Which will be your next distro after Arch Linux?

Anonymo · 2007-08-24 15:50:03

buttons wrote:

Hmm. I guess Arch x86_64

Dude, It's so much better that Arch x86_32

AriciU · 2007-09-06 13:13:15

Either Conrad Gentoo or back to Slackware.

Bison · 2007-09-20 18:34:01

You all are going to hate me for this -- but gentoo . I've already been dual booting it!

SilentMan · 2007-09-23 11:20:31

I hope Arch is my last distro

ConnorBehan · 2007-09-25 02:22:53

Arch is by far my favourite distro, even though I've only tried Ubuntu and briefly seen a few others when friends were using them. I found my perfect distro early some Arch users have been through tens before going with Arch.

I only have a laptop now and I suppose I could install Linux on my desktop at home but my non-savvy parents are already like "wtf" when they see my computer so imagine what they'd say if they realized that is what they are forced to use on the family computer hahaha.

When I get a decent desktop I will install Arch on it, I will eventually get a server and install something else on it... I will install something else if I ever make my own router or PBX and I plan on making a PVR / HTPC with mythTV and loads of other stuff and maybe I'll link it to my server and PBX and get plutohome. I also plan on making a tiny computer that acts as an abstraction layer for playstation controllers so I can intercept the commands, reorder them and send them to the PS2 to change the controls flexibly for any game even if the game doesn't allow it. That will require only a very minimal distribution.

So in conclusion I will use other operating systems for very specific tasks but I am confident in saying that the operating system that stares me in the face most of the time will be Arch . Wow I just laid down 10 years worth of future plans up there.

palandir · 2007-09-26 03:33:56

I might start using *BSD, but in the Linux world, Arch is just perfect for me.

kensai · 2007-09-26 03:55:29

I think FreeBSD again, is so much more organized than Linux, the kernel just feels lovely in the way you edit a simple configuration file, compile it and is very beautiful in what refers to feeling organized. I believe FreeBSD is a better OS overall than Linux, cause of organization, but still lacks some nice features Linux have.

oli · 2007-09-27 19:34:30

kensai wrote:

I think FreeBSD again, is so much more organized than Linux, the kernel just feels lovely in the way you edit a simple configuration file, compile it and is very beautiful in what refers to feeling organized. I believe FreeBSD is a better OS overall than Linux, cause of organization, but still lacks some nice features Linux have.

>but still lacks some nice features Linux have.

Drivers not features. You will of course get some of these fancy drivers too, but you have to wait much longer because they will not include any immature drivers. If this is okay, *BSD is perfect, if not then you have to stick with Linux. For me first comes FreeBSD, then BSD in common, then ArchLinux - if *BSD isn't possible. ArchLinux because there are some similarities to *BSD.

kensai · 2007-09-27 20:15:29

In facts there are features missing, like native Flash plug in isn't available for FreeBSD this is a feature on Linux. I know there is GNASH which I'm looking up to but still takes to much resources. I used FreeBSD as my main OS for almost 6 months and I can say is the best OS overall against Linux and MS. I think that is the only missing feature I have now since the others are worked out already. HAL and DBUS are included now, JAVA is native. Well I think the sound system needs some work still, it has improved but isn't that good as on Linux. Believe me my ears detect even the slightest change in anything on a music player. Still in the 6 Months of usage I had everything working and that was a pain since K3B JAVA needed so much editing of configuration files to just work. Well, all in all BSD is awesome and maybe version 7 will put my back on FreeBSD as my main OS.

azerty · 2007-09-27 21:06:32

I'm currently preparing my final migration from GNU/Linux to OpenBSD, as from November 1. OpenBSD-4.2 will be my default system. When you prefer to rely on efficient text-mode programs and a neat, well documented system, OpenBSD is just ideal. I actually don't need Flash and all this GUI hell, I prefer to keep my system lightweight and clean. Simply the KISS-Principle.

Good bye GNU/Linux..

Edit: Are there some people here, which also use OpenBSD as a desktop system?

