1d ago

Every now and again a voice comes into my head telling me to install Arch.

147 comments

I don't even notice Debian, which is exactly how an operating system should work.
And yet...
- I love this
- Here's the thing. When I talk to friends interested in Linux, it's always Debian or Fedora that I suggest. I think they draw a good line for what the average user wants and needs and they're stable. In fact, I used Fedora for a long time, and all my homelab stuff runs Debian. It wasn't until computers themselves became a hobby that I switched to Arch. And I think that's likely the cutoff. If you're a computer user, stable distros are great. If you're more a hobbiest... Well, the Arch wiki can own your free time.
  
  Debian is where the jaded users end up when they lack the will to flash another usb stick.
  "I'm good, fuck it."
  
  "Man I wish I could do more with my new computer" -- Fedora
  "Yeah I just want to breathe some new life into this old laptop and have it last me until the end of time" -- Debian
  
  NixOS has entered the chat

The literal ArchWiki says you may not want to use Arch if you are happy with your current OS.
- based
- This is good, i hope somebody printed this and hand it over to Arch Linux cult

- Almost every interaction with a boomer involving their computer/phone
  
  The zoomers and gen-alpha aren't doing much better. Just ask the average teen what a filesystem is and how to find a file without it being organized in some sort of media gallery app.
  As a millennial, I often feel like I'm surrounded by tech illiterates on both the upper AND lower sides of my age bracket.
  
  It's dumb as hell to most here, but ordinary users their own ideas on what a desktop should look like that often doesn't agree with the intelligentsia. Just let them have it.

Unpopular opinion: install community distros, not corporate ones. That way you can support the developers for their hardwork. Redhat doesn't need our money, they already make enough of it. I use CachyOS, btw.
- I just switched to CachyOS and I’m really enjoying it so far. My journey so far has been Mint > Bazzite > Kubuntu > back to Mint > CachyOS and for the first time I don’t have any real complaints. There’s a voice inside my head telling me to jump to just standard Arch though. Not really sure why. Have you tried standard Arch? If so, how does it compare to CachyOS? I probably won’t end up switching, I haven’t had any issues yet and I’m a computer problem magnet and certified idiot, so I’ll probably stick to what works, but something draws me to pure Arch.
  
  I've run vanilla arch for quite a while. CachyOS is a ton better. Arch is barebones and you have to do everything yourself. If you have the time and patience to do it, then more power to ya. I'm a dad of two, one of which is on the spectrum. So, I wanted something like Arch that just works and doesn't require too much maintenance, and cachy has been just that.
  I've not had a single major issue with it in the 3 months it's been running on my machine. Just your normal Linux annoyances. I love how the gaming package on cachy is literally one click of a button. Also, it's a lot faster
  
  Standard arch is just a downgrade from cachy if you just want a functional computer and not have to think about it.

i was happy with Arch on my server.
then, i installed NixOS on it.
update: i've set it up to a usable state, it's a minecraft server
- Arch on my server
  Sane people usually go bungee jumping or cave diving to get their irrational danger kicks.
  
  Eh arch is perfectly stable for server use.
  Can even get a debian experience by not updating ever.
  
  Been running my mail server on arch for six years and counting. Best decision given the circumstances!
- Installing Arch on a server is certainly a choice
  
  Somehow it never broke (1.5 years of usage). the reason i installed nix was because arch worked but felt too messy, full of random systemd services i made and put in random places
  
  Mines running strong even through hardware changes for 6 years now
- This is the way.

The funny thing for me is I swapped to fedora after my last attempt to use arch failed spectacularly.
I've found I'm at a point where I just want my device to work and work well
- Just means your over 25
  
  /me a 42 year old that uses Arch
  I take that personally.
  /me adjusts my knee high socks.
  
  Lol I'm close. Not quite there yet but looks like my linux habits have a head start

If everything is the way you like it, you are winning. Keep on winning.
- Dosent even have to be the way you like it. It only has to be the way that lets you get work done. If you can get work done on your thinking sand tool then it is a good tool.

the right distro for you is whatever works for you. you don't order a steak just because your friends get one, when you really want those succulent linguinis.
- succulent linguinis
  Dibs on band name
- This comment just gave me a flashback to one of my first big business trips from almost 20 years ago for some training in another state.
  I got fettuccine Alfredo (or linguine alfredo or whatever version that place had) at whatever nice restaurant we went to and they brought that shit out in a punch bowl!!
  I remember it was good, I ate a lot, and that it didn't feel great after. I cannot remember if I finished it though. There's gotta be no way, but I do know back then at occasional large meals (everything from Thanksgiving down to business trips) I would eat like 3 times what I will now.

