why you choose ArchLinux?

rufus · 2013-08-11 06:41:19

Why? because it suits me as an advanced, cutting edge, yet down to earth distro....
it is maintained by an elite. savvy crew with attitude....less BS and very few posers
I like that........

OrdinaryMagician · 2013-08-24 12:31:48

When I was distro-hopping four years ago, I had to make a decision: Arch, Slackware or Gentoo? Of the three, only Arch supported all of my hardware, and I couldn't even manage to build Gentoo back then, so I went with it.

While I already had experience with Debian-based distros, Arch was something kinda new, but I'm an easy learner. One of my favorite aspects of Arch is its flexibility. While it's not in the same level as Gentoo, it gets quite close (and is easier to maintain).

Now I've managed to learn how configuring and building Linux kernels works, but meh, even if I could do the switch over to Gentoo I don't feel like it. Arch's comfortable despite all the new stuff that's going on and I don't agree with (I'm still using initscripts, mind you).

drekalots · 2013-08-25 23:11:22

I came to Arch after five years with Gentoo. I enjoyed Gentoo but eventually I just grew tired of always rebuilding my kernel and waiting for source to compile. Arch provided me with the minimalist install I was looking for along with a significantly quicker install. This combination did it for me and I've been on Arch since (not long mind you). Either way Arch is exactly what I was looking for and I can spend more time with my family instead of baby sitting a Gentoo install and waiting for a package to fail so I can waste more time figuring out what broke.

flexo3001 · 2013-08-26 00:06:01

1) rolling release
2) it's performant
3) pacman
4) fresh software
5) biggest softwarecollection (with AUR and/or makepkg w/ own PKGBUILDS)
6) pacman
7) nice community and documentation
8) give me the freedom to do everything with my hardware (don't have to waste time with compiling, search for my favorite packages, trying to get drivers work, rage about preconfigured software/other distros,...)

but after a long time using without trouble there's something that breaks and i have to fix lately. it's not only archlinux fault (the one thing that made my life easier: systemd (and pulseaudio) ) but resulting from the softwareupdates (firefox breaks pentadactyl, awesome breaks config, ...). now after a fresh install i'm trying to let my system plain as possible to have flawless updates w/out big config-trouble.

all in all it's the best distro i've ever used; and i was a great victim of distro-hopping. with arch i'm feeling home.

thanks to all devs for the work they do!

Last edited by flexo3001 (2013-08-26 00:07:12)

scjet · 2013-08-27 20:12:38

once again, I chime in,
User-Centric <- yep, dat's da ticket,
Then again, so is Gentoo, .... which is good too, but still.
(even though I still have a "stigmatic" love/hate relationship regarding "systemD"'s implementation within Arch, I now admit, I "might" be wrong -in the long run ? sort-of ? .

Notwithstanding,
Arch is still "build as you like", and with manual interventions too,..., -which I also emperically like, thanks to the community, AUR, ..., here.
I just hope, upstream, that it continually strives to stay this way.
Nuthin' beats the simplicity of "pacman", 'cause it just works, even if it's only 99.999% of the time

But If you want/need more automation,..., ease of installs, ..., then, by all means,
go to Manjaro, AB, or whatever distromatic flavour of Arch that you think works for you(s).

Enjoy!

Last edited by scjet (2013-08-27 20:30:40)

DeadDingo · 2013-08-27 20:30:03

Reasons I use Arch Linux:

1. Fantastic Community
2. Simple and Lightweight
3. Pacman
4. Bleeding edge
5. Always works when I need it to

I have two servers where I work, both running Arch linux. I have never had downtime that wasn't scheduled meanwhile my coworkers who run other distros including windows server 2008 have had nothing but downtime and issues.

scjet · 2013-08-27 20:38:49

...So, why is it that "feline" in the corner simply gets better, and better lookin' after every beer. ?
Well, I gotta say, that's exactly the way Arch feels. - Easy to Install, everytime, and doesn't mind gettin' "Used".
I mean, could anyone ask for a better distro than Arch ?

