You are not logged in.

#51 2011-05-21 21:17:25

musiKk
Member
Registered: 2011-05-21
Posts: 12

Re: why you choose ArchLinux?

carukia wrote:

After reading the 'Unofficial Beginners' Guide on the Wiki I was attracted to Arch by the challenge of installing and configuring the system. I'd always used Ubuntu or OpenSuse up until then so Arch took me out of my comfort zone, which can only be a good thing. I also liked the idea of a rolling release distro.

Yeah. I wonder why it took so long until someone came with this reason. wink
Of course it's cool to have always up to date packages, rolling release, full control, etc. But for me it too is more the challenge of having to dig a bit in the system without having a configuration dialog for everything. Then again it's not too much. It's kinda perfect.

Offline

#52 2011-05-21 22:47:18

heleos
Member
From: Maine, USA
Registered: 2007-04-24
Posts: 678

Re: why you choose ArchLinux?

Rolling release!

Offline

#53 2011-05-21 22:59:19

tlmiller
Member
Registered: 2009-06-10
Posts: 93

Re: why you choose ArchLinux?

musiKk wrote:
carukia wrote:

After reading the 'Unofficial Beginners' Guide on the Wiki I was attracted to Arch by the challenge of installing and configuring the system. I'd always used Ubuntu or OpenSuse up until then so Arch took me out of my comfort zone, which can only be a good thing. I also liked the idea of a rolling release distro.

Yeah. I wonder why it took so long until someone came with this reason. wink
Of course it's cool to have always up to date packages, rolling release, full control, etc. But for me it too is more the challenge of having to dig a bit in the system without having a configuration dialog for everything. Then again it's not too much. It's kinda perfect.

Agreet that it's not that much.  If you try to do it without reading any of the wiki or userguides it can be nearly impossible.  But I was very much a rookie first time I set it up, and got it working with only very few issues which were easily enough fixed with a few posts to the forums.  Configuring Arch unless you go with some bizarre off the wall configuration is definitely more daunting SOUNDING than it is in reality.

My ONLY major issue with Arch is that I like to play around with distros on REAL hardware...which means I reinstall a lot whenever something attracts my attention.  And Arch's release rate of up to date ISO's is horrible.  At this point, I can configure a WINDOWS install in less time that I can install Arch from the "current" iso and bring it up to date.  Although I have switched over to the beta releases due to this, a newbie might not know how to aquire these newer and far superior images.

Offline

#54 2011-05-26 02:47:03

GI Jack
Member
Registered: 2010-12-29
Posts: 92

Re: why you choose ArchLinux?

There are a lot of good reasons to use arch linux. However, arch is not for everyone. As a linux newb I HIGHLY recommend you start with another distro, unless of course you are a fast learner and you are already familiar with some other types of UNIX/UNIX-like OS. Arch is a great OS, but its not a newbie OS.

Things that draw me to arch linux:
1. Community is excellent. Active, intelligent, useful, and pretty mature.
2. 686 only, squeezes the most out older machines.
3. simple. compared to Debian/Ubuntu arch likes to keep configuration simpler. BSD style init, and single rc.conf system config make changing start up options simple and non-esoteric.
4. initial ram disk can be fine tuned to reduce size and load times.
5. Mission statement. Single mindedness of arch brings focus and discipline to do more with less time spent, catering to things the majority of users don't care for.
6. cutting edge software in a rolling release.

Things that keep me using other distros for at least somethings.:
1. 686/x86-64 only. with ARM breaking through into general computing class chips, and linux being run on more and more devices, ARM is the new up and coming CPU class.
2. small package pool(at least compared to Ubuntu and Debian).
3. Rolling Release. Its a blessing AND a curse. stable releases are needed for some projects.
4. Again, single mindedness. Doesn't work for all projects.

I use a handful of different distros for different things. arch is one of them.

Last edited by GI Jack (2011-05-26 02:48:51)

Offline

#55 2011-05-26 10:42:39

mento
Member
Registered: 2009-10-15
Posts: 24

Re: why you choose ArchLinux?

