The Official Unofficial 'Arch is Best' Thread

porcelain1 · 2021-07-27 13:39:21

It's so heartwarming to start the computer and be greeted with an Welcome to Arch Linux

Zabamund · 2021-08-22 17:46:05

I started on Ubuntu, broke my BIOS (user error), then moved to manjaro and have used it on my galago laptop for just under three years as my daily driver for work ans private stuff, and a few weeks ago I installed Arch on my desktop several times in a row just to practice. Then I bought an old ThinkPad T430 and installed Arch with Qtile on it, and I say from the bottom of my heart: Arch Linux is the best.
Best wiki, best distro, awesome community. And I've learned so much about GNU/Linux thanks to Arch. So I'm buying swag from places that send money back to Arch, but this message is just to express my gratitude to the Devs, the donors, the maintainers, the AUR contributors, the wiki contributors, the open source community, and you, the reader. Thank you kindly, I think Arch Linux is fantastic!

Mr Victory · 2021-09-15 16:33:59

I have tried a lot of linux distributions and a lot of GUIs. Here is the list, in the order I tried (and mostly installed) them:

Linux Mint (Cinnamon)
Ubuntu (GNOME)
Damn Small Linux (don't try this)(Fluxbox + JWM)
Arch Linux (Enlightenment, then Sway, now Plasma)
openSUSE Leap (Plasma)
openSUSE Tumbleweed (Plasma)
Pardus (XFCE)
Gentoo (Sway)
Fedora Spins (LXQT)
Fedora Workstation (GNOME)
Fedora Rawhide (with MATE)
Haiku (this is not linux by the way)
EndeavourOS (XFCE)
Manjaro (Plasma)
Pop (GNOME, or whatever it is)

This taught me three things:
1. I can't bear GNOME Shell
2. I can't bear waiting for a new stable release for software updates
3. Linux distributions are all the same.

A linux distribution is linux + init system + shell + package manager + software repostiory. All linux distros use the linux kernel, most use systemd, almost all use bash.

Package managers are different, and I got a taste of most from the perspective of a user. apt(Linux Mint, Ubuntu) is complex, probably because it is designed for managing different os releases. But it works. Zypper (openSUSE) is insane, processes begin to die when zypper is installing if there is a large update, starting from the web browser and ending with the terminal emulator (which kills zypper) or the DE! (which kills the terminal emulator and ...) This I guess has something to do with disk I/O but having a hard disk means dead processes? dnf (Fedora) is slow, why is the package database is large as the package firefox?! Gentoo's heart is broken, I can't get the idea of compiling eeeeeeverything... Pacman does its job nicely and easy to use.

And the software repostiories. Whatever you install, you get access to somewhat same software. What you can find in a distro is also available in another. This is why I think all linux distributions are the same. The DEs are an exception, you are limited to the preinstalled one.

Most distributions install and configure some software, which usually includes a GUI, a file manager(native file manager of the GUI), a web browser(mostly Firefox), an office suite(mostly LibreOffice) and some branded backgrounds and more and more. The user installs the distribution and in most cases he/she begins "debloating" and in some cases "fighting with the OS".
Arch Linux does not do that. Arch Linux gives a barebones system which no one would want to alter, a fabulous package manager and the invaluable ArchWiki. Any user who has determination and time can install and configure Arch Linux by himself/herself. While doing that, the person would learn about the internals about linux. In the end, the result is what they have crafted, from bottom to top. In other words their own perfect system. Arch Linux lets you build your own system without getting on your way but insted assisting you with the ArchWiki. It gives access to a lot of software when AUR is included, furthermore all of the DEs and WMs are available. This was the case for me, before coming to Arch Linux from Mint, I didn't know anything. I was using the terminal mainly for

sudo <some graphical app>(don't do that)

Now I am here with Arch Linux as my daily driver, my system configured acccording to my needs, and occasionally helping others in the forums.
Arch Linux is "practically" the best because you configure it. Also, it doesn't get on your way unlike other do-it-yourself distributions like Gentoo (you compile everything) or LFS (you do literally everything).

Last edited by Mr Victory (2022-01-05 16:25:33)

linux411 · 2021-10-23 22:20:34

Just a quick comment ... As picayune as this is ... I love the fact during install, that pacstrap sorts download by size. It's a welcome and informative change to the install. Thank you :-)

aquinas · 2022-01-03 02:27:29

I'm probably guilty of some Arch crimes, but I wouldn't have tried Arch if it wasn't for Manjaro, Arcolinux, and Endeavour. I learned a lot by using an easy to distro-hop installer, and using a working Arch system. The good thing about bloat is the opportunity to try software that others consider important. Nowadays, I know what I want and how to put it together, and for this, Arch and the AUR make sense to me above all others.

