Posted September 14, 2014 Hey there, I've been using Debian for a long while but recently bumped into Arch Linux and it looks very attractive to me as it's very clean, built up from the bottom without nonsense. So I've got it up and running next to debian, just to give it a try and it works just great. But I'm just wondering if there is things I should know, like usefull stuff or any cool tricks. Also like packages I should probably install, just throw it at me! I'm interested to know what you guys use and want to find these awesome little things. If I really like Arch, which already looks like it, I'll probably switch it up and make it my daily driver So guys, let me know what I should know about! Thanks for your answers // TODO: Update signature to include PC buid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted September 14, 2014 I've not used it myself so i'm not going to be much help (sry)but Jupiter Broadcasting have a youtube channel and done an I SWITCHED TO Arch so it might be worth a watch ? Win 10 Pro 64bit| Intel i5-4670k| Corsair H100i| ASUS Maximus VI GENE| 2x8GB PC3-14900 Corsair Vengeance Pro Red| MSI GeForce GTX 1070 | SanDisk 240GB Extreme Pro SSD| WD 3TB Red | WD Black 3tb | Corsair Obsidian 350D| Corsair AX760 | Dust | Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted September 14, 2014 Author I've not used it myself so i'm not going to be much help (sry) but Jupiter Broadcasting have a youtube channel and done an I SWITCHED TO Arch so it might be worth a watch ? I have to say, very nice guy there. I never saw him around, the video looks nice and thank for the tip // TODO: Update signature to include PC buid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted September 14, 2014 I recommend installing Yaourt so that you can install AUR apps easily in the console instead of downloading them, compiling them then running them. https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Yaourt There is also these scripts that make it quick and easy to install This one is the better of the two b/c it lets you choose everything https://github.com/helmuthdu/aui This one is more simple installing xfce and a few other basic apps http://tuxomat.ml/my-arch-linux-instant-soup/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted September 14, 2014 @alpenwasser can help 5.1GHz 4770k My Specs Intel i7-4770K @ 4.7GHz | Corsair H105 w/ SP120 | Asus Gene VI | 32GB Corsair Vengeance LP | 2x GTX 780Ti| Corsair 750D | OCZ Agility 3 | Samsung 840/850 | Sandisk SSD | 3TB WD RED | Seagate Barracuda 2TB | Corsair RM850 | ASUS PB278Q | SyncMaster 2370HD | SyncMaster P2450 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted September 14, 2014 Author I recommend installing Yaourt so that you can install AUR apps easily in the console instead of downloading them, compiling them then running them. https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Yaourt There is also these scripts that make it quick and easy to install This one is the better of the two b/c it lets you choose everything https://github.com/helmuthdu/aui This one is more simple installing xfce and a few other basic apps http://tuxomat.ml/my-arch-linux-instant-soup/ I already have yaourt running because of some stuff I wanted and found it. Thanks for the tip though. I use gnome (mainly because I'm used to it) as my GUI btw. // TODO: Update signature to include PC buid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted September 14, 2014 i3wm is a very minimalist and easy-to-use window manager. Interested in Linux, SteamOS and Open-source applications? Go here Gaming Rig - CPU: i5 3570k @ Stock | GPU: EVGA Geforce 560Ti 448 Core Classified Ultra | RAM: Mushkin Enhanced Blackline 8GB DDR3 1600 | SSD: Crucial M4 128GB | HDD: 3TB Seagate Barracuda, 1TB WD Caviar Black, 1TB Seagate Barracuda | Case: Antec Lanboy Air | KB: Corsair Vengeance K70 Cherry MX Blue | Mouse: Corsair Vengeance M95 | Headset: Steelseries Siberia V2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted September 14, 2014 @alpenwasser can help Will need to get back to this tomorrow, time is a bit short today. Arch have actively maintained custom CPU optimized kernels with BFS and BFQ schedulers. https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/linux-ck https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Repo-ck Huh, haven't come across that before, looks very intriguing I must say. i3wm is a very minimalist and easy-to-use window manager. Indeed. I've been using it for almost two years now, really have come to love it. BUILD LOGS: HELIOS - Latest Update: 2015-SEP-06 ::: ZEUS - BOTW 2013-JUN-28 ::: APOLLO - Complete: 2014-MAY-10OTHER STUFF: Cable Lacing Tutorial ::: What Is ZFS? ::: mincss Primer ::: LSI RAID Card Flashing TutorialFORUM INFO: Community Standards ::: The Moderating Team ::: 10TB+ Storage Showoff Topic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted September 14, 2014 Arch have actively maintained custom CPU optimized kernels with BFS and BFQ schedulers. https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/linux-ck https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Repo-ck That reminds me, I need to install Linux-ck on my laptop to take advantage of some of its power saving features. Already managing to push about 9 hours of