You might be interested in Nomad BSD which runs from a USB by design; if ever curious enough to try it. – A simple desktop install potentially handy for all kinds of uses, and without messing with your main OS in any way.
Ofcourse, the commandline can be difficult if you’re not used to it; it’s not Linux. 
The draw for me with MX was that it was not only, as you put it “Linux-for-Dummies”, it had that ability to run completely off the flash drive baked in by design with Dolphin Oracle explaining the entire setup process on YouTube. I was in the midst of searching for a Linux distro to help me escape the Microsnot world and this was the easiest way to test MX on each of the computers here that I would have wanted/needed it to run on. I know there are other Linux distros that enable one to run live off a flash drive, but MX had a unique way to do it and do it easily by design.
Well, more or less it might boil down to the used toolchain, a set of basic libraries and core binaries to make the core functions of an operating system work. With that the APIs and ABIs get defined, which are used for applications and programs.
A rolling release update those constantly, a more static or stable release model stays on one version and may add security fixes, which won’t break API/ABI so applications and programs don’t have to worry to be changed to adopt possible changes. Also on applications you may only get security updates but no new features. Having it more stable and static is also preferred in commercial products, as the developer don’t have to worry about changes made in the OS but rather can concentrate on his product/software.
Lets map that info to elder people and youngsters. Depending on the view you may want either:
or:
Sure you can make a more static version of Manjaro, but then you also have to have a copy of the package repositories matching that version of “older” Manjaro. It also will over time not support the AUR anymore, as Arch already moved on to newer libraries, a newer toolchain and other things might have changed.
/etc/pamcan.d/mirrorlist content to the date of ISO release. At time of writing that would be 2023.10.01 as in: Server = https://archive.archlinux.org/repos/2023/10/01/$repo/os/$archYes, that’s a common stance mimmicked by new users; probably to gain some kind of credibility in the eyes of those they perceive as Linux gurus, or similar, who frequently rant on the same theme. My take: Many of those gurus probably still keep Windows around, despite their apparent nonchalance to the contrary. I do. I suppose I’m OS-agnostic to some extent.
Not a mimmick, gimmick or ploy or any sort for me. Simple truth. I started working with PCs in the early 80’s, was asked to join a group of corporate instructors to teach CP/M-86, WordStar, SuperCalc and dBase. After seeing a demo of then new Apple Lisa I seriously considered spending the then-$10,000 for one. Sanity interrupted that fortunately and I wound up shortly thereafter with one of the early Macs. When my company switched to solely supporting the new IBM-PC I had to ease myself out of the Mac world (no more free software) and settle down to teaching DOS, Lotus 1-2-3 and dBaseIII. Windows debuted shortly after, so I’ve been working in the MicroSnot world for a while but had to be dragged kicking and screaming out of the Mac world into it. Does that give me any credibility? Don’t know, don’t care. All I know is this Manjaro Linux world is very new to me and I know for a fact that there is a HECK of a lot that I DON’T know. But this forum is a special place where friendly patient people who DO know are willing to help newcomers like me find their way around.
I’m not sure that would necessarily be a problem given the target demographic; the AUR could be effectively blacklisted by default on such a distribution, to reduce complication and maintain stability.
To keep the whole concept manageable, I’m guessing a 6-monthly release target might be the most practical – not too long, to avoid the pitfalls you describe; and not too short, so that each release can still be based on the current Arch/Manjaro release, or close to it.
Maybe this is over-simplified. I acknowledge there would be difficulties; especially in keeping all Manjaro variants in a more or less cohesive state.
Apologies if you took it personally, it wasn’t intended.
And, worth every penny of it. 
I didn’t but thank you for caring enough to offer the apology in case I had. That was an example of the civility of this forum, that people can be sensitive as well as helpful. It’s a community I am glad to be part of.
ubuntu went insane in distributing many of the most common aps as snaps. Just another layer of complexity. Slower software startup time, and an annoying popup that tells you “click here to update, or ignore and we will do it automatically in 30 days”
That is exactly why i left ubuntu.
I think such containerized setup has a place, for example, in small arm or embedded devices, which are not ideal for a rolling release. But for desktop - no thank you.
On desktop too, there is a clear use case.
However, I think the real issue is that solutions like Flatpak; AppImage; are too easily relied upon (especially by newer users), or abused. The same app can often exist in the main repo’s, for example. Despite the convenience of containerized apps, one could also argue that they add undesired complication and overhead; albeit not obvious; to a software ecosystem. The disk space used per application is already reminiscent of macOS.
I predict a time when newer users won’t understand that containerized apps are not the norm.
:end prophecy
That is already so. I find myself explaining new linux users the difference too often. Thanks Canonnical for this.
That’s the best you can do:
Observation:- They rarely bother reading any tutorials, or related posts, even when directed to them; the trend is they ask a vague question; wait 2 minutes for an answer; and then leave.
Or, am I being too harsh?
Tell me, do you have AUR packages installed?
AUR is not officially supported because this is for users to maintain and take responsibility and Manjaro has no way to support them. Even Arch is not keen on taking any responsibility for them.
Also, since Manjaro is targeted for less technically inclined users, encouraging AUR may be risky, so the strategy of heavy discouraging AUR makes sense. Still, this is, using your language, bollocks.
