Rolling with Arch Linux

It's always a good time to review Arch Linux since it features a rolling release model. This means frequent upgrades, with no release dates. In other words, Arch is always in its latest version, constantly being updated in small intervals of time. That makes it perfect for reviewing, since it's fresh whenever it's being taken for a spin.

Arch is inspired by CRUX, a simple and lightweight distribution which is inspired by BSD. Arch Linux first appeared in 2002. Although it shares some ideas with CRUX, Arch was developed from scratch, with no legacy from any other distribution. Arch Linux today has a devoted community, which stays close to its founding principles. According to DistroWatch's distribution ranking, Arch is doing better than ever, making it to the top ten in 2009, where it remains so far this year.

AIF

Occasionally the Arch Linux team does release installation images with a current snapshot of the core packages, a minimal set of packages found in the core repository. So core installation images contain just the packages needed for a basic install of Arch. These, together with AIF (Arch Linux Installation Framework), take care of the installation process. It is also possible to do a network installation where everything is retrieved from the Internet during the installation process. Images are available for CD (.iso) and USB stick (.img). The latest set of installation images originate from August 2009, labeled as 2009.08.

The default installation media boot option will work in the most cases. A live installation system allows configuration of the keyboard layout and the network (making it possible to do a network install) before the actual installation is started. AIF, available as an /arch/setup executable, is a command line tool with an ncurses-based interface. The installation steps managed by AIF are not unusual for the typical GNU/Linux install. This includes partition selection.

Before the partitioning, the installation source (CD, USB or network) and the time need to be set. Arch offers automatic disk partitioning and setup, together with manual disk partitioning and/or partition selection. There is an undo option, in case something goes wrong during the partition setup. The ext4 file system is fully supported.

Package selection is another important step in the installation process. The system offers a package group selection in the first step, followed by detailed package selection list. Hardware drivers are manually selected during this step. The Arch core includes firmware packages for most of the wireless chips used on today's computers, which is very important since the packages for the rest of the system (X Window System, desktop environments, programs) are retrieved from the network. For example, the Intel 4965 wireless chip in the test machine became fully operational only after the firmware installation. Speaking of WiFi, the wireless_tools package is available to install the necessary wireless network setup tools.

After the packages are installed, AIF proceeds to the system configuration interface. This is nothing more than a list of the configuration files which need to be edited with a default editor. The defaults can be a good starting point for the core installation, so only the last option is needed - root password setup. AIF installs GRUB, which is configured to ignore any other operating systems on the computer except Arch.

The desktop

I am reviewing Arch Linux as a desktop/workstation distribution this time. Therefore, the installation is just a first step which must be followed by additional installation and configuration for the desktop. The core system only contains basic services and the shell.

A wired network connection should work "out of the box" using DHCP. At this point a basic knowledge of Pacman, the Arch package manager, is a requirement. Fortunately, the Arch Wiki is a great place to look for the answers. All the manuals needed for the beginner worked like a charm during the test.

A few metapackage installs and system file edits later I had a functional desktop. In some cases, some of the packages are not installed automatically. For example, a functional X.org setup requires manual video and input driver installation. If a GNOME desktop is desired Hal will be installed as a dependency, but it needs to be started and configured to start on boot by hand. This is a good illustration of the Arch approach, since Hal is always a requirement with GNOME, but all X.org video drivers are not. Installation of unneeded video drivers wouldn't be clean by Arch standards.

There is no default desktop environment on Arch. Most window managers or desktops are available for installation, in very fresh versions. Freshness, at the time the article was written, means KDE SC 4.4.1, GNOME 2.28.2 and XFCE 4.6. Most of the packages come in a vanilla setup, therefore available desktop environments look and behave the same as they would if the installation was done from the source tarballs.

Other popular programs are very fresh too. Firefox 3.6, Thunderbird 3.0, Pidgin 2.6.6 and OpenOffice.org 3.2 are just part of the big software collection Arch provides in its repositories. All the searches for the additional software ended successfully during the test, which included Nvidia proprietary drivers and Flash plugin.

Speed

Arch seems very fast. While there is no exact measure, the overall subjective experience during this test was highly positive. A completely functional system with all necessary system tools and services installed and running, was fast and stable 100% of the time.

Installation and setup does take some time. Reading the documentation and installation/setup tasks take quite lot of time, even for advanced GNU/Linux users, especially those who have no experience with Arch. However the Arch Wiki provides all the answers for system and package installation and setup.

The Arch Way

Arch is developed and maintained in the "Arch way". "The following five core principles comprise what is commonly referred to as the Arch Way, or the Arch Philosophy, perhaps best summarized by the acronym KISS for Keep It Simple, Stupid."

In the Arch dictionary, simple and code-correct means no automatizing or autoconfiguration, and almost no patching. Therefore, user needs to do everything related to the installation and configuration. Sometimes the user involvement goes pretty far. For example, after the Network Manager installation, it needs to be started manually and set to do so on startup. Pacman does resolve dependencies automatically, so that part does not need to be done by hand.

The benefits of "The Arch Way" are good system performance and absolute control over the installation and setup, much like the control one gets with Gentoo. It is worth investing time in Arch if you want to learn the internals of a GNU/Linux system, maintain complete control over your system, and get good performance.

Conclusion

Overall, Arch is great. First, it's great for the users who want to learn GNU/Linux by choosing packages and editing configuration files. It's great for the users who have a knowledge of GNU/Linux and want to put together the system mostly by hand. Those who want an easy install and a functional system out of the box should avoid it.