An acquaintance with Arch Linux

Simple does not mean ‘newbie friendly’, instead it means that the system is structured in such a way that a user can easily configure it to his liking by changing simple configuration files and installing just what he needs.

After drooling around with the biannual release of Ubuntu, I got a chance to caress an Arch Linux distribution. Arch Linux is a simple, flexible and lightweight distribution system. The developers of Arch Linux have decided to concentrate on three very significant things code accuracy, elegance and simplicity.

Simplicity; according to Arch, is defined as “…without unnecessary additions, modifications, or complications.”

Before you jump on to download an .iso, you may want to check out the Arch Linux gallery that carries some beautiful screenshots.

What’s amazing is to observe that the sole attention of Arch Linux is to keep things simple. They are almost obsessed with the use of the word simple! A detailed installation guides and download options for users is a perfect combo for the uninitiated.

The installation is smooth, even for a newbie – reboot, partitioning, keyboard, time zone, etc., and you’re done. What follows is the Arch Linux Logon screen!

The history of Arch Linux goes back to the attempt by Judd Vinet when he wanted to have his own ideal distribution system which should be simple. Jude explained the correct interpretation of ‘simple’ by stating,

Simple does not mean “newbie friendly”, instead it means that the system is structured in such a way that a user can easily configure it to his liking by changing simple configuration files and installing just what he needs.

There are a plethora of features which make Arch Linux one of the best Linux distributions. A few of them include;

The base Linux system that gets automatically installed with Arch Linux gives the user an option to configure or expand depending on his utility parameters.
It uses the widely acclaimed Pacman Package Management system which helps the user choose a program from its own repository wherein it is stored.
The Rolling Update system constantly updates any new installations for trouble free and fast usage of the system.
The Arch Build System or ABS helps by combining all the necessary information in a package. This packaged file can be used as and when required for whichever purposes it suits the best.

With these efficient features, Arch Linux becomes a truly great distribution for Linux. It ensures that the users implement the ‘Do-It-Yourself’ philosophy which helps in providing a ‘works-for-everyone’ experience, helping a system become easy to use and stable in its operations. Even the minutest of details can be easily understood and configured with the utmost of ease. Ubuntu, which is one of the favorites has grown far and wide over the past few years but Arch Linux is another good cookie in the box. It does not position itself for the newbies, but once one becomes accustomed to it, the chances of achieving high satisfaction levels are supreme.

Praval, the author of this article is an independent blogger, entrepreneur and social media evangelist. He writes articles, stories and reviews on Startup ecosystem, Blogging, Internet business, WordPress, Linux, Open Source Software and technology in general.

Praval Singh posted this article on Tue, Jun 2nd, 2009 at 3:13 pm
Categorized under Open Source and has the following tags

brad

I’ve used the “beginners” guide, the “installation” guide, and a custom made “arch made simple” guide, each one over 71 pages to “install” arch.. i cant get passed xorg setup, and ended up going back to ubuntu, cause I have no idea what happened.. i followed it to the letter, and have a 9 month old triplecore computer.. I found a live arch iso, thats beautiful.. but its 32bit, i dont like losing 750mb of my ram .. but someday someone will make an actual installable arch for 64bit, and i’ll try again, but for now, ubuntu just works for me.. but i’m waiting patiently
brad

I’ve used the “beginners” guide, the “installation” guide, and a custom made “arch made simple” guide, each one over 71 pages to “install” arch.. i cant get passed xorg setup, and ended up going back to ubuntu, cause I have no idea what happened.. i followed it to the letter, and have a 9 month old triplecore computer.. I found a live arch iso, thats beautiful.. but its 32bit, i dont like losing 750mb of my ram .. but someday someone will make an actual installable arch for 64bit, and i’ll try again, but for now, ubuntu just works for me.. but i’m waiting patiently
chessboxing

