Linux Best rolling-release Linux distro?

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vishalrao

vishalrao

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Hate to ask a "what is best" question since it always gets you varied answers, but:

What is the "best" rolling-release Linux distro like Arch, Gentoo, Foresight etc?

An attempt to define what is meant by "best":

1. Truly rolling-release, meaning always get latest software.

2. Stable, less risk of breakage.

3. Less manual maintenance work required.

4. Fast availability of bug fixes and security updates.

5. Of course, fast performance of your desktop environment compared to other distros not compared to other desktops :)

Any other points to consider?

edit: posted some initial thoughts since trying arch for the first time: http://www.techenclave.com/open-sou...ux-os-would-suit-me-140246-3.html#post1183667
 
I am going to try Arch myself. Already downloaded X64 version but it doesn't seems to work in vbox :P WIll try it in Live mode.. I have used it but never installed myself :P Don't know why but I find installation of slackware a bit easier :lol:

Arch is undoubtedly the best :)

Sabayon is another rolling release.

The only thing restricting me its whopping wiki :P

Edot : Don't expect it boot as fast as Ubuntu, Fedora or Mandriva .
 
I dont think Arch has Live version, does it? Installation takes a LONG time, I started almost 2 hours ago I have just updated base system, yet to install KDE...I am going slow and steady reading all the steps carefully since its first time for me...

I know the boot might not be as fast as Ubuntu/Fedora but its not important... what I need is the system/desktop itself to run fast after boot!

I noticed a big advantage, the packaging system is FAST much faster than Ubuntu even, maybe because the package database files are under 1 mb total while Ubuntu reaches 10 mb if you include universe/multiverse repos... :)
 
Damn ! I am the only one left alone :P .. will print the wiki tomorrow.

I want to install KDE as well.. Can you tell me which important pages to print :P I don't want to print the whole thing :(
 
right now i have just started installing X, not sure what KDE pages are needed. you know... instead of printing (and making mistake of missing some important pages) why dont you use another machine for reference? Like you can install on your desktop while you browse the wiki with another machine (your mom's NC10?)...i am installing on my tablet and using desktop for referring the wiki :)

btw, even with my 512 kbps connection its taking me hours to install heh... this kind of rolling install distro needs a fast multi-megabit connection!!! now if i want to install again on my desktop i have to go through the whole process again...

i will post the required links/pages once i complete installation.... may take a few more hours heh... you can print the main beginner's guide page to install just the base system in the mean time...http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Beginners_Guide
 
vishalrao said:
Hate to ask a "what is best" question since it always gets you varied answers, but:

What is the "best" rolling-release Linux distro like Arch, Gentoo, Foresight etc?

An attempt to define what is meant by "best":

1. Truly rolling-release, meaning always get latest software.
2. Stable, less risk of breakage.
3. Less manual maintenance work required.
4. Fast availability of bug fixes and security updates.
5. Of course, fast performance of your desktop environment compared to other distros not compared to other desktops :)

Any other points to consider?

edit: posted some initial thoughts since trying arch for the first time: http://www.techenclave.com/open-sou...ux-os-would-suit-me-140246-3.html#post1183667
Click to expand...

Some inputs about Gentoo
1. Yes
2. Very stable.
3. May need some maintenance.
4. Bug fixes and security updates take time
5. Fastest linux distro
Boots in less than 10 secs.
Applications works almost 2-3 times faster than in Fedora/Suse/Ubuntu

Once you get it going on your system, you wont be able to switch to another distro because of the sheer speed at which it runs. Other distro's then look very slow.

The only issue is its difficult to install. The GUI installer that comes with the live cd is crap. The manual installation is recommended.
 
Thanks, IIRC I read somewhere that Gentoo is losing its shine/popularity for some reason and ones like Arch are becoming more popular... I guess Gentoo is more extreme than Arch meaning you download and compile every thing on your PC? Which is why it must be super fast...

About Arch wiki links, some good ones:

ArchWiki

Beginners Guide - ArchWiki

Beginners Guide Appendix - ArchWiki

Post Installation Tips - ArchWiki

http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Category:Laptops_(English)

Wireless Setup - ArchWiki

There are other links you come across as you read, like for nvidia, ATI, Xorg etc...
 
gentoo is not worth the trouble.I have used gentoo alternatively for few years.now a days gentoo comes with a installer.

--

My suggestion will be Arch Linux as well although ,I liked Foresight's Conary Package Management.but the problem which I faced during initial days when foresight was released ,it contained less packages.
 
Ok I am done :) Installed the core system and editing configuration files. Its very easy :)

Arch wiki is hell lot of information :D
 
Congrats! Me too! Stayed up all night and Installed it KDE and all on my tablet and almost done on my desktop!

Time taken to download the initial core 64 bit install image: 2 hrs.

Time to download and install and configure base, X and KDE on my tablet: About 6 hrs!

Time to redownload and reinstall and configure base, X and KDE on my desktop: About 4 hrs (since second time I went faster)...

Arch is looking good, I followed the wiki steps to install yaourt to get AUR packages like powerpill for faster pacman performance using aria :)

I'm avoiding trying to install bootsplash (splashy/fbsplash since bootsplash is deprecated), doesnt look safe to me, nor are there good themes I can see...

