Manjaro vs Arch Linux: Why Stick with Arch for Advanced Users?

In the Beginning

The project was initiated by Austrian Roland Singer, who announced on the Arch Linux forum in mid-2011 that he had created a Live CD with the name we already know. He chose XFCE as the default desktop environment, and it remains the flagship desktop of the system to this day.

Soon, like-minded individuals joined the project: Frenchman Guillaume Benoit and Philip Müller, who came from the Chakra Linux project. And a year after its first mention online, on August 20, 2012, the world saw the release of the first stable version of the distribution — Manjaro 0.8.

Developers frequently emphasize that Manjaro, despite its close relationship with Arch Linux, is essentially an independent system with its own software repositories, configuration tools, development team, and vision for the system’s development.

From the very beginning, the project aimed to create a system that would provide a wide range of users with the power and simplicity of Arch Linux, while avoiding the inherent complexities of the parent distribution that hinder its widespread adoption.

They Have Much in Common…

The strengths of Manjaro, inherited from Arch Linux, include system transparency, clarity, speed, and operational efficiency. Like Arch, Manjaro employs a rolling release model, ensuring that the user always has the latest version of both the operating system and specific software installed.

New releases of Manjaro are regularly made available, primarily to capture the current state of the system and its components. This allows users who perform a fresh installation to start with a system that doesn’t require downloading a large amount of updates, which could potentially break the system.

Another feature of the system is full compatibility with the Arch User Repository (AUR). In reality, AUR is not exactly a repository in the traditional sense; rather, it is a directory of build scripts (PKGBUILD) that allow users to automatically compile binary packages from source and correctly install them into the system. In this context, “correctly” means that the installed package can later be removed without negatively impacting the system, unlike manually compiling from source with the command ./configure && make && make install, which often leaves behind residual files.

Furthermore, using similar scripts, you can convert binary packages initially intended for distributions with a different package management system, which may not be available for systems based on Arch, either as source or binary packages. For example, the beta version of the Skype for Linux application, currently under active development by Microsoft, is available on the manufacturer’s website only as DEB and RPM packages, but it can easily be installed from the AUR.

There are also other binary repositories available online. One of the most well-known is archlinuxcn, which is maintained by the Chinese community. The decision to use such independent repositories is made by each user at their own risk, as it is often quite challenging to verify what exactly is hidden in a particular binary file. Ultimately, it comes down to trusting a specific third-party repository.

In this regard, a local repository on the user’s machine can be particularly advantageous. You simply need to allocate a dedicated directory for the repository, place any compiled source binaries or missing packages there, create a database file using a specific command, and specify it in your preferred package manager. Once the application sources are updated, the necessary package will be available for installation in the overall package database.

…but they are so different

The founders of Manjaro were motivated to create their system not by Arch Linux’s advantages, but by the drawbacks—or rather characteristics—of the parent system that pose a natural barrier for beginners. The fact is, when installing and configuring Arch Linux, almost everything has to be done manually, including entering commands and executing various scripts.

This process is not so much labor-intensive (though it might pose quite a challenge for a complete beginner even at the stage of reading instructions) as it is eventually tiresome. Especially when you need a system that should be operational right here and now. Imagine a car enthusiast who has to stop, open the car hood, and manually switch the terminals on the headlight bulb every time they want to change from high beams to low beams, all while muttering that this helps them better understand the car’s mechanics.

The developers of Manjaro have implemented several changes to the system that simplify installation, launch, and daily operations. As a result, the system stands out for:

• Easy and intuitive installation using graphical tools.
• Automatic installation of third-party drivers (either open-source or proprietary, based on user preference).
• A dedicated software repository that is community-tested, with the stable branch containing packages that are thoroughly vetted for potential errors.
• The ability to select and install the required Linux kernel versions through a graphical interface.

Installation in a Few Clicks

The system is installed using the graphical tool Calamares, which is developed with contributions from teams involved in Debian, Fedora, KaOS, Blue Systems, and the KDE Visual Design Group. Calamares is a truly convenient tool that allows you to fully prepare the system for installation from a single entry point and then install it without any issues.

