Artix:
Installing Arch manually is not hard, and there are plenty of step-by-step guides.
Figuring out what you need next and then managing this mess is more complicated.
Source: I installed Arch manually btw
Years ago I installed it manually, too. For learning, yes. But regularly, no. The archinstall package is easy but a newbie would struggle there, too. It’s just a faster way for skilled Linux Users.
Newbie Linux users shouldn’t go with Arch to begin with, even Endeavour or Garuda, unless they’re seeing it as a learning experience and have an IT background behind their back.
It’s not worth it for the average user, and honestly - even for most veteran users for that matter.
The great power of Arch comes with great responsibility to manage your system properly.
Installing it from scratch manually? Maybe no, not for an inexperienced user who’s goal isn’t to learn Linux.
But I would argue Arch itself is great for a casual user to have. All the software in one place, installed with the same command, and you only install what you want, so no fiddling with bullshit you didn’t ask for.
Noted use Archinstall for sanity
Super valid!
My point is: there’s little to brag about. But hey, I got that badge anyway.
What is this magic? You are telling me that a single command would have spared me an entire day of suffering?
Gentoo stage 3 here.
They discouraged earlier stages in the wiki :(
I’m sorry, sir, but the tests indicate you have Stage 3 Gentoo.
Oof. What’s the prognosis?
Install Gentoo.
Oh, you use
pacstrapandarch-chroot, do you? Back in my day all we had wascpandinstalland we liked it that way! Kids these days wouldn’t know how to install SLS without their Yays and Pac-men.This is “I use arch, btw” - Beast-Mode
PS. There was always the normal chroot, or not?
chrootwas introduced in 1979 for Unix.arch-chrootis a wrapper aroundchrootthat provides additional functionality and a tighter integration between the system and the new root.
I’ve installed Arch manually exactly once. (Just for the bragging rights, lol)
My go to way is just installing EndeavourOS. It’s basically Arch, but with a nicer installer and reasonable defaults.
I did it once, wrote down all the commands I used in order and then made my own install script. It was a great learning experience
I got to where it expected me to partition the drive manually and noped out. I was doing that in the 90’s when I compiled my own kernel. Ain’t nobody got time for that today.
I use Endeavour, btw. Nah, I don’t think it’ll catch one.
I’m super stoked to be on an Arch-based system, but things have been so easy I have earned no bragging rights what-so-ever with it.
Go ahead, install Arch on a VM (it’s not hard at all, actually!) and get your medal.
Then keep with Endeavour and enjoy your ride :D
Btw, I’m on an arch endeavour
I use arch btw, have been for 5 or so years, I open the gates to those who want to use arch install
You are not any lesser for not wanting to install arch manually
Wht does it even matter if you don’t install Arch manually? Is the whole point of the arch installing? I don’t think so, it’s using. If you don’t find anything joyful in manually installing arch it’s perfectly fine to manually install only once to make sure you know how it works. And just use
archinstallin every following installation that’s not shamefucause you can then say “I installed arch manually, btw”
The “btw” is insincere if they didn’t do it manually, they should be prohibited from using it.
Arch’s tag to neatly summarise the aloof snobbery must be preserved. If archintall script users can say it; how long until “I use manjaro btw”, or “i use endeavouros btw”. At which point it just has no value - I don’t believe these people are genuinely considering themselves superior to other users - as reflected in several other comments here.
Archinstall script should be modified to install a keylogger that will bork the system if ever “arch btw” is detected.
No! Heathen! Download the source for every package and compile it yourself! Compile the kernel yourself, compile the compiler yourself! Never script anything, always do every step manually, every time! Using tools that make things convenient and foolproof makes you weak and unappreciative of the real hardship and struggle it requires to checks notes use a personal computer!
I’ll never understand why more people don’t build their own distros to suit their needs.
