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So I installed Arch Linux... Is this it?

I’m a little bit underwhelmed, I thought that based off the fact so many people seem to make using this distro their personality I expected… well, more I guess?

Once the basic stuff is set-up, like wifi, a few basic packages, a desktop environment/window manager, and a bit of desktop environment and terminal customisation, then that’s it. Nothing special, just a Linux distribution with less default programs and occasionally having to look up how to install a hardware driver or something if you need to use bluetooth for the first time or something like that.

Am I missing something? How can I make using Arch Linux my personality when once it’s set up it’s just like any other computer?

What exactly is it that people obsess over? The desktop environment and terminal customisation? Setting up NetworkManager with nmcli? Using Vim to edit a .conf file?

nek0d3r ,
@nek0d3r@lemmy.world avatar

That’s basically it. Some Arch users are genuinely just picky about what they want on their system and desire to make their setup as minimal as possible. However, a lot of people who make it their personality just get a superiority complex over having something that’s less accessible to the average user.

BeigeAgenda ,
@BeigeAgenda@lemmy.ca avatar

You have reached the pinnacle of Linux, every other distro you try from now on will seem bland. 🧗🏼

sovietknuckles ,
@sovietknuckles@hexbear.net avatar

Am I missing something? How can I make using Arch Linux my personality when once it’s set up it’s just like any other computer?

IMO there’s nothing about Arch, or any other distro, that makes it worth using, beyond whatever goals you have. If Arch helps you accomplish that goals, great. If not, pick a different distro that does.

In my case, I want to use the latest version of software and use my own configs without inadvertently breaking stuff, based on some arbitrary set of assumptions that distros like Ubuntu or Fedora have made about how their own distro should be used, and Arch has been the easiest way to do that for me.

Also, as others have said, AUR and PKGBUILDs

Presi300 ,
@Presi300@lemmy.world avatar

It’s a linux distro, just like all other linux distros… Idk what to tell ya

Andrzej , (edited )

I’m trying out Arch on my laptop atm, and tbh the only real advantage (at least for me) is that the packages tend to be a lot fresher than on Debian-based distros. The question is how many of your packages you really need to be that fresh.

I think a lot of Arch users feel like wizards because they connected to the home wifi using the command line, but if you’ve tinkered with (/broken then had to fix lol) other distros, you will have done all this stuff before

floofloof ,

I find OpenSUSE Tumbleweed a good solution for up-to-date packages without slow install times or hours spent compiling and configuring things. It’s straightforward but current.

Kanda ,

Use it as your daily driver and get really comfortable with it. After this, complain loudly when you see someone doing anything in a different way. Then say “I use Arch btw”

communism ,
@communism@lemmy.ml avatar

Do people really make Arch their personality? Ive been using Arch-based distros since forever and never really met someone like that. I thought it was just a meme.

I like the minimalism and ability to control more parts of your system as opposed to an automated install process doing everything for you. But you don’t have to do that much manually. The main pacstrap step basically sets up your whole system anyway. It’s not that different to other mainstream distros. I have always just used it like any other distro.

Edit: Forgot to mention that the bleeding-edge packages and AUR are nice features too. And being rolling release to a lesser extent, just my preference.

Toribor ,
@Toribor@corndog.social avatar

I thought it was just a meme.

I see way more complaints about ‘elitist Arch users’ than I ever do comments from actual elitist Arch users.

llii ,

Also, I never saw anyone saying anything about a “year of the Linux Desktop”. It’s just a meme.

weststadtgesicht ,

Both were a thing in discussions many years ago. That’s why they became a meme.

But since then it’s basically only used ironically because people quickly noticed they’re a meme.

floofloof ,

It was certainly said seriously in the late 1990s and early 2000s. It was the kind of phrase you’d find in computer magazines that came with a Linux CD-ROM stuck to the cover.

