My mother now uses Arch Linux

sweetandy · 2009-11-10 04:02:01

As some of you who hang in IRC may know, I have officially set my mother up with Arch Linux.

I was extremely frustrated with the update to Karmic Koala (she was using Ubuntu before), and I realized that it is virtually impossible to get your hands dirty quickly with the new install of Ubuntu. (That, and for the life of me I couldn't get the resolution higher than 800x600. I tried Fedora too, same problem.)

So I installed a Linux I knew I could handle, since I live at home and can work on her computer whenever she needs it. Arch made it possible for me to set up the computer exactly how I knew she would want/need it to be. It's a simple gdm/gnome setup, with a few things here and there, but I could not have done it as quickly and effectively without Arch.

Oh, and it's FAAAST, and I haven't even tweaked her boot scripts yet.

So yes. My own mother uses Arch. Eat it.

Big hearts,
--Andrew

PS. New sig.

ASOM · 2009-11-10 04:24:36

Nice!

I threw Suse on my Mom's rig, thinking it would be easier for me to manage but instead only created more work for myself having to learn Suse every time she has a question.. I would have actually been farther ahead to install Gentoo or Arch due to familiarity.. She's about due for an upgrade to her rig pretty soon, so I'll probably follow your lead and set up Arch..

jwcxz · 2009-11-10 07:15:20

(That, and for the life of me I couldn't get the resolution higher than 800x600. I tried Fedora too, same problem.)

Xorg.conf?

.:B:. · 2009-11-10 09:29:48

I guess I have to put in my sig that my mom and aunt run Arch then...

I find Arch as a rolling release to be better suited for long-time installations than Ubuntu and the likes where you can do a dist-upgrade that has a big chance to fubar your install. Hence why I picked it over Ubuntu (or any similar distro) to install on family members' systems.

arkay · 2009-11-10 11:33:57

Damn.. I used Mint cause I thought it'd be easier for my bother in law. Now I'm in the same boat and have to re-do it all with Arch. Dealing with his Mint problems is driving me nuts. But I know he'll never be able to understand pacman. So I guess that leaves me having to find and install any new software for him. Guess that's ok too though as then I have full control over how the system runs.

Cheers,

Arkay.

Rasi · 2009-11-10 11:55:17

arkay wrote:

Damn.. I used Mint cause I thought it'd be easier for my bother in law. Now I'm in the same boat and have to re-do it all with Arch. Dealing with his Mint problems is driving me nuts. But I know he'll never be able to understand pacman. So I guess that leaves me having to find and install any new software for him. Guess that's ok too though as then I have full control over how the system runs.
Cheers,
Arkay.

you can install shaman

Dieter@be · 2009-11-10 12:11:39

my mom and uncle use Arch too. in fact my mom's pc is the very first "production system" (she uses it for her work) that was installed using the AIF installer (a few months before it made its appearance on the 2009.02 images)

lucke · 2009-11-10 12:58:02

My parents have been using Arch for some years. Yay for archparents.

mythus · 2009-11-10 13:09:03

Well I can't say my parents use arch... my mom and dad are both extremely stubborn....

But my wife does lol. She's very computer illiterate, she knows how to run something if it is already there like open office or chrome... but other than that no. I tried Ubuntus with her first, she didn't like em. She however has absolutely no trouble with arch, which is great because that means I don't have to worry about a second ytpe of system. I just do her updating and stuff as mine updates.

BTW- she can't stand to use windows. It is too aggravating and confusing for her. Awesome I say .

zenlord · 2009-11-10 13:25:20

Hah! Both my mom and my 80+ grandfather are using archlinux!

It kinda helped that my grandfather never had used a computer before until I gave him my old computer and started him on some lessons. Now he's browsing the internet just fine and from time to time he sends me an email!

stryder · 2009-11-10 13:53:54

arkay wrote:

Damn.. I used Mint cause I thought it'd be easier for my bother in law. Now I'm in the same boat and have to re-do it all with Arch. Dealing with his Mint problems is driving me nuts. But I know he'll never be able to understand pacman. So I guess that leaves me having to find and install any new software for him. Guess that's ok too though as then I have full control over how the system runs.
Cheers,
Arkay.

Off topic, but "bother in law" brought on a smile...

ctarwater · 2009-11-10 13:55:14

My fairly computer illiterate wife also uses arch. She's got more or less the same setup I do: openbox, tint2, pcmanfm. She loves the left click menu access to all of her apps and i've added access to basic config files from there as well.

I've offered/threatened to install win7 on her netbook and she almost hit me.

sweetandy · 2009-11-10 14:41:57

jwcxz wrote:

(That, and for the life of me I couldn't get the resolution higher than 800x600. I tried Fedora too, same problem.)
Xorg.conf?

Xorg.conf did not behave, at all, period. xrandr fails, dexconf (Ub's xdebconfigurator) is no help, dpkg-reconfigure for the xorg server simply has no output... I could continue, needless to say X is fine under Arch.

