[GLLUG] Arch Linux - Request for Comment

[Chick Tower]

I'm a Slackware user, Peter, but I installed Arch on a laptop to play 
with it.  Pacman, the package manager, is very fast, much faster than 
I've ever experienced Synaptic to be under versions of Ubuntu, but 
perhaps that's a difference between CLI and GUI apps.  I'm surprised at 
how many packages have updates every week; I don't run 
Slackware-current, so maybe that has a lot, too.  I know Arch is 
supposed to be stable, but their version of Firefox, called Gran 
Paradiso, sometimes crashes or closes inexplicably.  (No error messages; 
it just disappears.)  There is a lot of help available in their forums 
and wiki, and I like it's simplicity, similar to Slackware and (from 
what I understand) the BSDs.  I haven't used it a lot, but it's fun 
learning new distros, as long as they work.  I am not a fan of Ubuntu. 
Those who want a Windows-type experience will not be happy with Arch. 
Arch gives you a very stripped, non-X, basis to which you easily add 
what you need to make what you want your OS to be, similar to FreeBSD.

There have been a lot of on-line reviews of Arch in the last few months 
that have been featured on Linux Today, so I imagine Distrowatch will 
have several to choose from.  All have been favorable.

                                Chick


Peter Smith wrote:
> A coworker, currently Debian but a Slackwarer in his heart, was 
> wondering if anyone had any personal experience with Arch Linux that 
> they'd like to relate. Just the general sorts of things; usability, 
> problems, activity, updatedness...
> 
> He's very much a Haskell user and there's a lot of distro and community 
> support between these two, so he's leaning towards it, and insight is 
> always more useful from people than blogs. :)
> 
> -- 
> Peter Smith
> psmith.gllug at gmail.com <mailto:psmith.gllug at gmail.com>