Jajja I once tried to install Ungoogled Chromium from AUR, which is done by compiling from source, it took me 4 hours :< I couldn’t imagine compiling everything manually that’s totally insane
thankfully there is a -bin package
Archinstall is a part of arch so they say they use arch btw that’s sensible to be
People here are always talking about different distros, trying this one and then that one until they found what they like. Are you guys really just reinstalling your OS that often? Reinstalling all the programs you want and everything?
I’m not. Mint is all I need, Mint is all I want.
These comments really make me wonder if people would just get therapy instead of installing Arch if therapy was cheaper.
it’s called “distrohopping”, and yes. nowadays it’s easier to do it in a vm, but less fun
Why not? It takes a few hours at most, and I get a new interesting experience.
It is amazing if you’ve settled on your distribution of choice, though.
When I started out, I used to change distros like socks lol While you do have to reinstall programs, having a separate /home partition means that you can keep your stuff between changes
I did for a few years, finally think I’m settled on arch for desktop, but for servers, hurry is still out
Yes. About once every 2-3 months. It’s something of a hobby.
“We need more people to use linux, look at what MS is doing to people.”
People who have never used linux trying to use and learn linux by using an installer built by awesome members of the Arch team.
“C’mon do you even linux?”
And now you’re lost
I did it the manual way probably about 10 times on my Linux learning journey, it was a really good way to learn how Linux itself worked. Now I just use archinstall every time.
I’ve done it, I’ve gotten the satisfaction from it, but it’s not gonna add any more inches to my e-peen.
thats fine and thats the exact usecase for arch install. This meme is for people who never install it once manually and use archinstall to get a working configured system.
If this was accurate, the ropes would have snapped and Homer would go hurddling to the base of the mountain.
That’s what pacman -Syyu is for. The occasional life support failure and forced bug hunting is part of the experience.
command ‘pacman’ not found
aggressively re-pacstraps
I followed the wiki and pulled off a successful install… On a vm. Once I felt confident and ready I remembered arch install was a thing and thought “sure I’ll try it, it’ll definetly break and I’ll just use the wiki to install” then it worked without a hitch. I’m still running arch with no issues.
The one time I tried to manually install arch on a VM years and years ago it didn’t work and I wrote Arch off. Guess what I’m running now? Well, Cachy, but lol. It’s Arch. And guess what? It’s got a simplified install process.
Very easy nowadays, even manually with all the guides, so you can cross that one off quite easily.
Arch Wiki is great, but it’s mostly oriented on people who already know something. And installation page should be very clearly written for absolute noobs.
Installing arch without archinstall is way too much fucking work. I’d much rather spend time fixing the 10% greater likelihood of encountering issues post install than doing all that fucking bullshit manually. The command line is better for a lot of things but configuring partitions and mount points is not one of them. I demand a fuckin gui for that stuff.
That’s why I went with EndeavourOS - nice installer, some changes and tweaks to the default settings, but after that it uses the arch repositories and there’s no difference to arch anymore afaik.
I’ve done it both by the book and arch install. Arch install is just nice.
This is why arches based distos are taking off. They help with picking packages etc to save time.
The rationale in the OP is that with archinstall, an inexperienced user will have no idea where to even begin diagnosing any issues post install. Whereas installing manually is sort of a barrier to entry that ensures you know what you’re doing.
That’s a stupid reason to make an installation as painful as possible. I can follow the installation wiki but I just don’t have time for this. And an inexperienced user can follow the wiki or another how-to and finish the installation but still be lost if something breaks later on.
It’s not being made “as painful as possible”, it’s just manual. Arch isn’t a distro that’ll preconfigure things for you so everything’s plug’n’play, it’s a distro that’ll give you access to everything and the power to use it however you like, but with that comes the expectation and responsibility to manage those things.
Installing arch manually is simply a good lesson in how your system is set up, what parts it’s made up of, in part because you’re free to remove and switch out those parts.
And sure, there’s no magic bullet to make sure a new user understands everything they did, but I think in the end, if you’re not willing to read, learn and troubleshoot, you might just want a different distro.
