Installing Arch Linux: dropped into root shell

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

n

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

Installing Arch Linux: CLI only

ntSorry, fans of graphical interfaces: this installer isn’t for you.

n

ntAt 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

ntHalfway through installing the base 132 packages of Arch.

n

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

n

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

Installing Arch Linux: the old graphical way

ntIn 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

ntThis 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

ntEmacs? Anyone for Emacs?

Installing Arch Linux: hard-drive partitioning

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

n

ntNot 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

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

n

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

n

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

n

ntThe 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

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

n

ntMuch 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

ntOh dear, this isn’t good.

Installing Arch Linux: package do-over

ntWelcome to the infuriating part of installing Arch.

n

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

n

ntIt’s another example of why Arch has moved away from this process.

Installing Arch Linux: when things work

ntThis is how the installation process is meant to behave.

Installing Arch Linux: rebooting into fresh system

ntThe boot process is as spartan as the installation process.

Installing Arch Linux: adding a new user

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

Installing Arch Linux: adding an X server

ntOne 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

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

n

ntDuring 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

ntMy final GNOME 3 desktop running on Arch.

n

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