I’m sure, that most of the users that chose Manjaro, did it because it has access to AUR. Without it, Manjaro would be a flop. It doesn’t matter if you use AUR or not, the mere possibility that you can install AUR packages on Manjaro is just one of the biggest perks that played a major role in choosing Manjaro.
Just imagine a version of Ubuntu without the ability to install additional repos or deb packages, where you have a distro that has it. It doesn’t require a master degree to predict which one would succeed. That is why people are hating the direction Ubuntu is going, but that’s a more complicated topic.
Anyway, if Manjaro would somehow block AUR, so I couldn’t use it, I know I would leave Manjaro. It’s not that I don’t appreciate other perks of Manjaro, I do, but without AUR, it’s like without someone without a leg and there are other options that would have more perks.
Pretending that AUR is not important to Manjaro is just self deluding.
Yes, as I already mentioned; but very few.
You have that back asswards; another term you might like to diminish.
I disagreed with your statement “if Manjaro would have no AUR, we wouldn’t be using it”, which isn’t true; rather it’s – because it’s there – that we might use it. Although, to a new user the AUR is typically irrelevant, until they eventually learn of it’s existence.
I’m not sure of that at all. Maybe for you that’s true, and for some others; but certainly not most. In any case, that’s the same point rehashed.
Well, Ubuntu is another story, in itself.
You’re not a new user, clearly, so your point is out of context.
The possibility of blacklisting the AUR was in relation to a possible static Manjaro release, which was earlier mentioned; and is not relevant to other Manjaro releases. I wouldn’t use such a release but, no doubt, there are many who might prefer it. At this stage, is seems more a thought experiment, than much else.
Thank you for your comments.
The more popular question from newer users would probably be “Does it have Flatpak?”; which itself indicates an apparent ignorance of the native Linux software ecosystem.
It is important, but not THAT important. It is not a show stopper. Exactly like snap and flatpack support. If it was THAT important, arch based distros would have been the big dog in the neighborhood, but guess what - ubuntu has probably 10 times more userbase withouth AUR.
No, they wait longer than two minutes. About twenty minutes. And then they start a duplicate thread. 
Please don’t buy into the marketing slogans on Manjaro’s main website. As the matter of fact, I have a Feedback draft for a complaint about that, but I haven’t gotten around to posting it yet. And part of this protest — which several of the team members support — is why I wrote this… 
Manjaro is a community-driven distribution with a commercial arm, and like all commercial businesses, this commercial arm seeks to attract as many users as possible, which is why Manjaro is being profiled on its main website as suitable for absolute newcomers to GNU/Linux and for hardcore gamers, while Manjaro is definitely not suitable for that type of users.
I for one did not, because I didn’t even know what the AUR was until after I had already installed Manjaro and signed up at (the previous iteration of) the forum.
I did however have certain for myself required packages in mind before I installed Manjaro, and most of them were in the repository. One was not, but I built that one from sources, and in the meantime it has also already long been added to the repo.
This is not to say that I don’t have any AUR packages installed. On the contrary, I have quite a few. But they were not a requirement when I installed Manjaro.
Ubuntu does have something similar. I’ve never used Ubuntu, but I’ve been a resident of alt.os.linux.ubuntu on Usenet for over a decade — among many other GNU/Linux and generic UNIX discussion groups — and so I know of its existence. It’s called “the PPAs”, and they are third-party repositories. And there are many of them. 
It’s the commercial arm that need the proposed “simplified” version of Manjaro, to avoid complaints from, or make things more palatable for, those users of the devices that come with preinstalled Manjaro. I can’t say I’m surprised at this. I posted this in July 2021:
Also, doesn’t Manjaro sell preinstalled machines? They can’t have them breaking if they can help it. (I do have some reservations about selling computers to the general public with a rolling distro that actually still requires some maintenance and attention to release announcements, but never mind…)
Too uncontrollable; too risky; some of the very reasons for this little black duck avoiding that cesspool. Too often, the cause of any given failure was attributed to poorly-conceived scripts originating from a PPA.
“I can write a script. I’m a d-e-v-e-l-o-p-e-r now. I’m so freaking awesome.” Cynical? Maybe, but then again, my sojourn with 'buntu didn’t last long enough to find anything overly positive.
Ppa is no more or less risky than aur, or downloaded exe. It is also not official as part of the os on install. You trust the developer of the program.
I also kept them to a minimum, like only for libreoffice to have the newest version (one of the reasons i chose rolling release now).
Containerized manjaro derivative is a nice idea, just call it otherwise and don’t stop developing this one. It should be different project, not a replacement.
And as we previously discussed, the marketing on the site have to be toned down. It is not hard to use distro like arch or gentoo, but it is not for beginners. It’s in the middle.
Although I agree with the philosopy, I still find the AUR [generally] more reliable than PPA’s in comparison; developer trust notwithstanding. Moderation is a key factor in offsetting any associated risk; and so is software curation; a concept I’m not overly fond of; yet it’s still effective.
I don’t think that’s been suggested otherwise. Although, I suppose the assumption might be easily made if someone isn’t following the thread in context (that happens a lot).
Manjaro is a convenient way to install Arch for those who cannot afford the time to learn its nuances (and, regrettably, also for those who simply won’t spend the time). Its unfortunate in some ways that Manjaro’s apparent user-friendly appeal reaches quite as far as it does; after all, it’s still Arch under the hood, and Arch is anything but beginner-friendly.