decent use on my Thinkpad on a 9-cell battery, but with most power saving features enabled, that should go up to 12-14 hours. Interested in Linux, SteamOS and Open-source applications? Go here Gaming Rig - CPU: i5 3570k @ Stock | GPU: EVGA Geforce 560Ti 448 Core Classified Ultra | RAM: Mushkin Enhanced Blackline 8GB DDR3 1600 | SSD: Crucial M4 128GB | HDD: 3TB Seagate Barracuda, 1TB WD Caviar Black, 1TB Seagate Barracuda | Case: Antec Lanboy Air | KB: Corsair Vengeance K70 Cherry MX Blue | Mouse: Corsair Vengeance M95 | Headset: Steelseries Siberia V2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted September 14, 2014 The best piece of advice I can give you is to play around with anything and everything and don't get flustered if/when things break. One of the best things about Arch and I suppose Linux in general is the freedom that's been given to you to experiment with things. If you break something, try to fix it. Update often, read update notes and the wiki, hangout in their irc (https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/IRC_channels) and forums, and subscribe to a few mailing lists (arch-announce, arch-general, and aur-general are great) to stay updated and get a good flow of information. Once you feel confident, start contributing back where you can. "Unix was not designed to stop you from doing stupid things, because that would also stop you from doing clever things." - Doug Gwyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted September 15, 2014 Author The best piece of advice I can give you is to play around with anything and everything and don't get flustered if/when things break. One of the best things about Arch and I suppose Linux in general is the freedom that's been given to you to experiment with things. If you break something, try to fix it. Update often, read update notes and the wiki, hangout in their irc (https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/IRC_channels) and forums, and subscribe to a few mailing lists (arch-announce, arch-general, and aur-general are great) to stay updated and get a good flow of information. Once you feel confident, start contributing back where you can. Thanks for the tips on the mailing lists, I didn't know about them And yep, I'm not scared to break the system (I've done it tons of times before) because I'll probably find a way to fix it, challenges are fun! i3wm is a very minimalist and easy-to-use window manager. I'll surely check it out! Seems like it's good // TODO: Update signature to include PC buid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted September 15, 2014 Well, most of the stuff I was going to mention has already been mentioned I see. As said, I use i3wm as my window manager, with very Vim-like keyboard shortcuts for great efficiency. Also highly recommendable is tmux, absolutely awesome if you do a lot of work on the command line (and if you have Arch, I don't see why you wouldn't ). Also configured very Vim- like. Oh, speaking of shells: ZSH is my preferred choice, along with a syntax-highlighting plugin (package: zsh-syntax-highlighting in the official repos). Screenshot of that, with a vertical tmux split: What I can also recommend, although it's not really specific to Arch or Linux, is a Vim-like browser extension. Makes browsing the web much more efficient. There are a few different ones out there, differing in their level of "hardcoreness". Personally I've recently switched to Pentadactyl (Firefox), which is on the upper end of the "Vim Scale of Hardness ", but there are others which are a bit simpler to use (VimFX I used for a while, not quite as powerful, but more newbie-friendly). BUILD LOGS: HELIOS - Latest Update: 2015-SEP-06 ::: ZEUS - BOTW 2013-JUN-28 ::: APOLLO - Complete: 2014-MAY-10OTHER STUFF: Cable Lacing Tutorial ::: What Is ZFS? ::: mincss Primer ::: LSI RAID Card Flashing TutorialFORUM INFO: Community Standards ::: The Moderating Team ::: 10TB+ Storage Showoff Topic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted September 15, 2014 Heyyo, For GUI package manager? I've been really enjoying PacmanXG. https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/pacmanxg4-bin/ It works with the default sources & AUR plus can scan for updates. It's handy if you're lazy like me with Terminal commands lol. Heyyo, My PC Build: https://pcpartpicker.com/b/sNPscf My Android Phone: Exodus Android on my OnePlus One 64bit in Sandstone Black in a Ringke Fusion clear & slim protective case Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted September 15, 2014 @alpenwasser Good tip on the syntax-highlighting. I am also using ZSH but I didn't look into modifying it too much. For my desktop I am currently using GNOME 3.12 http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/193910-best-linux-distro-for-me/?p=2631534 http://postimg.org/image/503ceyntv/ I have found the syntax highlighting rather convenient, can highly recommend it. Other than that the primary customization I've done is the prompt, for which I started with somebody else's .zshrc and then modified that to suit my preferences. Heyyo, For GUI package manager? I've been really enjoying PacmanXG. https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/pacmanxg4-bin/ It works with the default sources & AUR plus can scan for updates. It's