Hello everyone, lately I got really into Linux. I installed it in every machine I have, but I still had to try Arch. From what people were saying online I thought that it was going to be a hard and impossible task. So I bought a Thinkpad for a hundred euros (x260 if you’re wondering) and I followed a guide on how to install Arch. I thought I was going to be using the terminal all the time, and had to type everything. No black screen of death, no prompt saying “Are you awake?” Matrix style, the pc didn’t breack, reality didn’t bend and just following simply the guide I had Arch running in fifhteen-twenty minutes no problem. Only the Network Manager wasn’t on were I rebooted after installation but it took five minutes to search online how to fix it. Everything works: bluetooth, internet, apps and so on. I could leave it as it is and I could just use it as any other pc. So all I’m saying is that I’m having a great time with Linux distros, the pain to learn how install repository and other things is really worth it. Every time I learn something more about my computer puts me more in control. So thank you Linux and its community.
If you installed it using the archinstall installation script, I believe you. If you did a manual installation of Arch for the first time, I don’t believe you installed the system in 15-20 minutes.
Is there ever a reason to manually install now that archinstall is a thing?
Yes, if you use Arch, a DIY system where the user decides which services to activate and how to configure them. Archinstall decides for you how to partition the disks and which services need to be configured based on the options you choose. In other words, Archinstall offers the same thing as an installer like Calamares, but in a CLI script. However, once the base system is installed, you must manage the security tools, backup, etc., not the distribution developer.
I have arch on a few different systems. A couple of them, I used the script as I wanted to get them up and running quickly. It was very good for that, and I still had options in the script to make many of the choices and set things up manually instead of letting the script decide.
If you use the archinstall script to save time on manual installation, I think that’s reasonable as long as you’ve adapted that script to your needs and decisions about the system. I repeat, archinstall makes its own default configurations in tools that the user must configure in the post-installation, such as security and system recovery. Archinstall does not configure selinux, snapper in grub, etc., and for this you have to partition the disk in a specific way, not as archinstall does by default.
That’s essentially what I do. I’m an old user and was running arch before it had archinstall so I’m fully capable of doing a manual install, but I also don’t have a particularly unusual computer setup so the script is like 95% fine for what I need. I do a few post-install tweaks but that’s pretty much it.
I used archiinstall, manual installation Is not on my level :(
I recommend giving the manual install a whirl… it might take you a couple tries, but it will help with your overall understanding of your system–this will be useful if anything ever goes sideways. It really isn’t that hard. What you learn during install (how to read the wiki effectively, partitioning layouts, how to set up a boot loader, what filesystems are available and how they’re different, what you need to install for firmware or build tools etc etc) will help demystify the system, and put the power to manage your system in your hands. Also if you ever run into an issue like your
/bootor/partition being full and you want to resize your partitions, or your compositor won’t launch/is freezing and you need to use a TTY–you’ll be better equipped… even if that means you’re just a bit better at reading/searching the wiki.