Trying out Arch Linux

Linoman said:
Oh good grief! The repo's are a pain, files missing and this is with trying various ones. Am I supposed to have more than one at a time? I tried adding the http://archlinux.mirror.ac.za/ I couldn't get it to work either.
Click to expand...

I figured out to configure it as:

Server = http://archlinux.mirror.ac.za/$repo/os/i686

Busy playing around tonight
 
Thanks! Tell me something did you add it manually to the pacman config or to the mirror lists?

cbrunsdonza said:
I figured out to configure it as:

Server = http://archlinux.mirror.ac.za/$repo/os/i686

Busy playing around tonight
Click to expand...
 
I added it to the end of "/etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist"

Busy doing 120MB upgrade on the base system. Really like pacman and Arch is awesome on my AspireOne. Will install LXDE after the upgrade is done.
 
OK - just finished installing my Netbook. Was lots of fun and got to learn a few new things as well (config).

Using SLIM and LXDE and it flies .... love it. Only issue is keyboard layout but thats not a biggie ... will continue tonight.

Must say that I'm really impressed with the speed of Arch. I also feel more in control of distro. While I do not knock Ubuntu, there is a good chance that I will be switching all my PCs to Arch soon.
 
Linoman, maybe you should read up a bit on Arch.
:D

http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Beginners'_Guide
http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php...2C_Sync.2C_and_Upgrade_the_system_with_pacman

did, it seems I some how stuffed up my /etc/pacman.conf I think I need to find someone elses.
Click to expand...
Everything on pacman.conf and a complete pacman.conf, just copy and paste.
http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Beginners'_Guide#Package_Repositories_and_.2Fetc.2Fpacman.conf

Thanks! Tell me something did you add it manually to the pacman config or to the mirror lists?
Click to expand...
Just the following section is on mirrorlist and how to add and configure it.
It does not mention how to manually add mirrors, but it is easy to do if you just look at the rest of the mirrors listed, all you basically need is to add the end bit to your chosen mirror:
Code: 
# Australia
#Server = ftp://mirror.aarnet.edu.au/pub/archlinux/$repo/os/x86_64
#Server = http://mirror.aarnet.edu.au/pub/archlinux/$repo/os/x86_64
#Server = ftp://ftp.iinet.net.au/pub/archlinux/$repo/os/x86_64     
#Server = http://ftp.iinet.net.au/pub/archlinux/$repo/os/x86_64    
#Server = ftp://mirror.internode.on.net/pub/archlinux/$repo/os/x86_64
#Server = http://mirror.internode.on.net/pub/archlinux/$repo/os/x86_64
#Server = ftp://mirror.pacific.net.au/linux/archlinux/$repo/os/x86_64 
#Server = http://mirror.pacific.net.au/linux/archlinux/$repo/os/x86_64

So to add it manually you just need the last /$repo/os/x86_64 for your chosen mirror:
Code: 
Server = http://archlinux.mirror.ac.za/$repo/os/x86_64           
Server = ftp://ftp.is.co.za/mirror/archlinux.org/$repo/os/x86_64
If you mirror has a complete repo then everything including [testing] is covered by this. Note that you can also specify more than one mirror.

NOTE:
This post is meant as education, read the beginners guide and look there for the answers, it IS well documented. I'm in no way sarcastic or whatever you construed as nasty, just helpful.
I'm getting too old for this, having to now post a disclaimer otherwise someone will call me anal, maybe I should just quit and lurk in the shadows from now on like froot and the others before him... :(
 
cbrunsdonza said:
While I do not knock Ubuntu, there is a good chance that I will be switching all my PCs to Arch soon.
Click to expand...

I suspect you will. I stopped using Ubuntu at 6.10 and then started distro hopping for a long time until I tried Arch. After I installed Arch I have never tried another distro again.
 
Except for my sound, my netbook is 110% happy - even under Ubuntu my sound was screwed but I don't care much for sound on my netbook.

(EDIT: Sound was working, just some PEBKAC issues)

Really impressed and its such a pleasure to have it on my netbook. I'm using my netbook now to surf the net. Firefox performs better than ever before, near zero wait (big problem with SSD when using UBUNTU).