Last edited by azerty (2007-09-27 21:09:58)

kensai · 2007-09-28 01:08:09

At least I have heard of people that do use it as a desktop, just don't expect up2date software cause those people are paranoid on security. I would have used NetBSD and OpenBSD a long time ago, but darn I'm tied to the nVIDIA blob, is so bad when you need to rely on stupid proprietary drivers. Hopefully Nouveau will progress in time, they are great on 2d on my card so just waiting to get some 3d support so I move to nouveau.

azerty · 2007-09-28 11:06:13

kensai wrote:

At least I have heard of people that do use it as a desktop, just don't expect up2date software cause those people are paranoid on security. I would have used NetBSD and OpenBSD a long time ago, but darn I'm tied to the nVIDIA blob, is so bad when you need to rely on stupid proprietary drivers. Hopefully Nouveau will progress in time, they are great on 2d on my card so just waiting to get some 3d support so I move to nouveau.

As most text-mode programs are very mature, you don't depend on that much on up to date software so this isn't really a problem for me. Currently the only GUI app in my system is the webbrowser, but I'm looking forward to test some text browser on their everyday usability. Maybe I'll also change to text-mode browsing finally, then my system would be entirely text-mode.

Couldn't you simply use the VESA driver? I actually use VESA & Co on all my systems and if you're not playing 3d games this driver works very well imho.

PJ · 2007-09-28 12:06:20

As a Linux distribution I couldn't find a more perfect distribution than Arch. My next might as well be DragonFlyBSD since I like alot of the concepts that are used in it. Might as well be any other of the BSDs.

oli · 2007-09-28 14:06:08

kensai wrote:

In facts there are features missing, like native Flash plug in isn't available for FreeBSD this is a feature on Linux. I know there is GNASH which I'm looking up to but still takes to much resources. I used FreeBSD as my main OS for almost 6 months and I can say is the best OS overall against Linux and MS. I think that is the only missing feature I have now since the others are worked out already. HAL and DBUS are included now, JAVA is native. Well I think the sound system needs some work still, it has improved but isn't that good as on Linux. Believe me my ears detect even the slightest change in anything on a music player. Still in the 6 Months of usage I had everything working and that was a pain since K3B JAVA needed so much editing of configuration files to just work. Well, all in all BSD is awesome and maybe version 7 will put my back on FreeBSD as my main OS.

I don't see Flash as a feature, more as a burden - but your mileage may differ

Furthermore you have to differ between the operating system FreeBSD and the ports. The latter isn't officially supported! So there isn't the same high quality standard like in the base. Of course it's a nice system (ports), but it's nowadays to some extent too much bleeding edge. E.g. there is Xorg 7.3 already in the ports, but it's in testing in most of the Linux distros.

oli · 2007-09-28 14:07:50

azerty wrote:

kensai wrote:
At least I have heard of people that do use it as a desktop, just don't expect up2date software cause those people are paranoid on security. I would have used NetBSD and OpenBSD a long time ago, but darn I'm tied to the nVIDIA blob, is so bad when you need to rely on stupid proprietary drivers. Hopefully Nouveau will progress in time, they are great on 2d on my card so just waiting to get some 3d support so I move to nouveau.
As most text-mode programs are very mature, you don't depend on that much on up to date software so this isn't really a problem for me. Currently the only GUI app in my system is the webbrowser, but I'm looking forward to test some text browser on their everyday usability. Maybe I'll also change to text-mode browsing finally, then my system would be entirely text-mode.
Couldn't you simply use the VESA driver? I actually use VESA & Co on all my systems and if you're not playing 3d games this driver works very well imho.

Every 2D opensource driver is 5-10 times faster than VESA. So if you don't need 3D, there is alway nv.

Misfit138 · 2007-11-05 01:22:57

If BSD's had the hardware support and glut of software that GNU/linux has, I'd try that.
BSD just seems too burdensome as a desktop OS for my needs ATPIT.

oli · 2007-11-05 20:17:11

>If BSD's had the hardware support and glut of software that GNU/linux has

You should differ between mature hardware support and 'so so' hardware support. The latter you'll get in Linux very often - e.g. with this wanna-be driver from ATI or some Wlan drivers. Sound: there is HDA, Envy24, Audigy1-4 and so on too, lots of network nics, up to 10G, many Wlan nics (some just available in BSD!). I don't see any real lack of hardware support. The only real lack are drivers for DVBT cards, but I don't see this as lack, because I'm more a DVD guy than TV junkie ;-)

Sometimes I think it's just a lack of knowledge.

