The Arch Way
dgeex.de
The Arch Way
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Re: The Arch Way
#2Cached version: http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:http://...
I'd actually argue a different point from the author. If you're a beginner at Linux, and want to learn more I would highly recommend Arch to you. Arch was the first *nix system I ever installed by hand (OS X doesn't count), and even as a developer, I learned more spending 3 weeks installing the OS than I'd ever known about linux previously.
I'm a big supporter of the mentality that you should know the stack you're working on (regardless of OS), and I've found it's too easy nowadays to ignore all the important frameworks and libraries that the tools you're using are built on. Arch forces you to understand them, because you can't just "guess" your way through. The thing I loved about installing it most was that on my 3rd and 4th attempt I realized how fun it was to just break stuff to figure out how it works. I'd never had the chance to do that to an OS. You learn how to diagnose errors, how to discover them, what to Google, and why it happened in the first place.
Understandably, most people might not be in the job situation where they need to do something as time consuming as install Arch as a dev environment, but I think that if you want to learn about operating systems, in a structured and incredibly well documented environment, Arch is unparalleled.
Re: The Arch Way
#3Cached version: http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:http://... I'd actually argue a different point from the author. If you're a beginner at Linux, and want to learn more I would highly recommend Arch to you. Arch was the first *nix system I ever installed by hand (OS X doesn't count), and even as a developer, I learned more spending 3 weeks installing the OS than I'd ever known about linux previousl…
Sorry for the downtime, it's fixed now.
Maybe some advanced users could start with Arch, but most of the people I know, will find it too difficult and give up on it. Yes, it's a great way to learn how stuff works, but it's just not for everyone. And in my opinion, beginners should start with something different. I'd never recommend my mom to try Arch for example.
Re: The Arch Way
#4Cached version: http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:http://... I'd actually argue a different point from the author. If you're a beginner at Linux, and want to learn more I would highly recommend Arch to you. Arch was the first *nix system I ever installed by hand (OS X doesn't count), and even as a developer, I learned more spending 3 weeks installing the OS than I'd ever known about linux previousl…
If your goal is to learn without totally assembling something from scratch, I'd honestly recommend Gentoo, CRUX or Slackware, instead. Latter is what I use daily, and it's the closest to vanilla that you'll get while being suitable for daily tasks.
Arch is a rather odd duck in that it has long cultivated this cult image of being a "hardcore" distro, but I never understood much of the appeal myself. It seems to attract a lot of unjustified smug users, and the so-called "Arch Way" (https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/The_Arch_Way) seems to be rather tarnished in light of more recent decisions.
Re: The Arch Way
#5Cached version: http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:http://... I'd actually argue a different point from the author. If you're a beginner at Linux, and want to learn more I would highly recommend Arch to you. Arch was the first *nix system I ever installed by hand (OS X doesn't count), and even as a developer, I learned more spending 3 weeks installing the OS than I'd ever known about linux previousl…
Sorry for the downtime, it's fixed now. Maybe some advanced users could start with Arch, but most of the people I know, will find it too difficult and give up on it. Yes, it's a great way to learn how stuff works, but it's just not for everyone. And in my opinion, beginners should start with something different. I'd never recommend my mom to try Arch for example.
I started with Arch too, and am still with it several years later (typing this comment on a Pixel 2 running Arch). I agree that Arch isn't for everyone, but I think a sufficiently curious and motivated beginner will be fine. Mostly because of Arch's incredible wiki.
Re: The Arch Way
#6Cached version: http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:http://... I'd actually argue a different point from the author. If you're a beginner at Linux, and want to learn more I would highly recommend Arch to you. Arch was the first *nix system I ever installed by hand (OS X doesn't count), and even as a developer, I learned more spending 3 weeks installing the OS than I'd ever known about linux previousl…
If your goal is to learn without totally assembling something from scratch, I'd honestly recommend Gentoo, CRUX or Slackware, instead. Latter is what I use daily, and it's the closest to vanilla that you'll get while being suitable for daily tasks. Arch is a rather odd duck in that it has long cultivated this cult image of being a "hardcore" distro, but I never understood much of the appeal myself. It seems to attrac…
What kind of recent decisions do you mean?
