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Ask HN: How hard is it to get Arch Linux up and running, really?

3 points by mcrittenden ↗ HN
Arch sounds like a perfect fit for my netbook (basically only need to run Chrome). I've been using Ubuntu for years and have a pretty good hold of using the command line, but https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Beginners'_Guide looks really daunting.

Can anyone speak to how difficult it would really be to set up Arch for a first timer to it, coming from a few years of Ubuntu? Any tips?

7 comments

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ronnieCA
I would whole heartedly suggest giving it a try! It may appear daunting, but if you take your time and go step by step, chances are, you'll be just fine. If you're really worried about screwing up your system, you can install it on a virtual machine first (virtual box is free and works well enough), as a trial run.

You're bound to learn a thing or two while you go through the install, so jump in and have fun!

Tcepsa
I've had some pretty fantastically horrible experiences trying to get Linux set up, but Arch was one of the smoothest installations I've had (apparently, I am learning!) I've finally been running Ubuntu for about a year now (as a dual-boot with a Windows machine, but I use Ubuntu for almost everything now on that box).

Back to the point, I got Arch up and running in a VirtualBox VM on the first try, and adding packages has been pretty straightforward (slightly different syntax, have to su to root instead of sudo, but aside from that pacman seems pretty similar to apt-get).

Good luck!

xorglorb
By the way, you can install sudo on arch if you want.
xorglorb
It is a great experience to setup arch. It is relatively straightforward and easy to maintain. The only reason I eventually switched away from arch was because of the lack of signed packages, which was a big issue to a security-paranoid person like me. If you're just going to run chrome, go with a lightweight WM such as dwm.
rick_2047
I can get arch up an running with X, alsa, video drivers for intel processor and fluxbox (and dwm) in half an hour. That must be enough for running chrome. I do not include download time in that half hour because I save the stable packages that make my computer run smooth.
karlzt
I can tell you that Arch Linux is more stable than ubuntu!