Even got the notification-daemon working with wvdial so it pops up a msg to say when I'm connected with my 3G and when I disconnect.


One thing I can say about ARCH is that it teaches you to become a better LINUX user. I've learn't more about the inner workings of LINUX in the last few days than what I did in the last 2 years.
 
Last edited:
my arch install runs a close second to my debian install.
 
Just installed OpenOffice and Arch now really shows how superior it is to Ubuntu Netbook Remix.

I'm really impressed with Arch and its been great fun to set it up. Just spent the last hour writing some much needed bash scripts that I've needed at work. Arch has the geek factor that Ubuntu seems to have lost.
 
Here is why I use Yaourt on top of pacman, it makes updatingpackages installed from AUR trivial.

Code: 
dita tinuva # yaourt -Su --aur
==> Searching for new version on AUR
aggregate: up to date
aqpm: 1.3.3.2-1 => 1.3.3.4-1
aspell-af: up to date
b43-firmware: up to date
bin32-google-earth: up to date
bin32-skype: up to date
bin32-wine-suse: 1.1.38.1-1 => 1.1.39.2-1
bmp-crossfade: up to date (0.3.11-2 flagged as out of date)
boxee-source: 0.9.20.10408-2 => 0.9.20.10711-1
dpkg: up to date
foxitreader: up to date
gnome-pulse-applet: up to date
gnomenu: up to date
google-chrome-dev: 5.0.307.5-1 => 5.0.322.2-1
hellanzb: up to date
lib32-attr: up to date
lib32-dbus-glib: up to date
lib32-flac: up to date
lib32-libasyncns: up to date (0.7-1 flagged as out of date)
lib32-libcap: up to date (2.17-1 flagged as out of date)
lib32-libjpeg6: up to date (6b-1 flagged as out of date)
lib32-libogg: up to date
lib32-libsndfile: up to date
lib32-libvorbis: up to date
lib32-nss-mdns: up to date (0.10-1 flagged as out of date)
lib32-pulseaudio: 0.9.21-4 => 0.9.21-5
lib32-tcp_wrappers: up to date (7.6-10 flagged as out of date)
libabz: up to date
libdebug: up to date (0.4.2-1 flagged as out of date)
libjpeg6: up to date
libpng12: up to date
libtiff4: up to date
lottanzb: 0.5.2-1 => 0.5.3-1
lsb-release: up to date
nimbus: up to date
par2cmdline: up to date
policykit: not found on AUR
policykit-gnome: not found on AUR
pulseaudio-mixer-applet: up to date
python-iniparse: up to date
shaman: up to date
ttf-anonymous: up to date
ttf-anonymous-pro: up to date
twisted-web2: up to date
vanessa_logger: up to date
virtualbox_bin: 3.1.2-2 => 3.1.4-3
xbmc-skin-aeon-git: up to date (20090609-1 flagged as out of date)
xbmc-skin-focus: up to date
xbmc-skin-horizonz: up to date
xbmc-skin-minimeedia: up to date

---------------------------------------------
Packages that can be updated from AUR:
aqpm bin32-wine-suse boxee-source google-chrome-dev lib32-pulseaudio lottanzb virtualbox_bin
==>  Do you want to update these packages ? [Y/n]
==>   ----------------------------------------------
==>
 
Oooh, I am itching to install arch! :P

The whole role release thing really appeals to me...
 
Arch is really cool. Except for the splashy disaster, it is so easy and you have so much more control over your OS.

I now understand why seasoned users are not happy with the "user-friendly" improvements various other distros are making concerning the zeroconf move towards config files.
 
After screwing up something along the way, in Virtual Box. I though what the heck let me try starting over from scratch. This time though I did it on my dedicated Linux machine. I went through the steps and managed to get everything working, sound (still have to install mp3 codecs though?), Gnome desktop, Firefox etc etc. The speed of this distro is truly amazing and the knowledge and apperication one gains for the "simpler" distros is quite something.
 
Going to try out on VirtualBox first before I screw up my install with splashy again :)

But I must agree with Linoman that getting back to my geek roots makes me a better user. Go Arch !!!
 
Just stumbled across this thread and by pure co-incidence I'm busy installing Arch on VB to give it a whirl.
 
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