@brad try The Chakra Project. Or the Arch live project.
You probably mist some tiny detail, which occured with me to. Sometimes its a pain to keep your attention.
You tried the helpful forum and irc channel? Otherwise try this site for configuring the xorg and more: http://archux.com/

succhess
chessboxing

@brad try The Chakra Project. Or the Arch live project.
You probably mist some tiny detail, which occured with me to. Sometimes its a pain to keep your attention.
You tried the helpful forum and irc channel? Otherwise try this site for configuring the xorg and more: http://archux.com/

succhess
loke

And this was written in June 2009??
1) the logo is at least one year old (maybe more) – there is a new one
2) Judd Vinet is no longer part of archlinux (but all respect for his efforts – without him there would have been no archlinux)
loke

And this was written in June 2009??
1) the logo is at least one year old (maybe more) – there is a new one
2) Judd Vinet is no longer part of archlinux (but all respect for his efforts – without him there would have been no archlinux)
http://www.praval.com Praval Singh

@loke : I guess you need to read the words again, “The history of Arch Linux goes back to the attempt by Judd Vinet ..”

Judd may now have Arch Linux in his history books but as you said, without him there would have been no archlinux.

And yes, this post is written in June, 2009. More precisely, the 2nd day of the month!
http://www.praval.com Praval Singh

@loke : I guess you need to read the words again, “The history of Arch Linux goes back to the attempt by Judd Vinet ..”

Judd may now have Arch Linux in his history books but as you said, without him there would have been no archlinux.

And yes, this post is written in June, 2009. More precisely, the 2nd day of the month!
http://blog.mehulved.com Mehul Ved

I so feel arch to be an awesome distro. But, always there turns up to be one thing to another that ends up with a major goof up. I still have my 2 b0rked installs of arch. One of them is lying there with me unable to repair it at all. I tried asking on arch linux IRC channel so many times in vain.
That’s my main gripe against arch. On gentoo, I had to really get it to b0rk forcefully but with arch it happens without trying. Maybe, it’s just me who’s unlucky with arch as a good number of my friends have been using arch happily without problems, and all of us started almost together.
http://blog.mehulved.com Mehul Ved

I so feel arch to be an awesome distro. But, always there turns up to be one thing to another that ends up with a major goof up. I still have my 2 b0rked installs of arch. One of them is lying there with me unable to repair it at all. I tried asking on arch linux IRC channel so many times in vain.
That’s my main gripe against arch. On gentoo, I had to really get it to b0rk forcefully but with arch it happens without trying. Maybe, it’s just me who’s unlucky with arch as a good number of my friends have been using arch happily without problems, and all of us started almost together.
kgas

Hello Mehul Ved, Arch Linux is easy to install if you follow the Beginners guide. I installed arch more than 10 times in different lap tops and no problems. As said you should configure your system the way you like. Even you have to write hal policies to get the external drives mounted if you use hal.The forum is of great help.The community is great.
kgas

Hello Mehul Ved, Arch Linux is easy to install if you follow the Beginners guide. I installed arch more than 10 times in different lap tops and no problems. As said you should configure your system the way you like. Even you have to write hal policies to get the external drives mounted if you use hal.The forum is of great help.The community is great.
http://blog.mehulved.com Mehul Ved

Hi kgas,
I have followed the installation guide, the wiki and what not. Installation hasn’t been a problem at all. It’s just the thing that messes up after some upgrades. This didn’t just happen once but three times. I haven’t ever had this on various distros I have used. Maybe it’s just me because I know of friends who’ve had arch running nicely for over a year now.
I, at one time, did suspect my system but I have Fedora running on the same system for a few months now without any hiccups. And even my old R&D sabayon install is working perfectly till date.
http://blog.mehulved.com Mehul Ved

Hi kgas,
I have followed the installation guide, the wiki and what not. Installation hasn’t been a problem at all. It’s just the thing that messes up after some upgrades. This didn’t just happen once but three times. I haven’t ever had this on various distros I have used. Maybe it’s just me because I know of friends who’ve had arch running nicely for over a year now.
I, at one time, did suspect my system but I have Fedora running on the same system for a few months now without any hiccups. And even my old R&D sabayon install is working perfectly till date.
Ben

If you are relying on “following the guides to the letter”, Arch probably isn’t for you. Arch64 is used by a majority of users now for future reference and good luck with Ubuntu!