4 min to read
Windows rituals vs Arch Linux sorcery
On Linux, you dont need drivers, you are the driver!
Picture this, a clean install of windows 11 Vs a clean install of Arch Linux. The first order of the day is to install your favorite software. (Unless you’re on Windows, where your first quest is to install drivers)
For this post, we’ll use these 5 apps:
Google Chrome, VLC, Spotify, Discord and Docker.
Lets explore how easy / complex the task is.
The Windows way.
On a clean install of Windows, the process begins in the browser, usually Edge browser as it comes preinstalled. Followed by a series of google searches: “Download Google chrome” “Download vlc” “Download Discord” and so on. Each search leads to a different website, each offering a different installer. Then comes the clicking ceremony of “Next ➡️ Next ➡️ Agree ➡️ Skip ➡️ Install.” Repeat this till you have all your software installed.
Updates? You still have to head back to each website to download new updates, unless your app supports auto update.
System update? Not forgetting windows update will never touch you outdated software.
By the end, you have five new background updaters all fighting for startup space.
The Arch way
Now imagine the same situation on Arch Linux, fresh install.
Let me tell you shamthing.
A clean Arch Linux install doesn’t even have a browser preinstalled!
But wait, where then are we downloading our software from? Well, on Linux, what we call “software” is generally known as a package. And instead of visiting a bunch of random websites, these packages live in online repositories maintained by the community. You can download and install them manually, or better yet, use a package manager to handle everything for you.
To start, we open up the terminal. (Don’t be scared of the terminal. Trust me, it’s easy. Let me show you)
Enter the AUR
The Arch User Repository (AUR). Think of it like an app store, but its not. It’s a massive collection of user-maintained packages. Includes Everything from Chrome to Spotify to obscure command-line tools you never knew existed.
By default, Arch uses pacman as its package manager. But while pacman is powerful, we’re going to use a little helper that makes life easier, paru.
Meet Paru.
Paru is basically pacman with superpowers. It automates downloads and installs, handles dependencies, and gives you a clean, interactive interface. Under the hood, it’s still pacman.
First, we need to install paru. It’s written in Rust, so we install Rust first.
sudo pacman -S rust
Then grab paru from GitHub and install it:
git clone https://aur.archlinux.org/paru.git
cd paru
makepkg -si
Now it’s time for the magic.
To install a package, let’s say “google chrome” All you have to do is paru -S package-name
paru -S google-chrome
You’ll be asked for your password and maybe a few confirmations depending on the package being installed.
Want to skip confirmations? Add the --noconfirm flag:
paru -S google-chrome --noconfirm
Boom. Chrome installed. No questions asked.
You can also search for packages with paru package-name
paru chrome
Batch install
Remember our five favorite apps? You can install them all in one command:
paru -S google-chrome vlc spotify discord docker --noconfirm
Enter your password, and watch paru do all the work.
Shamthing else,
Used 5 packages as an example, but you can add as many packages as you need. Installing your entire setup with a single command.
Need to uninstall something? use paru -Rns package-name
paru -Rns google-chrome
And when it’s time for updates? Just run this command:
paru
That’s it. This updates your system and all installed packages! Clean, consistent, and fast.
Wrapping It Up
To be fair, Windows isn’t completely stuck in the installer age. Microsoft now has Winget, a command-line package manager, and community projects like UniGetUI give it a clean graphical front-end. Together, they finally let Windows users install and update apps from one place.
But compared to Linux package managers like paru or pacman, it still feels… bolted on. On Arch, the package manager is the system. It’s native. On Windows, tools like UniGetUI feel more like clever workarounds.
In the end, it’s the same goal approached from two philosophies: Rituals vs Sorcery.
Stay curious,
Sham.
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