this post was submitted on 15 Jul 2025
316 points (93.4% liked)
Linux
56426 readers
573 users here now
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
Rules
- Posts must be relevant to operating systems running the Linux kernel. GNU/Linux or otherwise.
- No misinformation
- No NSFW content
- No hate speech, bigotry, etc
Related Communities
Community icon by Alpár-Etele Méder, licensed under CC BY 3.0
founded 6 years ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
arch is for people who want to play linux. if you actually want to use linux, go with something else
funny and glib, but not true
arch only works if you think maintaining every detail of a linux system is fun, because you have to constantly know what you're doing and that's a huge commitment. stuff like what the op described is bound to happen if you ever get bored of it and decide not to pay much attention to the system one particular week
What's your point of comparison, Ubuntu LTS? Arch does not require nearly as much upkeep or attention as you're claiming. Try setting up a Gentoo or NixOS system, or better yet just do Linux From Scratch, and come back to us.
I have been on Arch , and I'm now running NixOS as my daily driver... IMO NixOS is less of a hassle to set up, and nearly maintenance free compared to Arch... Twice a year when the channel updates there's a bit of stuff, but every change I need to make is usually explained in the output of my
nixos-rebuild... If something suddenly breaks in an update, I just boot into my previous generation, roll back myflake.lockand wait a few days for a fix to be available...Having dailied both as well, I only agree once you're over the very significant learning curve. And even then, I'd say initial setup is pretty similar, if not a bit easier on Arch.
Arch and NixOS are kind of like C and Rust. Arch/C give you the power and flexibility to do pretty much whatever you want, but also will let you do it in very stupid ways that will come back to bite you. NixOS and Rust give you the same amount of power, but with a higher barrier to entry that ensures you have a pretty good idea of what you're doing, which results in a much more stable experience.
debian
fedora
opensuse tumbleweed (which happens to also be rolling release)
gentoo and lfs make it very clear they're demanding distros. arch is just a little easier, but it's closer to gentoo than to debian
I have dailied Arch and Debian unstable and they both took about as much effort. Arch is really not that complex, it just gives you access to some potential footguns. Also, Arch absolutely makes it clear that it's a more advanced distro -- that's the entire reason for the meme, although these days it's a lot simpler thanks mostly to the installers.
i really don't think that's true about arch, but in general i get that there is a spectrum of how much ppl want to be active in the maintenance of their computer.
i use EndeavourOS, but for my wife i give her Kalpa, which is atomic and much more "less fuss, just use computer."
maybe @makeitwonderful@lemmy.sdf.org would like an immutable distro.