>glut of software

Please have a look, http://www.freshports.org/

At the moment, just the small number of 17740 ports. I would call this a glut of software, all of it ready to install at once and adjusted to FreeBSD (proper directories etc.). Building a ports is just easy, running binary Linux applications too (e.g. Quake4, Doom3 and so on). The only real drawback, for some people, is the source-code based operating system, so you have to compile applicaton (most of the time) like in Gentoo. So it's more the factor time, than compatibility or available software packages. But otherwise, compiling kernel and world (yes the whole system) is easy and at a dualcore system very fast (half of an hour). You see, it's just a matter of the proper information :-)

Misfit138 · 2007-11-10 02:47:33

oli wrote:

>If BSD's had the hardware support and glut of software that GNU/linux has
You should differ between mature hardware support and 'so so' hardware support. The latter you'll get in Linux very often - e.g. with this wanna-be driver from ATI or some Wlan drivers. Sound: there is HDA, Envy24, Audigy1-4 and so on too, lots of network nics, up to 10G, many Wlan nics (some just available in BSD!). I don't see any real lack of hardware support. The only real lack are drivers for DVBT cards, but I don't see this as lack, because I'm more a DVD guy than TV junkie ;-)
Sometimes I think it's just a lack of knowledge.
>glut of software
Please have a look, http://www.freshports.org/
At the moment, just the small number of 17740 ports. I would call this a glut of software, all of it ready to install at once and adjusted to FreeBSD (proper directories etc.). Building a ports is just easy, running binary Linux applications too (e.g. Quake4, Doom3 and so on). The only real drawback, for some people, is the source-code based operating system, so you have to compile applicaton (most of the time) like in Gentoo. So it's more the factor time, than compatibility or available software packages. But otherwise, compiling kernel and world (yes the whole system) is easy and at a dualcore system very fast (half of an hour). You see, it's just a matter of the proper information :-)

You make all excellent points, however, in my admittedly limited experience, BSD has been a pain to get running on my hardware. Perhaps it's time I tried it again, but I still can't help but remember it as cumbersome and crude as a desktop system. Maybe I'm just too used to Arch.

Last edited by Misfit138 (2007-11-10 02:59:09)

colinzhengj · 2007-11-10 08:25:23

I quit using FreeBSD as my desktop OS, 6 months ago. BSDs are good for work, but not otherwise.

I (and many others) simply cannot afford to have no access to Flash, nor live without Skype---I got friends and family.
And the utf-8 patch for Midnight Commander doesn't work for FreeBSD.

Linux is BSD compromised. Use the compromised anyway.

colinzhengj · 2007-11-10 08:29:26

kensai wrote:

At least I have heard of people that do use it as a desktop, just don't expect up2date software cause those people are paranoid on security. I would have used NetBSD and OpenBSD a long time ago, but darn I'm tied to the nVIDIA blob, is so bad when you need to rely on stupid proprietary drivers. Hopefully Nouveau will progress in time, they are great on 2d on my card so just waiting to get some 3d support so I move to nouveau.

Freebsd for the desktop is never a problem. It's not hard to make one's own package if ports is not updated enough. To many, problem is the lack of proprietary software such as Flash and Skype, and a handful of open source software incompatible at the source level (for reasons we dont want to know).

Last edited by colinzhengj (2007-11-10 08:30:45)

lumiwa · 2007-11-11 00:46:26

colinzhengj wrote:

I quit using FreeBSD as my desktop OS, 6 months ago. BSDs are good for work, but not otherwise.
I (and many others) simply cannot afford to have no access to Flash, nor live without Skype---I got friends and family.
And the utf-8 patch for Midnight Commander doesn't work for FreeBSD.
Linux is BSD compromised. Use the compromised anyway.