Archlinux offers a quite stable up-to-date Rolling Release cycle with a lot of packages. And due to the Archlinux hype …

Offline

#56 2011-05-28 09:16:30

MurdersLastCrow
Member
Registered: 2010-10-04
Posts: 74

Re: why you choose ArchLinux?

Package management, package availability, and package recency. Of course, the init system is nice and all, but if another distribution had systemd and pacman with the repositories, I'd probably use it just as likely as Arch. It really has everything to do with pacman and the repos.

And, well, I'm a sucker for their branding. Beautiful design for such a barebones-type distribution. 'Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication'.

Offline

#57 2011-06-01 13:22:12

mrechte
Member
Registered: 2011-05-04
Posts: 41

Re: why you choose ArchLinux?

In my job and at my clients sites I use Red Hat Linux mostly because of their enterprise support and version stability and also their certification. At my home / office, I started using Fedora, but got tired to re-install every 6 months (despite Fedora having an upgrade procedure you are still advised to re-install from scratch...), all-the-more I host a lot of services (samba, apache, postfix, dns, dhcp, oracle, postgresql, mysql, ...). I then decided to switch to CentOS last year just after Red Hat released RHEL 6: I ordered a new SSD while waiting for CentOS to release v6... As I am writing, CentOS 6 is still not released more than 6 months after the "upstream" release ! I incidently found an Arch CD in a magazine, and gave it a try on a spare hard disk. I was first happy with the entire customization of what packages I needed. The installation process allows to start-up a working system, the Wiki will then assist to install further components (X, Gnome, LAMP, etc.). I was faced with a few missing packages (cyrus-imapd, kernel-PAE) and I discovered the power of AUR and how easy it is to compile and install missing packages (even a kernel). Really impressed ! I finally migrated my system and adopted Arch. Regarding stability: yes thing may break after updates (I think this is a Linux fact), but as a rolling release, updates are done by small quantities, so it is less headache and stress compared to a full system upgrade. My regret: that I cannot sponsor Arch by purchasing some T-shirts ! THANKS TO THE ARCH TEAM.

Offline

#58 2011-06-01 15:06:48

jgreen1tc
Member
From: St. Louis
Registered: 2011-05-16
Posts: 251

Re: why you choose ArchLinux?

Arch is the first linux distro I have ever tried, and will be the last. I don't care if I'm "missing out" on anything. I'm happy with arch.

When I first decided to switch from windows, I did a lot of research to find out which distro would be the best for me. Gentoo at first caught my eye because I liked the idea of having an OS tailored specifically to me. The thing that kept me away from it was that even people on the forums advised new linux users not to try it. But it seemed so cool that I still wanted it. I would just bide my time until I learned more about linux. Time to RTFM.

As I was browsing and lurking the gentoo forums, I saw posts comparing it to arch. I realized how similar they were, but for some reason, Arch caught my eye. I googled "arch vs gentoo" and was brought to an archwiki page called "Arch vs Other Distrobutions." At first I thought to myself "This is going to be the most biased review of the other distrobutions ever." Wrong. It seemed to be an unbiased compare/contrast. How pleasant. Then I saw The Arch Way. Sold. Almost...

One thing I like to google for is the stuff people hate about a product just to see if I can live with it. So I googled "arch linux sucks" and read what people hated about it. And I really felt like I could live with it. Time to give myself a trial by fire introduction to linux with Arch.

My first install was maybe a month ago? And just from that I learned a lot. But I decided I wanted to try again, so 3 days ago, I wiped my laptop with a fresh install. Tinkering with arch made computing fun to me again. I can't wait until I have everything to my liking.

Offline

#59 2011-06-01 16:18:19

Mr_Robotic_Evil
Member
Registered: 2010-11-28
Posts: 14

Re: why you choose ArchLinux?

AUR(a lot of packages)+no useless stuff after installation

Offline

#60 2011-06-01 21:47:41

halhen
Member
From: Gothenburg, Sweden
Registered: 2009-04-08
Posts: 56
Website

Re: why you choose ArchLinux?

Yeah, I'm back. I've been on a detour to Debian since February (after having used Arch exclusively since early -08). Debian is our main target distro for the development at work, so I run it there. I'm reasonably happy about it, it's stable, predictable and excellent for server production. However, it doesn't bring me techjoy like Arch does. Two glasses of wine later, I'm home again.