A potential issue for non-English users can arise with the initial language selection of the system. If you choose Russian as the default language for the system and set an English password during installation, you won’t be able to log in on the first boot. The keyboard layout will be in Russian, and you won’t be able to switch it to input the password in English. The simplest solution to bypass this problem is to set a numeric password during installation, then change it after logging in.

Welcome to Manjaro

Immediately upon the first boot, the Manjaro Hello welcome window appears. It gathers all the information needed to get familiar with the system and its key features. Here, you’ll find a description of the current version of the distribution and the system’s overall capabilities, along with links to forums, chats, and a wiki dedicated to Manjaro (including a Russian forum and a Telegram group). It also provides ways to contribute to the project’s development. The welcome window is fully localized and visually integrates with any installed desktop environment.

The next window is the Manjaro Settings Manager, which includes modules for regional and language settings, user account management, date and time settings, as well as keyboard and hardware configurations.

The settings manager also allows you to select and install a kernel. You have a choice of dozens of kernels in different versions, including ones marked as LTS and the very latest, though potentially unstable. One of the kernels is marked as recommended and is used by default in the initial system installation. There are also a couple of real-time kernels available, providing low data processing latency, which is convenient for audio work.

Software and Everything Else

You can also install and remove software using a graphical tool. There are two options available: Pamac, which is based on GTK3, and Octopi, which is based on Qt. Both serve as graphical front ends for Pacman, the package manager for Arch Linux. Unlike Octopi, which is developed by third-party contributors, Pamac is a creation of Manjaro Linux and in Arch Linux, it can only be installed from the AUR (Arch User Repository).

Both programs allow for software installation from the official package repository as well as from the AUR (Arch User Repository). Manjaro features three branches that differ in the stability of the packages they contain: stable, testing, and unstable. All new package versions initially go into the unstable branch, but only after these versions have appeared in the Arch Linux repository.

With Pamac and Octopi, you can install and update individual packages as well as the entire system. Unlike Arch Linux, the risks during system updates are minimized. Before a package is included in the stable branch, it undergoes extensive testing, indicated by the last digit after the dash in its version number—this shows how many times the package was rebuilt before being deemed stable.

Signature Green

Manjaro is distinguished by its vibrant and unique interface. The system’s color scheme primarily features green combined with various shades of gray. It includes its own icons and cursors, as well as unique desktop and application themes, and, of course, “new and interesting wallpapers.” These design elements are offered through the Maia and Vertex-Maia themes, depending on the chosen desktop environment.

Manjaro offers three official editions: XFCE, KDE, and, more recently, GNOME. A bit unique is the Manjaro-Architect network installer, which replaced the Manjaro NET Edition some time ago. It doesn’t include any graphical components. Manjaro-Architect is a tool that allows you to install a system with any configuration by downloading the necessary packages over the internet, making it quite similar to Arch Linux.

Moreover, the developer tools prepared by the Manjaro team allow anyone to create their own custom Live CD with any software and desktop environment they choose. This is why, besides the official editions of Manjaro, there’s a wide array of community-supported versions: Cinnamon, Deepin, i3, LXQt, Mate, JVM, PekWM, Openbox, Lxde, Fluxbox, Enlightenment, BspWM, Budgie, and even a minimalist stable KDE build with a bare-bones set of components created by enthusiasts from the Russian-speaking community.

Conclusions

The unique feature of Manjaro is that it’s a distribution for everyone. At its core, Manjaro is a typical Arch Linux: simple, elegant, and very user-friendly for those who want a system completely under their control. Yes, there is a lot of pre-installed software that you may need to remove, but this only needs to be done once—after that, you don’t have to think about it again.

On the other hand, Manjaro is a truly user-friendly distribution that, unlike the minimalist Arch, offers users a fully configured and ready-to-use environment with a necessary set of tools. While you might occasionally need to dig into configuration files, most tasks can be accomplished using graphical utilities.

If you’re deciding what to install on a new machine, you might find it more efficient to quickly set up Manjaro and gradually customize an already functional system, rather than going through the hassle of installing Arch and turning it into a usable desktop.