I was a fedora boy until I met endeavoros and kde.
Now I'm a straight up hoe.
- But are you a well loved and taken care of hoe? Cause you deserve to be.
  
  Taking care of your hoes is an essential regular maintenance task for a healthy garden.

Unpopular opinion: I love Ubuntu. No, I don't use snaps at all. I have an Nvidia GPU and it's literally the only OS working out of the box. Yes I tried Debian, I'm too busy to fiddle with drivers. No, I can't get rid of the GPU, I depend on it for critical workflows. I love the minimalism of Gnome. Never liked KDE/Cinnamon honestly, they're too busy for my tastes. For 15 years I've tried other distros and I'm always back on Ubuntu. I'll ride the purple penguin to my grave.
Downvotes only please.
- It certainly seems like public opinion changed the tast ten years or so. As an ubuntu user, could you confirm or deny these claims I've seen? One is that firefox is a snap even if you try to install it with apt. Another is that they show ads to get paid ubuntu in the terminal output?
  
  I can confirm them both. I'm considering moving to Debian because of this.
  You can uninstall snap and use flatpak for those apps but it was a slap in the face when Firefox suddenly was replaced by a snap through apt
  
  If you really like Ubuntu, Linux mint Ubuntu version comes with the snap defaults removed.
  
  You got me there, firefox is the only snap I really use. Probably can be removed and replaced with apt version but honestly I don't care much. I tend to clean reinstall frequently and I leave as much in the default setup as I can.
  If it works, it works. But it does cause me to have another step to update everything, which is slightly annoying. And yes I don't like Canonical's insistence on snaps. I just try to avoid them really.
  Ads, certainly never seen them.
- I tried
  I cannot downvote a GNOME lover
- Joke's on you, downvotes aren't a thing on my instance, you'll take my upvote and you'll like it
- I've always admired Ubuntu for making installing nVidia driver pretty painless.
  I don't know nVidia gpu you have, but I'm looking at immutable distros and I found Aurora, (based on Fedora Kinonite). Before I even downloaded the iso, they asked if I had an nVidia chipset and which one. I simply selected the driver for my older 1650 chipset and they automatically added the correct driver into the iso. I installed it and everything was working properly on first boot.
  It was without a doubt the most painless nVidia driver install I've ever had on ANY OS.
- Nobara works ootb too if you ever want to try a fedora spin. they even have a separate installer for nvidia users.
- I've had 0 problems out of Debian since bookworm.
  That said, I daily drive Nix and use Ubuntu LTS for servers because I'm too lazy to keep up with it otherwise.
- Trying to help with the downvote situation. Glad you decided on a distro that works for you and you're not succumbing to the pressure.

And I thought all Arch users already switched to Nix OS (BTW)
- I want to switch to Nix... the idea of Nix is compelling. In practice every time I try and test it out I remember that I'm an idiot with a keyboard and I should stop.
  
  I personally think Nix OS brings some amazing features, very few of which are relevant for me as a regular laptop user without my own server farm. Sure, reproducible builds and dynamic package versions are neat. But if it takes me 1000 hrs to learn how to write a functional config file that I now have to keep updated, if I have to work with some weird repository, there is no documentation and community infighting... Nah, I'll stick to debian (BTW) for a while.
- Nah, I looked at it and it doesn't interest me. I like arch because, contrary to popular belief, it is quite stable (as in non crashing, not package versions) if you only install exactly what you need. I had way more stability issues on the more standard distros since they had so much extra stuff. Debian for servers every day though.
  Nix looks interesting in theory, but is a lot of work and too opinionated for me. Far from an expert though and have nothing against those that like it or any other distro.
  
  The words stable and reliable should have formal definitions.
  
  As someone considering getting Arch, what is unstable about the package versions? I thought the rolling release was a selling point, but does it actually make things more unstable?
- I want to (and previously tried it out for a bit) but the difficulty curve (more like a difficult brick wall) is hard to deal with
- Naw, archer users either become cachy users OR nix. It's a pipe line with a y junction.

Tried it all and ended up with Mint again. Forever the best distro.
- Hell yes! Mint 4 life!
  I am convinced that I will try Arch or similar some day in the future simply because of SteamOS switching over to being based off of it. But for now, I develop software for embedded Linux systems all day at work. When I get home it's either family time inside or it's playing "engineer turned farmer" in my back yard. Literally digging in the dirt and building stuff out of wood. Feels good man.
- Dn it, am.on Mint, currently thinking about going Fedora with plasma
  
  Do it....You know you want to.
  After a couple of decades of wandering the Great Distro Desert in search of The One, it seems I have landed and Fedora Plasma as what I want in an OS. I've been running Fedora for the past few years now. I'm currently looking into Kinonite for that atomic goodness. It appears good so far.
  Edit: You can choose the Cinnamon Spin if you enjoy that DE. I found Fedora Cinnamon to be snappier than the Mint version.

