Endeavour OS is the unofficial successor to Antegros, I’ve never used Antegros so I cannot make any comparisons between the two. It should also be noted that I think Arch Linux, in general, is more work than it is worth so this won’t exactly be a shining review. Feel free to bail here if you don’t like the direction of my initial prejudice.
I am reviewing Endeavour OS as a rather biased openSUSE Linux user that is firmly entrenched in all things openSUSE. I am going at this from the perspective that my computer is my companion, my coworker or assistant in getting my digital work done and some entertainment sprinkled in there as well.
Bottom Line Up Front: If you want to run main-line Arch, Endeavour OS is absolutely the way to get going with it. They take the “Easy Plus One” approach to Arch by allowing you to install what I would consider a minimal but very usable base and learn to use “genuine Arch” with all the triumphs and pitfalls. If you want to go Arch, I can most certainly endorse this as the route to do so. However, even after playing here for two weeks, I find Arch to be more trouble than it is worth but a great educational experience.
Installation
Installing Arch using the “Arch Method” from the Wiki is pretty obtuse. Following it, step by step is not clear and leaves to many aspects ambiguous and unclear. It should NOT be a “beginners guide” at all. Thankfully, Endeavour OS installer bypasses the nonsense so you can get going with Arch.
The media will boot quickly and you are given a shiny desktop with a window open. There are two tabs, the first tab has two selections: one access to offline information and the second for information the Endeavour OS website. The second tab will allow you to create partitions and to install Endeavour OS to the disk.
Should you choose to make modifications to the existing file system. You can do so from here using the Gparted tool.
Since I set this up to be on a virtual machine, I intended on using the entire disk so no partitioning was necessary. Selecting Install EndeavourOS to disk initiates the installer. It will start out requesting language then Location.
Next is the Keyboard layout and your partitions preference. Since this is a simple setup, I selected to erase the disk to meet my testing requirements.
Lastly, the User, computer hostname and passwords will be entered. The last step being the summary and a final sanity check. Not a single step was difficult in this process. It was all very straight forward.
The installation proceeds rather quickly and gives some rather enjoyable propaganda is presented. One questioning your disposition towards the terminal.
Once the installation is complete, I restarted the system to boot into the newly installed Arch Linux based operating system.
First run and Impressions
Something that is most noteworthy was the speed at which Endeavour OS went from boot screen to login prompt. It wasn’t just fast, it was as expeditious as the time it takes to flip the switch of a Commodore 64 having that momentary pause and be greeted with that comforting blue glow on a 1084S CRT.
Upon logging in, you are presented one of the finest looking Xfce desktops I have ever seen. The only issue I had with the start up is that this Kalu applet spews out important system “news”. It was a little like going to a relatives house and being greeted by that over excited nephew
The first thing I thought I would do would be to perform some updates. After all, I had just been informed, quite clearly that there are lots of updates pending. After punching in my root password, the installer commenced with such an incredible display of detail that it tickled every nerdy nerve ending.
After the updates completed there was not a single issue with the system. It all booted with the latest and greatest Arch has to offer and just as stable as before. That meant it was time to check out the customization options. Make some tweaks to remove that piercing white from the User Interface.
After clicking through a few themes, the appearance that sat the best with me was the Arc-Dark theme. Adwaita-dark was a close second and would make me just about as happy.
The default file manager is satisfactory. It’s not quite as good as Dolphin but for basic use, it will work well. The icon theme looks real nice and makes for a real pleasant and complete experience.
When it came time to install software, it was time to see what Endeavour had installed for me to accomplish that task. The good news is, they gave you everything you need… the terminal and the Pacman package manager.
Since I am mostly aware of how to use Pacman, this isn’t a big deal but the Endeavour OS Pacman basic commands list page is lacking the search function but I do have that solution in hand. Since I am not a complete dolt, I am able to figure these things out but as I learn the Pacman commands, I find them to be an adhoc mess. After sifting through the Arch Wiki the search command is performed like this:
pacman -Ss <package name>
Once you determine the package you want to install, it can be done as such.
sudo pacman -S <package name>
…Because it is completely intuitive to have -S be install and -Ss be search… I’m sure it makes sense to someone, somewhere.
