4 ms·

The big reason why rolling release works so well on Arch is the assumption that the user is smart, so there are several difficult tasks which are pushed over on

The big reason why rolling release works so well on Arch is the assumption that the user is smart, so there are several difficult tasks which are pushed over onto the user (like handling non-trivial conflicts of software that the user may not have directly installed, e.g. libgl, handling exceptional circumstances, being able to recover after a failed update, ensuring the system is updated regularly, knowing when a reboot is needed etc.) A more mainstream OS has to automate these things.

velodrome 12y ago
Agreed. Arch requires a lot of maintenance. Ubuntu, just click update and you don't have to worry about it (until the next LTS). Personally, I like the rolling model. Chromebook is probably best example for regular users.
- 1_player 12y ago
  I moved to Arch because just clicking update on Ubuntu more often than not botched the upgrade somewhere. And I'm a power user. If I had a penny every time I had to help a friend with a failed Ubuntu upgrade...
  - 72deluxe 12y ago
    You "CLICKED" on upgrade? And you call yourself a power user! Why did you not type it into the CLI? If not a runlevel 3 perhaps with a tiling window manager. I jest :-)
    - velodrome 12y ago
      I am on Arch. FTW. sudo pacman -Syu;
  - velodrome 12y ago
    I moved for the same reason. CentOS w/ 6-10 years of updates is probably a better recommendation for newer users. Any upgrade to the latest version is a real pain in pretty much every distro. Arch is great but sometimes new updates can interfere with workflow (it requires me to be very active monitoring changes).
- ascagnel_ 12y ago
  If your IT organization is transitioning to or running web apps, Chrome OS just became a lot more interesting compared to the new MS browser, especially when you consider that ActiveX is finally being put out to pasture.
cptn_brittish 12y ago
Aside from initially installing Arch and the major programs I know I am going to use I have never had a major problem with Arch which required extensive knowlege of linux to fix. All in all I'd say I have about the same number of issues with Arch as a normal Windows install.
- swasheck 12y ago
  the great python migration of 2010 broke a few things for folks who didnt read the announcements that `python` was going to point to python3.

velodrome 12y ago

Agreed. Arch requires a lot of maintenance. Ubuntu, just click update and you don't have to worry about it (until the next LTS). Personally, I like the rolling model. Chromebook is probably best example for regular users.

1_player 12y ago
I moved to Arch because just clicking update on Ubuntu more often than not botched the upgrade somewhere. And I'm a power user. If I had a penny every time I had to help a friend with a failed Ubuntu upgrade...
- 72deluxe 12y ago
  You "CLICKED" on upgrade? And you call yourself a power user! Why did you not type it into the CLI? If not a runlevel 3 perhaps with a tiling window manager. I jest :-)
  - velodrome 12y ago
    I am on Arch. FTW. sudo pacman -Syu;
- velodrome 12y ago
  I moved for the same reason. CentOS w/ 6-10 years of updates is probably a better recommendation for newer users. Any upgrade to the latest version is a real pain in pretty much every distro. Arch is great but sometimes new updates can interfere with workflow (it requires me to be very active monitoring changes).
ascagnel_ 12y ago
If your IT organization is transitioning to or running web apps, Chrome OS just became a lot more interesting compared to the new MS browser, especially when you consider that ActiveX is finally being put out to pasture.

cptn_brittish 12y ago

Aside from initially installing Arch and the major programs I know I am going to use I have never had a major problem with Arch which required extensive knowlege of linux to fix. All in all I'd say I have about the same number of issues with Arch as a normal Windows install.

swasheck 12y ago
the great python migration of 2010 broke a few things for folks who didnt read the announcements that `python` was going to point to python3.