Why don’t people just use Arch directly instead of using derivatives? Well… I can understand using something like CachyOS as it has a different kernel with optimisations but Manjaro feels very irrelevant. If you just want Arch Linux with simple installation, just use the archinstall script. Regardless of which derivative you use, Arch based distros are going to be heavy maintenance than something like Bazzite, Mint or Ubuntu.
Back in 2015 for gaming PC: Steam and Nvidia driver updates via package manager, Xfce (used it before on multiple laptops), promise to be more stable than vanilla arch.
I used Manjaro for a few years before switching to Arch. Manjaro finds a nice sweespot for “Arch but also nice”. Furthermore, Arch has gotten much more user friendly in the last 5 years or so. Back in late 2010s, Manjaro was adding a lot of value on top of Arch.
What really bothered me about Manjaro was the “forum cops” they employ, who are super aggressive to newcomers and unhelpful. It was not a nice experience to seek help. Say what you will about Arch people, they are at least helpful.
I finally switched to Arch when I got my new machine. I recommend the same.
Just to add to the 2010s bit, I tried Arch in like… 2015 I think it would’ve been. I followed the wiki to the letter. It was not my first Linux install, I’d been experimenting with a lot of distros for five years by then. I could not get it to work. To be fair, I still haven’t tried Arch in 2026, I use CachyOS, but I think back then Manjaro was really the only thing providing that type of experience. Everyone holds the Arch wiki on a pedestal because it’s so useful, but the install guide and state of Arch back in 2015 simply wasn’t what it is today. I haven’t ever used Manjaro so I can’t really speak for it, but that’s just sort of my guess as someone who had difficulty with Arch from that era. Luckily we have CachyOS, EndeavorOS, and, presumably, a better install process on vanilla Arch now.
Why don’t people just use Arch directly instead of using derivatives? Well… I can understand using something like CachyOS as it has a different kernel with optimisations but Manjaro feels very irrelevant. If you just want Arch Linux with simple installation, just use the
archinstallscript. Regardless of which derivative you use, Arch based distros are going to be heavy maintenance than something like Bazzite, Mint or Ubuntu.Back in 2015 for gaming PC: Steam and Nvidia driver updates via package manager, Xfce (used it before on multiple laptops), promise to be more stable than vanilla arch.
I used Manjaro for a few years before switching to Arch. Manjaro finds a nice sweespot for “Arch but also nice”. Furthermore, Arch has gotten much more user friendly in the last 5 years or so. Back in late 2010s, Manjaro was adding a lot of value on top of Arch.
What really bothered me about Manjaro was the “forum cops” they employ, who are super aggressive to newcomers and unhelpful. It was not a nice experience to seek help. Say what you will about Arch people, they are at least helpful.
I finally switched to Arch when I got my new machine. I recommend the same.
Just to add to the 2010s bit, I tried Arch in like… 2015 I think it would’ve been. I followed the wiki to the letter. It was not my first Linux install, I’d been experimenting with a lot of distros for five years by then. I could not get it to work. To be fair, I still haven’t tried Arch in 2026, I use CachyOS, but I think back then Manjaro was really the only thing providing that type of experience. Everyone holds the Arch wiki on a pedestal because it’s so useful, but the install guide and state of Arch back in 2015 simply wasn’t what it is today. I haven’t ever used Manjaro so I can’t really speak for it, but that’s just sort of my guess as someone who had difficulty with Arch from that era. Luckily we have CachyOS, EndeavorOS, and, presumably, a better install process on vanilla Arch now.