Thanks for the Arch background update. Did not know the details. I think I would have liked to have known the original “sometime guitar player” guy who originally started the distro. Wonder what his tech background was?
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Yes, and simplicity in accomplishing a goal is generally called “progress”. Nearly every field has its prime movers, the inventors and engineers who made major progress in whatever field of endeavor (no pun intended …). For every Mozart, there are a ton of Salieri’s. Not every physicist can be an Einstein or a Newton. But they are all necessary to furthering real progress. Linus established - invented - Linux. That system, as we now know it, is much more than Torvalds’ original implementations, but would not have happened without his brilliant inception and spark. The arch way is elegant in its detail, derived from 25 years of prior Unix development and established process, but it is indeed a derivation from prior innovation. Go back to the original guys messing with PDP-7s (good god, I got started with PDP-11s -these guys are OLD :), inventing Unix and languages like C to find where it all came from. Brian Kernighan is still alive and well, to my knowledge. Cheers, and keep up the good work Endeavour folks!
Distro hoppers are adept at installing and testing out the UI’s inherent in each distro - the quirks of installation, updating, and overall user experience in navigating the desktop environments provided. Hobbyists do that as a side effect, but generally are more interested in computing “qua” computing. They want to know what makes the computer tick, its underlying foundation and implementation. The hobbyist is basically an amateur engineer or computer scientist. They just have a love for computers and computing, and the most elegant and efficient ways of making the machines work. Distro hoppers are car drivers; hobbyists are mechanics.
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Here you go, bear in mind this was published in 2014 so some of the time frames are off.
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@curtvaughan
Beat me to it, his answer is great, but as an addition: There are also a lot of distrohoppers out there who are looking for the perfect distro that suits them, but there comes a time when they realise that they are searching for the holy grail and we can give them a friendly environment where they can create their perfect system.
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I was this kind of distrohopper before 2006 and fell in love with the early ubuntu versions. 30 months later, I gave up and fell in love with Archlinux… Which I’m still using today!
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FWIW: Everyone has their own agenda. Whether following Arch or Debian can be explained by how deep you want to go. Most people do not know that Apple was originally based on a Unix System, along came Linus Torvalds who changed the world from pay to play to freedom. Nothing against Microsoft, I do not like the way it has turned out. To make things easier, there are too many back doors to exploit and then you have your hackers and malware. The registry was an expedient I think they could do without, Linux is a prime example. As to power users, it depends upon the system. I am looking towards cutting edge performance, and great graphics capability. I do not play games, but, love pictures and movies. I recently took a rebuilt office workstation and recreated it for my own purposes, adding nvidia GPU, changing the CPU from duo to quad core for speed, multitasking and HighDef. Add to that another internal HD for backup and you have something to work with. Of course you need a 3D monitor, mine is 24". But then I have a course in Micro Computer repair under my belt. In other words, a mechanic, not a programmer. To each his own and do not criticize the means of installing, it is the results that count. EdeavourOS gives me the choice, graphical interface or Terminal, I am happy
and efficient using both. Enough said.
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Yes, then Apple went its own way. Later, desktop Linux was created, making life easier for users. Today, the boundaries between different operating systems are blurred.
@zoli62
Not so blurred in my estimation, often you cannot get there from here. There is a distinction between Arch (pacman) Debian (Apt-get) and others using (RPM) in package management adding to difficulties using a Terminal. People coming from Apple and Microsoft systems are unaccustomed to not having the (GUI) Graphical User Interface.
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heh heh… some interesting points there. Ive been through the arch install process and enjoyed the step-by-step installation as an interesting learning curve. I dont want to do that everytime Ive tinkered my system into a brick though (OOPS)… I want a quick install to get me up and running again.
I loved antergos (respect to those who worked on that OS), have used manjaro but am VERY happy to have wandered in to EndeavourOS because it still forces me to set certain things up and makes me learn.
MORE PEOPLE to Linux - lets help them to make the move… why not?
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2 weeks later 
And Arch was never meant for those people. There are other distros that would suit them better. It’s not like it’s a human right to use Arch on your own terms. For me it looks like a lot of ppl think they are “cool and trendy” because they use Arch - but they are unwilling to do the steps to actually install it.
