Advice on moving from Debian-based to EndeavourOS?

Hi, hope it’s ok to post this kind of question.

I’ve been using debian-based distros for around 2-3 years (Mint, then MX Linux). I also run a simple homeserver using headless debian. I still consider myself a newbie, though ok using terminal. (One challenge is I keep forgetting commands).

I use MX Linux as a daily driver and it works fine. Though, the pain of doing major reinstalls every couple of years puts me off in the long run. I’ve always been attracted to rolling releases but scared off that they will break too often. I don’t mind putting some effort in, but rather have a system that is reliable and consistently works.

So my question is, will it require a lot more effort to use EndeavourOS as a daily driver (compared to something like MX Linux)? Would I end up worrying about it breaking more often? Or is that caused by say using software from AUR? I’m a total noob when it comes to Arch.

I’m thinking I first install endearvouros as a vm and play around with it. But if there’s any advice about making the transition to endearvour, that would be much appreciated.

Thanks

First, welcome to the forum!

It requires more effort but not a lot more.

It depends what you mean by “breaking”. Everyone has a different definition here.

If you mean “the system becoming unbootable”, this is not common. Especially if you don’t use the proprietary nvidia drivers.

If you mean, “some portion of some application no longer working as expected” then this is fairly common for a variety of reasons.

  • Arch-based distros get packages much sooner than most other distros. Than means Arch users are often the ones to find the bugs
  • Since Arch is rolling, core libraries can change and sometimes applications aren’t keeping up with the latest libraries
  • If you use AUR packages, you may need to rebuild them yourself when libraries change

Here is my advice:

  • Expect a bit of a learning curve as you transition
  • Ensure your system is updated before installing any software
  • Don’t install software manually if you can avoid it
  • If you do install software manually, never install it to system locations
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I run both EndeavourOS and MX(19 ATM) along with a couple of others. So far the problem score (all minor) is MX 3 (2 fixed) and EnOS 2 (both fixed quickly). I have been completely amazed how rare problems are on Arch and EndeavourOS, and how simple to fix they have turned out to be. There are a LOT more updates, but they are generally much quicker to install and can be done when you feel like it.

The only MX trouble (not self-caused, or created by package naming differences) that remains is that I have to shutdown to get out of it - a reboot just restarts MX without going to the system startup… a thing I have seen before and never have figured out!

I doubt you would have much trouble, even given that the documentation style on Arch-based systems can be ‘denser’ with information. Enjoy either way - and a VM won’t hurt to try first.

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It’s hard to say whether your system will break, or how often. It depends on a lot of factors.
For me EOS has been nearly as stable as Mint, but maybe I’m just lucky. My advice is to take regular snapshots of your system, so if something does go wrong it will be easier to resolve.

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My first Arch install is over 5 1/2 years old; never had a problem beyond an occasional KDE bug here and there. Certainly nothing that ever had my system in an unbootable or unusable state.

I have 5 other Arch installations, ranging from 4 years old to just under 2 years old. Same thing, no problems.

No backup/recovery software. Just the OS and me.

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Welcome to the forum @snowcrash :balloon::tada::partying_face:

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Embrace this:

https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Pacman/Rosetta

More effort? Yes. A lot more? Probably not. Things almost always break because people break them trying to configure things. If I wanted something that just worked. Run the LTS kernel on the Cinnamon desktop on Ext4. . . enjoy!

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I’ll offer a slightly different take on things…

  1. Badly designed software (including distros) are problematic, well designed ones are not.
  2. EOS is well built and stable.
  3. MX, Debian & Devuan are well built & stable.
  4. Arch is designed to be a rolling release… debian/devuan ‘stable’ are designed to be bullet-proof/ conservative.

I personally like arch & debian/devuan based distros. Right now I use more debian/devuan based than arch-based. But (and it’s a big but…) I primarily run debian/devuan testing (not stable) and I use dwm or i3wm (wms).

To succeed with either distro environment, most people will find it necessary to be comfortable (willing) to adhere to ‘regular’ maintenance norms. Both distro eco-spheres are well documented and supported. (Note: I’m not so good at doing things mainstream, I build lots of tools to do things my way.)

In the end, if you are willing to learn, are technically engaged, and are open to innovation both arch & debian/devuan linux platforms can suit you well.

If, on the other-hand, you are in anyway fearful of risk, innovation… a stable fixed release version of Debian is most likely a better choice.

Such is my ‘old guy’ opinion… welcome.

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Hello to everyone and a happy new year!
I´m new to this forum but not new to EndeavourOS. I used to linux for nearly 20 years and I use EOS with cinnamon since the very, very early days after antergos was stopped.
My opinion is, besides Garuda, EndeavourOS is the most useful Linux distribution you can have! Even you go into serious treble, reinstallation is not a big deal, if your home directory is on a separate partition.
The forum members are very friendly and helpful and you can learn a lot just reading the forum.

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I agree with manyroads. Moreover, for those who have the time and resources, having multiple systems, multiple distributions, or preferably both, you can learn a lot and experiment a lot.

I’ve been fortunate to have sufficient hardware resources to do this, and even during a few times where I did not have a lot of money, I did some freelance writing and was actually provided systems from which I could test and compare hardware and software. Often a discarded piece of hardware is sufficient to handle the task; even broken hardware is useful, because replacing one or two parts is surprisingly inexpensive if you have an electronics parts store nearby or available. So if you’re short of equipment, scavenger hunts, discarded hardware, etc. are available - I had a friend ~20 years ago who lived in an area where people would put 3-5 year old computers on the curb with their trash! Some didn’t work as is, but were easy to fix, sometimes with parts from other discarded systems. So it’s worth looking for units that can be used for testing and learning.

I just want to add that an Arch based distro gives you access to the AUR and the Arch wiki. Hard to live without once you get used to it.

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Welcome @frieweb, to this wonderful forum!!
:enos_flag: :enos:

Could not agree more. These were the top reasons why I switched from Mint after 3 years.

Thanks for warm welcome and all the great responses/advice.

At the moment, my workload for the next few months may not let me dig into EOS proper, but I’m really excited to have discovered this distro :slightly_smiling_face:

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