Manjaro

Manjaro is an Arch-based rolling release distribution with a focus on taking the "raw power and flexibility of Arch Linux and making it more accessible for a greater audience." It has its own repositories and tries to be stable, with software more extensively tested than traditional rolling release.^{[citation needed]} It has official images for KDE Plasma, Xfce, and GNOME, while community-supported images are available for Cinnamon, i3, and SwayWM.

Overview

• Developed/owned by: Manjaro GmbH & Co
• OS Family: Linux
• Source Model: Open-source
• Update Method: "Stable" Rolling Release
• Package Manager: Pacman, Pamac, and Flatpak.
• Architecture: x86_64, aarch64

Key Milestones in Manjaro's History:

• 2011: Initial release of Manjaro Linux.
• 2012: GNOME Shell support was dropped with version 0.8.3.
• 2013: Manjaro entered its beta phase, introducing key features like a GUI installer, hardware detection tools, and a settings manager.
• 2015: The versioning scheme changed from numerical designations to a year-month format, starting with Manjaro 15.09 (formerly 0.9.0).
• 2017: Official GNOME desktop support was reinstated, and support for the i686 architecture was discontinued due to declining popularity.
• 2019: Manjaro GmbH & Co. KG was founded, formalising the project's development.
• 2020: Manjaro introduced ZFS filesystem support and improved package management.

Installation

Manjaro uses the Calamares installer, similar to EndeavourOS or ArcoLinux.

Arch Compatibility

Manjaro is based on Arch Linux, but it is not a 1:1 compatible downstream (like EndeavourOS). While it draws from Arch's base and philosophy, it introduces additional layers for stability, user experience, and system safety.

Key Differences in Compatibility:

• Separate Repositories: Manjaro uses its own repositories that are based on Arch's, but updates are held back and tested before release to ensure system stability.
• AUR Access: The Arch User Repository (AUR) is accessible, but not enabled by default. Users can enable AUR access through the GUI or install helpers like yay.
• Rolling Release with Buffer: Manjaro follows a rolling-release model but with a delayed update cycle compared to Arch. This provides a balance between freshness and reliability, while giving time for extra testing.

Documentation Use

While much of Arch Linux's documentation is applicable to Manjaro, users should be cautious. Manjaro's custom tools (like mhwd, pamac, and its kernel manager) and repository structure may differ significantly. It's important to check Manjaro specific resources or forums before applying Arch instructions verbatim, although most things should just work.

Repositories

Manjaro does not use Arch's mirrors directly. Instead, it follows Arch's upstream by cherry-picking some packages and manually vetting them through Unstable, Testing, and Stable branches. This tiered approach by Manjaro is believed to help prevent system breakage and support a smoother user experience. Due to this process, package updates on Manjaro may arrive long after they are updated on Arch. However, this approach is heavily discouraged and unsupported by Arch as it is considered a partial upgrade. Manjaro packages may also differ slightly in configuration or carry additional patches or branding.