Blog Post #21, In Which I Defend Arch Linux
Eevee:
So, inspired by magical's lofty praise and lured by the promise of a permanently bleeding edge, I decided to try out Arch Linux.
Let me preface this by saying: Do not use Arch Linux.
...
That's a little... harsh. And the reasons he gives don't sound that bad to me-definitely not bad enough to warrant such a... bold proclamation. (Ba-dump tish~)
Seriously, it's mostly the same stuff i encountered when i installed Arch; the difference is that i didn't complain about it.
I think the problem is one of mismatched expectations, so-
I guess i didn't say it in my original post, so i'll say it now:
Arch is not for everybody.
It is for people who are pretty comfortable with linux and want more control over their system.
See also the Arch FAQ: Why would I not want to use Arch?
Before you install Arch, you should very familiar with the command-line.
You should be comfortable poking around in /etc and editing config files.
You should be comfortable with partitioning.
When you install Arch, you should have the Beginners' Guide and the Official Arch Install Guide open for reference.
You'll also want to read up on pacman (Arch's package manager).
The installer is not a fancy graphical one. It drops you into parted for manual partitioning.
It drops you into a root shell to configure your new system.
Because of the rolling release system, an Arch system requires continuous maintenance. If are looking for a "set it and forget it" distro, look elsewhere.
karlzt: I want to know why ubuntu is the best distro for your needs.
esr: Because nobody has shown me one that requires less administration yet.
-http://esr.ibiblio.org/?p=2738#comment-286119
Arch is minimal.
The system which you install is a bare-minimum working linux system; anything else must be added.
It doesn't come with a web browser.
It doesn't come with X!
It doesn't come with ALSA or CUPS.
It doesn't come with Python or perl.
It doesn't even have to come with gcc!
If you want any of those things, you will have to install them and, if necessary, configure them.
Fortunately, Arch has a very helpful wiki.
If you want a desktop environment or a window manager or a display manager, you have to install those too.
You probably want all those things, but some people don't.
Arch gives you control.
The point of this exercise is that it gives you a greater understanding of your system.
You built the system up from scratch.
Everything is there because you put it there.
You know every component, and what it is for.
If something breaks, you know where to go to fix it.
(Well, ideally.)
Software is my hobby. I want to know what my system is doing. I want to understand it. I want to know that every piece is vital.
Arch gives me that.
(There are other distros that offer the same sort of experience-Gentoo and Slackware come to mind.)
In Eevee's case, it sounds like he has already done this exercise, so i can understand if he doesn't need to do it again.
Arch's philosophy isn't the only one; if my grandmother called me up and asked me to install linux, i would install Ubuntu. But for my personal computer, i proudly run Arch.