When users have stability problems, it’s generally because they’re trying something that either is highly complicated or something for which there is little to no documentation. In my experience, Arch’s implementation of the rolling release model has been overwhelmingly stable, so claims to the contrary are largely overblown as far as I am concerned. While Arch let me set up a custom system with a sequence of commands, Ubuntu’s installer nominally offered a menu for selecting the same configuration, but simply could not to execute it properly under the hood once the installer was set in motion. Installers are a huge achievement, and a solution to one of the biggest obstacles to getting non-expert general users to explore and join the Linux community, but they are a relative luxury in the history of Linux.Īlso, installers can get it wrong, as I found out when trying to make some modest adjustments to the default Ubuntu installation settings. Linux did not always have installers, though, and Arch’s installation process is much closer to how it was in the days of yore. Parts of the operating system that users are accustomed to getting prefabricated, like the complete graphical user interface that makes up the desktop, have to be assembled from scratch out of the likes of the X Window server, the desired desktop environment, and the display manager (i.e. In contrast to most mainstream Linux distributions (and certainly to proprietary commercial operating systems), installing Arch is a completely command line-driven process. Compared to modern day installers and wizards, this is undoubtedly true. The most common issue skeptics raise, by far, is that the installation process is challenging and very much hands-on. Hearing it resurface in the podcast got me contemplating why that is - as I am someone who is comfortable with and deeply respects Arch. 7, 2018, and is brought to you today as part of our Best of ECT News series.Īlthough that reaction came from an enthusiastic Linux novice, it is one that is not uncommon even among seasoned Linux users. This story was originally published on Nov.