i used arch for years and i moved to ubuntu

research · Jan 14, 2026 · 1 min read

this is a post i did not expect to write. for years i was one of those people who explains arch to anyone who stands still long enough.

and then, like everyone eventually does, i moved to ubuntu and gnome, and everything kept working.

why i moved

• i was maintaining a desktop, not using one. the week i moved, my maintenance went from a few hours a month to about ten minutes, and i reclaimed that time for actual work
• my hardware is not interesting. i did not need a bleeding edge kernel, i needed my laptop to not beep at me
• gnome is a complete desktop, not a foundation you assemble on weekends
• i got tired of the aesthetic. rolling release is a choice, and i was making it for reasons that stopped being about me

what i kept

i kept hyprland for the days i want the compositor, i kept a handful of tools that only exist because i built them, and i kept the habit of reading logs when something breaks. you do not get that habit for free.

the honest conclusion

arch was never better. it was mine. once i realised i was keeping it because it was mine rather than because it worked for me, the argument was over.

use whatever you can maintain. that is the entire opinion.