So I've been on Ubuntu for a while however reading and hearing about arch makes me want to take the leap.
Anyone want to push me over the edge to do it tomorrow?
Go for antergos. It has a good installer with support for most DE's and doesn't crash all of the time like manjaro.
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I would like to throw Manjaro into the desicion - its based on Arch but has its own staging testing and stable branches - its a very welcoming community so far, and it runs like a charm.
I switched after Ubuntu crapped its pants when upgrading from 16.04 to 16.10.
Yeah, test out Manjaro or Antergos if you want Arch without the fuss. I used to run Manjaro without any issue for quite a while.
If you want to dive into Arch head first @Kat might be able to help.
warning: opinions ahead.
i have a rather strong opinion about Arch, but it's got almost nothing to do with the actual software. i've used Arch, Antergos, Manjaro, and Ubuntu. all of them have their merits, all are different.
i see these threads often on reddit and such, and i always feel like asking the question of why? why do you want to switch to Arch? if you're like me and find distros interesting to install and try, then i'd probably suggest either using an old laptop or the like if you want to have the full experience, or a VM.
if you're saying "right! fuck Ubuntu i'm off to Arch!" without having tried it or really experienced it through Youtube or whatever, then without condemning your choice as bad, i'd again ask you why you wanted to switch. it's entirely conceivable that you don't mind the learning curve at all, and are perfectly willing to be out of your comfort zone for the learning experience alone, which is perfectly valid and i wish you luck.
i admit i first installed Arch because i had been browsing r/unixporn for a while and found the idea very appealing to have this cool minimalist linux system that all these people with their fantastic "rices" [customisations] were using, and was all gung-ho to install this magical piece of Linux on my system.
well firstly, i learned that installing the sodding thing wasn't simple, and the more i looked at the process, the more i wanted to opt for disarming a nuclear bomb with only my pork sword. [@Kat has an Arch install guide on here that he's put a lot into and will probably get you by just fine.]
it wasn't long before i found out that people had written installers for Arch, and was quite happy to use Architect when it was still alive, and that was me happily using Arch for a month or so. it eventually got too frustrating, but that was because i have no IT background whatsoever, and consider myself more a hobbyist.
now for the opinions.
i like Arch, i like the AUR, i like the options i get with it, and i can use it fairly well. what i don't like, is the community. you know, the thing the distro touts as one of the perks. this is not one arsehole mod on one subreddit in the back, this is the general feeling i got from just observing while looking for information. NEVER would i recommend actually asking questions on their forums if you're new. the sheer SIGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHing and the posts with nothing but links to man pages i observed really really put me off. there's even a post asking to ban Antergos users for asking for help, and one of the Antergos devs meekly apologising for it. in case you're not aware, Antergos IS Arch, just with an installer and a few tweaks.
some people will probably say i'm being judgmental, and i accept that hashtag notallarchusers. but if the impression i get of the advantage being touted is THAT BAD from even a cursory glace, then yeah. there's an issue there.
over all, i think it's a brilliant distro, i just don't think people need to buy into the "leet cred" of running Arch. if you like Ubuntu and are comfortable with Ubuntu, then guess what? you're a Linux user and that's awesome enough.
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You saw threads on the Arch forums where people where told to read the manual? That's very good, people's time is very precious, and I hope they were told to RTFM (Read The Fucking Manual) instead of wasting developer time.
Because guess what? Arch is a developer centric distro. People have better things to do than help a noob who is incapable to read the man pages or the wiki.
You want beginner friendly distros? Look elsewhere.
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get real familiar with the wiki ;)
Personally I like Antergos. The installer is good, I really like the default theme, and the update/package manager is really good.
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DID SOMEBODY SAY ARCH LINUX?!
Well, hey there! If you want to switch to arch, absolutely go for it. BUT, dont expect the installation to be easy. While actually using and maintaining it is pretty straightforward, installing the motherfucker is pretty difficult at first, so dont expect to succeed the first time. In fact, i fucked up the installation inside a VM the first 20 times. There are installers like Antergos, or architect (if thats still a thing) but I think you should do it manually the first time, as its a good practice to know whats actually happening. The second important thing about arch is you need to know is: the wiki and the man pages are your friends, the community isnt. Thats not to say the community isnt helpful, but the people arent as accepting as they should be. All that being said, you should absolutely try it, it became my favorite distro after the first installation. If you need any help, just ask around this forum or the arch forum (I know I just said the community isnt very accepting but Ive had a pretty good experience asking there for help; better than most anyway). Also you should check out the installation guide written by @Kat (which was pretty excellent if I remember correctly), especially now that the beginners guide seems to have been removed from the wiki
They removed the beginner's guide?
This is actually good news, in my opinion. Less hand holding during installation is more honest about the Arch philosophy. This will save novice users a lot of frustration when something goes wrong and the forums tell them to read the manual/wiki or do a google search.
I agree with you for the most part. The reason I installed Arch Linux is because I wanted to learn more about Linux. I thought installing Linux without using GUI/script installers would be a good learning experience; and it was. I got to learn more about whats under the Linux hood. I was even thinking about installing Gentoo for an even more involved Linux learning experience (getting more invloved in init.d and compiling kernel etc.).
I don't get why people contantly jump distros especially distros which are so similar. Arch for me is a good blend of doing it yourself vs do everything yourself (i.e. I don't think I'd use Gentoo as daily driver, while Arch, I do).
Gentoo isn't worth the headache after you get adjusted with Linux. One cause you have to compile damn near everything, and two a lot of things aren't available in the package manager.
Arch, the only Con of Arch in all reality is security. SELinux is impossible to install, and AppArmor requires a modified Kernel. As you get adjusted with Linux, Arch is just a small totem poll in massive GNU / Linux world, that doesn't take a skilled person to install. Anyone can do it if they know how to read. I do have a guide as many have mention that goes in depth on how to install it, if you are feeling you need help.
However, Installing Arch Linux is not going to give you any real bragging rights anymore. It's a distro like any other, that anyone can install if they read and follow directions carefully. It's much easier to install than Gentoo.
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Damn I would have posted that exact picture, if hadnt replied on my phone
That's my whole reasoning in trying it. I'm a win dev that knows the ins and outs of Windows. I want to learn everything I can about Linux. I'm at the point where win10 has pissed me off to the point of moving all my computers to Linux except for one laptop for coding. I tried Ubuntu but I want more. I've read that if you want to learn admin level Linux this is a great way. I have 4 laptops and loads of hard drives. Not worried about not having a system for a day or two.
basically I want understand everything about Linux down to the code. I just wanted to hear this community's thoughts
This is kind of why there will never be a linux "year of the desktop", right. Everyone has different competencies and use cases. No one wants to spoon feed a noob, but without proper documentation it is difficult for beginners. There really is no reason why there shouldn't be an explicit guide on a wiki or youtube. No gaps, vagueness, implied understanding or assumptions of knowledge. You can't tell everyone to use Linux, then treat them like they're stupid for "not getting it". To most people a computer is a toaster. I could go on.
Linux users want better hardware support and more development, but it will never happen without the user base of the masses.
Dichotomy?
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I want to go to Arch (gnome), but without clear consolidated installation documentation, I'm not going to toil my time away on it.
luckly my local meetup group are big linux fans that steered me towards using it.
I'm sorry but you are a programmer. Not a novice PC user. I can't code, and use the CLI in a rudimentary way. My decision to change came from deciding to stop googling my windows problems and start googling my linux problems.
I have a pretty awesome idea for a superbowl ad.
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