I don't play games, Flash 7 is good for me and Skype which I use works for me on FreeBSD 7 beta.

colinzhengj · 2007-11-11 04:15:51

lumiwa wrote:

colinzhengj wrote:
I quit using FreeBSD as my desktop OS, 6 months ago. BSDs are good for work, but not otherwise.
I (and many others) simply cannot afford to have no access to Flash, nor live without Skype---I got friends and family.
And the utf-8 patch for Midnight Commander doesn't work for FreeBSD.
Linux is BSD compromised. Use the compromised anyway.
I don't play games, Flash 7 is good for me and Skype which I use works for me on FreeBSD 7 beta.

Hmm...have you tried the recent Skype2, i.e whether webcam works in the linux-compat layer? I doubt it.. And for Skype 1.x series run in linux-compat, some reported that it hangs the system

Last edited by colinzhengj (2007-11-11 04:19:12)

mumpf · 2007-12-15 20:44:46

My first Linux-install was in 2000, when I installed Mandrake on a machine. For some years I haven't used anything else but MS Windows. In 2004 I tried Kanotix, was dissapointed by the difficulties to set the screen-resolution. I had enough of any Linux experiments and 2006 I tried Ubuntu and Zenwalk. I liked Zenwalk a lot, the people of the forum helped me to enable byte-code, but sometimes it consumed too much time, e.g. installing skype and freemind. Arch is the distro, I hardly have any problems though the configuration at the very beginning is hard.

The wiki is great, most of the problems could be used following the wiki and allways someone was eager to help me with my questions. However I might by an Asus EEE and I will then use the built in xandros.

biryoku · 2008-01-23 19:07:47

Arch Hurd =]

smitty · 2008-01-24 23:22:20

For me, Haiku seems to me to be promising to try out when it comes out of "testing" phase. The fact that everything is optimized for my hardware. Also, it may have more features. I believes it even still goes with the "simplicity" philosophy of Arch, as well. So, I know I will try that out when it comes out of that phase. I also have been experimenting with "Sabayon" and "Gentoo", currently. The LiveCD portions don't seem to work "out of the box" (i.e., I don't think they worked out all it's "kinks / qwirks"). I enjoy working through challenges in a distro, though.

Arch Linux

#126 2007-08-24 15:50:03

Re: Which will be your next distro after Arch Linux?

#127 2007-09-06 13:13:15

Re: Which will be your next distro after Arch Linux?

#128 2007-09-20 18:34:01

Re: Which will be your next distro after Arch Linux?

#129 2007-09-23 11:20:31

Re: Which will be your next distro after Arch Linux?

#130 2007-09-25 02:22:53

Re: Which will be your next distro after Arch Linux?

#131 2007-09-26 03:33:56

Re: Which will be your next distro after Arch Linux?

#132 2007-09-26 03:55:29

Re: Which will be your next distro after Arch Linux?

#133 2007-09-27 19:34:30

Re: Which will be your next distro after Arch Linux?

#134 2007-09-27 20:15:29

Re: Which will be your next distro after Arch Linux?

#135 2007-09-27 21:06:32

Re: Which will be your next distro after Arch Linux?

#136 2007-09-28 01:08:09

Re: Which will be your next distro after Arch Linux?

#137 2007-09-28 11:06:13

Re: Which will be your next distro after Arch Linux?

#138 2007-09-28 12:06:20

Re: Which will be your next distro after Arch Linux?

#139 2007-09-28 14:06:08

Re: Which will be your next distro after Arch Linux?

#140 2007-09-28 14:07:50

Re: Which will be your next distro after Arch Linux?

#141 2007-11-05 01:22:57

Re: Which will be your next distro after Arch Linux?

#142 2007-11-05 20:17:11

Re: Which will be your next distro after Arch Linux?

#143 2007-11-10 02:47:33

Re: Which will be your next distro after Arch Linux?

#144 2007-11-10 08:25:23

Re: Which will be your next distro after Arch Linux?

#145 2007-11-10 08:29:26

Re: Which will be your next distro after Arch Linux?

#146 2007-11-11 00:46:26

Re: Which will be your next distro after Arch Linux?

#147 2007-11-11 04:15:51

Re: Which will be your next distro after Arch Linux?

#148 2007-12-15 20:44:46

Re: Which will be your next distro after Arch Linux?

#149 2008-01-23 19:07:47

Re: Which will be your next distro after Arch Linux?

#150 2008-01-24 23:22:20

Re: Which will be your next distro after Arch Linux?

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