Arch Linux

0x00007C00

Member

Registered: 2026-07-01

Posts: 3

A noob need advices

Hi, I'm a CS student, and I finally got rid of Windows 5 days ago. For years I stayed on Windows just because I thought gaming on a linux distro wasn't a thing, but I was just totally wrong. Steam + Proton = no monopoly anymore for Windows.
My only experiences before I installed Arch were on VMs using Kali and Ubuntu, so I'm really a big noob.

I chose Arch because I wanted a rolling distro, and also because I heard that's the hardest one. I need to learn fast, so it's perfect for me.

What are your advices to maximize stability ? Check every week for updates ? Avoid AUR packages when possible ?
How can I check if an AUR package is safe to use ? I saw last month that malwares were hidden in some AUR packages – for example I'm using Zen browser, how can I be sure that the AUR is safe ?

teckk

Member

Registered: 2013-02-21

Posts: 588

Re: A noob need advices

AUR

Look at the source code and build scripts.
https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/zen-browser
https://github.com/zen-browser

Look at the PKGBUILD.
https://aur.archlinux.org/cgit/aur.git/ … en-browser

You can always get the source tree, decompress it into an empty directory, look it over, then make a local PKGBUILD for the local tree. Use makepkg to make a package. Install it with pacman.

I would not install a binary from the AUR if you paid me.

0x00007C00

Member

Registered: 2026-07-01

Posts: 3

Re: A noob need advices

Ok
Thx for your reply

jonno2002

Member

Registered: 2016-11-21

Posts: 887

Re: A noob need advices

use pacman and avoid helpers like yay
read the arch wiki and man pages instead of watching idiots on youtube
always triple check scripts/commands before running them
try to use simple lightweight software if you can and avoid big dependency heavy ones to minimize breakage
always backup important data to 3 places (not really arch specific but so many people dont do this)

0x00007C00

Member

Registered: 2026-07-01

Posts: 3

Re: A noob need advices

Thanks for your answer... Finally I reinstalled Arch just to be sure to have a clean start. And I only had 5 days of work to backup and 5-10 passwords to change.
I think the AUR packages I installed were clean tho :

yay
proton-ge-custom-bin
zen-browser-bin
vscodium-bin
nordvpn-bin

ewaller

Administrator

From: Pasadena, CA

Registered: 2009-07-13

Posts: 20,690

Re: A noob need advices

The problem with yay is that it does a very good job of obfuscating the fact that AUR packages are AUR packages.  It makes them appear to be just like something in the official repos.

I recommend not using yay.  I use auracle to help manage my foreign packages, but I always read the PKGBUILDs before I use them, and always build them using makepkg  (or https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Develo … n_chroot#)

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The shortest way to ruin a country is to give power to demagogues.— Dionysius of Halicarnassus
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How to Ask Questions the Smart Way

cryptearth

Member

Registered: 2024-02-03

Posts: 2,272

Re: A noob need advices

personal i don't see any "wrong" with using any aur helper - when you suffer through Linux From Scratch you'll learn to appreciate a powerful package manager
to me thier best pro is the ability to resolve recursive aur dependencies:
aur package A needs aur package B which needs aur package C
without deep knowledge of the aur and a helper you end up where i gave up on LFS: you have to figure out and keep track of all those dependencies yourself - and unless you want to torture yourself that's something noone should be forced to endure

Last edited by cryptearth (2026-07-03 15:38:05)

ewaller

Administrator

From: Pasadena, CA

Registered: 2009-07-13

Posts: 20,690

Re: A noob need advices

auracle helps with that.  But, you are right, it does  not solve it completely.

But remember, Pacman is the package manager -- Yay is naught but a front end.

And everyone you try LFS at least once -- and really attempt to understand what the commands do

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Nothing is too wonderful to be true, if it be consistent with the laws of nature -- Michael Faraday
The shortest way to ruin a country is to give power to demagogues.— Dionysius of Halicarnassus
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How to Ask Questions the Smart Way

seth

Member

From: Won't reply 2 private help req

Registered: 2012-09-03

Posts: 77,008

Re: A noob need advices

https://github.com/aurutils/aurutils/bl … -depends.1

AUR helpers are, as any tool, great as long as they serve you to fulfill the task and you're in control of what they're doing.
You'd also not hand a chainsaw to a child, right?
Would *you* use one w/o understanding how it works and what it does?

(First time you had the chain failing on you will btw. be the beginning of you inspecting it every single fucking time before you use it - and I don't mean the tension, you're doing that anyway, right?)

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