why you choose ArchLinux?

red-lichtie · 2015-03-08 11:13:12

I've had a Linux box since 1997 (Red Hat 4.1) then went through Debian (hated how it was always behind), Ubuntu (hated it when they went OTT on commercial stuff, e.g. Amazon Lens, online search, etc.), Linux Mint (never quite what I wanted) and then LMDE (The promise of a semi rolling release from Debian test which then changed to Debian stable and landed me back where I was after Red Hat).

I did the original Linux ThinkPad site and got IBM to port their MWave tech to Linux (with help from a petition that I started), did some coding in tpctl and hacked the video driver to work with my ThinkPad model.

I've been looking at Arch Linux for ages but having been apt'ing and dpkg'ing for ages, I wasn't initially comfortable with pacman and thought I would just put up with the bloat of LMDE. After LMDE announced the change to Debian stable that was when I decided to bite the bullet.

I've built my own servers with custom kernels and downloaded and compiled so many different things, so it doesn't phase me to use the AUR. I find it an extremely powerful way to manage my systems.

So I've finally found a distribution that suits my needs and does what I want! Time to move all my systems to Arch Linux.

Alad · 2015-03-08 11:17:46

Nice, welcome.

mauritiusdadd · 2015-05-26 15:22:15

Now I can certainly say that top-three reasons why I'm running Arch are:

It's rolling release
It's easy to install
It's easy to use and maintain

longfinkillie · 2015-05-27 03:03:28

Started out with Ubuntu. I was brought here by researching a theme [port] (AXONKOLOR) by Lyrae/Thrynk which must have been 6 years ago...Her stuff was/is amazing and made me make that jump. Now I know that the distro has no real bearing on theming accumen, but using Arch made it easier.

I'm not the most tech-savvy cat out there, but the 'tough love' aspect of this distro forced me to learn. And learn, I did.

sesese9 · 2015-05-31 03:52:11

longfinkillie wrote:

Started out with Ubuntu.

Same, I started with Ubuntu but I wanted something lightweight. I then found out about Arch and here I am dual-booting Ubuntu/Arch..It's really cool actually learning Arch because you learn a lot in the process.

infiniteh · 2015-05-31 19:13:17

I started using Linux in the early 2000s, hopping from one distro to another like so many of us have done. In 2004, I started using Slackware primarily. Apparently it worked so well for me that I stuck with it until 2010, but managing dependencies myself had become such a pain. When I first installed Arch and began using pacman, I was so relieved! I could finally install the latest version of all the software I wanted, as fast as my painfully-slow-rural-American internet connection would allow, and everything just worked.

That, plus most of the reasons others have mentioned (wiki, AUR, KISS, etc).

However... with Windows 10 just around the corner and Cortana at my disposal, I may dump Linux altogether.

kc3 · 2015-08-19 00:02:37

Arch to me is pretty much the perfect linux distribution for the following reasons
1. Good simple package management
2. Very minimal and you can install only what you need
3. Superb documentation
4. Rolling release, a much easier model for keeping your system up to date

Alkaiser · 2015-08-24 00:51:33

I chose it because "Arch Linux" sounds badass.

Alad · 2015-08-24 06:24:52

Alkaiser wrote:

I chose it because "Arch Linux" sounds badass.

Yeah!

JatinKaushal · 2015-09-07 11:05:16

I used Arch because I wanted to learn more about the Linux System and let me get work done. Also, I wanted to explore the famous community.

ugjka · 2015-09-07 12:19:02

I'm not really choosing at this point, there is simply no better alternative.

gregfrankenstein · 2015-09-12 12:20:07

I was always frustrated with wanting more up-to-date packages in Debian, so for the last couple years I had been running Aptosid. This worked-- a little too well. See, there's really no middle ground with a Debian-based system. You're either running software from 2011 or you're so bleeding edge you run the risk of destroying your system with every update. The breaking point was the libstdc++6 transition, which has been going on since July and is still only 35% done. When months go by and you can't even update your web browser without removing large swaths of conflicting packages, it's time to switch distributions.