You can have your cake and eat it too! Just install Arch in a VM to play around with without jeopardizing the stability of your main machine. Once you feel comfortable, you can make the switch. Or not. Having choices is great.
- I feel a lot of people really forget that virtual machines exist.

I don’t get distro hopping
There are better uses for your time
But hey, do as you want
- Yeah at some point they are all the same to me it's just the different package manager. Pacman, apt, yum or whatever they are calling it now a days.
  Most use systemd.
  I started using Arch flavors because when you have brand new hardware the latest kernel can be important. After the machine is a couple years old it doesn't really matter.
  Also Endeavouros is where it's at (but don't tell the vanilla Arch people, they won't help me with my problems if they find out)
  
  Agreed. After years of Ubuntu (who remember single digits?) Endeavour OS really knocked it out of the park on my new laptop. Everything smooth as butter, out of the box. Hibernation works on a bleeding edge device. No tearing. HDR works. VRR works. YouTube 4k 60fps no drops. Games run beautifully.
  Okay, some BT issues, and the Wifi card is crap, and I don't know how much of this is due to having an AMD graphics vs NVIDIA. But it's sooo damn smooth. Games just work. KDE plasma >>>> gnome, and I say that as a gnome user since canonical killed unity.
  Don't get me started on the arch ecosystem and documentation. yay 😁
  Just do what you've been wanting to do for a long time
- I think when you first get into Linux it's a valid thing. you want to find the distro that you're most comfortable with.
  When I first started using linux I tried them all and eventually just settled on Arch because it felt right to me. That being said I don't knock anyone who uses whatever. A good friend of mine online uses Slackware and he loves it, it works for him. There's no "wrong" distro, it's whatever works for you. you have to initially hop around though to find that though.
  Also distro hopping is great when it comes to helping people, especially new linux users. I've made many friends within the community because for a solid year I just hopped all over the place and tried to learn it all.
- I switched from Ubuntu to Debian when I got pissed about something.
  But it’s not a hop, more like a leisurely walk 😀
- See the world, they said....

Arch is for new users, experienced ones use Gentoo
- Calm down there Satan.
  
  undefined
  
  echo 'os-distro/gentoo -satan' >> /etc/portage/package.use emerge -yvuDN @world
- Neither one of those will put hair on your chest, Saddle up NixOS, that'll make you want to stab people in the eye... still fun tho
  
  If Nix wasn't binary (at least it was last time I checked.
  Dunno, it never seemed too interesting to me.

I moved to fedora after a decade on Arch.
Feels like home.

I'm happy with Arch (BTW) and have the same thoughts about NixOS.
- Yeah the concept of NixOS is impossible to not be attracted to for avid Arch users.
  The reality? It can be a deterrent.
  
  I attempted a few times. Setting up additional repositories and/or enabling testing repos declaratively was not possible. you had to do it via command line before setting the system. checked back some time later, still was the case. Also there are many ways to do the same thing, what are flakes, how to declaratively manage home (again there were multiple ways to do that). Are some of those ways deprecated, are some in testing, which one is assumed to be the default? etc.
  If I ever need to manage multiple machines, and I have to setup a new machine every 6 months or so I'll get to work and learn. Other than that, isn't really worth the trouble.
  But still tempting :)

You’re really going to settle on an os with imperfections? With arch, you could finally do what you’ve been meaning to do without the constraints that others’ small minded inefficiencies produce. Just think about it. An OS precisely to your liking. No compromises, just your apotheosis. Become what you were meant to be. (Mate btw)
- Nothing like getting to screw up your computer your way! Ultimate customization 😄
  *am Arch-based user

I tried arch at one point :3 im back on pop!_os tho

I avoid it only because of its loudest user base.
- I used to be like you, then I used Arch btw. Then I actually used fedora then I started reminiscing about Arch btw.
  
  Your message makes me think i shouldnstart a new fork of Arch, and name it "Arch btw", and make it crappy.
  It would break all the memes about arch

Slackware for me.
- Tarballs. Yum!

And here I am on popos 22.4, while my friend tries to make me install arch with hyprland lol
- unpopular opinion: tiling wms and wayland are nothing but a flashy headache... I use Arch (with i3, btw)
  
  Your opinion will stay unpopular, because tiling is a lifesaver. Fuck mouse controls.

