Going With Arch Linux
Well, Gentoo's been a fun learning experience, but I don't think I'm going to keep it on there. I don't really mind compiling everything from source, but there are a couple things I want binaries for: X11 and KDE. There's no way I'm keeping that thing on for 48+ hours while it's busy compiling. That computer uses up lots of energy (it has 5 fans), is really loud, and I've had problems with it crashing in the past.
So I think I'll go with Arch Linux for a few reasons:
So there you have it. Maybe I'll try Gentoo again sometime. For now, I'll use Arch. I like the reassurance that when I want to install something, it won't take hours compiling. Like on Ubuntu - If I need a library, apt-get does it in seconds. I'm sure Arch will be the same.
Let's have a poll - If you use Arch Linux, leave a comment here!
So I think I'll go with Arch Linux for a few reasons:
- I couldn't figure out how to get Portage to install a binary package
- I figured out why Arch didn't work (I had the same problem with Gentoo - When it gets installed, the /dev/discs... scheme switched back to /dev/hda. Odd)
- Even though Gentoo is supposed to be quick and clean, Arch still booted up faster.
So there you have it. Maybe I'll try Gentoo again sometime. For now, I'll use Arch. I like the reassurance that when I want to install something, it won't take hours compiling. Like on Ubuntu - If I need a library, apt-get does it in seconds. I'm sure Arch will be the same.
Let's have a poll - If you use Arch Linux, leave a comment here!
Written by Justin @ 12/16/2005 06:40:00 PM | Permalink
3 Comments:
At 12/16/2005 09:37:00 PM,
Anonymous said…
I'm running Arch on my new Balance Walmart laptop. I like it a lot. The whole OS and a decent amount of apps are available in package form. There will be some apps you'll have to compile yourself. Got xorg and KDE 3.5 up and running pretty quickly. A little more manual setup than the average distro but worth it. Way easier to deal with than Gentoo IMHO.
- Pat from TLLTS
At 12/16/2005 09:45:00 PM,
Justin said…
I don't think Arch is necessarily easier to deal with than Gentoo, it just takes less setup. Once Gentoo is set up, you don't have to touch it. It 'just works'. I assume Arch does too, so I should have a similar experience.
Arch does start up wicked fast, I'm looking forward to that. If I can get it to start up quick enough, it'll rival this machine running Ubuntu. It won't be able to boot up as fast as this can resume from hibernation (it can do it in about 8 seconds flat) but It'll be worth it for a clean bootup.
At 12/23/2005 04:13:00 PM,
Anonymous said…
I just read that you're having difficulties with Arch and kernel 2.6 along with Grub.
If Grub isn't critical to you, perhaps you'd like to give Underground Desktop a try. It's still in development phase, but I've been using it now for a few weeks (first on a test box, now on my main PC).
It's a simple way to get Arch 0.71, kernel 2.6 (with Lilo), and KDE 3.5 installed, all in one shot.
Once it's done, you have a fully functional Arch system, all ready for you to tweak and customize. It might help you with getting over the kernel issues you're having.
It's built to make installation easy. So, your limited to your choices. It installs everything to one partition, but I have been able to use my existing /home by touching up fstab after the install.
Just thought I'd make the suggestion.
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