still wish for would be a mention of install.txt and netcfg in the welcome message if it isn't already, and if install.txt is informative enough. i installed arch before the swich, so i don't know.

twoone other questions: why is the default terminal encoding not utf-8, and does it make sense to swich to systemd now or are there changes yet to come, which would ease the transition? nevermind, swiched just now. it was very easy with the wiki, and my rc.conf is officially gone without trace. only fuckup so was that i deleted the inittab while the system still wanted it for shutdown. not even SysRq+REISUB worked and i had to hard-shutdown. how could i have avoided this?

Last edited by flying sheep (2012-08-02 18:04:41)

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#208 2012-08-03 15:44:49

puntmuts
Member
Registered: 2005-02-22
Posts: 138

Re: why you choose ArchLinux?

Why should you NOT choose Archlinux ? I use it for 8 years now and I'm migrating some machines off it. After having issues with 3 machines and the glibc upgrade I finally pushed the upgrades to my server.  It totally broke, recovery is not possible using the normal tools and cd's.  I' m fed up with this bleeding edge brainless upgrades and changes. Let's upgrade and think later of consequences.

No (just downloaded) arch install disk (it does not work at all, it boots and that's it, cannot mount anything, cannot run setup). Chakra can mount but cannot chroot.

Today I will wipe Arch of my server and switch to Ubuntu. After using Arch for 8 years or so I'm fed up with Arch on my server.  Every time things break because of changes caused by the Arch development team. Until today I was able to fix it but this time it will take me too much time. I will switch to Ubuntu and that will leave me with 3 more Arch machines. For how long ? I think it will stay on my desktop but it isn' t suitable for people who want a stable and working system at minimal effort.  I will delete it from other systems as well.


Out / Gone
Mirgrating all my machines off ArchLinux . No longer part of the ArchLinux community / users .
Done. Goodbye.

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#209 2012-08-03 15:59:44

Texas
Member
From: Dallas, Texas
Registered: 2010-09-10
Posts: 131

Re: why you choose ArchLinux?

kjell wrote:

Because I was tired of running outdated packages. 
Because I wanted to pick my own DE, and not some script infested alteration of <insert DE>
Because it's lean.
Because it's mean.
Because it brought me back to the basics of Linux.

Well put!

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#210 2012-08-03 19:04:45

Skarjak
Member
Registered: 2012-04-19
Posts: 7

Re: why you choose ArchLinux?

Zancarius wrote:
drobole wrote:

1. A kick ass name and logo. (I wonder how many potential users SUSE, Mandrake, Ubuntu and last but not least PClinuxOS looses over this issue)

Reading this comment after reading this thread is actually kind of entertaining. More so because it's interesting how many people see it as "Arch" (as in the bishop) rather than "arch" (as in the structure). I wonder how many read it as "arch" for "architecture" (i.e. x86 or x86_64)?

My first instinct was to interpret "arch" as "ultimate" (you know, in the sense that an archmage is a super duper mage).  Clearly a fitting name for this distribution. big_smile

I chose this distro because I felt this was the "ultimate" distro for power users (I know of gentoo but I don't particularly find it interesting to watch programs compile themselves...) and I wanted to learn more about linux.

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#211 2012-08-06 21:41:05

flying sheep
Member
Registered: 2012-02-29
Posts: 90

Re: why you choose ArchLinux?

puntmuts wrote:

Why should you NOT choose Archlinux ? I use it for 8 years now and I'm migrating some machines off it. After having issues with 3 machines and the glibc upgrade I finally pushed the upgrades to my server.  It totally broke, recovery is not possible using the normal tools and cd's.  I' m fed up with this bleeding edge brainless upgrades and changes. Let's upgrade and think later of consequences.

No (just downloaded) arch install disk (it does not work at all, it boots and that's it, cannot mount anything, cannot run setup). Chakra can mount but cannot chroot.

Today I will wipe Arch of my server and switch to Ubuntu. After using Arch for 8 years or so I'm fed up with Arch on my server.  Every time things break because of changes caused by the Arch development team. Until today I was able to fix it but this time it will take me too much time. I will switch to Ubuntu and that will leave me with 3 more Arch machines. For how long ? I think it will stay on my desktop but it isn' t suitable for people who want a stable and working system at minimal effort.  I will delete it from other systems as well.

the first thing i learned about arch is that i’m supposed to stay in touch with one of the official update sources and consult them when any update doesn’t run smooth.

the comprehensive, easy instructions what to do each time meant that i dropped no sweat at all during the last set of changes.

i wonder how this information has eluded you the whole 8 years.

