I tried installing Arch once about 10 years ago. I couldn’t get it to work even though I admittedly didn’t try my hardest. I was in a PhD program at the time, so my mental resources and time were quite limited. Still, I had real experience as a sysadmin, so I wasn’t entirely computer illiterate. Every time I see a potential user switching to Linux asking for distro recommendations and others suggests Arch, I internally roll my eyes. Unless that user is a computer programmer or similar looking to prove their skills to themselves, that is a great way to get someone to never switch to Linux because they will more than likely become overwhelmed with the installation.
If you are switching to Linux for the first time and don’t want to spend a frustrating week reading a wiki and troubleshooting lots of minute but consequential issues, don’t start with Arch! Linux Mint is by far the easiest for new users. Give it a run for a while until you feel like switching to more demanding distros.
I tried installing Arch once about 10 years ago. I couldn’t get it to work even though I admittedly didn’t try my hardest. I was in a PhD program at the time, so my mental resources and time were quite limited. Still, I had real experience as a sysadmin, so I wasn’t entirely computer illiterate. Every time I see a potential user switching to Linux asking for distro recommendations and others suggests Arch, I internally roll my eyes. Unless that user is a computer programmer or similar looking to prove their skills to themselves, that is a great way to get someone to never switch to Linux because they will more than likely become overwhelmed with the installation.
If you are switching to Linux for the first time and don’t want to spend a frustrating week reading a wiki and troubleshooting lots of minute but consequential issues, don’t start with Arch! Linux Mint is by far the easiest for new users. Give it a run for a while until you feel like switching to more demanding distros.