This guy from Intel claims to have been the first to use it in 1999, but I think it was a more widely used hype phrase around that time, when desktop Linux was becoming just about usable.

bluewing ,

It’s become a meme now. And I certainly don’t take it seriously myself. It’s more in fun to me as anything serious. (I don’t use Arch by the way).

If you can’t joke about yourself about something you do, then you may have a problem and should perhaps consider some therapy perhaps.

arbitrary ,

I worked with a guy who had a flag with the Arch logo and his Arch forums username on it hanging above his desk.

Thann ,
@Thann@lemmy.ml avatar

FOSS is my personality and Arch is my distro

communism ,
@communism@lemmy.ml avatar

Funnily enough one of the points where Arch distinguishes themselves from other distros is that they’re not strict about only including free software in their repos and are completely fine with including proprietary software alongside foss. There’s Parabola if you want Arch but with a strong political line on free software

atzanteol ,

Most distros are very similar - it’s mostly the same software just using a different package manager.

This is why “which distro should I use” is the most annoying question in this community.

lobut ,

It is definitely annoying but I think it’s understandable from people that are coming in from the outside.

FuryMaker ,

I tried it and was underwhelmed, but also overwhelmed.

I love the idea of choosing everything I want, but Arch also meant the pain of learning to install everything I actually need first.

Is there a minimalistic distro that installs all just the essentials (drivers, services like DHCP, a package manager, desktop GUI), and then I choose from there?

MXX53 ,

I have used a number of distros over the last 15 years. Once I found one I liked, I stuck with it. I understand the package manager, some of the special features of the distro I use and I don’t really have time to relearn this every couple of months on new distros.

If I want a different “feel”, I change my DE. But that’s about it.

bricklove ,

I tried it out because of the memes and stuck with it because there wasn’t a bunch of extra stuff I don’t need distracting me. I kinda forget I’m using arch btw

ShaunaTheDead ,

You should go for a distro that matches what you want out of your system. You want stable? Find some strong LTS distro like Ubuntu. You want ULTRA STABLE? Go for an immutable distro. Do you want to use your system for gaming? Go for a distro with wide gaming support, built-in drivers with options for proprietary drivers.

It's less about what base distro you're using and more about what you like about that particular flavor of distro.

For example, I use my PC for gaming mostly, but also coding. I switched from Pop! (Ubuntu based) to Garuda (Arch based) and I love it because it's really good for gaming, comes with Mangohud, Gamemode, Steam, Heroic, controller drivers, graphics drivers, etc, all optionally pre-installed. I also really like KDE apps because they're performant and slick so I got the Plasma version.

Anyway, yeah, focus less on "this distro is Arch based" and more on what each distro can provide you as far as your personal tastes.

GnuLinuxDude ,
@GnuLinuxDude@lemmy.ml avatar

I think arch peaked in its popularity in 2016 or so. It felt like an elitism thing was going on around that time that has 1. Faded off and 2. Been dispersed into other distros because as it turns out there are other good choices, too.

Besides. How are you going to become a rising influencer rehashing the same old takes as the prior generation of dorks? Can’t keep people coming with Arch is the greatest YouTube videos forever.

namingthingsiseasy ,

What exactly is it that people obsess over? The desktop environment and terminal customisation? Setting up NetworkManager with nmcli? Using Vim to edit a .conf file?

Welcome to the crowd! Eventually, you realize that an operating system is just an operating system: something you use to get work done, and the less you notice it, the better it’s doing its job. The pride of setting it all up mostly ends very shortly after you’re done. At that point, you realize that pretty much all distros are the same, give or take.

That said, there are always moments that make you realize that your OS is amazing. When you’re faced with a new and difficult task that you don’t know how to achieve, then you look at your distro’s documentation and solve it in a few elegant steps. And I’m not an Arch user, but that’s when the Arch wiki will really be your friend, as well as all the other resources that Arch has for its users. I can’t think of examples of these kinds of moments because they’re so rare, but those are the moments that feel great and really make you appreciate your OS.

Confused_Emus ,

I mean if you want to be blasé about the fact not everyone has the same technical skills as you, sure…

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