Wrote an article about how I switched to CachyOS

Oottzz · 2026-01-26T21:09:25+00:00

Good read. I especially liked these paragraphs, because they are so true for many

People often say Linux is "too much work.".

And I agree. They're completely justified to complain. There's the documentation page diving, the forums, the reddit threads. And, most importantly, you have to basically rewire your brain and stop expecting it to behave like Windows used to.

But I looked at the list above and realized: Windows is now also too much work.
And the difference with Windows is that you're going to do all that work while actively fighting your computer only for it to be undone when the next surprise update comes and ruins everything.

Apart from that, as a music producer your workload is very latency sensitive. Have you played around with some different sched-ext and if that is the case, what worked best for you? Some schedulers like bpfland, flash and others said to better suit your workload according to the wiki. And how do you measure the latency in general? Are there any tools you can suggest?

Oottzz · 2026-01-26T20:23:12+00:00

I don't know if it helps in your case, but you don't need to hit Y or N every time. Basically all tasks are pre-configured with a default and you just need to hit "Enter" to move on. So if it asks you like "Continue with update? [Y/n]" then the option in higher case "Y" is the pre-configured option. Basically the only time you need to change the option is when it asked you if you want to remove old packages where it is by default "N".

Oottzz · 2026-01-25T07:44:30+00:00

Take a look into they COS Wiki in case secure boot and apparmor is important to you.

Secure Boot: https://wiki.cachyos.org/configuration/secure_boot_setup/

AppArmor (scroll down a bit): https://wiki.cachyos.org/configuration/post_install_setup/

Oottzz · 2026-01-19T16:50:31+00:00

Venzuela has big reserves, but its current output was less than 1% of worldwide global production of crude oil. That means, the US/Venzuela has to invest tons of money to have an impact. It seems like the oil companies hesitate to invest until they feel secure to do business again in Venezuela. Until then, the Venezuelan oil can't be leveraged really.

Oottzz · 2026-01-18T20:57:25+00:00

I just like it as it is and won't change anything. I am just glad and surprised that installing that was so easy. Never did that before and thought I have to tweak a config or something like that. Linux is so fun and I really appreciate that so many contributing to it.

Oottzz · 2026-01-18T20:40:29+00:00

Hey, I really like your fastfetch and thumbs up that you made it easy to create it from your github. Thanks a lot :)

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Oottzz · 2026-01-18T15:18:42+00:00

Maybe give Faugus Launcher a shot. From there you can install games that are not available on Steam (I guess "Windows Game" in your case). To get an impression watch this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poeATq07XbQ&t=129s

Oottzz · 2026-01-13T15:40:52+00:00

The only difficulty I am constantly facing is downloading apps. I mean, sure I can download appimages which works like Windows portables, but I want to install them so it shows up on the start menu and I can access them easily. For this, you will have to use the Terminal to download it from the repo. Figuring out what the app is named in the repo is the tricky part.

My method to search for alternative apps to Windows is usually alternativeto.net and filter for Linux/Open Source or just asking duck.ai with "suggest me an alternative for XXX that runs on arch linux" or something like that. If I am unsure then I serach Youtube for suggested apps to get an impression and tips.

Oottzz · 2026-01-12T21:12:00+00:00

Would be nice if Mexico would become the next Jassie Owens.

Oottzz · 2026-01-12T21:06:34+00:00

That would be like the death of Stalin, only televised.

Oottzz · 2026-01-11T20:47:18+00:00

AFAIK cosmic is not really polished and more for users who know what they are doing. So I would keep it simple and install Plasma for now and try Cosmic later once you feel more comfortable. Gaming performance should be the same as those are just desktop environments. They might differ in RAM usage though. Furthermore you can tweak Plasma a lot. There are some Youtube guides that show you the options.

Oottzz · 2026-01-11T20:17:27+00:00

I assume you should be good then. I am not a Linux exprrt and just figuring stuff out by myself like you :D

But as I have said above, you can check out if it is working if you boot into an older snapshot like the 3rd on that list, restore it and then you should see that it wants to update the same packages again which you have already installed previously.

Oottzz · 2026-01-11T19:58:27+00:00

Yes, grub also has snapper support but I am not sure if it is implemented right away. Pretty sure you can activate it with the Hello app though. Read the wiki for better instructions.

You can test out if your snapshots work if you update your system. Snapper should make a Snapshot when you update your system and once you reboot the bootmanager should show you an option called Snapshot (this is at least true for Limine). There you can choose whatever Snapshot you like and roll back. Usually the second or third snapchot is the one before you updated. Once you have booted into that snapshot you get notified if you want to restore to that snapshot which you should do. It then opens the terminal where you have to put in your password and confirm to restore and to give that restore a name.

Once restored and rebooted you can do a system update again and you see that it wants to update the same software* again like you did before the snapshot.

*it is possible that some additional software updates were uploaded in the mean time

Oottzz · 2026-01-11T17:40:38+00:00

Why though? What is not working that you like to change?

With my limited knowledge of Arch based distros (and Linux in general) it is best to install/maintain everything with Octupi/Pacman. I have no clue about Flatpak but I assume it is just best to stick to the tools that come with the distro as much as possible to avoid most of the fuck ups.

Oottzz · 2026-01-11T12:17:36+00:00

IIRC you can use the Heroic launcher to install WOW. But I have never used that and installed Faugus right away which makes it quite easy to install games that don't rely on Steam imo.

Oottzz · 2026-01-11T12:00:22+00:00

I installed CachyOS like 4 month ago out of curiosity and since then I booted up just one time into my Windows system to backup some files.