I still have a lot to learn. I still cheat all the time with guilty pleasures like gnome-disk-utility and such, but the best thing about this community is learning what I don't know. While my friends and family think I'm some kind of nerd genius, I don't bother to tell them how much I fear fstab. Unless I want to put them asleep explaining what that means.

XeonBint · 2022-04-08 11:18:58

Yep. I use endeavourOS (which is technically arch) and it is wonderful. I have normal arch installed on a dell laptop that I'm waiting to get fixed.
the AUR is a blessing, and just makes life easier. It's the closest thing to a "full collection" of Linux software, that I have seen.
I also love the bleeding-edge nature of it, as you do get the latest-and-greatest software, and features, etc..
Also, I don't really notice stability issues either, so there's no real reason for me to NOT use the latest software.

jl2 · 2022-06-14 16:52:48

I started using ubuntu then changed to Garuda Linux (good looking...) and stayed with it a while because of the chaotic-aur (which is technically the AUR). now, i've got arch because of its customizability, blazing fast boot time and the "build it yourself" feeling, The best Wiki any linux distro has, and the AUR.

It's the best distro out there (you can be sure of that because if it would not be so, i would already have switched )

dustinroepsch · 2022-08-01 02:05:27

https://labs.openai.com/s/bVBt85EGoSYzuoaKOjSOVJ4H

Now I know what to tell all my friends when they ask why Arch is the best linux distro.

"urriutrgich anugricht orr indith".

JaydenDev · 2022-08-01 02:56:17

I use arch because:

- Its arch
- I get special rights by using it
- I like new packages
- Rolling Release
- AUR
- Its just good lmao
- I dont need any further reasoning, its just good.

sjostrand · 2022-08-09 11:11:09

I Love arch for vanilla install and no junk. I ad my self what i want and need - it's perfect.
and of course i can say " i use Arch btw" heheh

drcouzelis · 2022-08-09 15:28:54

It's been a while since I've posted here. I've been using Arch Linux for almost 13 years now and and am super happy with it. My only complaint is the thought of ever setting up a SECOND Arch Linux computer and having to maintain that too sounds exhausting.

ewaller · 2022-08-09 15:38:38

drcouzelis wrote:

It's been a while since I've posted here. I've been using Arch Linux for almost 13 years now and and am super happy with it. My only complaint is the thought of ever setting up a SECOND Arch Linux computer and having to maintain that too sounds exhausting.

There is always Gentoo
Good to see your bouncing avatar again.

Trilby · 2022-08-09 19:01:40

Maintaining arch seems ridiculously easy to me. Just periodically run `pacman -Syu`. It really doesn't even matter when. It doesn't need to be at some set schedule, and if I forget to there's no harm, I'll just get the updates later. Boring.

I have a handful of nits to pick about arch (mainly related to excess features being enabled by default in most repo packages), but as I've ventured out into other distros that have lighter packages, or an init system I'd like, or a libc that I'd prefer, I just end up realizing how much I take for granted in arch. While those other distros may have the few things I'm missing in arch, they are missing *everything else* that I want that arch has.

So in otherwords, while the curtains and choice of wallpaper may not have been my choice, I've not found another distro that is even half as structurally sound as my arch linux home.

Awebb · 2022-08-09 19:06:51

Trilby wrote:

Maintaining arch seems ridiculously easy to me. Just periodically run `pacman -Syu`. It really doesn't even matter when. It doesn't need to be at some set schedule, and if I forget to there's no harm, I'll just get the updates later. Boring.

Try maintaining a Nextcloud instance with the repo package for a couple of years. Manual intervention every two or so years are guaranteed, some of them catastrophic. I always thought Docker was clownfarts, but this taught me a new angle.

burner86 · 2022-11-10 23:31:57

I just wanted to say thank you.
Arch Linux is just awesome and I have been using it privately/professionally for over 14 years.

For everybody that put effort into it ... Thank you

Moderator [ewaller] merged with Arch Is Best thread

Efka · 2023-01-12 10:42:27

within few months ill be using Arch for 9 years Sometimes i jump to other distro`s just for funzies ( i have multiple laptops ) but my main machine/s runs Arch and FreeBSD as an addition for extra spicy moments ( FreeBSD - 3 years ) ... Arch is easy to use, wiki is THE BEST as im not power user, nor techie but im able to run it ... rarely updating it .. only when i can not install package - i know i need to update it

tydynrain · 2023-01-27 22:49:18

Warm greetings Archers!