That’s the reason I like Archbased distros - you’ll get the best of both worlds. But let’s be honest - not one single Archbased distro IS Arch. Arch is meant for those that are willing to actually roll up their sleeves without anyone holding their hands and for those that are interested in contributing to the community.
People who use Archbased distros and say they use Arch kinda pisses me off because they don’t. Anyone who’s installed vanilla Arch know what I mean - it’s like 10 commands and you’re done. Reboot. And you’re still at the freakin commandline lol. That is Arch!
But now the part where I think people actually can learn something starts. You have been given the tools to build your own enviroment and it wil teach you how things come together and work as a fucnctional enviroment in the end.
But installing Arch itstelf doesn’t actually teach you much - even if ppl claim it does. And if you’ve done it a couple of times it quickly gets boring. It’s what comes after Arch is installed that teaches you things IMHO. And that is lost when using Archbased distros - where someone have added an enviroment for you - unless you install only the base and start from there ofc.
Then ofc people have to make up their own mind if this is something they want to learn - if they do - go with vanilla Arch - if they’re not interested well there’s a lot of Archbased distros to choose from. You can stay close to vanilla like Endeavour or move further away like Chakra and Manjaro.
I don’t think there is a right or wrong way to do things. Different people want different things and there’s a distro for “everyone” out there. It’s all about personal preference.
But for anyone who wants to use Arch - well there’s just one Arch
and one way to install it and it doesn’t include a GUI installer.
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11 years earlier 
@curtvaughan
Interview with Judd Vinet from 2003 - only 2 years after he created Arch
https://distrowatch.com/dwres.php?resource=interview-arch
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@anon77235960 Nice find. Did you have that archived somewhere, or does distrowatch have everything archived?
Pudge
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I found it on distrowatch a few years ago and just bookmarked it. It’s history 
Truer words were never spoken.
I started using Arch about a year after that interview, but I have never read it until now.
That interview tells the whole story.
Pudge
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Judd Vinet 2003 “I’ve been told that Arch’s documentation is less-than-perfect”
Kinda proofs this was the early days
I wouldn’t say exactly that it doesn’t teach you much. Most people think when they hear Linux it’s Ubuntu. They don’t know that there is Debian and Arch and all these other versions of Linux. That is one of the reasons i never liked Gnome because it reminds me of Ubuntu and I’m not a big fan. So i always gravitated to Mint Cinnamon and Cinnamon is still my main choice but again it’s because it’s familiar. Yes, I know it’s Ubuntu and i’m glad they have a Debian version now! People tend to gravitate to what’s familiar because it’s easier. I’m not a coder so i always disliked the software end but it came to a point where you have to know certain things about it. So here i am. I know very little in the grand scheme of things but Arch has taught me a lot. So i think Linux has been hard to get to the desktop for this reason because of Windows. People who use Windows just click on icons they don’t understand the underlying processes that make things work. With Linux it’s all about the processes. I don’t think everyone needs to be a coder to learn Arch but they have to have a willingness to learn and put in the effort required to get there. Is it easy? Not really! Is it fun? Sometimes! Sometimes not so much! But learning with Arch can be invigorating for some. I don’t have a view that Arch is only for certain people i just think it depends on the individual. Anyone can learn. Some are just faster, more eager and maybe better at it. There is a distro out there for everyone but i don’t think that i have any right to decide who should use Arch and who shouldn’t. If they try it and it’s just too difficult then it’s up to them to come to the realization that it isn’t something they want to spend the time learning or it’s just too difficult for them. But i will always try to help someone who wants to learn. It’s up to them not me.
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Couldn’t agree more. That’s what I meant that Arch isn’t for everryone. If you’re not that kind of a person there are other distros.
Can only nod in agreement 
Same here
I often catch myself in thinking that something is easy - but then I remember when I thought I would never be able to do that. I think by using Arch one learns just by the nature of how Arch works.
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To clarify, the boundaries between desktop operating systems are blurred in terms of usability.
These are interesting ideas for a man who has used Debian for a very long time and used this to learn the philosophy of Linux.