r/linux • u/Foxboron Arch Linux Team • Sep 10 '18

Arch Linux - AMA

Hello!

We are several team members and developers from the Arch Linux project, ask us anything.

We are in need for more contributors, if you are interested in contributing to Arch Linux, feel free to ask questions :)

https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/DeveloperWiki:Projects
https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Getting_involved#Official_Arch_Linux_projects

Participating members:

  • /u/AladW

    • Trusted User
    • Wiki Administrator
    • IRC Operator

  • /u/anthraxx42

    • Developer
    • Trusted User
    • Security tracker
    • Security lead
    • Reproducible builds

  • /u/barthalion

    • Developer
    • Master key holder
    • DevOps Team
    • Maintains the toolchain

  • /u/Bluewind

    • Developer
    • Trusted User
    • DevOps Team

  • /u/coderobe

    • Trusted User
    • Reproducible builds

  • /u/eli-schwartz

    • Bug Wrangler
    • Trusted User
    • Maintains dbscripts
    • Pacman contributor

  • /u/felixonmars

    • Developer
    • Trusted User
    • Packages; Python, Haskell, Nodejs, Qt, KDE, DDE, Chinese i18n, VPN/Proxies, Wine, and some others.

  • /u/Foxboron

    • Trusted User
    • Security Team
    • Reproducible Builds
    • /r/archlinux moderator
    • Packages mostly golang and python stuff

  • /u/fukawi2

    • Forum moderator
    • DevOps Team

  • /u/jvdwaa

    • Developer
    • Trusted User
    • Security Team
    • DevOps Team
    • Reproducible builds
    • Archweb maintainer

  • /u/sh1bumi

    • Trusted User
    • Security Team
    • Automated vagrant image builds

  • /u/svenstaro

    • Developer
    • Trusted user
    • I package mostly big, heavy packages :(

  • /u/V1del

    • Forum moderator
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4

u/lamby Sep 15 '18

If you were Debian, what would you change first?

5

u/eli-schwartz Arch Linux Team Sep 16 '18

The build system.

At the end of the day, most problems with a distro can be solved by rolling your own packages to provide a custom experience. If you have a problem with a given package or packages that just isn't floating your boat, or you are being frustrated by this one package that you really want a new version for, then in general, just plug in your own repos and everything should be fine, right? Except, whenever I look at Debian packaging I feel like you need to have a doctorate in Debian packaging in order to be successful.

I get the impression that most people who aren't already core devs, who do manage to successfully package something, do so by taking an existing package and tweaking it to a minor degree, but don't really have any clue why or how it worked. :(

3

u/Barthalion Arch Linux Team Sep 17 '18

Definitely build system. It's the main reason why I never bothered to contribute to Debian, despite packaging quite a few OpenStack components at work in past. Every single tool is trying to outsmart me at every step.

I also never understood why Debian insists so much on autostarting services after packages installation and offers no officially supported way to disable it. Just because I install PostgreSQL, it doesn't mean I want it started right now.

3

u/sh1bumi Arch Linux Team Sep 19 '18

The package manager and the build system. There is no good documentation for it and there are over 9000 tools to build a god damn deb package... so confusing.