Every time I've tried using Arch, something breaks.
- So you fixed it with a simple search and a bit of research, r-right?
  
  No, I fixed it by shutting down the PC and restoring from my backup. Plus, how can I search or research when the first thing to go is my Internet access?
- I couldn’t even configure a static IP on setup. You have to keep looking up commands with obscure syntax and no examples
  
  If your use-case allows, it's probably easier to set a reservation on your router.

sighs
Welp. Once more, with feeling.
$ ./clears-throat.sh
Use whatever the fuck you want, you weirdo cultists.

On Mint. Love Mint. Deb is life.
- I'm trying to convince myself to try Bazzite from Mint. I have used Mint for 3 years now and need to install on a new larger drive.
  
  Bazzite is great, but take a look at Aurora and Bluefin, too. All built from the same community with slightly different goals.
  I started with Bazzite and ended up staying with Aurora.
  
  I've really enjoyed my Bazzite experience. I've been running Linux for decades though, so take it with a grain of salt.

Same thing happens to me but with Gentoo. It's like rekindling a doomed to fail relationship over and over again.

After trying 10+ distributions over the years the urge to try something new is not that strong, I settled on Debian based distributions.
But if I should try something new I would look into FreeBSD to get some Unix experience, or else NixOS also sounds interesting.

This is me, my PC currently runs Arch but I keep reading more about NixOS.

I have the same problem with NixOS and Debian.
Currently every family computer and server in the house runs Debian 12 as a base. But the urge to convert everything to Nix one day still tickles me, who knows someday...
- I have Nix installs on two computers and have moved one of them twice to different hardware. Works, as it says, on the side of the tin.
  BUUUUT... It's a bear to get under control. It adds a lot complexity to things that should be simple, it makes some things nearly impossible, and then makes really hugely difficult things cake.
  for example, one of a thousands things I want to do that's easy
  If I want to run parsec client. (there is no server available sadly)
  nix search nixpkgs parsec
  legacyPackages.x86_64-linux.parsec-bin (150_97c) Remote streaming service client
  nix-shell -p parsec-bin #ephemeral install, puts it in the store but only links it for this shell
  done! Let's start it!
  parsec
  parsec: command not found
  parsec-bin
  parsec-bin: command not found
  parsec-client
  parsec-client: command not found
  google: nixos parsec
  a million ways to run parsec but none from the package manager
  google: nixos packages->https://search.nixos.org/packages
  https://search.nixos.org/packages
  parsec-bin
  nothing about how to run it
  but there are at least notes about how to install it permanently
  so you plow through /nix/store looking for parsec, 4 minutes later
  parsecd
  they could have just included that in the docs, but nope...
  Honestly, I really enjoy it, it feels like I'm in slackware back in the 90's completely lost and confused learning everything new, and moving an install from box to box with a home directory sync and two files? chef's kiss
  Figuring out why a rebuild isn't working is pain. Figuring out why an update won't run, is pain.
  ohh and you only get a month after a major release to install it before they stop putting in security updates for the previous version. And historically all the revisions before 25.05 were generally not just one and done. 24.11 ended up with me doing a wipe, fresh install, restoring my home folder and slowly easing parts of configuration.nix back in one rebuild at a time. but to be fair, they've been fighting wayland for a while now.
  My desktops are Nix, my servers are Debian.
- I tried three times. Failed 3 times.
  And I started with Slackware in the 90s. I can handle jank.
  But Nix really needs to take a clue from Arch on the documentation front…

I've been running cachyOS for the last few months....

Y'all still not using puppy?
- Do you snort it or is it a pill

If you are happy with your distro then that's cool.
But if you got an urge to try a different distro, just install on a spare drive or partition your current drive and dual boot.
You could even try a live image or something like Distrosea without installing anything.
It's easy, free, and you might form new opinions.

"You don't HAVE any friends! NOBODY likes youuuu!" (/s)
A fitting image choice, in more than one way, lol.

Still running Pop on my desktop years later, exactly because of this. It's stable and I like it. The only thing I don't like is that it's Pop.
And yet, all my laptops (which I don't really rely on) run Arch.

I feel this way about hyprland....
- Well you can just install that alongside your DE and try it out

You should install arch-linux
- Artix is one step further. The non-systemd realm beckons you.

I was thinking install KDE because of its theme modifications, still went with fedora because everyone works fine on my setup and I like the interface, it's so different.

147 comments

Use whatever the fuck you want, you weirdo cultists.