this post was submitted on 08 Aug 2023
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I am a Linux noobie and have only used Mint for around six months now. While I have definitely learned a lot, I don't have the time to always be doing crazy power user stuff and just want something that works out of the box. While I love Mint, I want to try out other decently easy to use distros as well, specifically not based on Ubuntu, so no Pop OS. Is Manjaro a possibly good distro for me to check out?

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[–] maketheworldcute@feddit.de 2 points 1 year ago

A friend recommended it to mee because Ubuntu packages were hard to edit/create and the versions were always out of date. So I used XFCE and later the KDE edition and had no really big issues (since the forum if something broke always had a workaround). Ngl there were some stupid issues like 3 times (Nvidia GPU user yay!) but other than that the Desktop Experience, Windows Dual Boot, Gaming, Custom packages in minutes were perfect. Pacman is just a beast so I recommend any distro that ships with that.

(This is from the perspective of a Desktop user)

[–] sebsch@discuss.tchncs.de 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Never had manjaro running smoothly over a longer periode of time. Sth broke every time i tested.

The themes are awesome

[–] s_s@lemmy.one 1 points 1 year ago

I knew I'd find this comment somewhere.

You have to manually install new kernel branches with manjaro-settings-manager

Just using pacman isn't enough. There is no linux-latest package like in arch.

[–] KillSwitch10@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

My advice, pick a base distribution, and build what you want. Mostly when picking different distros all you are really picking is a package manager, default applications, and a desktop.

If you want to advance in your Linux knowledge building your own will help you quite a bit in learning how it works at the core and what peices are needed to run a system. Then when something breaks you have the understanding to fix or at least properly ask for help. I would especially say this is true if you are looking to switch to arch as your base distribution.

I would only recommend Manjaro to a new person trying to dip their toes into arch but not for their daily driver.

[–] Gamey@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

All opinions are biased and I don't like Manjaro!

[–] Promethilaus@lemm.ee 2 points 1 year ago

I used Manjaro on raspberry pi and it worked well however i personally havent used Manjsro in years i still wouldnt use it though because its arch and i prefer simpler distros when i first started using Linux it was Linux Mint, then Kubuntu, then Zorin, then Fedora and now OpenSuSe Tumbleweed im happy with that distro and dont want to change it

[–] clorthocranston@hexbear.net 1 points 1 year ago

tbh i never had any problems with it while toying around with it (i'm a debian stable type, anything else is a flirtation) and it works just fine for gamery and such but they have some significant flaws in their operation which makes them unfit for serious computer click clacking imo (im no software nerd or anything, just been using linux since forever). certificate expirations, financial goofery, there's just better distros including rolling with straight arch.

[–] poVoq@slrpnk.net 1 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Its ok, but the Arch repos are very limited limited and I can't recommend using AUR much.

Better try Fedora.

[–] Molecular0079@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Really? Which packages are you actually missing in Arch? I like Fedora and used it extensively in the past, but it has always devolved into a wild mess of COPR repos. I haven't had the same issue with Arch and I use the AUR very sparingly.

[–] poVoq@slrpnk.net 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_Linux_distributions#Package_management_and_installation

Has an overview. Debian's binary package repository has more than ten times more packages, and Fedora more than five times.

I have been using Manjaro in the past and the lack of available binary packages from the trusted main repo was often a problem.

Since switching to Fedora I only very rarely encounter missing packages and have not once used COPR (but I do use Flatpack on the desktop).

[–] Molecular0079@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

No, I am asking the packages that you personally are missing. I don't think raw package counts are the way to determine whether one distro is offering more software than another. Arch frequently will bundle software in a bigger packages while other distros will split them up into sub-packages, artificially inflating the count.

Tbh I've experienced the exact opposite of what you experienced, but it may just be down to our individual software needs. For example, Discord, Signal, and Yuzu are nowhere to be found in the Fedora repos, whereas they're available in the main Arch repos. Likewise, things like codec support often require RPMFusion, but in Arch it's just available right out of the gate.

