EndeavourOS vs Arch Linux: Pros, Cons, and What You Need to Know

Now, you might be wonderin’ about the difference between EndeavourOS and Arch. Well, let me tell ya, it’s like one’s got a bit more help than the other, but deep down they’re real close cousins. Both of ’em are based on Arch Linux, but there’s a few little things that set ’em apart. Lemme break it down for ya.

First off, Arch Linux is what we call a “rolling release” system, which means it gets updates all the time, no big ol’ versions or nuthin’. You get the latest and greatest of everything whenever they decide it’s ready. But that also means, you gotta know what you’re doin’ to set it all up right. No fancy installer, no cutesy little shortcuts—Arch’s got nothin’ but raw power, but it sure ain’t friendly to them that don’t know their way around the terminal. It’s like buildin’ a house from scratch with no help, just your hands and a hammer.

EndeavourOS vs Arch Linux: Pros, Cons, and What You Need to Know

Now, EndeavourOS? Oh, that’s a bit more like a comfy chair by the fire. It’s still based on Arch, sure, but they give ya a hand with the installation. They use somethin’ called Calamares, which is an installer that takes a lot of the pain out of settin’ up. You ain’t gotta go through all them complicated steps you’d need with Arch. EndeavourOS gives ya a bit more of a ready-to-go system with stuff like Firefox already installed, and your network and sound workin’ right outta the box. So, it’s like Arch but with a head start.

What’s great about EndeavourOS?

  • It’s free, just like Arch. Ain’t no price to pay here.
  • Ya get an easy installation process. Ain’t no need to struggle with the command line right away.
  • EndeavourOS comes with some basic stuff pre-installed—like Firefox—so you can get started right off the bat.
  • And even though it’s more user-friendly, it still keeps the Arch spirit. You can always remove what they give ya and just run pure Arch if you want.

But now, don’t go thinkin’ that EndeavourOS is all sugar and honey, alright? It still ain’t perfect. You’ll still need to do some learnin’ if you wanna fully understand how things work under the hood, but it ain’t as bad as goin’ straight into Arch. You don’t have to mess with too many tweaks to get things workin’, but it ain’t gonna hold your hand the whole way either.

But what about Arch?

Arch Linux, now that’s for folks who like to tinker and customize. If you enjoy havin’ full control over every little thing in your system, Arch’s your playground. The beauty of Arch is you can make it do whatever ya want, no limits. But the downside is, it can be a real pain if you ain’t got experience. You’ll be fightin’ with drivers, software, and all kinds of things just to get your computer to work right. You don’t get any help outta the box. Everything’s barebones, and you gotta set it up yourself.

And ya gotta keep up with them updates. If ya don’t, your system might break, and then you’re stuck tryin’ to fix it. It’s like buildin’ your own car from scratch—it runs great when it works, but if it breaks, you’re gonna have to fix it yourself. No easy fixin’ in Arch, it’s all on you.

EndeavourOS, though, makes sure things run smoother. You ain’t gotta worry about all them little details. You get a system that’s more ready-to-go, but still close enough to Arch that if you wanna go full Arch, you can easily do that by removin’ the Endeavour bits. And you don’t need to worry too much about installin’ drivers or settin’ up network connections. It’s all done for ya.

Which one’s better?

EndeavourOS vs Arch Linux: Pros, Cons, and What You Need to Know

Well, that depends on what you need. If you’re the type who loves to roll up their sleeves and get their hands dirty, Arch’s probably gonna be more your style. But if you’re lookin’ for somethin’ that gives you a little help to get started without givin’ up on the Arch experience, then EndeavourOS is the way to go. It’s still Arch under the hood, but with a little less fuss. You can always tweak and change things later if you feel like it, but it ain’t gonna make you struggle to get the basics up and runnin’ like Arch does.

One more thing to mention—drivers. If you’re usin’ Nvidia, things can get a bit tricky on Arch. You might need to wrestle with them drivers a bit, but EndeavourOS does a lot of that for ya. So, if you’ve got Nvidia hardware, EndeavourOS might just save ya a lot of headache.

In conclusion: EndeavourOS is like Arch with training wheels. It’s perfect for folks who want to learn Arch but don’t wanna jump into the deep end right away. It’s still got all the power of Arch, just a bit easier to use. So, if you’re a beginner or just don’t feel like messin’ with all the nuts and bolts, EndeavourOS might be your best bet. But if you’re ready to take on the beast of Arch and make it your own, well then, Arch’s waitin’ for ya. Your call!

Tags:[EndeavourOS, Arch Linux, Linux, rolling release, Calamares, Nvidia drivers, Linux installation, Linux distributions, beginner-friendly Linux, Arch setup]