Even the boot speed is as fast or faster than Jaunty, after making some daemons startup in the background...

I am yet to start using the desktop properly to see if the performance is faster there too...
 
Installed the core iso two times :P. First I was testing and second time I did the installation..

I have few problem. I think I haven't done configuration correctly. There are lots of mirrors in the pacman-mirror list. It was asking to select one should I download the rest and select one ?

I haven't configure the net :ashamed: from the netconfig wizard in the configuration panel while installing .. Now when I ping after logging in as root it says ping :unknown host Google

What am I doing wrong :P

@vishal sir : That is a hell lot of time :O I think I will installing it at night :P
 
yea heh took me a long time and i still only have base KDE (with konquerer app only) on my machines :) still have to install more apps and customise a bit... since im not familiar with packaging , dont want to risk enabling testing repo for KDE 4.3 :(

to solve your questions i think arch wiki to the rescue :ohyeah: try the following 2 links, if still issues, then we can walk though step by step... networking and mirrors working fine for me:

Configuring network - ArchWiki

Improve Pacman Performance - ArchWiki

(you mainly need to just edit /etc/rc.conf and run rankmirror script i believe)

i am super impressed with arch wiki, its the best i have seen anywhere til date...
 
vishalrao said:
I dont think Arch has Live version, does it?
Click to expand...

yes there is a Live CD. its is called Chakra. it was recently started so still under development.

About Chakra

Chakra is a free, user-friendly and extremely powerful liveCD and/or distrolet based on the award winning K Desktop Environment and on the GNU/Linux distribution for connoisseurs: Arch Linux.

More info:

The Chakra Project - Welcome

vishalrao said:
Thanks, IIRC I read somewhere that Gentoo is losing its shine/popularity for some reason and ones like Arch are becoming more popular... I guess Gentoo is more extreme than Arch meaning you download and compile every thing on your PC? Which is why it must be super fast...
Click to expand...

Gentoo is still a excellent source based distro. But advantage with arch is freedom of choice. I can choose binary,source or both. ABS is inspired from BSD ports. portage is still considered the best for package management

Time taken to download the initial core 64 bit install image: 2 hrs.

Time to download and install and configure base, X and KDE on my tablet: About 6 hrs!
Click to expand...

well you could have installed a Light DE like Fluxbox have a temporary working system lot earlier:P after that you can have configured things like audio in coming days, there is no need to do everything in 1night.

Time to redownload and reinstall and configure base, X and KDE on my desktop: About 4 hrs (since second time I went faster)...
Click to expand...

Why didn't you use the already downloaded packages from pacman cache? difference architecture kya?
 
gentoo also gives pre-compiled binaries for certain platforms.

--

and ,IIRC ,I think the best way to install archlinux is via minimal cd from where you can do your favourite packages.meanwhile ,instead of taking print-outs ,save the articles from archlinux wiki as .txt format and use less/more to access the article while Installing.Ahmm..that's what I did with my first gentoo installation way back.
 
hey everyone here,

there's this new gnu/linux distribution on desktop recently released on a rolling release schedule.

please visit Kahel OS and it is already downloadable at sourceforge.net

Kahel Os is based on Arch linux + GNOME+ Tools.
 
Arch install goes very fast, from 2-8 AM ! Once you install arch, installing it next time should be a breeze and super fast, since you already been through the process.

Prior knowledge of command line is added advantage.

And DarkStar, no need to print the wiki.

Copy the all the wiki pages you need into text files. Just do CTRL+A and Paste in Notepad.

Then save them to your D:\ via Windows

After installation first thing to do is

pacman -Sy

pacman -S powerpill

powerpill -S ntfs-3g

mkdir /media/drive

mount -t ntfs-3g /dev/sda2 /media/drive

That's it. now do

less guide.txt

in order to read the copy pasted guide from the Wiki.
 
a_k_s_h_a_y said:
Arch install goes very fast, from 2-8 AM ! Once you install arch, installing it next time should be a breeze and super fast, since you already been through the process.

Prior knowledge of command line is added advantage.

And DarkStar, no need to print the wiki.

Copy the all the wiki pages you need into text files. Just do CTRL+A and Paste in Notepad.

Then save them to your D:\ via Windows

After installation first thing to do is

pacman -Sy

pacman -S powerpill

powerpill -S ntfs-3g

mkdir /media/drive

mount -t ntfs-3g /dev/sda2 /media/drive

That's it. now do

less guide.txt

in order to read the copy pasted guide from the Wiki.
Click to expand...

lengthy process:P

and why download when its there on Install CD itself.



The official install guide is available on the live system. The official guide covers installation and configuration of the base system only. Change to vc/2 with <ALT>+F2 and invoke /usr/bin/less:

# less /arch/arch-linux-official-guide.txt

less will allow you to page through the document. Change back to vc/1 with <ALT>+F1.

Change back to vc/2 if you need to reference the Official Guide at any time.

Later once you get base system running, simply install lynx(a text based browser) and read the guide on internet itself
 
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