What I've missed (and what many other have said so many times, it almost sounds cliché)

* pacman - damn, it's fast!
* a sense of control / understanding / simplicity
* PKGBUILDs / AUR
* the wiki


statnot - status text manager and notification-daemon for dwm, wmii and the like
shic - SHellscript Irc Client

Offline

#61 2011-06-02 18:27:48

EvilRobot
Member
Registered: 2010-02-23
Posts: 26

Re: why you choose ArchLinux?

* Rolling release
* Arch Wiki
* Arch forums
* Pacman
* AUR/PKGBUILDs/ABS

Those are the main reasons I chose Arch and from what I've read many others feel the same. Oh and the current logo is pretty awesome too. smile

Offline

#62 2011-06-03 03:20:04

rp181
Member
Registered: 2010-04-03
Posts: 81

Re: why you choose ArchLinux?

"New Linux users shouldn't try and install Arch"
"Challenge Accepted!"

Offline

#63 2011-06-03 08:33:13

WorMzy
Forum Moderator
From: Scotland
Registered: 2010-06-16
Posts: 11,784
Website

Re: why you choose ArchLinux?

The main reason why I started using Arch because I was sick to death of all the fake dependencies Ubuntu sticks in it's packages. If I uninstall something like plymouth, I don't want to take the rest of the system with it. In fact, I don't want to have plymouth installed in the first place, or half of the other programs Ubuntu comes with by default.

I don't agree with all of the aspects of the Arch Philosophy -- I'll patch the shit out of source code if it'll look good or achieve what I want -- but I love how I get complete control of my system. I've only used Arch Linux for about a year, but in that time I've learnt a lot more about Linux than I have done in the past five years of using it.


Sakura:-
Mobo: MSI MAG X570S TORPEDO MAX // Processor: AMD Ryzen 9 5950X @4.9GHz // GFX: AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT // RAM: 32GB (4x 8GB) Corsair DDR4 (@ 3000MHz) // Storage: 1x 3TB HDD, 6x 1TB SSD, 2x 120GB SSD, 1x 275GB M2 SSD

Making lemonade from lemons since 2015.

Offline

#64 2011-06-03 14:06:52

Cyrusm
Member
From: Bozeman, MT
Registered: 2007-11-15
Posts: 1,053

Re: why you choose ArchLinux?

The reason that I keep arch around is because of the amount of control offered by the effectively bare-bones base install in that I can add and configure programs as I see fit.  Pacman and  the ABS aid in this by providing a fast and easy way to install packages (main reason I don't use gentoo).  I also enjoy the many learning experiences that Arch has offered in regards to how the guts of a linux system operate.  I've learned to be fast and efficient working from the command line, I've learned self-sufficiency in system repair through reading the documentation (RTFM) and I've been exposed to programs and ways of doing things by the community that I doubt I would have been exposed to through another distro. (xmonad, uzbl, nethack etc.)  I've been using Arch for a few years now, and not a day goes by that I don't learn something new about my computer. I like that.


Hofstadter's Law:
           It always takes longer than you expect, even when you take into account Hofstadter's Law.

Offline

#65 2011-06-05 03:05:40

twl
Member
Registered: 2011-05-30
Posts: 20

Re: why you choose ArchLinux?

https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Archboot

Last edited by twl (2011-06-05 03:09:49)

Offline

#66 2011-06-05 08:20:40

megadriver
Member
From: Spain
Registered: 2010-02-03
Posts: 58
Website

Re: why you choose ArchLinux?

In short, as many have already said, The Arch Way.

Elaborating a bit:
1. Above all, the ABS. I just love it.
2. And the AUR, of course.
3. Rolling release.
4. Bleeding edge, but you rarely get cut (and I run testing!).
5. The perfect balance between control and convenience.
6. It doesn't try to cater to "the masses".

Last edited by megadriver (2011-06-05 08:46:15)

Offline

#67 2011-06-05 09:57:02

twilight0
Member
From: Greece
Registered: 2011-05-01
Posts: 227
Website

Re: why you choose ArchLinux?