One way or another I ended up on the Wikipedia page for Arch Linux and realized it's everything I've been trying to mold Debian into. It's a rolling release that's insanely configurable and bloat-free. I simultaneously learned more about how my computer operates and made my life easier at the same time. For example, the fact that it doesn't just magically include a display manager forced me to realize I don't need or want one; I can use xinit. No longer must I fiddle with runlevels just to stop X. Can I do that with other distributions? Absolutely, and conversely Arch can be set up with any display manager out there. But I never gave any thought to it because I was used to everything sort of being there whether I want it or not. And oh man, I love installing services from pacman knowing it won't automatically add an unnecessary daemon on startup unless I explicitly enable it.

I'm on my third week now and I regret nothing. For all I know Arch will have the same dependency issues that caused me to migrate here in the first place (though I doubt it; those sorts of dubious updates seem to be in testing), but even then I'll be a lot better off with the wiki and the warnings on the home page. Now to switch the laptop over.

Last edited by gregfrankenstein (2015-09-12 12:21:57)

ozky · 2015-09-21 10:33:15

This why i choose arch linux everything works manually nothing is done like work out of box just use method,i can tweak this system to look mine not what some ******* ubuntu or other distros wan't it to look as default or work. I moved from Mageia to Arch linux i did use Mandriva from 2008.1 to 2010.2 until i moved to Mageia what i used 1 to 5 version.

esa · 2015-09-21 14:57:03

Repo like *buntu
Freshness (official pkgs) like Fedora
Stability like BSD
And figured, here is where the freaky tweakers sneak around.
--------------
Total == Most freedom to build/tweak my system

Last edited by esa (2015-09-21 14:57:51)

JohnBobSmith · 2015-09-21 23:38:39

Linux Mint, and as of late LMDE (Linux Mint Debian Edition) may have a special place in my heart, but here's why I like Arch Linux:
-Arch teaches you how to think. Instead of being spoon fed like a child, you have to look for answers, experiment, read. The community will always be here if needed, but I can say that using Arch has taught me how to be a better researcher and problem solver.
-Everything in the Arch Way
-Simplicity. No stupid GUI's or elongated ways of doing things. Everything is direct and to the point.
-Unless of course I expicitly ask for a GUI, in which case I have a choice between the more stupid or the less stupid GUI's.
-Minimalism. This is absolutely critical, and I absolutely love it.
-Having used Arch, everything seems a lot easier to configure and setup.
-Pacman is boss.
-Did I mention simplicity or minimalism?
-Pacman is boss.

BTW, A stupid GUI for me is one that requires you to click through 15 buttons and confirm your choice another 17 times before finally telling you that you need to use the command line. A non stupid GUI is one in which you click the button and it does exactly what you expect it to do without any fuss. Thank god I have that choice.

Fuxino · 2015-10-18 10:01:58

In no particular order:
1. Pacman is a great package manager
2. I like the rolling release model
3. Once you get used to working with the command line and editing configuration files, it's far simpler to use and maintain than more "user friendly" distributions
4. I get to decide what programs I want to install, from the DE/WM to all other user applications (web browser, music player, file manager, etc.), instead of having a lot of pre-installed software that someone else decided I should need/like (and I probably don't)
5. It's a great learning experience: I have learned more about Linux in the first week of using Arch than in three years with Ubuntu. Now I feel comfortable configuring stuff and using the command line, while before I was always afraid I would break something; and when I did break something I didn't know what to do, while now I'm usually able to fix it
6. The Arch Wiki is simply the best documentation online
7. I like The Arch Way and the "do it yourself" philosophy.

basica · 2015-10-18 10:46:38

I like Arch for a variety of reasons, I use it on my headless systems because I find that it really offers a clean base so I don't have to worry about removing packages I don't need. On my spare lappy I run it because it's bleeding edge and allows for a minimal system. It works well and has helped me learn my system far more than what I've learned by using other distros. After running Arch for a while, tackling LFS and Gentoo were a breeze.

