Is there any way that I can save the 'state' of my OS (not image) so that if I want to install the same OS and have the same configuration (packages, software, settings, etc) as the first PC, I don't have to do it all manually?
This might be possible if you use Timeshift and include your dot files.
Oliver Jackson
Time Machine
or just do
brew backup
Brayden Ortiz
If you want just packages then take a snapshot of everything in dpkg. You can add your homefolder to the dpkg stuff to preserve user configs. But that won't include system level configs.
Also you could definitely do a filesystem level diff and restore that onto another system of the same liveCD. Make sure not to update it from the installer so it stays exactly the same between installs.
Anthony Walker
Don't be a GUI cuck. Just write a script. pacman -Qe > file
In script: pacman -S $(cat file) systemctl enable --now neededdaemons
Then copy your necessary .config files
Caleb Watson
For aur packages, put all in a file newline separated
for i in $(cat file2); do yay $i; done
Or substitute whatever aur manager for yay.
Sebastian Ramirez
This. And then just copy your user folder and put it in the new machine.
Wyatt Campbell
>yay unironically being such a brainlet to use anything other than pacman better yet use xbps