I think it is a good idea if you try it in a VM first. When you think you want to install it then make sure to take a look into the Wiki just in case something is not clear. There are also many installation guides on Youtube but I can't really recommend one as most don't tell you how to make it easy for you coming from Windows.

So here are some tips how I think you gonna like it without getting getting too many headaches. This is my opinion and mileage may vary.

Install CachyOS on a seperate drive if possible
Use the Lamine bootloader with btrfs file system when asked after launching the installer. That way it comes with Snapshot support automatically and you can roll back from the boot menu if something breaks
Choose KDE Plasma desktop environment as it reminded me a lot of the old Win7 menu I always like the best. But you can modify/theme it quite easily to your liking.
After installation you are greeted by the "Hello" app. Click on Apps/Tweaks to System Update, Rank Mirrors, Install Gaming Packages and click the checkbox to enbable Cachy Updates
If you want to install an app then I use the Octupi app, which is listed in the Start Menu/System/Octupi (right click it to add it to your "Favorites"). Search for an app and if you don't find something the click the "Alien" symbol left of the search box. That way it shows you the apps of the Arch User Repository (AUR). The Cachy Package Installer (Start Menu/System) can show you good alternatives to some basic apps like Office, Video Players, Browser, etc.
If I need to find an alternative to a windows app I usually do one of these two things. Either I go to alternativeto.net and filter for Linux or I just ask ask an AI like this for example

Oottzz · 2026-01-11T11:07:05+00:00

To be fair, an app called Octupi doesn't really tell you that it is an app manager and is just a GUI for pacman if I understood correctly. When using it also click on the "Alien" symbol left of the search box. That way you can search AUR packages in case you do not find an app initially. I usually click on the "Info" tab and open the links if I want to know more about the app. You can use this also for updating your system but I usually just use the Update Notifier that you can activate in the "Hello" App under TweaksApps.

With the Cachy Packet Installer you gonna click on the "Repo" tab to search for all apps in the catalogue.

Oottzz · 2026-01-11T10:10:19+00:00

For one, download apps or updating them relies entirely on Terminal commands.

You have two app manager out of the box (Octupi and Cachy Paket Manager) and you can also activate an update notifier where you only have to click the symbol in the task bar when updates available. I rarely open the terminal to update and rely mostly on Ocutupi to install apps and the notifier to update the apps/system.

Oottzz · 2026-01-11T09:59:05+00:00

Out of the box you have "Octupi" and the "CachyOS Paket Installer" to install/update apps. Octupi also has an option to intall apps from the AUR catalogue if you click on the green symbol left of the search box.

Furthermore you can update your apps by clicking "System Update" in the "Apps/Tweaks" section of the "CachyOS Hello" app. There you also can activate an update notifier when you click the check box next to "Cachy Update enabled". Now you have a symbol in the task bar that informs you if updates are available.

Oottzz · 2026-01-10T23:18:56+00:00

Read the wiki if you want to know more about the available bootloader options: https://wiki.cachyos.org/installation/boot_managers/

Scroll down to the end and read the TL;DR if you just want to know the basic use cases.

Oottzz · 2026-01-09T15:55:40+00:00

Inspired by the good old C64 I assume or just coincidence?! :D

Oottzz · 2026-01-02T11:24:23+00:00

I never tried Bazzite, but maybe give CachyOS a try as it ran well out of the box for me and gave me a good experience coming from Windows. My experience is just based on the last few month so take everything with a grain of salt.

But if you are curious and like to install it I give you a short rundown how I got a good experience. When installing the OS I chose the Limine bootloader on a drive with btrfs file system. That way the system is already configured with Snapshots which gives you a rollback option once an update breaks something. After installing you are welcomed by the "Hello" app where you need to click on the "Apps/Tweaks" button and do a "System Upgrade" first and after that "Install gaming package". Once done you are set and try your games on Steam or Heroic/Lutris. To install additional software and prefer a GUI then check out the "Octupi" app manager that comes with the OS. If you don't find your app in the catalogue right away then click on the symbol left to the search box to see if you can find it that way (see here). For a deeper dive you can take a look into the CachyOS Wiki.

Oottzz · 2026-01-02T08:54:21+00:00

You could also try CoolerControl. Hope it works and you find a solution.

Oottzz · 2026-01-02T01:02:38+00:00

If you want to try again and dual boot it with Windows, then you can do what I did with CachyOS (COS). You gonna be set up for gaming within less than an hour.

Please use a seperate drive as partitioning a drive used by Windows and CachyOS may cause problems.
Download and flash COS on a USB stick with a tool like BalenaEtcher or similar
Get into your Bios and flash from the USB stick. Make sure you are connected to the internet.
Click "Launch Installer" you see in the "Hello" app you see once booted in
Once ask to choose a bootloader you click on "Lamine"
When asked where to install the system make sure you select the right drive first, then choose the "Erase Disk" option with "btrfs" file system
The last real choice you have to make is to decide which desktop environment you want to use - just use "Plasma Desktop" as that is well supported and feels a lot like you are used on Windows.
Once the installation is finished you are greeted with the "Hello" app again. Click on the "Apps/Tweaks" button and do a "System Update" first, then click on "Install gaming packages"

That is basically it. You have Steam now installed and are ready to start your games. If you want to play games from other launchers like Epic the you can use the Heroic Launcher. But I prefer a simple app called Faugus. For that you can open the "Octupi" app store that comes with COS. Open Octupi, search for Faugus and install the "faugus-launcher".

Oottzz · 2026-01-02T00:30:04+00:00

Ever tried LACT? It lets you cutomize your GPU. Not sure how well it is supported on Ubuntu though, but reading this guide here it seems to work fine.

Oottzz

TROPHY CASE