Manjaro Linux is a fast, user-friendly, desktop-oriented operating system based on Arch Linux. Key features include intuitive installation process, automatic hardware detection, stable rolling-release model, ability to install multiple kernels, special Bash scripts for managing graphics drivers and extensive desktop configurability. Manjaro Linux offers Xfce as the core desktop options, as well as KDE, GNOME and a minimalist Net edition for more advanced users. Community-supported desktop flavours are also available.
To compare the software in this project to the software available in other distributions, please see our Compare Packages page.
Notes: In case where multiple versions of a package are shipped with a distribution, only the default version appears in the table. For indication about the GNOME version, please check the "nautilus" and "gnome-shell" packages. The Apache web server is listed as "httpd" and the Linux kernel is listed as "linux". The KDE desktop is represented by the "plasma-desktop" package and the Xfce desktop by the "xfdesktop" package.
Colour scheme:green text = latest stable version, red text = development or beta version. The function determining beta versions is not 100% reliable due to a wide variety of versioning schemes.
I gave it a 10 rating for Manjaro. The reason is reliability, especially when using old hardware. As an example i have an old HP mini 110 netbook, suffering a RTL8101 network adapter This adapter is no longer supported in the newer kernels 5 and 6 of almost all distributions. In the Manjaro AUR there is a well maintained R8101 dkms driver available, which is functional with the latest kernel for Manjaro.
Apart from the flawless installation of Manjaro XFCE on such an old netbook, Manjaro also runs swift and without hurdles.
The WiFi adapter can be used to download the latest updates and to download and install the dkms driver, together with the required additional files, for the Ethernet adapter R8101.
Everything else also runs fine and fast enough with only 2 GB memory inside the box and using a SSD drive for storage. The boot time is only 80 seconds, which is also rather fast.
Manjaro also runs fine on some other, more powerful computers, using the very nice KDE desktop.
Summary:
Manjaro is stable, up to date, fast and has a wide spread support for newer hardware and surely also for older hardware that is no longer supported by any other distribution. Disadvantages: None that i know about.
Version 23.0.1 MATE Desktop
I gave it a 6 rating, because if it deserves an 8 rating when installed ALONE on one of my machines, I could not install it along FEDORA 39, on another machine, both on SSD GPT and GRUB2 already installed on a separate small /boot partition.
The Manjaro (23.x) Calamar Installer deserves more work to be configured properly and provide options similar (in goals) to Fedora (clumsy but funtional) Anaconda, especially on "Custom partionning" allowing much better boot loader (GRUB2), partitions and file systems choice.
I prefer to have a separate /home BTRFS partition, plus another BTRFS partition for data, for rationale reasons.
Some silly RTFM, and also nice however helpless replies on Manjaro forum on this question.
MATE and XFCE are equivalent and great in minimalism simplicity with all the functionality.
KDE-Plasma 5.0 is yet unfinished, prehaps upcoming 6.x ?
GNOME Classic on Manjaro is quite good but still missing good Widgets support, progress there may for the better merge GNOME-Classic and MATE, one days perhaps ?
One drawback in my view, is yet another package format, fragmenting even further Linux with no visible benefit
I just could not install "goldendict" from Manjaro (extra) repository.
Manjaro, in my view should join the several RPM based distro for everyonme benefit, especially considering that RedHat-IBM is alsoworking in this direction too.
All happens with little to no effort at all and you end up with a fast operating system, that it's light on old hardware (even lighter on shiny new hardware) let's not forget about very easy to do drive encryption and very easy to get around everything or change anything for that matter. I wouldn't change it for anything else (first tried arch itself way back in time, but that was way way too much work). I hope they run with this for a long time, thanks for all the hard work guys and not making this a CHORE
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