Hey everyone! I'm still pretty new to Linux, even after three years with Mint, and I'm thinking about trying out a different distribution for the first time. I have a few questions before I make the jump:
1) Should I go with Arch or CachyOS? I mainly use my PC for gaming. I know Mint is Ubuntu-based like Cachy, while Arch is, well, Arch. Does that mean the packages are as outdated on Cachy as they might be on Mint? If so, I'd prefer to go for Arch and set it up for gaming like Cachy.
2) What about my packages? Am I going to need to reinstall everything? It's been a while since I installed a lot of applications, and I really depend on some of them, like yabridge for Reaper. Is there a way to make this easier, or do I need to manually track everything down?
3) I'm curious about the $HOME folder. Can I just copy it from my old setup to the new one, or will that cause problems? Any advice would be super appreciated!
1 Answer
I’d say go with CachyOS instead of Arch. Arch can be pretty rough to set up, and it’s known for being less stable. Even with the arch-install, you still need to know what you’re doing. The second most common phrase you’ll hear from Arch users is "RTFM"! Just a heads up, both distros are Arch-based but have different package managers. Mint uses apt since it’s Ubuntu-based, while you'll need to use pacman or the AUR for Arch. Just remember, Arch is a rolling release, so updates can sometimes break things. It’s definitely not impossible to manage, but it feels like deep diving if you’re still learning!
For your packages, you can check the installed ones with "apt list --installed" in Mint. But there isn’t really a great way to auto-install them in Cachy/Arch—some might not even be compatible. Best bet is to back everything up manually and reinstall what's necessary.
And for the $HOME folder, I wouldn’t recommend copying everything over—it could lead to issues. Instead, just take vital files you need and back them up separately. Good luck on your distro hopping, have fun!
So basically, I should list my installed packages, back up $HOME, and I’m set, right?