Just a quick question: sudo pacman -S git base-devel

I have decided to install timeshift first before i try other softwares such ffmpeg According to this URL: https://linuxhint.com/best_backup_restore_arch_linux/

I need to update then, install git and base-devel:
sudo pacman -S git base-devel
The question is, I HAVE already got git clone working on my laptop, should i follow this instruction to the word ? or should i just skip “git” in pacman -S ?
This “warning and reinstalling” below gave me goosebump… i ruined to many linux this year along already, hence when it comes to possibility of ruin another, gave me heart attack! Hence better ask first before proceed.
Can someone explain to me what does the command prompt below trying to do ? what does it means by "there are 24 members… is it this prompt to install all these “base-devel” sub packages ? I have pacman (who doesn’t ? ) why need to install also ?

$ sudo pacman -S git base-devel
warning: git-2.28.0-1 is up to date -- reinstalling
:: There are 24 members in group base-devel:
:: Repository core
   1) autoconf  2) automake  3) binutils  4) bison  5) fakeroot  6) file  7) findutils  8) flex  9) gawk  10) gcc  11) gettext  12) grep  13) groff  14) gzip  15) libtool  16) m4  17) make
   18) pacman  19) patch  20) pkgconf  21) sed  22) sudo  23) texinfo  24) which

Enter a selection (default=all): 

To install timeshift it is sufficient to just run:

yay -S timeshift

This will automatically install all the dependencies.

You also need to enable cronie service in order for timeshift to periodically make automatic snapshots:

sudo systemctl enable cronie.service
sudo systemctl start cronie.service

EDIT: if by some chance, you don’t have cronie installed, you can do so by running: sudo pacman -S cronie

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So, what’s the different between yay -S timeshift vs the tedius steps shows in linuxhint.com ?

yay -S timeshift is not as tedious and there is much less chance you can screw it up :wink:

Yay will automatically install any dependencies needed and will update the package.

Is it that both works just the same ? just one is automated the other is called “MANUAL” ?

I have not read the guide on linuxhint.com so I don’t know what it does, and I don’t really care to invest the time to study it. Generally, I am sceptical of various guides on the internet, there are only a few places I trust, like the Arch Wiki.

In any case, git package ought to be installed on your Endeavour system by default, and so should be the base-devel package group. So, there is no need to manually reinstall that.

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I setup timeshift last night. It took like 15 seconds and I was running a backup. Why make it more complicated? Simplicity is Arch.

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Stop reading random junk on the internet and stick to the arch wiki. :hugs:

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If i just want Timeshift to run MANUALLY, so that it won’t make my computer slower, can i not start cronie.service ?
and start timeshift manually when i think i want it to make an update of “backup” ? for example before i install any new fancy software …
One more important question is:
Does timeshift able to restore the os back to the state before i install the app ?
For example, i want to try ffmpeg and mp3gain.
I first do a timeshift before i install them both.
I tried and decided i don’t want them both, but i don’t want the 2 packages to leave behind anything which might eventually build up in my os…
Hence i timeshift back to the point before the 2 packages were being installed.

Does timeshift really make them all clean ? nothing left behind ?
I asked because in windows os, when i uninstall something, they usually left something in registry hive… which builds up…
Even some trial wares will hide something somewhere in os that when you installed the same trial ware again next time, it already know that i have installed this trial way before.
Does linux also like that or when i uninstall the packages, they will all be removed without a trace left ? if it does so so cleanly, why need timeshift ?

Start another post for your timeshift questions this thread has been solved closing. I will wait for the last two replies.

No, you don’t have to enable cronie if you don’t want periodic automatic snapshots. However, it is highly advised to do that, or at least install a pacman hook (like timeshift-autosnap) that automatically makes snapshots. Automatic snapshot taking does not slow down your system considerably. The chances are you won’t notice it’s going on in the background.

Restoring a timeshift snapshot will restore everything outside the user space to the time the snapshot was taken. So any programs you install will no longer be installed. However, any custom settings in the users space (unless you specifically tell Timeshift to include your dotfiles) will remain.

ffmpeg should already be installed on your system by default, unless I’m mistaken. To check whether a package is installed on your system you can run:

pacman -Q ffmpeg

or, if you’re unsure of the package name:

pacman -Q | grep ffmpeg

This works for both repo packages and foreign packages (like those from the AUR).

@BONK Sorry, I have not read your post before replying. Feel free to split this into a new thread, if you think that’s warranted.

It is easy for you guys who is expert in linux to say these, but for a noob such me, i sometime guided by things i found… i sometime got lost in the mountain of info… if i ask too much , ppl get annoyed… hence i sometime try things i first bumped in… Sometime never thought of pacman or yay, because yay gives too many options with name that are closely almost the same… while pacman often give me zero result, arch wiki is too wordy… hence google always give me good need instructions… :sweat:

@BONK Sorry, i also didn’t notice your msg. anyway i am done with it.

You are doing fine. You simply need to read and understand the difference between the arch repositories and the Aur. Instead of reading random things from the internet just ask here. I haven’t seen anyone refuse to help you. :wink:

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The difference is twofold.

  • First, that is a much more manual approach. yay is a tool to make it so you don’t have to do that every time.
  • Second, EndeavourOS ships with base-devel and git installed so you don’t need to install them.
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