Upgrade Everything
When you install Arch you are installing a “snapshot” of where Arch was at the time that .iso was released. This means, depending on how recently it was released, many, many packages will be out-of-date. To update the entire system you only need to issue one, simple command as root:
pacman -Syu
Install Screen
Not only can you use screen instead of a window manager/desktop environment, you can use them together! Screen is always the first thing I install when configuring a new Arch install. It will allow you (if you know how, more on that here) to do multiple things at once, like edit your rc.conf while installing Eclipse at the same time. To install screen:
pacman -S screen
Install vim
Vim is the best CLI text editor. Period. Nothing else even comes close. Before editing ANY files or installing anything other than those previously mentioned, I must install vim. To easily install via pacman:
pacman -S vim
Edit Sudoers
Edit your sudoers file now or it will begin to piss you off, forcing you to stop being lazy, put aside anything you are doing, and enter:
vim /etc/sudoers
If you would like to be allowed to sudo anything, place
yourusername ALL=(ALL) ALL
on the line under:
root ALL=(ALL) ALL
Now that you have done this, instead of typing ‘su’ and then entering a root password everytime you want to install a program, you can just type:
sudo myRootCommand
and enter your password when prompted.
Install xorg:
You must install xorg before you can see a graphical environment. Also in this step, we will install our video card drivers. To do all of this at once, do one of the following
ATI:
pacman -S xorg catalyst hwd
Nvidia:
pacman -S xorg xfree86-video-nvidia hwd
Now automaticall configure your xorg.conf by running the following as root, and answering “y” to the question asked:
hwd -xa
Install a Window Manager / Desktop Environment
Do you want a Window Manager or a Desktop Environment? Your decision may be based on the speed/specs of your computer. If you have a slow processor and little RAM, then I would recommend you go with a WM. If you have a fast computer than a DE might be just the thing for you. I tend to switch between Openbox(WM) and Gnome(DE). Never install a DEA, ass it will invade your privacy. To install your WM/DE of choice:
Gnome:
pacman -S gnome
Openbox:
pacman -S openbox
KDE:
pacman -S kde
If you like KDE then you may want to try KDEmod (KDE optimized for Arch).
Install Mozilla Apps
Mozilla makes a good portion of my favorite apps. I use Firefox for daily web-browsing, Thunderbird for daily e-mail, and Sunbird for daily tasks. There are so many apps out there that do these same things, we are so lucky to have such good and free alternative versions. Put this good fortune to use! Don’t earn your friends’ respect by installing Linux, only to lose it by running Internet Explorer. Do this easily with:
pacman -S firefox thunderbird sunbird
Install Yaourt
Yaourt, or “Yet Another User Repository Tool“, is a frontend to pacman that allows you to install apps from the AUR. The AUR, or Arch User Repository, contains tons of apps that have not yet been added to the official Arch package repositories. These packages are maintained by users and installed on your system with yaourt via Arch’s “makepkg” command. To do this, first add the following to your /etc/pacman.conf file:
[archlinuxfr] Server = http://repo.archlinux.fr/i686
Once you have done that, update pacman and install yaourt:
pacman -Sy yaourt
Install zsh
Zsh is, in my opinion, the best shell. Not to mention it is awesome with the autocomplete function that integrates with yaourt. To install zsh do the all-too-familiar:
pacman -S zsh
Once installed, you must do the following as root:
usermod -s /bin/zsh paul
Install Your Favorite Apps
What you install after installing Arch Linux does not, by any means, have to be limited to my opinions. Try new software, see what you like. Install different apps that do the same things to find your preference. Install apps you’ve never heard of and become a master at them. This is a big part of becoming a knowledgeable Linux user.
Some suggestions:
- Inkscape
- GIMP
- OpenOffice
- BlogBridge (from AUR — I maintain this package)
