The base-extras group really sounds like a great solution. Please consider this approach! Obviously, you don't need to re-install Arch too often, but I like to experiment with various configurations on various machines and I have gotten used to what is in that base group. Thanks! Paul Stoetzer On Tue, Oct 8, 2019 at 4:34 PM Eli Schwartz via arch-general <arch-general@archlinux.org> wrote:
On 10/7/19 12:02 AM, Marc Ranolfi via arch-general wrote:
The `base` group has been replaced by a metapackage of the same name, we advise users to install this package (`pacman -Syu base`), as it is effectively mandatory from now on.
Please, was this discussed somewhere? I want to know the details, and gather what is needed to update the 'Installation guide' article in the wiki. In particular, I want to understand why essential packages for new installations, such as the kernel and a text editor, are not included (actually I see the kernel is an optional dependency).
Really, I wish we would do as I'd wanted and transfer the "essential packages" which aren't actually essential and were thus not included in base.. to a new *group* called "base-extras", which would reflect its status as being mere recommendations, while providing a convenient way to choose to interactively install them, and allowing the Installation Guide to transition from:
pacstrap /mnt base
to
pacstrap /mnt base base-extras
instead of becoming "and also decide whether you want the kernel, and also probably linux-firmware (but check whether your hardware needs firmware first), and oh, if you want a text editor, go install one of those too I guess, and in case you feel super surprised later when info and man don't work, you might want to install texinfo and man-db (and man-pages if you also want manpages) and a dozen other things that most people want even if they don't realize it".
And now we need to cherry-pick tons of packages for the archiso, and we need to cherry-pick tons of packages into the installation guide, and there is nothing straightforward to tell anyone what to do today. So we've taken a step forward and a step back, and mostly weren't ready for it either way.
-- Eli Schwartz Bug Wrangler and Trusted User