Awesome Arch Linux

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

I didn’t switch to Linux from Windows for a long time. I first came into contact with Linux through RedHat-based Fedora in 2007, thanks to my senior’s enthusiastic recommendation and generous gift (a free “genuine” DVD). However, my journey with Fedora was not smooth, as the system often encountered various problems, and I was still a newbie at that time, not even knowing what yum was. After fiddling with it for a while, I returned to Windows.

Later, in 2008, I entered the Debian ecosystem, and Ubuntu 8.04 was indeed an outstanding version. During this period, my Linux skills improved somewhat. I spent about half of my time on Linux and the other half on Windows.

However, Ubuntu couldn’t retain me. The frequent upgrades and poor cross-version upgrade experience eventually led me to abandon this distribution (Ubuntu 8.04 -> 8.10 -> 9.04, you know…). It was then that Arch Linux, which abandons version numbers and uses rolling updates, caught my attention.

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 newbie who has just escaped the newbie stage. What I write 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 boot speed. I think Arch is not a system for Linux newbies. Many of Arch’s advantages can only be appreciated by users who have experience with Ubuntu. If Arch is recommended to Linux beginners from the start, 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 the 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 rely on third-party software (Ubuntu Tweak) or compile it yourself. Under 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 figuring out how to install software; as long as we see a recommended software in an article, we can quickly install it on our system using yaourt. Additionally, yaourt can be used to try out 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 (Keep It Simple, Stupid) principle. Arch Linux will take you an entire evening to install, and after ordinary installation, you’ll 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 they are most familiar with and can control. To 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 auto-starting software and services or how to replace Ubuntu’s GNOME environment. Branded computers are the same; they run smoothly after installation, but they’re not suitable for tinkering. 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 power to compile yourself. In short, using Arch, you can feel like 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 Arch Linux 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. Additionally, the Arch Linux section on Linuxsir can make up for the lack of an official Chinese forum to some extent.

That’s all for the advantages. A distribution doesn’t need many advantages; just one or two that meet your needs are enough. I think the above three advantages are already tempting enough for a newbie like me who is eager to grow into an expert.

Apart from the advantages, Arch Linux has a major characteristic - “new”

Arch Linux 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’ve 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, where the system would automatically log out after pressing the Enter key, and later it would even freeze. 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 the problem that updates are too fast, so you need to spend some time updating each time. If your network speed is slow, the update will be quite lengthy. (Fortunately, the speed of Arch’s sources in China is still pretty good)

Of course, “new” also has its benefits. You can experience new software features as soon as they’re available, and if there are bugs, you can solve them through updates. Additionally, some minor system problems may be solved silently during your continuous 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.

So, who is suitable for using Arch?

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Those who have used Ubuntu or other distributions,

Those who like to tinker with the system,

Those who love the feeling of completely controlling the system,

Those who want the latest and greatest,

Those who like programming,

Those who dislike the tediousness of Gentoo and LFS,

Those who 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 Arch Linux 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 supporting WM = high work efficiency.

Come and try Arch :)