Some packages install in under a minute, while alternatives which seem functionally similar, take hours.
Sometimes there are several available options to fit a use case and I would like to use it now. Is it possible to anticipate which one will likely be the fastest to get rolling?
Generally I like to install via yay.
Searching around here is what I learned. Agree?:
- AUR will be slower
- Certain categories of package, like web browser, are inherently slow
- Selecting
-bin will be faster if available
Is there some way to guess beyond that? Certain programing languages take longer than others? Is it in relationship to existing packages on the system? Other characteristic? Some kind of dry-run feature to estimate?
Obviously I don't have the fastest computer. I have added MAKEFLAGS="-j4" to /etc/makepkg.conf so at least all 4 cores can get used.
Once I realize a package is going to take ages to get ready, is it possible to safely intervene to stop the process? I try to avoid it because in general I understand arch-based distros don't like "partial" installs. But is it safe to stop compiling? No changes have yet been made, right?
The biggest difference will be between binary packages and packages that compile from source. Yes, big binary packages like browsers take longer but it really doesn't take that long. You should be able to quit the compilation without problems. Only after the compilation is done will the package manager be invoked to install the resulting binary.