Last edited by scjet (2013-08-27 20:42:19)

ssri · 2013-08-28 22:19:09

I swore off arch for a time after the glibc and systemd upgrade debacle on my end even though I took all of the precautions listed in the bulletin and discussed in this forum. Nonetheless, none of the other distros I tried afterwards satisfied me, as I seldom liked their defaults. Thus, it took more time to get the desktop environment of my choice with them versus setting things up from a vanilla base. Furthermore, I missed the speed and simplicity of pacman making it inevitable that I would find my way back.

Last edited by ssri (2013-08-29 01:28:30)

clfarron4 · 2013-08-28 23:01:20

Why did I choose ArchLinux?
1) Ubuntu was a pain when it came to version upgrades...
2) It was the first Rolling Release distribution I discovered.
3) ... (I'll get back to you on that one)

Last edited by clfarron4 (2013-08-28 23:03:05)

arcon · 2013-08-29 15:15:54

It's the logo and name of archlinux, really!!
But as a user i really enjoy the simplicity of arch linux and knowledge base of arch community and for sure pacman " i adore it ".

Last edited by arcon (2013-08-29 15:16:16)

Awebb · 2013-08-29 15:22:38

ssri wrote:

I swore off arch for a time after the glibc and systemd upgrade debacle on my end even though I took all of the precautions listed in the bulletin and discussed in this forum. Nonetheless, none of the other distros I tried afterwards satisfied me, as I seldom liked their defaults. Thus, it took more time to get the desktop environment of my choice with them versus setting things up from a vanilla base. Furthermore, I missed the speed and simplicity of pacman making it inevitable that I would find my way back.

It was simple for me: I knew, my system was so messed up, I would have to reinstall it anyway. So why not try a different distro? Asking myself this question cost me another day watching packages being downloaded and I ended up back with Arch. Woooh.

mamamia88 · 2013-09-01 12:20:44

Because I can install any package under the sun with a simple command. Heck i tried to switch over my htpc to ubuntu or debian and got super pissed off when a package in old version wasn't in new so installed arch again

Proinsias · 2013-09-01 14:23:23

I'd been running ArchARM on my Raspberry Pi and really came to appreciate the Arch Linux Wiki & Forum help. After a few months of playing with the Pi and reading a load of Arch documentation linux was finally starting to make sense. I've had it running for a few weeks on an old laptop and I'm really enjoying it.

middy · 2013-09-15 19:56:37

I use to be a long time gentoo user... I hated how long it took for packages to go from testing, unstable, to finally stable. Yeah you could unmask packages but then you'll end up with a system being a mix of testing, unstable, and stable packages. It becomes a major hassle. Can''t install or update this package because it requires a dependency that's masked and so on. I hated having to recompile everything... if your system happened to break either from an update or your own doing it could take a day or two to recompile your entire system. It was awesome being able to have your system completely fined tuned to your hardware and being able to customize your software with what features you want and debloat it, but the hassle of maintaining a gentoo system wasn't worth it for me. So around 2007 I went distro searching and I found arch. I gave it a try and loved it. It's easy to setup, maintain, and you still have plenty of customization and fine tuning. It's like gentoo, but without the hassle and long compile times.

Last edited by middy (2013-09-15 19:57:26)

x33a · 2013-09-16 05:11:54

@ middy

So what made you join the forums 6 years later!!

ots · 2013-09-18 12:33:36

I want to understand what I do. This urge often drives me towards very simple solutions, because that is the only thing I understand well enough. For some reason simplicity and "advanced" systems such as Arch are very close to each other. I am completely in the n00b-end of the Linux spectra, but I DO know more than what I would have done if I had used a distro (or general OS such as W7) that was more suited to my supposed needs and competence.

Yeah that is pretty nerdy I guess:)

karol · 2013-09-18 12:56:27

I think in gentoo you can install multiple versions of some package (in slots?) Also, ABS is kinda tacked-on while gentoo is build with customization in mind from the ground up.

Still, I think you can shape Arch to suit your needs :-)

Texas · 2013-09-18 18:50:36

hunter_thom wrote:

I use Arch because:
1. I wanted something that wasnt bloated to the gills.
2. I wanted to define exactly what was installed on my machine
3. I'm all about The Arch Way
4. I've used just about every distro for long enough to get well enough acquainted with each. Of all the distro's, I just found that I liked Arch Linux better.
5. In comparison to other package managers, I absolutely love pacman.
I use several other distributions also; not just Arch. But by far my favorite is Arch.

