Recs.
Updated
Manjaro Linux is a fast, user-friendly, desktop-oriented operating system based on Arch Linux.
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 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 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 Steam installed by default
Manjaro comes with Steam installed so you can get logged in and go right to installing games.
More info here: https://manjaro.github.io/homepage/public/features/usercases/gamers/
Pro Gives a new life to old machines
The Manjaro was tested for the last two months on a VAIO series F (VPCF2), a machine built on 2011/2012 wich chip Nvidia and blueray with 8gb of ram.
This machine was built for Win7, at a point had Win10 and ran ok but with the latest updates went from decent running to non-usable when is not very slow.
So Manjaro is allowing to make the most of this machine in every aspect.
The applications run smoothly. The machine is used for programming (LAMP STACK), as stream client (Netflix, amazon prime, Spotify, etc) and server (OBS), virtual meetings with zoom, google meets, and eventually some videogames with steam. Two months on it and till now just a couple of hiccups due to the lack of knowledge on the system otherwise... working like a charm!...
Cons
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". I am sure hardened Linux pros may find a way to change this, but for the rest of us, it renders an otherwise nice distro a no-go.
Con Nothing new
There is nothing new in manjaro compared to any other arch based distribution.
Con Calls itself "stable," but actually just holds Arch Linux repositories back for a week
Recommendations
Comments
Flagged Pros + Cons
Con Calls itself "stable," but actually just holds Arch Linux repositories back for a week
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.
Pro Good documentation and forum
The Manjaro community is very helpful, and there are lots of tutorials.
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.