I used to post and comment fairly regularly here (my last post was on January 3, 2021 12:28PM), that is until my old 2010 Dell Latitude E6410 died in August of 2021. Since that was my only laptop at the time, and I had a challenging time having the financial resources correspond to when I found a suitable replacement laptop, I was without a one, or Arch, for about a year and a half. During that time I kept looking for a good used laptop, without success, as I'm pretty picky about hardware. Getting a new laptop to be able to work with Arch again was important to me, so at the beginning of this month, I made it happen!

The laptop that I acquired is a 2021 Dell Inspiron 15 3511. It arrived on January 3rd, and I spent the next twenty days juggling my time with other responsibilities to work with my three Arch installations on three separate hard drives, to get them all bootable in my new UEFI laptop, and fully updated. It took me one full week until I found the particular way get them to boot with my computer's UEFI firmware. Now all three installations are bootable and mostly up to date, though I still have to upgrade several build-from-source packages, and go through several config and .pacnew files. I rebuilt the last GRUB boot menu on the evening of the 24th, and that marked the time when all three were fully functional and usable once again.

The amount of time between updating:
Arch1: 1 year 8 months
Arch2: 1 year 5 months 2 weeks
Arch3: 1 year, 9 months, 8 days

My 'new' laptop specs:
11th Generation i7 1165G7 (Tiger Lake)
16 GB DDR4 RAM
RTL8821CE 802.11AC PCIe Wireless Network Adapter
TigerLake-LP GT2 [Iris Xe Graphics]
15.6" screen - 1920x1080 @ 60.00Hz

All three of my Arch installations are over five years old, and the oldest is close to six. I'm very thankful that I didn't have any notable issues with updating them after so much time between updates.

I missed Arch Linux so much, and most my desire to get another laptop was to be able to work with this glorious OS once again! I am so grateful to now have an excellent computer with which to do it! Arch is very important to me, and I still have a strong desire to contribute in any way I can to its success. From my perspective Arch truly is the best! No other OS or even iteration of Linux can compare! I'm all in for the long haul!

tydynrain · 2023-04-15 05:54:43

Well, the laptop that I mentioned above failed after one month and twenty days. I sent it back, got a refund, put in a bit more money, and ended up getting a far more solid computer with better components and features. The only aspect I would have liked to be better was the CPU. The Dell that died had an 11th Generation i7, while this system has a 10th Generation i5. In terms of practical use, I don't notice a difference, as this laptop is a beast.

In any case here are the specs of my new system:

2022 ASUS TUF A15 Gaming Laptop
15.6" Monitor at 144Hz
32GB of DDR4 RAM
Intel Core i5-10300H (Skylake)
Intel CometLake-H GT2 - UHD Graphics
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650
RGB Backlit Keyboard
1TB 7200RPM Hard Drive + 1TB NVMe SSD

Since I have three separate Arch installations on three hard drives, I swap them in an out, so the hard drive that came with the system is now just one of my backups. I wiped Windows that was on the NVMe SSD, formatted it to EXT4, and use it as an easy way to transfer files between my three installations. I have to say that I absolutely love this laptop! It also works with Linux, and specifically Arch, far better than the previous one. Even though I didn't appreciate the new Dell dying so quickly, if it didn't die, I wouldn't have this magnificent machine now!

My three Arch installations have transferred across many hard drives and three computers (not counting a loaner ASUS that I used while I waited for this one). I've been using Arch for over five and half years now, and I love it more now than ever!

