Awesome Arch Linux

It’s been a year since I started using Archlinux, and I think it’s time to write something about it.

I didn’t switch to Linux from Windows for a long time. I started using Linux in 2007, when I first encountered Fedora, a RedHat-based distribution, thanks to my senior’s enthusiastic recommendation and generous gift of a free “genuine” DVD. However, my experience with Fedora was not smooth, and the system often had various problems. At that time, I was still a novice and didn’t even know what yum was. After fiddling with it for a while, I went back to Windows.

Later, in 2008, I moved to the Debian family and used Ubuntu 8.04, which was an outstanding version. During this period, my Linux skills improved significantly. I spent about half of my time on Linux and the other half on Windows.

Although Ubuntu was great, it ultimately didn’t retain me. The frequent upgrades and poor cross-version upgrade experience led me to abandon this distribution (Ubuntu 8.04 -> 8.10 -> 9.04, you know…). It was then that I discovered Arch, which abandoned version numbers and used rolling upgrades.

Everyone has their own preferences, and I don’t want to compare the pros and cons of these distributions. After all, I’m still a Linux novice who has just escaped the novice stage. What I’m writing below is my experience with using Arch.

Arch is a lightweight distribution. You can feel its “lightweight” nature by looking at the full-screen black background with white text after installation, or by experiencing its fast startup speed. I think Arch is not a system for Linux newbies. Many of Arch’s advantages require users to have experience with Ubuntu to appreciate, and if you recommend it to Linux beginners, the cumbersome installation process will often scare them away.

So what are the advantages of Arch?

The first advantage is its powerful package management system, pacman and AUR. The latter requires installing yaourt software to use. For a Linux beginner, the most troublesome thing is installing various software on the system. Ubuntu doesn’t have a good solution for this. If apt-get can install it, everything will be fine; otherwise, you need to use third-party software (Ubuntu Tweak) or compile it yourself. On Arch, you only need to use yaourt with the software name, and most common software can be installed smoothly (mplayer, ibus, ibus-pinyin, Virtualbox, amarok, openfetion, etc.). This is a huge temptation for newbies. We don’t need to spend time on how to install software; as long as we see a recommended software in an article, we can install it quickly using yaourt. Additionally, yaourt can be used to try new things, such as searching for vim to find many vim plugins or searching for eclipse to find many eclipse plugins, which is very suitable for newbies to enhance and optimize the functions of various software on the system.

The second advantage is its KISS principle. Archlinux will take you an entire evening to install, and after ordinary installation, you need to spend at least two days adjusting the system. This seems like a disadvantage, but for newbies, a self-configured system is the one that you are most familiar with and can control. Let me make an analogy: using Ubuntu is like buying a branded computer, while using Arch is like buying components to build a computer according to someone else’s guidance. As for Gentoo… well, it’s like printing circuit boards to build a computer (haha, a bit exaggerated). I didn’t know how to control Ubuntu’s automatic startup software and services or how to replace Ubuntu’s GNOME environment. Branded computers are the same; they run smoothly after installation, but they are not suitable for further modification. Arch’s installation is like building with blocks, where every software installation depends on you, but it’s not like Gentoo, which wastes your time. In the Arch environment, for many common software, you can choose to use pre-compiled software directly, but at the same time, yaourt gives you the right to compile it yourself. In general, using Arch, you can feel that you have control over the entire system.

The third advantage is its rich documentation. Linux newbies will inevitably encounter various problems during system use. Ubuntu has a good Chinese forum, while ArchLinux has excellent Wiki documentation and English forums. Particularly worth mentioning is its Wiki, which basically answers common questions and allows you to learn a lot of new knowledge. In addition, the ArchLinux section on Linuxsir can make up for the lack of official Chinese forums to some extent.

Now, the advantages have been summarized. A distribution doesn’t need many advantages; as long as it has one or two that you need, it’s enough. I think the above three advantages are already very tempting for a novice like me who is eager to grow into an expert.

In addition to its advantages, ArchLinux has a major characteristic - “new”

Archlinux is always at the forefront of fashion (:)), with extremely fast software package updates. However, this characteristic also makes the system not always stable. In my year of using it, I encountered about five instances of instability after upgrades. However, I haven’t encountered a situation where I couldn’t start the graphical interface. One of the problems was very serious, and the system would automatically log out after pressing the Enter key, which eventually led to a crash. This problem bothered me for two days, and I had the urge to reinstall the system. However, the Linuxsir forum provided a solution (modifying /etc/rc.conf to put the gdm item at the end of the startup items). Another problem with frequent updates is that some AUR repository software packages have dependency issues, making it impossible to install some software that hasn’t been updated for a long time. There’s also a problem where updates take a long time due to the fast update speed, and if your network speed is slow, updates will be quite time-consuming. (Fortunately, the speed of Arch’s sources in China is still pretty good.)

Of course, “new” also has its advantages. You can experience new software features in a timely manner, and if there are bugs, you can solve them through updates. Additionally, some minor system problems may be solved quietly during updates :)

Finally, I’d like to add that Arch is now more stable than when I first started using it, and recent updates haven’t had any major problems.

Finally, let’s talk about who is suitable for using Arch:

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Those who have used Ubuntu or other distributions,

like to tweak the system,

enjoy having complete control over the system,

like to try new things,

like programming,

dislike Gentoo and LFS’s tediousness,

are afraid of trouble.

The above points don’t need to be fully met; it’s just a personal suggestion for reference :)

My current system is ArchLinux with awesome and some GNOME components, dual monitors, and many installed software, but the system is still very usable, and the boot speed hasn’t been affected.

A lightweight distribution + a lightweight and multi-monitor supported WM = high work efficiency.

Come and try Arch :)