Open Source

Installing Arch Linux: past and present

By · August 7, 2012, 9:31 AM PST

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  • A couple of weeks ago, the powers that be in Arch central took the decision to completely strip back the Arch Linux installer from a curses-based interface into a series of scripts that are run from the command line.

    That decision was not welcomed universally.

    Since you are still able to use both the new installer and the old one — search for archlinux-2012.08.04-dual.iso to find it — we've covered both methods in this gallery: starting with the new, and moving on to the old.

    This bootloader is the only common screen between both installation methods.

    Read the full review of Arch Linux in Girt By Code.

  • Installing Arch Linux: dropped into root shell

    The new Arch installation method automatically drops the user into a root shell, without any clue as to what to do next.

    Hopefully you'll have the Arch Installation Guide open on another device, or printed out.

  • Installing Arch Linux: CLI only

    Sorry, fans of graphical interfaces: this installer isn't for you.

    At this stage of the install, the disk has been partitioned, formatted, and mounted in order to begin the downloading and installation of Arch onto the disks.

  • Installing Arch Linux: getting somewhere

    Halfway through installing the base 132 packages of Arch.

    I'll let you expolate from this picture what the rest of the new installation method feels like.

    On the next slide, we move over to the old curses-based installation method.

  • Installing Arch Linux: the old graphical way

    In comparison to the new method of installing Arch, the recently retired method tells the user exactly what they need to do to begin the installing process.

  • Installing Arch Linux: the order

    This is the order of the steps, and you will follow it. There be dragons if you fail to do so.

  • Installing Arch Linux: editor selection

    Emacs? Anyone for Emacs?

  • Installing Arch Linux: hard-drive partitioning

    This is the one part of the old installer that would be useful to have moved over the new install scripts.

    Not that playing around in fdisk is hard; I'd just take a reasonable default over being forced into fdisk for creating the receommended partitioning scheme.

  • Installing Arch Linux: choose your bootloader

    On the other hand, here is a very good reason for Arch's removal of the curses interface.

    When this dialog says GRUB, it means GRUB 1, not the recommended GRUB 2.

    Later on, when the installer went to install GRUB, it could not find the packages it expected, because they had been retired.

    The only way to get around this was to chroot into the Arch disk, and complete the installation of GRUB in the manner that is now used for the new install method.

  • Installing Arch Linux: package selection

    A small selection of the rather large set of packages on offer.

    Much time can be spent on individually choosing the packages that best suit your needs, but it isn't trouble free...

  • Installing Arch Linux: dependency failure

    Oh dear, this isn't good.

  • Installing Arch Linux: package do-over

    Welcome to the infuriating part of installing Arch.

    If there is a problem with the installation of your packages, you need to start the whole package-selection process again.

    It's another example of why Arch has moved away from this process.

  • Installing Arch Linux: when things work

    This is how the installation process is meant to behave.

  • Installing Arch Linux: rebooting into fresh system

    The boot process is as spartan as the installation process.

  • Installing Arch Linux: adding a new user

    When it comes to adding a user, the only choice is the old-school adduser program.

  • Installing Arch Linux: adding an X server

    One of the first post-installation tasks that you will likely do is install an X server, so that you can finally start making use of a GUI.

  • Installing Arch Linux: up and running

    Here is a new Arch system running a GNOME 3 desktop.

    During my time using Arch, this was the only problem I ran into with a pacman update. It was solved by splitting the update into two lists of packages to install separately.

  • Installing Arch Linux: it's working

    My final GNOME 3 desktop running on Arch.

    The display is split over two monitors, and the difference in display resolutions is responsible for the black box in the corner.

A couple of weeks ago, the powers that be in Arch central took the decision to completely strip back the Arch Linux installer from a curses-based interface into a series of scripts that are run from the command line.

That decision was not welcomed universally.

Since you are still able to use both the new installer and the old one — search for archlinux-2012.08.04-dual.iso to find it — we've covered both methods in this gallery: starting with the new, and moving on to the old.

This bootloader is the only common screen between both installation methods.

Read the full review of Arch Linux in Girt By Code.

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