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Manjaro Linux is a fast, user-friendly, desktop-oriented operating system based on Arch Linux.
SpecsUpdate
Pros
Pro Arch User Repository access
Manjaro allows the user to access of the Arch User Repository, a very large user-maintained repository of packages for Arch Linux and derivatives.
Pro Based on Arch and user friendly
Manjaro is an Arch-based distribution with all the benefits of the Arch ecosystem and community but with the added benefit of being much more user-friendly than Arch.
Pro Support for multiple kernels
Manjaro has built-in support for multiple kernels as well as a way to easily install them.
Pro Stable and consistently up to date
Manjaro receives regular updates, but more importantly these updates are stable. The updates are rolled out, which means you can easily update the software without needing to re-install.
Pro A rolling-release distribution
Manjaro uses a rolling release method for all updates, so once a system is installed, as long as the user regularly updates there is no need to re-install.
Pro Uses low memory
By using Xfce or Plasma (or LXDE, Fluxbox, supported by community) as default desktop environments, Manjaro is able to have a low memory footprint.
Pro Friendly community
If you ask questions of users in their forums or on other platforms, they are willing to help you. Also according to the developers, they are open to new ideas in order to make the distro better.
Pro Different editions to select from + Manjaro community
You can choose between different Manjaro editions which have their own change in features, and there is also Manjaro community editions where the community can make their own changes.
Pro Improved stability due to a longer testing period for new packages
Packages from Arch's repositories are tested (about two weeks) longer for stability and compatibility issues. Patches are applied, when necessary, before being made available in the stable repositories.
Pro All major desktops and even less common ones like Budgie, Lumina, LXQT, Deepin, Enlightenment, etc. can be directly installed from official repositories
Also available as independent variants.
Pro Good documentation and forum
The Manjaro community is very helpful, and there are lots of tutorials.
Pro Excellent graphical package manager (Pamac)
Features include: providing notifications of available updates; mirror management; Snap support, Flatpak support and AUR support (with the option to suppress unnecessary confirmations during the install process); update settings (frequency, whether to check for updates from the AUR, packages to ignore updates for); and a history of packages installed, updated, or removed (from the official repositories - AUR packages are not currently tracked).
Pro Manjaro provides its own distribution-specific tools such as the Manjaro Hardware Detection (mhwd) utility, and the Manjaro Settings Manager (msm).
Run automatically during the installation process, it allows for Manjaro to work fully on your system 'straight out of the box', without the need to manually identify and install the necessary drivers or to manually edit the appropriate configuration files. Also usable via the terminal after installation, the features of the mhwd command include:
- The choice of free (i.e. open-source) or non-free (i.e. proprietary) drivers
- Identification and listing (general or detailed) of your system's hardware
- Identification and listing (general or detailed) of installed drivers
- Listing of available drivers for installation (free and proprietary)
- Support of hybrid graphics cards (e.g. Nvidia Optimus)
- Easy removal and installation of drivers (selected automatically, or you can identify and choose your own)
Pro Installation is a breeze
Calamares installer and MHWD is the reason why this distribution is good for desktop user- friendliness! Audio codecs, latest packages,latest kernel and easy upgrade to the latest build makes it the best choice for new users.
Cons
Con Plasma Desktop it makes it very heavy and slow
Although it is very visual and attractive, Plasma makes Manjaro a distro impossible to use for old equipment
Con Nothing new
There is nothing new in Manjaro compared to any other Arch based distribution.
Con No gfvs pre-installed
So no Trash (and possibly smartphone file system access via USB) support.
Con Calls itself "stable," but actually just holds Arch Linux repositories back for a week
Con Installation is extremely buggy
There's no easy way to switch from local keyboard layout if non-Latin installer language is selected.
Con Very slow development for 32-bit hardwares
ArchLinux-32 community maintain their forums every day. They upload new ISO's every month. But Manjaro-32 community upload new ISO's in every 6 month. And provide only a DE-mate.
Con Calls itself "stable," but actually just holds Arch Linux repositories back for a week.
Con Bad Dependencies
This is similar to the mac0S experience in that you're not allowed to remove plank.
Con You can't change the default theme in certain applications
Although it is possible to change the default dark theme, this has no effect on Firefox, which appears to have the dark theme "hard coded". Hardened Linux pros may find a way to change this, but for the rest, it renders an otherwise nice distro a no-go.
Con Calls itself "stable," but actually just holds Arch Linux repositories back for a week
Con Bad dependencies
This is similar to the mac0S experience in that you're not allowed to remove plank.
Con Weekly manual updates
Since it is rolling release, it needs updates nearly every week, which (though are checked for automatically) must be manually downloaded, confirmed and installed. That may annoy or scare off many new users.
Con New packages and security updates are held for testing longer
Packages are usually about two weeks behind Arch's stable repository. While some urgent security updates are released as soon as they become available, other security updates are held for testing longer.
Con The Manjaro unstable repository is slow to sync with the Arch stable repository
The Manjaro unstable repository syncs with the Arch stable repository and if any package has moved, it gets moved to stable.
Manjaro gets package updates a bit than Arch.
Con Nothing new
There is nothing new in Manjaro compared to any other Arch based distribution.
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