I've heard good things about Gentoo, I'd definitely give it a try someday. How would you compare it to Arch? Can you make a brief explanation what you like/dislike about them?
Re: The Arch Way
#7Cached version: http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:http://... I'd actually argue a different point from the author. If you're a beginner at Linux, and want to learn more I would highly recommend Arch to you. Arch was the first *nix system I ever installed by hand (OS X doesn't count), and even as a developer, I learned more spending 3 weeks installing the OS than I'd ever known about linux previousl…
Sorry for the downtime, it's fixed now. Maybe some advanced users could start with Arch, but most of the people I know, will find it too difficult and give up on it. Yes, it's a great way to learn how stuff works, but it's just not for everyone. And in my opinion, beginners should start with something different. I'd never recommend my mom to try Arch for example.
Thanks for the article!
I will agree that my mom should not try and install Arch. However, if you work in the development community, want to learn more, and have an environment that encourages learning and experimenting, Arch is really an unparalleled option. I'm of the opinion that just because it's difficult, doesn't mean it shouldn't be recommended. I think even the ones that fail, might learn a ton from it, and having seen where the beginners that made it through an Arch installation ended up, I'm not sure what else I could recommend that would put a beginner in a better place.
Re: The Arch Way
#8I'm not a huge fan of recommending yaourt. Users should really learn more about the AUR before just letting yaourt automate it all. I recommend cower until you get the hang of things (or maybe just use cower full time). Cower automates only the downloads and updates without completely abstracting everything away with regards to the build and install process.
Re: The Arch Way
#9"I've seen good documentations, but nothing beats the Arch Wiki. It's the most comprehensive Wiki you could imagine."
I have heard this a number of times from Arch Fans, but I think I disagree. While I have referenced their wonderful Wiki often for "cook book" style answers (like how to fix URXVT+Tmux interactions), I do not view it the same as good documentation. I would also not really call it "comprehensive". To me, good documentation is as comprehensive as possible of the entire subject, and not just a "how to" on configuring it to look or behave like another user's installation.
Compare the Arch wiki to The OpenBSD FAQ [1], the FreeBSD Handbook [2], or good man pages [3]. The FAQ and Handbook have thousands of pages of comprehensive documentation and examples. A well written man page should be capable of answering most of your questions and allowing you to determine what actions you want to take.
I prefer the comprehensive documentation, or thorough man pages. Although, I definitely appreciate the usefulness of the "cook book" style Arch wiki.
[1] http://www.openbsd.org/faq/ [2] https://www.freebsd.org/doc/handbook/ [3] http://www.openbsd.org/cgi-bin/man.cgi/OpenBSD-current/man4/...
Re: The Arch Way
#10I think the Arch Way really shines if you stick to small applications that do one thing and do it well. This is the essence of Unix.
There are periodic surveys among Arch users, and it's pretty interesting to see a majority of them sticks to this ethos:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1_LisP8224B2yahtZTYB-pnIt0aP...
Such a choice would be considered hardcore in some more mainstream distros. I began transitioning to this setup more than 5 years ago and I couldn't be happier. A simple system configured in a few text files is very rewarding:
* xmonad+dmenu (no login manager, other tiling WMs like dwm or i3 are worth considering)
---
* zsh
* urxvt (completely keyboard-driven with https://github.com/muennich/urxvt-perls)
* emacs (nox version)
* remind (a great DSL for events https://www.roaringpenguin.com/products/remind)
---
* firefox+vimperator
* mutt+isync+notmuch (fast Gmail-like index and address book)
* zathura
* irssi (consider switching to https://github.com/WhisperSystems when implemented for CLI Linux)
---
* git
* rsync+btrfs-progs (incremental time stamped backups)
* openssh+sshfs
* gnupg
---
* powertop+thermald
* connman
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* arch-init-scripts (for systemd lightweight containers, all my development happens there)
* texlive