¬ just serendipity 🍀 (not just serendipity)

Previously.

I’m installing four distros (Arch, Ubuntu Server, CentOS, openSUSE) with VirtualBox. We need a testing environment without affecting real systems.

Virtualization Setup #

Chosen tool: VirtualBox (open source; QEMU is too advanced)

Virtual machine specs:

• 16 GB disk per VM (10-12 GB would be sufficient)
• 512 MB RAM (768 MB for openSUSE since it starts X by default)

ISO Download Experience #

I’ll rank distros by download experience:

Downloads #

• Ubuntu: Straightforward. Find it at ubuntu.com
• Arch: Easy at archlinux.org (single minimal ISO)
• CentOS: Harder to find the minimal ISO at centos.org
• openSUSE: Confusing at opensuse.org (live vs. network version unclear)

ISO Sizes #

• Arch: ~500 MB (minimal, core components only)
• Ubuntu: ~650 MB
• CentOS: ~4 GB (DVD) or ~400 MB (minimal) — I downloaded the wrong version
• openSUSE: ~950 MB (KDE Live) or ~300 MB (network)

Note: I made errors downloading the wrong CentOS and openSUSE versions. Managing 4 distros plus my own system meant I couldn’t afford more time on this.

Installation Decisions #

• Partitions: / and swap (512 MB; 768 MB for openSUSE)
• Filesystem: ext4
• LVM: Not just classic MBR for learning

Installation Reviews #

Ubuntu: ncurses installer is good but requires getting options right initially. Changing timezone/keyboard after installation is painful — the inconsistency between pre- and post-installation is frustrating. You don’t see the commands being run, which hides knowledge.

CentOS: I hated it. It’s intuitive but forces LVM by default — no choice offered.

openSUSE: Best installer I’ve seen. Incredibly customizable with an intuitive UI. You can easily choose btrfs, LVM, anything. But it uses X (mouse interface) and runs post-installation setup after reboot — only openSUSE does this. Same flaw as Ubuntu: you don’t learn what’s happening behind the scenes.

Arch: No installer by design. This is a feature — you have full control and know exactly what you’re entering. If you can set up Arch from scratch with LVM, you understand what you’re doing. This is rare. The downside: it takes time if you don’t know the process. But the Arch Wiki is excellently documented. Automatic installers save time but reduce knowledge.

Next Steps #

I’ll set up LVM on Arch using my desktop system (no duplicate effort). Then decide: either document LVM setup on Arch, or move forward with LAMP (Linux-Apache-MySQL-PHP/Python/Perl).

Until the next post!