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#212 2012-08-07 07:34:44

sidRo
Member
From: Romania, Valcea
Registered: 2011-09-07
Posts: 35

Re: why you choose ArchLinux?

drobole wrote:

Because its the only distro that satisfies all my requirements, which is

1. A kick ass name and logo. (I wonder how many potential users SUSE, Mandrake, Ubuntu and last but not least PClinuxOS looses over this issue)
2. Rolling release that doesn't break
3. Huge binary repository.
4. Bleeding edge.
5. Documentation (Wiki)
6. Community participation (Not as open as the linux kernel but still)

The only competition for me would be aptosid (If they had kept the name sidux they would actually satisfied requirement number 1, but aptosid!?!? hell no)
Besides, it doesn't satisfy requirement number 5 and 6 either.

5. Debian Wiki
6. Debian Community

The only competition for me would be aptosid (If they had kept the name sidux they would actually satisfied requirement number 1, but aptosid!?!? hell no)

siduction, please
http://siduction.org

siduction is aptosid with more love. wink

Last edited by sidRo (2012-08-07 07:35:06)

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#213 2012-08-07 21:46:25

drobole
Member
From: Norway
Registered: 2012-07-23
Posts: 125

Re: why you choose ArchLinux?

sidRo wrote:
drobole wrote:

Because its the only distro that satisfies all my requirements, which is

1. A kick ass name and logo. (I wonder how many potential users SUSE, Mandrake, Ubuntu and last but not least PClinuxOS looses over this issue)
2. Rolling release that doesn't break
3. Huge binary repository.
4. Bleeding edge.
5. Documentation (Wiki)
6. Community participation (Not as open as the linux kernel but still)

The only competition for me would be aptosid (If they had kept the name sidux they would actually satisfied requirement number 1, but aptosid!?!? hell no)
Besides, it doesn't satisfy requirement number 5 and 6 either.

5. Debian Wiki
6. Debian Community

The only competition for me would be aptosid (If they had kept the name sidux they would actually satisfied requirement number 1, but aptosid!?!? hell no)

siduction, please
http://siduction.org

siduction is aptosid with more love. wink

Yes siduction is a good name, and a interesting distribution smile

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#214 2012-08-09 00:09:29

teateawhy
Member
From: GER
Registered: 2012-03-05
Posts: 1,138
Website

Re: why you choose ArchLinux?

I saw a thread called 'Arch Linux World Domination Inc.' in another forum.
That was not enough to convince me, but it made me browse to the archlinux homepage.

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#215 2012-08-11 04:44:05

abstracity
Member
From: Houston, USA
Registered: 2007-08-08
Posts: 83

Re: why you choose ArchLinux?

I am back after spending three years in OS X. I tried Fedora 17 on a new desktop, but it wouldn't boot; Debian Wheezy had a buggy GNOME. I knew if I were to install Arch and have it not boot, then I could file a bug report which would have a fast reaction time, and if GNOME were to be buggy, then it would be fixed quickly on a rolling upgrade. These are the two immediate reasons I chose Arch. The long term reasons were:

  • Knowledge of my system. If something goes wrong, then I can fix it more easily than in other distros. For example, I had no idea why Fedora wouldn't boot since I didn't understand the fundamental parts it was using. In contrast, I would have a strong chance of diagnosing any boot problem under Arch due to what I can learn from its manual installation process.

  • No reinstalls. I can spend any time I have off between semesters doing things other than performing a massive upgrade of the operating system.

  • pacman--the best package manager in the world. Nearly perfect control over everything outside of /home, with a simple syntax, all under the single "pacman" command. No separate programs like apt-get, aptitude, apt-cache, dpkg, etc.

  • Experience modern technology. If I can't be Tom Cruise in Minority Report, at least I can have the latest GNOME. If I die today, at least I can go in style.

So far I am liking my setup. We'll see how it handles my workload this semester with my graduate school entrance exams coming up. smile

Last edited by abstracity (2012-09-25 14:34:37)


Without error there can be no brilliancy. ― Emanuel Lasker

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#216 2012-08-11 06:08:32

WonderWoofy
Member
From: Los Gatos, CA
Registered: 2012-05-19
Posts: 8,414

Re: why you choose ArchLinux?

I tried Gentoo and compiling *everything* was not awesome... so I tried Slack and loved it... except dependency resolution, so I tried Arch and it IS awesome.