I was able to search for and install many of the applications I would need except one. Surprisingly, I was not able to install osc the Open Build Service Commander command line tool. I find it odd that it is in the Debian repositories but not Arch which seemingly has everything.
I is probably available in the Arch User Repository (AUR) of which is something I would avoid as it is kind of the wild, wild west of software. Some say they love it, others tell me to avoid it and some tell me I have to read through everything carefully to make sure I am not installing anything dangerous. All of which makes me sigh.
What I Like
The installer is easy to use. It is quick to get going with Arch and not have to muddle around with the nearly useless “Basic Installation Guide” provided on the Arch Wiki. The basic installation with Endavour OS gives you a fine looking Xfce Desktop Environment and tweaks it well enough that one can comfortably get going with it and accomplish basic tasks… that is… after you’ve installed your desired applications
The boot up time for Endeavour OS is fast, not just fast, but strap in, hang on, we are jumping to warp speed kind of fast. Granted, I haven’t set up the loads on this that I do on my regular machine so I can’t say if it would fare any differently but out of the gate, Endeavour will not leave you impatiently tapping your foot at any point.
Most importantly, and this is quite subjective, but the community is quite friendly. When it is all said and done. Linux is not just an operating system of components but one of people and community members. Just in observation alone, the project seems to foster a sense of community that is extremely helpful and quite engaged. That feature alone makes Endeavour OS worth all the hassle of using Arch tools.
What I Don’t Like
Pacman has a real obtuse syntax. I don’t care what the justification might be but understanding how to install software on an Arch distribution should not be as such. This is ridiculously unintuitive and doesn’t feel like it was well planned out at all. It absolutely feels like they added features and chose a letter in the same way you would pick one playing Scrabble.
Since this is Arch based, there are some rather dubious quality assurance practices. There isn’t that automated testing as you would see in openSUSE, openQA to minimize the likelihood of new software breaking systems. In my opinion… let me underscore, bold and italicize opinion, this would not make for a good server or production machine environment. Many people will say they run it just fine. I would submit that these individuals are intimately acquainted with their systems and know it inside and out. There is merit and utility in this but I don’t have the time for another relationship with a computer (insert Commodore Amiga jokes here).
Not as big of a deal but there isn’t a good description of how to get software for Endeavour OS on your system. There isn’t a graphic installer or instructions on the Endeavour OS website for searching for packages. You kind of have to fend for yourself. This is, adamantly a minor issue and easily rectified.
As wonderful as the AUR is and how likely it is that the software has no malware, it is still the wild, wild west of software. There is no guarantee that the software will be maintained or tested against the current versions in the official repository. There is no guarantee on proper testing or any level of quality assurance either.
Final Thoughts
If you are going to jump with both feet into the murky, shark infested waters of Arch, Endeavour OS provides a great life raft, or maybe an actual dingy to shield you from some of the hazards of using Arch. I wouldn’t put any stock into it holding up long term but that is quite likely my experiential bias of using Arch and perhaps my lack of fully understanding how to use the Arch tools… but that brings me to my next point. I am not a Linux noobie. Using and managing numerous Linux machines on numerous devices has been mostly effortless and automatic. Arch is like taking numerous steps backward. The machine doesn’t work for you, you work for the machine. Although I didn’t have any issues with Arch in the two weeks I used it, I have had previous installs go wonky on me. I do admit, it may be due to my lack of understanding and experience on Arch.
The Endeavour team has made huge strides in getting Arch Linux closer to what I would consider sustainable but it is still too much like flying a helicopter with a wonky tail rotor through a derecho on half a tank of fuel. It’s only a matter of time before something goes wrong. I see the utility in Arch but not the benefits, at least, not any benefits that outweigh what openSUSE gives me.