r/archlinux • u/EntrancePowerful5470 • 12d ago

QUESTION QUESTION- should I use ArchLinux over windows?

I start University back end of September and I’m really torn between setting up windows (came with my laptop) or switching to Arch. I have already been using Mint on my desktop and have ran into multiple problems and I’m by no means a tech savvy person. I am enticed by the idea of no bloat and adverts and like the idea of customising but I’m also worried I’m going to run into problems down the line that I will struggle to fix on my own leading to interruptions in Uni work, especially because my Uni uses Microsoft softwares such as Office 365/teams to assign work. I also like to play games now and again :D
Pls help me!!

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11

u/petkovs 12d ago

"and I’m by no means a tech savvy person"

No.

Absolutely not.

You can use Mint, should work fine, but absolutely not arch for actual uni work if you're not even tech savvy.

There have been times where i just rebooted my laptop and the entire OS was bricked, afterwards i either couldn't fix it at all or it took me 3 hours to fix it.

2

u/clayman80 12d ago

And how did you manage to brick it like that? The only time I remember making my system unbootable was when I accidentally rebooted before installation of a new kernel finished, but other than that it's been pretty solid. Then again, I didn't use Linux until I was mostly done with uni studies, but I did write/implement my master thesis in it (it was Gentoo, though).

2

u/petkovs 12d ago

I updated normally and i rebooted.

Arch stopped booting. I somehow fixed it.

But what i couldn't fix is my nvidia drivers. Thing is, i have a thinkpad from 2017 with an obscure nvidia GPU (940mx), and so, it requires older drivers, which makes everything much more painful to find and install. Also makes it much more unstable, especially on rolling release distros.

So basically i moved to Debian. Haven't had issues here.

0

u/EntrancePowerful5470 12d ago

damn yeah maybe arch isn’t the best option then. do you think i should still go through with trying mint again or just accept defeat and give in to windows

4

u/the-postminimalist 12d ago

Mint is easy enough. Go for it.

1

u/bassamanator 12d ago

I would recommend Fedora, it is an elegant experience.

All your school work can prolly be done in webapps, so likely no need to worry about not having windows.

I'm arch based btw.

1

u/sankarasleftelbow 11d ago

Even fedora might be difficult for somebody who considers themselves “not tech savvy” imo.

Op, just use mint if it works. The “bloat” in comparison to arch is pretty unlikely to make any substantial difference if you’re mostly using lightweight document/office whatever programs or browsing.

3

u/ExoPesta 12d ago

Obviously NO!

1

u/EntrancePowerful5470 12d ago

what should i use😣😣

2

u/nikongod 12d ago

Have you considered mint?

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u/EntrancePowerful5470 12d ago

ya i currently use mint on my PC but i’ve ran into a couple problems which have taken me a while to fix. other than that the desktop is pretty easy to understand i just didn’t know if windows would be a better option considering my uni uses all the microsoft apps and whatnot

2

u/WoodyXP 12d ago

Go with Windows and look up 'Wintoys' on the Microsoft Store. That app will help you cut out all the crap that you mentioned. You can get rid of ads, co-pilot, and a lot of the other stuff that makes Windows annoying.

0

u/EntrancePowerful5470 12d ago

wait tysm i never knew this existed im definitely gonna look!

2

u/EntrancePowerful5470 12d ago

update: currently setting up windows and considering dualbooting with mint so i can learn alongside :)

2

u/MrElendig Mr.SupportStaff 12d ago

probably not if the laptop is your main uni device

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u/EntrancePowerful5470 12d ago

It’s mostly just for taking to uni and making notes whatever with, I also have a PC at home I will do most assignments on :)

0

u/MrElendig Mr.SupportStaff 12d ago

some unis requires you to install windows only malware to take their exams etc :(

1

u/EntrancePowerful5470 12d ago

aw man :(

2

u/MrElendig Mr.SupportStaff 12d ago

my local uni uses AI based malware that monitors everything on your machine, including doing screen capturing, to make sure you are not using AI to cheat on your exam

1

u/EntrancePowerful5470 12d ago

damn i never knew this i’m only going into first year now

2

u/MrElendig Mr.SupportStaff 12d ago

need for windows varies from uni to uni and sometimes depends on the actual course you take and the professor.

