Episode 22: AUR for the Win!

The Linux Cast

On this episode of The Linux Cast, Matt talks about why he's such a fanboy for the Arch User Repository (AUR) and why everyone should at least give it a try.

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AUR for The Win (SHOW NOTES)

When people ask arch users why thy use arch, one of the reasons they get is the AUR.

The Arch User Repository.

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#### What is the Arch User Repository or the AUR?

[ ] The AUR is a community sponsored collection of programs. Keyword here is community, as this collection is put together by the community, and not by Arch Linux itself. We'll talk more about that later when we talk about the downsides of the AUR.

#### Why is it different than other repositories and why is it better?

a. All the software you need, all in one place.

b. Because it's put together by the community, it's supported by the entire community. Meaning that there is no fragmentation of control like there is with other package management systems.

c. All software that comes from the AUR is updated through the AUR.

d. Community developed AUR Helpers.

#### What are the downsides?

a. Security concerns

b. Out of Date software

c. Difficult for Noobs to actually understand what the AUR does

d. AUR Helpers aren't the easiest to use if you don't know what you're doing.

#### Who would benefit the most from using the AUR?

a. everyone. No seriously. The AUR would replace SNAPs, Flatpaks, PPAs, everything. Imagine if the entire Linux community contributed to the AUR how good it would be.

b. Developers — One place to put your code. Because of the way it works, the AUR builds the binaries, meaning the developers don't have to do anything with odd package formats.

#### Why won't Matt shut up about the AUR?

a. Bad experiences with PPAs.

b. Going back to finding software on Ubuntu feels like going back to the 1990s.

#### Conclusions