handy if you're lazy like me with Terminal commands lol. Oh, welcome to the forum! I always kind of forget about GUI package managers because I rather like pacman actually (plus, I do quite a bit of SSH terminal work for which I can't use a GUI anyway), but yeah, if you're not too fond of doing everything on the CLI, might be worth a look as well. BUILD LOGS: HELIOS - Latest Update: 2015-SEP-06 ::: ZEUS - BOTW 2013-JUN-28 ::: APOLLO - Complete: 2014-MAY-10OTHER STUFF: Cable Lacing Tutorial ::: What Is ZFS? ::: mincss Primer ::: LSI RAID Card Flashing TutorialFORUM INFO: Community Standards ::: The Moderating Team ::: 10TB+ Storage Showoff Topic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted September 16, 2014 Author Well, most of the stuff I was going to mention has already been mentioned I see. As said, I use i3wm as my window manager, with very Vim-like keyboard shortcuts for great efficiency. Also highly recommendable is tmux, absolutely awesome if you do a lot of work on the command line (and if you have Arch, I don't see why you wouldn't ). Also configured very Vim- like. Oh, speaking of shells: ZSH is my preferred choice, along with a syntax-highlighting plugin (package: zsh-syntax-highlighting in the official repos). Screenshot of that, with a vertical tmux split: What I can also recommend, although it's not really specific to Arch or Linux, is a Vim-like browser extension. Makes browsing the web much more efficient. There are a few different ones out there, differing in their level of "hardcoreness". Personally I've recently switched to Pentadactyl (Firefox), which is on the upper end of the "Vim Scale of Hardness ", but there are others which are a bit simpler to use (VimFX I used for a while, not quite as powerful, but more newbie-friendly). Looks like a very nice highlighter there. I've never really used vim btw, got used to nano (it was the first editor I used basically) but I'll take a look at vim as you seem to like it alot! Heyyo, For GUI package manager? I've been really enjoying PacmanXG. https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/pacmanxg4-bin/ It works with the default sources & AUR plus can scan for updates. It's handy if you're lazy like me with Terminal commands lol. I'm fine with doing all on command-line, used to it. Thanks for the tip though Just a little thing I'd like to share with you guys while I'm at it: I am currently doing my internship at a nice software development company. Here I got a pc on my first day running Windows 7, I asked if they were fine with linux, they were not sure about it because the rest of them were using Windows (even though there are a few Linux geeks there aswell). So I went ahead and setup my development environment on the Windows pc, this took me about a full day to get up and running. This was caused by some tools that didn't work straight away and needed some troubleshooting, which made other programs act weird. Finally I managed to get everything running and it worked okay. But today I said, screw it, I'm making it a dual bool with Arch. I wanted to take the challenge and see how long it would take me to get the same tools up and running within Arch. So, starting I build the base system with Gnome as a GUI (just a thing I got from Debian, I'm used to it ) and the base was running within 30 minutes of work, which was fast in my opinion. Taking the Windows 7 install takes about the same time. Now comes the fun part, the development tools: I started of building yaourt & pacaur (still can't decide which I like better) to get going. And then, just trying pacman/pacaur/yaourt with the program name and I was done within the hour! I was astonished at how much programs there are available in the AUR. Everything I needed was in there, and installing it was a breeze. The system runs quicker than on Windows, everything worked directly without any troubleshooting being involved! That's what I wanted to share! I'm starting to love Arch already, I hate to go to websites and download the piece of software I need and the existence of the AUR helps out alot there. I'm gonna make it my daily driver and see how it goes. Happy Arching! // TODO: Update signature to include PC buid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted September 16, 2014 This is a very interesting thread. Thank you to everyone who contributed to it. I have been using Manjaro for a couple of months, and I find it about time to try out Arch. This was pretty helpful, I will start tinkering around in Arch very soon. Learning Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted September 16, 2014 This is a pretty good guide, it's what I used to set it up on a VM. https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Beginners%27_guide LTT's unofficial Windows activation expert. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted September 17, 2014 This is a pretty good guide, it's what I used to set it up on a VM. https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Beginners%27_guide Of course I have read a lot of the articles (well, a few) from the Arch wiki, they are brilliant. The Arch Linux wiki is just the best wiki ever created. It is full of amazing material. Learning Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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