Recs.
Updated
SpecsUpdate
Pros
Pro Excellent graphical package manager (Pamac)
Features include: providing notifications of available updates; mirror management; 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 Uses low memory
By using XFCE (or LXDE, Fluxbox, supported by community) as the default desktop on an install, Manjaro is able to have a low memory footprint.
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.
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).
Cons
Con Not that beginner friendly
Archlinux, on which Manjaro is based, appeals to power users who want to control bloat by customizing every aspect of their build/install. While Manjaro is a more user-friendly of this, users with some knowledge of Linux and terminal commands will find the most benefit, especially if using a tiling windows like the popular Manjaro i3wm release.
Con Calls itself "stable," but actually just holds Arch Linux repositories back for a week
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.
The issue here is that this is not done frequently, which means that Manjaro may be getting package updates much later than Arch.
Con Manjaro to discontinue support for beginners' 32-bit computers
Manjaro, just like its parent distro Arch already has, is planning to eventually discontinue support and distro SW for 32-bit PCs (i686, x86). But many beginning Linux users are still using 32-bit Windows7-compatible machines, and have no plans to discard these PCs once Manjaro leaves 32-bit by the wayside for 64-bit (amd64, x86_64).
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 most of favourite programs do not have official versions for Manjaro.
Also most of favourite programs do not have official versions for Manjaro and or reliable versions in AUR (ppa- repos for Ubuntu provide much better quality so far) e.g. Virtualbox (when you try to install it from AUR pacman reports missing database) or Megasync from Mega.nz has no version for Manjaro at all.
Con Calls itself "stable," but actually just holds Arch Linux repositories back for a week.
Recommendations
Comments
Flagged Pros + Cons
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)
Con Security issues
Since packages are not updated as fast as in Arch, critical security updates may not come as fast as needed for packages that may have issues.