So my reasons include (but are not limited to) the following:
1. The Wiki
2. The Community
3. The Simplicity
4. The Learning Experience
5. The Rolling-Release
6. THE PACMAN
7. I like cheese too

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#217 2012-08-11 10:22:54

sitquietly
Member
From: On the Wolf River
Registered: 2010-07-12
Posts: 219

Re: why you choose ArchLinux?

abstracity wrote:

.....These are the two immediate reasons I chose Arch. The long term reasons were:.....We'll see how it handles my workload this semester with my graduate school entrance exams coming up. smile

Good explanation of Arch advantages from the guy way down there in Houston.  Thanks.  Good luck on those exams.

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#218 2012-08-11 10:28:15

bangkok_manouel
Member
From: indicates a starting point
Registered: 2005-02-07
Posts: 1,556

Re: why you choose ArchLinux?

screw up exams, blame Allan.

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#219 2012-08-11 18:01:57

abstracity
Member
From: Houston, USA
Registered: 2007-08-08
Posts: 83

Re: why you choose ArchLinux?

sitquietly wrote:
abstracity wrote:

.....These are the two immediate reasons I chose Arch. The long term reasons were:.....We'll see how it handles my workload this semester with my graduate school entrance exams coming up. smile

Good explanation of Arch advantages from the guy way down there in Houston.  Thanks.  Good luck on those exams.

Thanks! I'm glad to see some familiar people here smile


Without error there can be no brilliancy. ― Emanuel Lasker

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#220 2012-08-16 05:21:18

airencracken
Member
From: California
Registered: 2010-04-17
Posts: 23

Re: why you choose ArchLinux?

I chose Arch because it had a number of features I liked.

1) Simplicity and clarity
2) A simple BSD style init
3) Rolling Release
4) Lots of packages
5) A great wiki and community
6) Less compiling than Gentoo

Recent events are forcing me to think about going back to Gentoo though. I'm still not convinced that a switch to systemd is a good idea.

Also the wiki really needs to be updated to reflect some of these changes. (Such as the abandonment of rc.conf as a central configuration file and the abandonment of BSD style init).

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#221 2012-08-16 09:55:55

ronaldo09
Member
Registered: 2012-08-15
Posts: 1

Re: why you choose ArchLinux?

simplicity

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#222 2012-08-16 10:24:24

xfce
Member
Registered: 2012-08-13
Posts: 32

Re: why you choose ArchLinux?

Because I like it simple not messy. : )

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#223 2012-08-16 10:50:40

scar
Member
From: Hungary
Registered: 2009-10-01
Posts: 442

Re: why you choose ArchLinux?

1, Beacuse I want to learn, and only an always-changing rolling-release distro gives me the necessary headache.

2, Because it gives you freedom, and freedom is all GNU is about. Free to choose your DE, free to choose your tools,etc. The repos (and the AUR) make the distro really multi-purpose, I've a router, a home server, a desktop and my laptop, all of them run arch.

3, Beacuse the wiki is well documented and relatively quickly aware of the changes. I mean, it almost never happens, that I have to look auround elsewhere on the web, if I have a problem.

4, Because the forums are mostly full of people who help you, if they can.

5, Because the Redmond OS is ... , we know the litany well; and the other with the fruit sucks even more ( offering you a machine for almost 1500 bugs if you want to have something usable, yeah, elitism rules, most of the people on this planet earn under 300$ per month! ) Sorry if I offended anybody.

PS: Because you can follow Freeman from wine too. smile

Last edited by scar (2012-08-16 11:05:30)


“The future has already arrived. It's just not evenly distributed yet.”
― William Gibson

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#224 2012-09-03 23:02:10

michael.conner
Member
Registered: 2012-09-03
Posts: 3

Re: why you choose ArchLinux?

I liked what I saw in Manjaro, but wanted to do a MATE-only install from the ground up. And Arch has the best wiki ever.

Last edited by michael.conner (2012-09-04 13:40:52)

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#225 2012-10-30 14:05:47

madnerves
Member
Registered: 2008-03-13
Posts: 20

Re: why you choose ArchLinux?

I chose this distro because I'm a big tester and wanted to find what suites what my mind wanted (Can you feel the love in this explanation? lol).

Everything is well thought, everybody wants it to be stable, reliable, up to date, and, one thing that has to be said : ArchLinux's community is the most integrated, the most unbelievable and the most enthousiast and ready to help community I've ever seen.

More, their wiki is linked on other forums of different distro because of his articles really detailed, well explained and up to date.

If world could think and act like Arch does, the world would be so great.

Ok, i've got to move, my mind is bleeding XD

Last edited by madnerves (2012-10-30 14:07:08)

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