[–] poVoq@slrpnk.net 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I don't remember which ones exactly I was missing, but it was a very common occurrence that I had to work around with appimages or flatpacks (or AUR, but that caused dependency hell all the time).

RPMfusion is a one time addition on system installation and the rest is available via Flathub, which is significantly better integrated in Fedora than Manjaro/Arch.

[–] Molecular0079@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

RPMfusion is a one time addition on system installation

But one that you have to manage with every new Fedora version. I've always had issues with RPMFusion packages not being ready in time for new Fedora releases or flat out causing conflicts with packages from the main Fedora repos.

the rest is available via Flathub, which is significantly better integrated in Fedora than Manjaro/Arch.

That is just simply not true. As long as you have the flatpak package installed, it works just like it does on Fedora.

I get the feeling that maybe you just haven't tried Arch in a while, but perhaps a lot has changed since the last time you used it.

[–] poVoq@slrpnk.net 1 points 1 year ago

Last time I checked Flatpak support was not seamlessly integrated into the GUI update manager like it is on Fedora.

I have the feeling you are a typical Arch fanboy that doesn't consider the original posters question for a hassle free but not Ubuntu based system 😅

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[–] Whisper06@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 1 year ago

Mankato is easy to use and looks nice but I’ve also been using it for years. It has the power of the AUR but if people are saying other might be better they might be right. I would just stick to something Arch based because of the AUR. I saw a comment about endeavor and I might try it myself.

[–] tenzen@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I run linux on my gaming rig. I've had the best luck with performance of graphics cards with manjaro and pop. I am not a huge fan of gnome and prefer kde (FWIW, gnome works fine, I just prefer the feel of kde).

With the above in mind, I really like the newness of the packages on rolling distros like Manjaro/arch. Yes, it can break things but Manjaro tends to be a bit behind Arch on releases -- maybe this helps? The AUR is awesome. I also like several of the gui tools Manjaro has implemented to make graphics driver installs simpler.

Pop worked really well and was simplier for gaming -- especially on devices with hybrid graphics.

That being said, I haven't used Mint since the forums were hacked. I haven't used Ubuntu since they started devaluing their users (integrated Amazon?, forcing snap?). Fedora is nice but I found pop/manjaro better for gaming due to graphics support.

My advice to you -- what you are asking is one of the main benefits of linux -- personal choice.

So... get out your USB stick and try them. Use the forums to help you with the nuances and make each work for your needs. Then see what you prefer. Then donate to that project and its base project.

It's awesome to have choice.

[–] Teritz@feddit.de 1 points 1 year ago
[–] merthyr1831@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

It's aight. I like having access to the AUR and Pacman through a nice UI but easy to shoot yourself in the foot if you aren't careful.

The GNOME spin is really good imo. use it on my gaming laptop. Might go to Pop when it gets CosmicDE tho

[–] munter@feddit.de 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I don't know much about the console and such magic which probably makes me not exactly predestined for an Arch-based distro with the AUR where I feel like you can break more than in some more common ones like Mint. Despite that, I have been on Manjaro for years now, still learned only the very basics, but have not found a more stable distro that works so well out-of-the-box with some of the newer hardware I have (or had, it's hardly new anymore). Also, I did in fact find the repos combined with careful use of the AUR to be satisfying.

I did distro-hop a lot especially in the beginning of my Linux adventure and was on Mint for a couple of years as well. And that's what I generally recommend to the other non-tech-savvy folks around me as well: Just try a bunch of the top distros on Distrowatch for a couple of weeks. They all have their advantages and disadvantages but eventually you'll figure out what it really is that you want from a distro and which ones work properly with your hardware – and you'll learn about some fixes for common issues which helps the learning about Linux in general.

There are probably folks who know much more than me who can tell you if Manjaro is objectively better than its bad reputation but from my personal experience as a fellow Linux noob: I found it very stable, decently accessible and the KDE spin with its many themes absolutely beautiful.

[–] Steamymoomilk@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 year ago

As Chris Titus once said “why install Manjaro when you can install arch" I used to daily manjaro but stuff broke and if you do decide to use manjaro don't use the AUR if you don't know what your doing

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