Arch: update = break?

Is it just me, or is it becoming more common for an Arch update to cause some kind of issue?

My last update was maybe 2 months ago, and did not cause any issues. This time (yesterday), I lost the GUI completely. At first, it just seemed that user switching was broken, but after reboot, I had no Desktop---just a blue screen.

What's different on this one is that the website has no warnings---only the bit about transitioning to systemd (but no indication that it would be forced on the user during an upgrade.

I think it's just the systemd transition. I had a horrible time getting polkit to work again after the switch... But I think (hope) it'll all settle down after everything's running with systemd. Mind you, I tend to update every day, which may mean things are less likely to break (or rather, break in a big way, because you have time to fix each of the small issues individually).

I never go more than a week on Arch without upgrading. Usually 2 or 3 days. There have been a few user actions required for updating in the last few months. 2 months of updates may give you a lot to do.
They are upgrading the kernel 2 times a week some weeks. File roller has been updated 3 times in the last 3 weeks for the same version. Nouveau has been updated several times, libwebkit 2 times I think. Guess that's why they called it a rolling release.
Arch's front page, wiki, and forums are pretty good about keeping a user in the know.
I never update without reading the front page first, then understanding the suggestions posted.

I think that I read that xinitrc no longer launches gnome or XFCE. (systemd)

Ya, It talks about it in the systemd guide

https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php..._under_systemd

Note: As of 2012-10-30, ConsoleKit has been replaced by systemd-logind as the default mechanism to login to the DE.

Running DEs under systemd

To enable graphical login, run your preferred Display Manager daemon (e.g. KDM). At the moment, service files exist for GDM, KDM, SLiM, XDM, LXDM and LightDM.
# systemctl enable kdm
This should work out of the box. If not, you might have a default.target set manually or from a older install:
# ls -l /etc/systemd/system/default.target
/etc/systemd/system/default.target -> /usr/lib/systemd/system/graphical.target

etc.................

"is it becoming more common for an Arch update to cause some kind of issue?"

i've noticed this too. to the point that i've ditched my parabola install, and am leaving my arch install dormant, until i decide to get rid of it (rarely used that one anyway).

maybe if i ever return to arch (maybe once the dust settles after the recent turbulence...), i'll write an update script that will show me the frontpage every time before updating.
... not that i expect this to be an effective vaccination against update=break, since when my parabola install died, i had followed the instructions to the letter, so i could avoid what then happened anyway.

yeah, arch is dead to me for now. happier dealing with slackware and debian, and much happier dealing with gentoo, where: the system is far less vulnerable to failing, making it much more suitable for a mission-crittical-use production environment; you're more informed and empowered with tools to deal with any issues.

having said that, much respect to arch. i'm still very glad it exists.

Originally Posted by Siljrath "yeah, arch is dead to me for now. happier dealing with slackware and debian, and much happier dealing with gentoo, where: the system is far less vulnerable to failing, making it much more suitable for a mission-crittical-use production environment; you're more informed and empowered with tools to deal with any issues.

I have to disagree there. Arch keeps you very well informed with each update and change taking place, informing you of the manual intervention required to deal with these changes.

If you call your system 'mission critical' the key is to update often after checking the announcements at the Arch website to figure out if any manual intervention is required.

As such, I have had absolutely no problem keeping up with the Arch updates and systemd is now the default init system on my installation.

I readily concede that things would be better if I were to update monthly instead of every 3-6 months. The difference this time was that I could not go to the website and find the key issue that caused the system to break. I was always able to do that in the past.

All this aside, I'm finishing up a fresh install--systemd and all--we'll see how it goes.