rado84 · 2023-04-22 16:52:40

Back when this topic was posted I was still a Windows sheep. I had to move to linux out of necessity bc I read somewhere that Microsoft was gonna terminate the support of Windows 7 3 years after the article was published. At the time I really did like Windows 7 bc I didn't know there was anything better and Windows 10 was (and still is) the ultimate garbage in existence. So I figured I better start with Linux early, so that I can get used to it before they kill Windows 7.
My first attempt with Linux (Mint 18.3) didn't go smoothly, though. For initially unknown reasons the file manager thought my 512 GB HDD was a "Picture CD". Go explain to it and to the file manager developers that technology hasn't progressed that much yet and that a 512 GB CD doesn't exist. It took me a lot of digging through Google until I came across a few topics in Ubuntu's forums with similar problem. The common thing between them was that they had Brasero installed. But Mint 18.3 didn't have it, which gave me the idea to look for the problem elsewhere. Then it occured to me that the problem wasn't the distro or the file manager but some underdeveloped plugin. And since the HDD appeared to be a "Picture CD", I figured it must have something to do with programs about pictures. So I started uninstalling all programs related to pictures until it finally became clear what the problem was - a stupid plugin in Pix. Some "genius" had written the plugin to ID any storage as "Pictures CD", if there was a directory named "Pictures". But as I've said before (regarding Windows), the person who will give me orders what will happen on my computer hasn't been born yet, so instead of renaming the directory in question, I got rid of the software and found a replacement for it. It took me nearly 2 weeks to identify and deal with that problem but eventually I did it. The interesting part was that no linux "guru" was able to help and only my stubbornness fixed the problem.
I used to use Mint for almost 4 years during which time broken packages out of nowhere and constantly not working PPAs were something common. At some point the admin of a forum recommended Arch to me but as any linux newbie I was dead scared of the text installation and admitedly in the first 2 years I was installing Arch with graphical installers, one of the best was Anarchy but it was abandoned as a project. Then I tried a few others but there was always something broken about them. I even tried Manjaro a few times and those few times that crap broke the MBR of my disk. I mean, you install Manjaro and you use it but if you decided to install something else in its place, you can't boot into it bc you see "grub rescue". Thus Manjaro entered my blacklist of distros (along with the joke called "Bodhi Linux"). Then I tried Arco, which is an Arch-based distro but in the most cases the installer was freezing the moment I booted up the Live DVD with it. Only once it didn't freeze and I was able to install Arco, but it turned out Arco was a linux-based bloatware. On top of that, even if you unmarked the bloatware during installation, you still get that bloatware after the installation. This Microsoft-like behaviour to push on you something you don't want doesn't stand well with me, so I kicked Arco in its ass, disconnected the rest of the storages from the motherboard and started practicing installation of pure Arch, following the instructions posted in the same forum whose admin told me about Arch (I was reading the instructions on my phone). It took me 7 attempts to have Arch with a working desktop bc nobody ever told me you had to install xorg-server and xorg-server-common along with the desktop files, otherwise the desktop wouldn't launch when you reboot. In some instructions, if you dig deeply in Google, you'll see mentioned only xorg-server but in my case the desktop refused to launch until I installed also the common files for xorg-server.

Nowadays, almost 8 years after installing linux for the first time, I do think Arch is the best distro. The distros I tried during my hopping were more than 10 and none were as good as Arch. Running games on Arch is a child's play in most cases, there are no broken packages out of nowhere, deps are automatically removed when you uninstall a program (something apt can't brag about), it boots up in 3-5 seconds always, no matter how much software I have installed (when freshly installed Mint starts in about 10 seconds but the more software you install, it gets slower and slower, just like Windows, and the booting process can reach 30 seconds). On top of that being less popular than Ubuntu, I'm not worried that Microsoft can ruin the distro, which they did with Ubuntu. Also, unlike Mint 18.3, on Arch aliases always work. I have about 200 aliases, half of which I turned into bash scripts which make life a lot easier. But the best part of all: Arch only comes with what I've written during the installation - no unwanted packages.
The only thing left to do during the next reinstallation (which could happen in a few years from now, cuz nowadays I don't break Arch that often as I used to) is to make Arch's file system to be XFS. The last time I forgot and made it ext4 by habit. But ext4 is a slow FS (almost as slow as NTFS) and I gotta get rid of it some day.

The only part I don't like is the unpolished rolling kernel which almost always arrives with a dozen problems which is why I switched entirely to LTS kernel. The rolling one is installed in the system but I'm not loading it and I've even removed it from the grub menu. The only reason it's still present in the system is the DKMS package - if the rolling kernel isn't present in the system, DKMS shows me warnings that it can't find the rolling kernel. So to eliminate the warnings, I installed the rolling kernel but it's essentially gathering dust unused. And after talking to a few sysadmins whose work computers are with Arch, they said the've had the same and similar problems as mine with the rolling kernel, so they all have switched to LTS kernel and their problems have disappeared, just like mine did.

