Arch Linux: The final refuge of the purist!

Arch Linux: The final refuge of the purist!
GuideLet's go through the Linux news and Reports page by page. You will find that the number of reports on some unpopular Linux releases is unexpected. New releases such as Elementary OS and Solus have been noticed for their gorgeous interfaces, while those systems carrying MATE desktop environments are widely reported for their simplicity.

Despite a lot of reports on Linux systems, a widely used Linux release is almost forgotten: Arch Linux system!

There are few news about Arch for many reasons, not only because it is difficult to install, but also because you have to be able to skillfully complete various configurations in the command line to make it run properly. What's worse, from the perspective of most users, the difficulty is that they have not considered the complicated installation process at the beginning of the design, which will be discouraged by countless cainiao.

This is indeed a pity. In my opinion, once the installation is complete, Arch is much easier to use than other Linux distributions I have used.

Indeed, Arch installation is very painful. For some release versions, you only need to click "Install" to install them. Arch takes more time and effort to complete manual partitioning, manual mounting, and fstab file generation. However, we learned a lot from the installation process of Arch. It opened the curtain and made us understand many things behind it. As a matter of fact, the curtain that masks the underlying details has completely vanished. In the Arch world, you are the leader behind the curtain.

Apart from the well-known difficulty in installation, Arch does not even have its own default desktop environment. Although this is hard to understand, Arch is also widely promoted for its customization. You can choose to install anything on Arch's basic software package.

Although you can regard it as unlimited customization, it can be said that it is not customized at all. For example, unlike the Ubuntu system, Arch has hardly been modified or customized. Arch developers use software packages provided by upstream developers from the beginning. This is a great situation for some users. For example, you can use a pure GNOME desktop environment. However, in some cases, customized patches can solve many defects that are not handled by upstream developers.

Because Arch lacks some default applications and desktop systems, it is difficult to have a consistent view-or there is no real view at all, because I installed it without a doubt, it will not be the same as what you installed. I may choose to install and minimize Openbox, tint2, and dmenu, but you may have used the latest GNOME Desktop System. We are all using Arch, but our experience is quite different. This is also the case for any release, but most other Linux systems have at least one default desktop environment.

However, the idea of Arch is still based on many common elements. For example, the main reason why I use the Arch system is that it is a rolling update release. This means two things. First, Arch will try to use the latest kernel whenever possible, as long as they are available, it is considered stable. This means that I can test something that is difficult to test in other Linux distributions in the Arch system. Another major benefit of the rolling version is that all software updates are immediately released. This not only means that the software package is updated faster, but also does not destroy large-scale updates of the system.

Many users think Arch is unstable because it is a rolling release. However, after more than nine months of use, I do not agree with this idea.

However, I have never broken anything because of a system upgrade. I did have a rollback because the system boot partition/boot is not mounted, but later I found that it was a mistake in my own operations. After updating, I forgot to write the changes. Some exposed defects (for example, My Dell XPS notebook touchpad encountered a previously resolved problem) were quickly fixed and updated much faster than other non-rolling releases. In general, I think the publishing mode of Arch rolling update is much more stable than other releases I am using. The only point I want to emphasize is to check the information on the Wiki and pay more attention to the content you want to update.

I suspect Arch is not so popular, mainly because you must be careful with your operations at any time. It is extremely dangerous to update the Arch system blindly. However, any release update is risky. You just think it is not risky-because you have no choice.

Arch's philosophy is another major reason for my support. I think Arch is the most attractive to users: "(Arch) is intended for professional Linux users, or people who are DIY and willing to query information and solve problems ".

As Linux becomes more mainstream, developers need to smoothly navigate through every difficult technical field. The obscure proprietary software experience exactly reflects the advanced technical capabilities of users.

Although it sounds strange in this era, many of us prefer to assemble things by ourselves. In this case, Arch will be the ultimate Holy Land for Linux DIY users.

From: https://linux.cn/article-8029-1.html

Address: http://www.linuxprobe.com/arch-linux-art.html