Rolling release distros are not unstable.
The term “stable” is not meant to be used as a synonym for “reliable” when describing distros.
Exactly. The term “stable” in connection with software has the same problems of “free”; without understanding the context, it can be interpreted wrongly. “stable” type of distributions are meant to be “unchanging” in the sense of feature freeze. That off course depends on the distro or software in general how far this goes. Archlinux is “unstable” in the sense it is ever changing and adapting new technologies by breaking compatibility; something Debian does not.
I know, I was referring to the heading implying otherwise:
It turned out to be more stable than I expected.
Depends on your definition of “reliable” 😉
As others have said, “stable” and “unstable” have a different connotation in the FOSS world.
Rolling releases probably don’t have more software crashes than their stable counterparts, which is what you meant.
However, some use cases prefer that they are able to use the same config for a long time, and when software updates frequently, system administration can become a cat-and-mouse game of “What config broke this time?” That’s not to say rolling release is bad, but sometimes it’s like using a power drill instead of a screw driver.
Also, I definitely feel like a stable distro is more likely to survive a software update after not using the computer for a few months to a year. Granted, I’ve had a Debian Testing (rolling release) install that did survive an upgrade after a year of non-use, but I’ve also seen Arch VMs that broke after just a couple months of non-use, forcing me to reinstall.
It depends on the distribution. In example Manjaro was unstable for me, while EndeavourOS is stable for the most part. In fact, Manjaro was holding back packages and is less rolling release than EndeavourOS, and yet less stable (for me). :D
Maybe you’re right. But arch is stable.
ArchLinux has been very stable for me, as long as I did not choose BTRFS as my filesystem during the install process.
I did have a few problems with the major overhaul of KDE, but I super enjoy the new look and feel. I’m not sure if Arch being a rolling release allowed me to have the latest KDE faster, but I’m glad I have it.
I have similar experiences, have been using it for a year now, works … fine.
Nothing broke, seems stable.
I can go weeks, dozens of sleep cycles and never see a hint of instability with my Arch daily driver. It only needs a reboot after update and didn’t even ask for it.
My windows computer (work, 2025 lenovo, fresh install) can’t make it an hour without explorer crashing. They also fucked up task manager… The latest new bug is right and left click getting swapped requiring a reboot. I never imagined that was even possible.
What problems have you had with btrfs? None here for years.
I was a bit reluctant at first (pun intended)
I think this is the Reluctant Anarchist guy from YouTube? His writing style would match the way he talks in the videos.