Last edited by rado84 (2023-04-23 10:45:14)

ewaller · 2023-04-22 17:42:48

Rado84,

While I do not care for Windows personally, we ask that it and other operating systems be treated with respect. Note that showing professional respect does not imply criticism is prohibited, just do it with respect.
Please see our code of conduct.
https://terms.archlinux.org/docs/code-o … irect%3Dno

rado84 · 2023-04-23 10:52:14

Well, anything breaks my system is and I will continue to call it "crap, garbage" and so on. Especially Manjaro - I reported to them that MBR problem, even showed them video and yet they didn't fix it. When I asked them why, they basically said they didn't care and that I should use EFI, not MBR. To which I told them that Microsoft tried the same approach to give me orders what and how to happen on my own computer and I threw Windows out of my home in every aspect imaginable and that Manjaro will join Windows on that matter.

Trilby · 2023-04-23 13:16:01

Based on your post history, the thing most likely to continually break your system is you. But you always find someone else to blame.

alevisio · 2023-04-23 16:28:13

New Arch user here, just wanted to share how much I'm loving it! Currently running on a mid-2010s HP Laptop 14 with ~4GB RAM and 128 SSD. The installation was a little tricky, but I'm thankful for that in retrospect because I feel like a learned a bit more about operating systems. After grepping through the dmesg log and trying to amend the errors, I was able to get the base installation up and running, and man what a great feeling that was after toiling in frustration for a few days.

When I had Windows 10 on this thing, the CPU was constantly running at 95-100%. Now with a KDE environment it's running at 10-20% while I'm typing this up. There's no sputtering or stuttering, I've had no network issues (although I've only used it in my home), it's just smooth has butter.

Texbrew · 2023-04-27 08:48:30

@alevisio That's a very nice review of Archlinux.

tdtooke · 2023-04-28 08:28:57

It's a good distro if this is the kind of distro you want. I personally prefer a more minimal start with things that I want added by me personally and this lets me do that. I'm actually kinda surprised at the package manager here. As manual as every other thing is I expected a Slackware-ish package manager. No dependency checking, no nothing... But pacman's pretty solid. Only thing I'd change is integrate aur with it. I know chaotic aur does that but a lot of times when I get the kind of thing I'd get from aur I kinda want to build it on my setup. Overall I'm pleased.

Arch Linux

#1226 2021-07-27 13:39:21

Re: The Official Unofficial 'Arch is Best' Thread

#1227 2021-08-22 17:46:05

Re: The Official Unofficial 'Arch is Best' Thread

#1228 2021-09-15 16:33:59

Re: The Official Unofficial 'Arch is Best' Thread

#1229 2021-10-23 22:20:34

Re: The Official Unofficial 'Arch is Best' Thread

#1230 2022-01-03 02:27:29

Re: The Official Unofficial 'Arch is Best' Thread

#1231 2022-04-08 11:18:58

Re: The Official Unofficial 'Arch is Best' Thread

#1232 2022-06-14 16:52:48

Re: The Official Unofficial 'Arch is Best' Thread

#1233 2022-08-01 02:05:27

Re: The Official Unofficial 'Arch is Best' Thread

#1234 2022-08-01 02:56:17

Re: The Official Unofficial 'Arch is Best' Thread

#1235 2022-08-09 11:11:09

Re: The Official Unofficial 'Arch is Best' Thread

#1236 2022-08-09 15:28:54

Re: The Official Unofficial 'Arch is Best' Thread

#1237 2022-08-09 15:38:38

Re: The Official Unofficial 'Arch is Best' Thread

#1238 2022-08-09 19:01:40

Re: The Official Unofficial 'Arch is Best' Thread

#1239 2022-08-09 19:06:51

Re: The Official Unofficial 'Arch is Best' Thread

#1240 2022-11-10 23:31:57

Re: The Official Unofficial 'Arch is Best' Thread

#1241 2023-01-12 10:42:27

Re: The Official Unofficial 'Arch is Best' Thread

#1242 2023-01-27 22:49:18

Re: The Official Unofficial 'Arch is Best' Thread

#1243 2023-04-15 05:54:43

Re: The Official Unofficial 'Arch is Best' Thread

#1244 2023-04-22 16:52:40

Re: The Official Unofficial 'Arch is Best' Thread

#1245 2023-04-22 17:42:48

Re: The Official Unofficial 'Arch is Best' Thread

#1246 2023-04-23 10:52:14

Re: The Official Unofficial 'Arch is Best' Thread

#1247 2023-04-23 13:16:01

Re: The Official Unofficial 'Arch is Best' Thread

#1248 2023-04-23 16:28:13

Re: The Official Unofficial 'Arch is Best' Thread

#1249 2023-04-27 08:48:30

Re: The Official Unofficial 'Arch is Best' Thread

#1250 2023-04-28 08:28:57

Re: The Official Unofficial 'Arch is Best' Thread

Board footer