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!

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

Board footer