Probably one of my favorite parts of Arch is the install process. In fact, when I do find myself trying out other distros, I noticed one of the things that tend to annoy me right off the bat are the installers. I just tried installing Fedora the other day on my desktop and it was such a pain trying to format my drive and partition it with the GUI because it was buggy as hell. Made me wish that they just let me take the reins instead of trying to "help" me.

Tobberoth · 2015-10-21 11:44:40

My reason for choosing Arch is that it seems like the perfect fit for me. I've used both Ubuntu and Slackware previously and I feel like Ubuntu forces too much on you while Slackware goes overboard on the other end and becomes tedious to use. Arch Linux hits this nice middle-ground where it's up to you to setup and customize your system and you have more or less complete freedom, but at the same time the utilities are there to let you do it in a quick and simple way.

riggt · 2015-10-21 14:55:26

Oh man. This is about to turn into a history of me and linux. So let's do this.

My first exposure to linux was on a big tower desktop that I bought for 50 dollars at a Virginia Tech surplus sale. It was running Red Hat Enterprise Linux (but it just called itself "Red Hat"). It came with a bunch of games installed on it, which was mainly what I cared about. Eventually I started mucking about with other aspects of the system. I never could get it to connect to the internet using our connection at the time, which was either dial-up or a USB mobile 3G device, but I don't remember specifically. The first time I really cut my teeth on what Unix is was when I managed to delete everything that wasn't the /home directory, rendering the system unusable. I never did figure out how to fix that computer and I don't know what happened to it.

Then when I was in highschool vista came out, and everyone hated it. So I knew that it was an operating system, so I just searched for a free operating system. I found Ubuntu that way and requested on of their free disks. It brought so many memories of having fun with RHEL back and it made me pretty happy... for six months. A new version of Ubuntu came out so I followed the update procedure and everything broke. So I reinstalled. Six months later the exact same thing happened again. I quickly realized that this was not going to be sustainable.

Thus began my long journey of distro hopping. I would say the two distros I've used the most are Fedora and Arch. I like using arch because there will never come a time in six months when I will get a completely different system by running an update than I would if I reinstalled. Also, of all the distros I've used, Arch has been by far the most stable for my use cases, only beaten by Debian which always has super old packages that don't tickle my fancy. The reason or this is that while Arch might have upstream packages that might break frequently, they are also upstream packages that might get fixed frequently. The other thing is that no matter how much GUI nonsense you overlay over another package manager, pacman is still easier to use. Arch is just great for making sure that I can do one install, a bunch of configuration up front, and then providing the confidence that it is done and that I won't have to intervene much. That said, I do enjoy intervening. It gives me a sense of accomplishment when I fix something, and it makes me feel like it's fixed for good as opposed to for six months when everything changes.

Last edited by riggt (2015-10-21 14:55:48)

Sara · 2015-10-31 07:46:46

I chose ArchLinux because its package manager is first in its class, the helpful community, and the overall feeling of 'home' I get being here among other techy-oriented people.

I should also add the fact that it's rolling release; that is a huge plus (almost never reinstalling). And when things break it's easy to chroot into your system and fix things if you can't login; why I keep an archiso usb stick always on my keychain.

Last edited by Sara (2015-10-31 07:53:16)

Sara · 2015-10-31 07:49:06

Tobberoth wrote:

Arch Linux hits this nice middle-ground where it's up to you to setup and customize your system and you have more or less complete freedom, but at the same time the utilities are there to let you do it in a quick and simple way.

Definitely agree with you about the middle ground. It's freedom to make your system as simple or as complicated as you like. (Where simple and complicated might differ in meaning based off your perspective. )

acampbell · 2015-10-31 11:38:34

I switched from Debian to Arch three years ago. I used to follow Debian Sid so the rolling release used by Arch wasn't a culture shock for me. Actually I've found Arch to be the more stable of the two. My principle these days is KISS, so no desktop environment, spectrwm as window manager.

But in the last year I've largely moved to OpenBSD, for much the same reasons that I like Arch. I didn't plan this; I tried OpenBSD out of curiosity and the more I used it the more I liked it. I still keep Arch on one of my laptops but 3 others are running OpenBSD. For details of my *BSD experience please see my blog at www.acampbell.uk/serendipity/.

