What should I know/learn before installing Arch?

Question

Hi everyone!
This is my first post (I think).
I've been using Linux (Ubuntu) for.. A long time, first time I installed it, I used it for 4-5 months, then reinstalled Windows. Then 7 months ago (maybe even more), I got very tired of Windows and all of their bullshit. So I installed Ubuntu and I've been running it ever since. I'd like to try Arch Linux, because I've heard that you learn a lot and that it's very customizable and so on. Also it's pretty badass that you install everything yourself and so forth.
BUT! I've talked with a guy who tried to install it and he said it was hell. He said I'd at least need another PC, so I could google stuff as I come along. Which I have. I've partitionized my harddisk, so I can go back to Ubuntu if I fuck up. I feel ready to do this. I'm going to follow this tut: http://lifehacker.com/5680453/build-a-k … he-process
Do you guys recommend something that I should read about or learn before I venture into the Arch Linux world? I know my way around bash, even knows how to script in it using loops and all that. I'm also a Java-programmer, so I'm not a complete computer-retard.
So is there something that I should learn before? Thanks in advance! ^^

Answer 1

In addition to the excellent advice by flipper and Trillby:
You must be prepared to first try to fix things yourself. When people say you learn a lot by using Arch, this is in fact the way that you learn. You encounter a problem and then you set out to try to figure out how to solve it. This involves learning to effectively search the available documentation: http://wiki.archlinux.org, man pages, info manuals, searching the forum (hint: use "site:bbs.archlinux.org" in your search engine rather than the forum search mechanism), searching the web, and so on. Eventually, you will learn the underlying logic of the system and you'll be able to start to pinpoint and fix the source of problems on your own.
Remember to stay on top of the news. You can subscribe to the RSS feed on the Arch Linux front page. If you ever run into any problems with a system update, check the news before going any further.
Don't install software from the AUR until you absolutely have to and, when you do, keep the number of AUR-installed packages to a minimum. Remember that they are unsupported! And when you do install from the AUR, do not use any wrappers or helper scripts (i.e. yaourt or pacaur) until you have done it the manual way enough times to really know what's going on.
When you do need to seek help on the forums, remember to give sufficient background information. Tell us what you've already tried and what didn't work. Use "code" tags. Remember that the forums can be very helpful but your hand will not be held. Once again, that's where the learning comes from: personal experience, not step-by-step how-tos.
When something cannot be fixed, blame Allan.
File bug reports.
Update the wiki with your knowledge.
Don't ask on the forums which package you should try, A or B, try both of them as well as C and D! Learn from trying, tinkering and breaking.
Don't reinstall Arch, ever. It should be fixable no matter what. Some cases might be more complicated than others but the tools exist to fix it.
Don't use pacman's "--force" option unless explicitly advised to do so.
Have fun