CachyOS April 2026 release brings a new package manager and even more optimizations
Posted by Ok-Review9023@reddit | linux | View on Reddit | 25 comments
NatoBoram@reddit
Wow, what a trash article. Here's the entire thing:
It's literally more fluff than info. It also changes from "new package manager" to "a fancy new GUI package manager". So… is it a new package manager with a GUI or a front-end for an existing package manager?
There's literally no information in this article.
jermygod@reddit
the "Main changelog" button?
new package manager is - "Shelly now replaced Octopi"
NorbiPerv@reddit
No, shelly is not a pacman frontend. That means you can't see shit during the operations. Really don't know why this change were necessary as Octopi has way more feature that we need from a package manager.
leaflock7@reddit
Octopi and Shelly are both package managers but with different priorities and audience.
I don't get why one has to be better than the other when they are not trying to compete
Helmic@reddit
Because Octopi is a bad GUI package manager to the point where you might as well just use paru directly, since it basically is just spitting a terminal feed at you. Shelly's still directly interfacing with libalpm but you can literally just play with it to get an idea of why they made that switch, it's just actually designed as a GUI app rather than a bad version of a terminal app.
It also is able to handle AUR packages, Flatpaks, and Appimages as well, so it's properly centralized as an all-in-one app store.
This a GUI app, of course, so for users that are already comfortable with the terminal they can just continue to use
paru. If you're an existing Octopi user, I would recommend just using paru to avoid problems but nothing's stopping you from continuing to use that.XOmniverse@reddit
Pacseek has basically eliminated my need for a GUI package manager at all.
NorbiPerv@reddit
Comparing a terminal command with a gui program features and comfort is nonsense. When I tried Shelly it hasn't many of Octopi's important features that I use. Really don't understand how can call Octopi as bad. The best app to handle main repositories + AUR. Not more. If I want to use All-in-ONE programs, I switch to Windows.
mrturret@reddit
Thankfully, octopi is still on the repo.
BeautifulMundane4786@reddit
CachyOS developers chose Shelly instead of Octopi as the default graphical package manager mainly because Shelly is better aligned with the distro’s own roadmap and integration goals rather than being a generic legacy Arch front-end maintained outside their ecosystem. By switching to Shelly, they gained more control over how the package manager interacts with CachyOS’s optimized repositories, kernel variants, and gaming-focused desktop experience, while also providing a cleaner interface that can handle multiple package sources (official repos, AUR, Flatpak, and AppImages) in one place. Octopi still works and wasn’t removed, but it reflects a more traditional pacman-centric Arch workflow and is harder to adapt to CachyOS’s newer “curated desktop” direction, especially as the project continues moving toward a SteamOS-like user experience with tighter tooling integration and smoother onboarding for newer users.
levelstar01@reddit
thank you chatgpt
ivosaurus@reddit
Small article maybe, but I don't see that as more fluff than info.
Helmic@reddit
in fairness there's no reason the article couldn't have mentioned what the new package manager was or clarify that it's a GUI package manager. it's needlessly vague without making the article any more concise, which yeah is very much being nitpicky for something so transient.
Liam-DGOL@reddit
Hi, I wrote the article.
Uh, what? That's an odd thing to say after literally quoting information.
Don't really get what the issue is here? It's a GUI that manages packages.
Again, you literally quoted the information in your own post.
Sorry, GamingOnLinux is not in the habit of fluffing up articles with pointless paragraphs and a life story. We keep things short, simple and to the point. This is just a news tip article for our readers.
fearless-fossa@reddit
It's built around libalpm, not pacman. Still the same repos and everything, but it could be an improvement over pacman depending on how it handles downloads/installs.
The previous package manager, octopi, apparently "just" was a pacman frontend though.
rich84easy@reddit
People who write these articles are not tech savvy and are the most disingenuous like car sales man. They make money from clicks
thesamenightmares@reddit
Its literally not more fluff than info
You're getting unreasonably incensed about an article detailing changes in distribution, to the point that you are semantically nitpicking the use of "GUI*
Chill.
MelioraXI@reddit
It's an Arch distro so they are using pacman, it sounds like clickbait or lazy author.
aloobhujiyaay@reddit
these kinds of optimizations matter a lot for gaming and daily smoothness
firstsecondthird888@reddit
,d,g.
Brorim@reddit
It's such a nice looking distro
Mama_iii@reddit
I didn't over-understand what "new package manager" meant they're going to change pacman because in the links I just feel like it's changing the GUI to manage the packets
RazerPSN@reddit
Yes it's just the GUI
NorbiPerv@reddit
And still don't know when they want to publish new ntfs deriver fixes they did, in their repo.
superpowerpinger@reddit
Catchy headline.
Objective-Anybody299@reddit
nice pun there, took me second to catch it