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this post was submitted on 17 Jun 2026
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I see what you mean. But in order to reach the point where Arch is configured and my machine Just Works, I would have to learn how to install Arch, what packages I need, what are the ups and downs of the various packages for handling the same things, resolve any conflicts I accidentally created, and then I can get to installing the things I actually want. It's a lot of work and time that isn't going into something I consider fun.
Arch is great for people who want to build their OS to be precisely what they want it to be. I happen to not be one of those people.
I consider that important knowledge for just using and troubleshooting your system, and one of the great reasons to go through the installation process - knowing what you're using and why means when you want to change the behavior of something or figure out why it broke, you'll know what software to look for.
Not just something to do for fun, or to have precisely the right things, but so you understand what it is you truly do have. This isn't to say your approach is invalid, but for me it's a reason to recommend Arch for people who want to go through the learning process.
Arch elitists don't want you to know this but you can just type archinstall and a text installer guide thingy will install the system for you based on what you tell it.
That said, you're spot on on the last part. I love arch exactly because it is the easiest one to customize the way I want to but it's not for everyone and not everyone should use it
Why Arch based distro then? Why not, say, Fedora? Debian. Popos.
Neither fedora, or debian are logical/user friendly to begin with. I have not looked at popos for a few years, and do not remember it.
The complicated parts of the setup are already done and I still get the benefits of a fast update schedule, without (mostly) having to worry about accidentally breaking something.
And you're right about running another, less finicky distro. It's why I've got Bazzite on the HTPC and the handheld. Because I want those to be zero finicky, as poking around in them is way more of a pain in the ass.
Opensuse tumbleweed would likely be a good choice.
AUR, etc
I didn't know how until I did it. There's a very comprehensive guide that you follow. If you can follow the recipe for cookie batter and manage to make the cookies, you'll be able to install Arch. 🤟
To be fair that's something you'd have to do regardless of distro, even on Windows. Learning which tools you like takes like half a career worth of time.