As mentioned many times already, I d like to elaborate as well:

1. Rolling release... since I installed Arch, I forgot I have to cleanly reinstall my OS every 6 or so months. I think this is the most importand reason for me.
2. AUR... the unofficial-official off the record packages you always wanted to have installed. I am lovin' it.
3. Bleeding edge... yes I always want to have the latest xorg-server and off course KDE.
4. Wiki... probably the best Linux wiki out there.
5. That sense of control and ease of system maintenance.
6. Fast boot (I was impressed by its speed the first time I had a complete setup) and later after stripping the initramfs deactivating daemons to the absolute necessary it became even faster.
7. I always wanted to give Gentoo a try, I did once, but I cant wait for the compilation to complete. I am trusting others to do that for me with strong machines. Mine is already 7 years old.
8. 686 optimizations... why on earth Ubuntu is still 386 and its hardware requirements are with at least 512 Mbs of memory. Its 2011 for ...banana's sake!


Proud Arch Linux user since 2007.

Offline

#68 2011-06-05 13:06:15

pommes_
Member
From: Germany
Registered: 2007-12-30
Posts: 31
Website

Re: why you choose ArchLinux?

because I like to see Allan break it. big_smile

Offline

#69 2011-06-09 01:46:07

kofrad
Member
From: South Florida, USA
Registered: 2011-05-15
Posts: 45

Re: why you choose ArchLinux?

I mostly chose Arch as an alternative solution to Gentoo. As much as I loved Gentoo over the years, I've felt it began to get out-of-date and slow down development-wise. I decided I needed something more up-to-date with an active community. From the start, Arch seemed the way to go. Reading 'The Arch Way' is probably what sealed the deal. The best parts of Arch for me would be the rolling release, community and documentation.


Desktop: Arch Linux | AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 5000+ | 3GB RAM | GeForce 6800 XT 512MB | 1TB+
Audio Studio: XP SP3 | Intel Pentium 4 3GHz Prescott | 1GB DDR | GeForce 6800 128MB | 120GB

Offline

#70 2011-06-09 02:45:42

sonay
Member
Registered: 2010-03-09
Posts: 75

Re: why you choose ArchLinux?

rolling-release

Offline

#71 2011-06-10 00:43:16

kennyd
Member
Registered: 2010-10-20
Posts: 19

Re: why you choose ArchLinux?

I chose Arch because I fancied a change and wanted to learn more about linux at the same time.

I continue to choose Arch because of awesome things like ABS, pacman, having a system the way I want it and up-to-date packages. 

I've also come to love the Arch Way - I like actually knowing and understanding what my system is doing, why it's doing it and how to modify it.

Offline

#72 2011-06-10 01:03:39

MrCode
Member
Registered: 2010-02-06
Posts: 373

Re: why you choose ArchLinux?

I wanted a distro with both a DIY/KISS philosophy and automatic dependency management, that also didn't require that I compile every last package from scratch. big_smile

Last edited by MrCode (2011-06-10 01:04:21)

Offline

#73 2011-06-10 01:11:04

jasonwryan
Anarchist
From: .nz
Registered: 2009-05-09
Posts: 30,424
Website

Re: why you choose ArchLinux?


Arch + dwm   •   Mercurial repos  •   Surfraw

Registered Linux User #482438

Offline

#74 2011-06-10 01:30:57

Hyugga
Member
From: Santiago, Chile
Registered: 2010-03-26
Posts: 335

Re: why you choose ArchLinux?

I'm come from Ubuntu, the 9.04 version was pretty good. I didn't like the Ubuntu 9.10 version so i decided to make a change. I installed fedora, opensuse, debian and Arch.
I only liked Arch. Its easy, flexible, bleeding edge, fast and the community is the best, everything you want from a Linux distro.
Good luck.

Offline

#75 2011-06-10 06:12:44

SolarShado
Member
Registered: 2011-01-24
Posts: 14

Re: why you choose ArchLinux?

I found Arch while was looking at Gentoo and LFS: thinking of building my own (fairly) minimal OS. The flexibility of that minus the boring hours compiling? Hell yeah I'll try that!

Almost a year later, I don't see myself ever using another distro. Pacman FTW!

Offline

Board footer

Powered by FluxBB