Last edited by acampbell (2015-10-31 11:46:01)

mapring · 2015-11-09 19:36:25

Arch Linux is the best distro for me. I learned a lot from it and it forces me to understand how my computer/laptop truly work. I'm able to get everything working on it now via browsing through the internet and getting answers from here. I love Arch Linux!

Simone98RC · 2015-11-25 21:14:06

Both moral and characterial choice.

I believe and I hope in open source, I think that people have chosen a better fate for commercial and closed source products, simply because they accepted them (we know that tens of years ago, when I was newborn or even unborn, Apple, Windows, Oracle and Linux systems fought "on a par", without a real winner).
Despite this belief, my character make me bored and unsatisfied when I'm using a "ready-made" product like Windows: I use and enjoy them for a time, with the maximum gaming performance and support (which Linux won't reach), but it's not my system, I'm limitated in changes and I have to accept pre-installed stuff.
Then... the update system: much better in Linux, all your software is involved, while in Windows often you've to restart, some updates are unexplained and your personal stuff remains mostly outdated (you have to manually look for updates or expect for automatic updates by the developer, it's not centralized.

I consider myself an "advanced user".
I used for almost 2 years Ubuntu in dual boot with Windows (like now happens for Arch): I started to add repository, then more repositories until I overcame the PGP signatures limit and broke the update system. I suffered since any official package is subjected to stability controls, so rarely updated to last version. I mainly suffered for the worse driver support, the absence of latest and needed Nvidia drivers, which I obtained only with repositories, often forsaken after few time, often risky for the system, especially in upgrade cases.
While I discussed about the PGP limit in Launchpad, an user suggested me to look for a rolling Linux distribution.
I considered him hasty and hateful, but he proposed me a good idea: now I'm here, proudly on Arch Linux.

I know and I've chosen my system, I know it from the beginning to the end.

Archforum101 · 2015-12-12 08:15:33

Had several hours to waste and thought, meh, why not install Arch again, when ya could've installed 350 others and been done in a fraction of the time.

Messing round ( sort of). Arch is one of those gnu/Nix distro's that stands out as unique. Am severely Debian netinstall biased but wanted to see what's changed in Arch. Tried this distro 2 other times and liked it but never really gave it a fair chance and wanted to do so now.

Cool distro, awesome wiki. Plus I can tell fellow nixers "I run Arch gnu/Linux" and await all the ooooo's and ahhhhh's that's sure to bring.

Footnote: Reply to post #494.

Yes, if you're running current Debian stable, Sid =unstable or even enabling the experimental repo's is easy and fair game too. Enabling backports, finding .debs, compiling, apt-pinning ... this/that etc.

But overall here am really liking Arch ( not surprised). +1 Sara on pacman, think it's a slick piece of software.

Last edited by Archforum101 (2015-12-12 08:23:50)

Arch Linux

#476 2015-03-08 11:13:12

Re: why you choose ArchLinux?

#477 2015-03-08 11:17:46

Re: why you choose ArchLinux?

#478 2015-05-26 15:22:15

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#479 2015-05-27 03:03:28

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#480 2015-05-31 03:52:11

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#481 2015-05-31 19:13:17

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#482 2015-08-19 00:02:37

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#483 2015-08-24 00:51:33

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#484 2015-08-24 06:24:52

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#485 2015-09-07 11:05:16

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#486 2015-09-07 12:19:02

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#487 2015-09-12 12:20:07

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#488 2015-09-21 10:33:15

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#489 2015-09-21 14:57:03

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#490 2015-09-21 23:38:39

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#491 2015-10-18 10:01:58

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#492 2015-10-18 10:46:38

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#493 2015-10-21 11:44:40

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#494 2015-10-21 14:55:26

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#495 2015-10-31 07:46:46

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#496 2015-10-31 07:49:06

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#497 2015-10-31 11:38:34

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#498 2015-11-09 19:36:25

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#499 2015-11-25 21:14:06

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#500 2015-12-12 08:15:33

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