Thank you so much for your replies, everyone! This is really warming to hear!

fsckd · 2009-11-10 16:12:13

Yeah, well ur mom uses Linux. Har har har.

(Somehow this doesn't seem as funny as when I first thought it.)

.:B:. · 2009-11-10 19:48:02

The point is: if the user doesn't need to install anything an Arch setup with a configured DE is just fine (even a WM could do with some tweaking).

If you want them to install stuff themselves, then Ubuntu and the likes might be an easier option - for them. But the people I maintain Linux boxes for always ask me to install stuff. And let's admit it - with an SSH connection, it's a matter of minutes. Not like you have to go over there.

sweetandy · 2009-11-10 20:35:38

B wrote:

The point is: if the user doesn't need to install anything an Arch setup with a configured DE is just fine
<snip>
And let's admit it - with an SSH connection, it's a matter of minutes. Not like you have to go over there.

I completely agree, B. The best part about it is, with an SSH connection, I can fully manage her computer from either the desk in my room, or if I'm lazy enough, the TV couch from across the room from her computer (on my laptop). Really quite a beautiful thing.

Edit: I can just see it now.

Mom: "Honey, can you come over here?"
Andy: "What is it, mom?"
Mom: "My printing is acting up."
Andy: "Okay, I just restarted CUPS, try again."
Printer: "Brrzzz-oop!"
Mom: "Thaaaanks."
Andy: "Do I get paid now?"

(Who invented SSH, anyway? I want to shake his hand, and possibly be his slave.)

Last edited by sweetandy (2009-11-10 20:38:38)

Minishark · 2009-11-10 20:44:03

[snip]

Moderator edit: This ain't your favourite pr0n forum, so keep your manners

Last edited by B (2009-11-10 21:12:56)

chilebiker · 2009-11-10 22:34:25

We're an Arch-only family here as well! All our computers run Arch: Openbox for me, KDE for wife and kid, IceWM for our Internet station.

Ranguvar · 2009-11-10 23:00:59

sweetandy wrote:

B wrote:
The point is: if the user doesn't need to install anything an Arch setup with a configured DE is just fine
<snip>
And let's admit it - with an SSH connection, it's a matter of minutes. Not like you have to go over there.
I completely agree, B. The best part about it is, with an SSH connection, I can fully manage her computer from either the desk in my room, or if I'm lazy enough, the TV couch from across the room from her computer (on my laptop). Really quite a beautiful thing.
Edit: I can just see it now.
Mom: "Honey, can you come over here?"
Andy: "What is it, mom?"
Mom: "My printing is acting up."
Andy: "Okay, I just restarted CUPS, try again."
Printer: "Brrzzz-oop!"
Mom: "Thaaaanks."
Andy: "Do I get paid now?"
(Who invented SSH, anyway? I want to shake his hand, and possibly be his slave.)

Telnet: Nobody knows...
SSH protocol: Tatu Ylönen
OpenSSH (our implementation): Björn Grönvall (for OSSH) and currently the OpenBSD team, who forked OSSH (yep, you're gonna have to be Theo de Raadt's slave!)

sweetandy · 2009-11-11 01:23:16

chilebiker wrote:

We're an Arch-only family here as well! All our computers run Arch: Openbox for me, KDE for wife and kid, IceWM for our Internet station.

This makes me smile so much. I know that when I get older and get married, I'm going to be running a Linux house. It may seem horrible of me, but I couldn't marry a Windows user. I'd compromise with OS X, probably, if that's what my wife really prefers. It's that important to me. This may be bad.

zowki · 2009-11-12 10:38:06

I want my mom to run arch linux but my concern is with updating. Do you tell your mom to pacman -Syu every so often or do you just never update?

sand_man · 2009-11-12 11:28:40

I wouldn't let my mum near a computer.

.:B:. · 2009-11-12 12:03:01

zowki wrote:

I want my mom to run arch linux but my concern is with updating. Do you tell your mom to pacman -Syu every so often or do you just never update?

You just do it yourself. SSH, remember?

zowki · 2009-11-12 14:31:47

B wrote:

zowki wrote:
I want my mom to run arch linux but my concern is with updating. Do you tell your mom to pacman -Syu every so often or do you just never update?
You just do it yourself. SSH, remember?

Its hard enough to maintain updates for my own computer let alone someone else's, I'll give it a shot and see how it goes...

Last edited by zowki (2009-11-12 15:01:35)

sHyLoCk · 2009-11-12 15:20:08

My Mum used ubuntu for a while and now uses openSUSE. Downloading 11.2 right now. I started liking it as well, kde integration is brilliant there. I triple boot it with arch and xp. Dropped karmic after a day due to well...you all know.

Arch Linux

#1 2009-11-10 04:02:01

My mother now uses Arch Linux

#2 2009-11-10 04:24:36

Re: My mother now uses Arch Linux

#3 2009-11-10 07:15:20

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#4 2009-11-10 09:29:48

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#5 2009-11-10 11:33:57

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#6 2009-11-10 11:55:17

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#7 2009-11-10 12:11:39

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#8 2009-11-10 12:58:02

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