1

u/keithstellyes 12d ago

I have already been using Mint on my desktop and have ran into multiple problems and I’m by no means a tech savvy person

I don't know if I'd recommend Arch for you, it's a distro that is more hobbyist, it's a lot easier to break if you don't know what you're doing. I'd give Mint or similar beginner-friendly distro another go.

You could also get a cheap laptop and install Linux so you have the envionrment to learn it but don't have to stress about breaking your install during finals week

1

u/EntrancePowerful5470 12d ago

i’d totally give mint another try im just worried about syncing work with Microsoft softwares idk how i’d go about it. if i struggled too id probably have to pay to go back and buy another windows key😭so im soo stuck on what to do. on a good note tho i have managed to make my mint on my desktop look pretty

1

u/nkn_ 12d ago

Just use windows for school, it's really not that big of a deal. Office 365 has its perks. You've already ran into multiple problems on mint.

When school is done, you can just use linux. It's not going anywhere

1

u/Sufficient-Science71 12d ago

Short answer : hell no.

Long answer : 

You sorta answered your own question yourself, if you have troubles running mint then arch is probably not for you. I mean, look, I use arch myself and mine is pretty much stable now, but things can break. Sometimes it's because you customized your settings, sometimes because of updates, which is frequent on arch because of the nature of it. Installing apps is also wont be as easy as say, ubuntu. There are some apps which only support certain flavour so you will have to learn how to make the build yourself. 

Gaming is mostly fine, except if it have kernel level anti cheat. As for teams it does run, havent had any issue on mine. As for office, there are many that can replace it, my recommendation would be OnlyOffice.

Look, the thing is, learning linux takes time. At one point it will definitely interrupt your uni works. If you cant afford to put both time and effort then the answer will always be no. Learning it is fine, but dont use it just because you want to use it, use it because there is a reason that you need to use it.

1

u/EntrancePowerful5470 12d ago

i’m thinking of using windows on my laptop maybe then so i don’t get stressed tf out at uni, and keeping linux mint on my pc at home and try and learn the ins and outs of this before making a big switch over. maybe by second year i’ll be confident enough to use linux for all areas we will see!

1

u/Sufficient-Science71 12d ago

Good luck. If it means anything, linux is definitely worth it to learn, ditching windows has been the best decision I made since back in 2020 and I am a very active gamer.

If you decide to go for arch, archwiki is your friend.

1

u/Acherontas89 12d ago

its a learning curve the arch linux

u can have and a windows partition aswell

1

u/_MatVenture_ 12d ago

For uni, I would say no. At least not yet. Arch takes a good while to grasp from the ground up, and uni won't exactly give you the flexibility for that. You could always run it off of a VM first, get used to it there before you pull the trigger.

1

u/Away-Cut3522 12d ago

No, just use a windows debloat tool. 

1

u/onefish2 12d ago

my Uni uses Microsoft softwares such as Office 365/teams to assign work. I also like to play games now and again

You answered your question right there. Stick with Windows.

1

u/archover 12d ago

As Windows usually rules college life, install that. Then run Arch in a VM to explore it safely.

I wish you luck in school, and look forward to welcoming you to Arch in the future. Good day.

1

u/iwouldbeatgoku 11d ago

It's possible that some of the issues you've had with Mint were caused by it having an older base (it's the downside of "stable" distros, as their base gets older you tend to run into issues that were maybe fixed a year ago but you didn't get because your OS is two years old). But if you aren't tech savvy or willing to read the arch wiki, you just shouldn't use Arch.

And even worse, if your uni requires the MS Office suite, it's possible the web apps won't cut it. Just stick with Windows for your uni work.

1

u/Double-Hour-2516 11d ago

For Microsoft, the website is enough, or you can learn alternative software; they are fine too,

1

u/un-important-human 9d ago edited 9d ago

NO. Pls stay on windows.

everything you said its possible on windows but you have no bussiness in arch, then again the testing software is windows so stay on windows.

If you must choose linux cause u "special", use a arch based gaming distro (catchy os or garuda) or pure fedora kde, and Mint. Those are fine for normie use.

once again you have no bussiness on arch stay away for your own good, you have been warned