Ditto

Soul_Est · 2013-09-23 15:18:30

Absolute control with minimum overhead.

Ewesurper · 2013-09-27 12:05:54

I chose Arch because:
1. I wanted to be different from my friends.
2. I like learn.
3. I love their community and their wiki.
4. I like how skinny the distro. No extras packages unless I put them there

tzomatz · 2013-09-27 12:15:27

Mostly because of pacman, and the ease of management. Simple config file, even SystemD is simple enough to understand. Ubuntu and such distros are bloated and slow. I admin I tried Gentoo before Archlinux, and Gento were nice enough. However, compilling everything really was time consuming.

christoff522 · 2013-09-28 12:05:19

1. Bleeding edge software
2. More stable than debian sid
3. great wiki and forums
4. You learn as you use
5. Its built from the ground up

I've used all the mainstream distros, and I wanted a new challenge, I have grown to love the command line, and I finally wanted a distro I could settle into, and not keep hopping about, I'd always been wary of arch because people had made out it was this really difficult mountain that only the elites could scale. About 3 or 4 days ago I decided to do it, I hit youtube, got the latest installing guide, got the wiki to compare notes with, and I installed it, on TWO laptops, and here I am - a fledgling arch user.

xeekei · 2013-10-01 14:51:22

Why do I use Arch Linux? I just love it! I agree so far with everything they do! I love systemd, I agree with the /usr merge, and I also agree with what they're discussing in the mailing list right now, about moving to git. That last part doesn't affect me as a user though. If I'm gonna nitpick, maybe I'm a bit tired of blue.

Pacman is also the greatest package manager ever.

Jellicent · 2013-10-01 15:21:22

Pretty much everything. I like the user-centric, yet non-spoon-feeding stance. Like, seriously.

Daerandin · 2013-10-01 16:07:17

There were several reasons for me. I wanted a challenge. I am by now means an expert when it comes to computers, but I truly wanted a much deeper understanding of GNU/Linux, and I had looked at the Arch wiki and was very surprised by the excellent documentation in the wiki. I also didn't want any distro to give me a pre-built desktop environment as I wanted to choose for myself, so Arch really suited me on those points. After having used Arch, I have to say that Pacman is a prime point for sticking with Arch, it's a wonderful package manager.

Not that I didn't have problems at first, I broke my system after a month or so, had no clue what had gone wrong. Or rather, I had my suspicion but couldn't undo it due to my own stupidity. I'll only mention .pacnew files and my own mistake at not having read up sufficiently on the wiki, and the little mistake of not doing backups before starting to do stuff which at the time I had too little knowledge about, and probably still have too little knowledge about.

Anyway, I simply ended up with a reinstall and devoted most of my free time the following weeks to simply read articles in the wiki and start paying attention in the forums. The current install is around 4 months old and I intend to see if I can keep this install in good shape for a long time.

Bottom line, I love how I am responsible for my own system. It forces me to learn and take an active role in the maintenance of my OS.

Edit: Couple of typos.

Last edited by Daerandin (2013-10-01 16:12:34)

Arch Linux

#351 2013-08-11 06:41:19

Re: why you choose ArchLinux?

#352 2013-08-24 12:31:48

Re: why you choose ArchLinux?

#353 2013-08-25 23:11:22

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#354 2013-08-26 00:06:01

Re: why you choose ArchLinux?

#355 2013-08-27 20:12:38

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#356 2013-08-27 20:30:03

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#357 2013-08-27 20:38:49

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#358 2013-08-28 22:19:09

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#359 2013-08-28 23:01:20

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#360 2013-08-29 15:15:54

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#361 2013-08-29 15:22:38

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#362 2013-09-01 12:20:44

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#363 2013-09-01 14:23:23

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#364 2013-09-15 19:56:37

Re: why you choose ArchLinux?

#365 2013-09-16 05:11:54

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#366 2013-09-18 12:33:36

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#367 2013-09-18 12:56:27

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#368 2013-09-18 18:50:36

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#369 2013-09-23 15:18:30

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#370 2013-09-27 12:05:54

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#371 2013-09-27 12:15:27

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#372 2013-09-28 12:05:19

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#373 2013-10-01 14:51:22

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#374 2013-10-01 15:21:22

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#375 2013-10-01 16:07:17

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