Arch-Anywhere
A few weeks ago, I went back into the Archlinux world, after years of Debian / Ubuntu. I used the Antergos installation ISO to quickly jump into the Arch environment. The result was OK: Antergos is a poslished Arch distro that comes with the right basic tools and a polished Gnome theme. But it feels a bit slow and has a taste of unfinished business.
I decided it was time to build a “real” ArchLinux system, but without spending hours over the command line instructions (we are in 2017 guys): to do so, I used the Arch-Anywhere program.
The Arch Anywhere ISO contains an automated install script giving you the ability to install a fully custom Arch Linux system in minutes. […] Every aspect of the install, from partitioning the drive to installing a desktop, and extra software is taken into consideration, leaving you with a fully bootable Arch Linux system, your favorite desktop and programs from the official Arch Repos included.
Get the lastest installation ISO from https://arch-anywhere.org/download/ and just run the script. A minimalist CLI interface will guide you through each step of the process, and you won’t have to enter a single complex command.
The program will allow you to install any desktop environments you would like, such as:
- Arch Anywhere Custom XFCE4 (my choice)
- Cinnamon Desktop
- Gnome Desktop
- KDE/Plasma Desktop
- Mate Desktop
- OpenboxWM
- and a lot of window managers (I3, Fluxbox, Openbox etc.)
After a few DE experiments, I went for the XFCE4 Custom edition, that offers a cool dark theme and coherent icon pack, and all the useful tools to setup and tweak your work environment (package managers, wiki, drop-down terminal…).
The result is a lightweight, fast and constantly up-to-date OS, that I definitely recommend to anyone who want to try (Arch)Linux. Of course, you’ll need to learn how the whole thing works (packages installation, updates, a few CLI tricks, the whole DE customization possibilities…) but it really is one of the most pleasant way to enter the Linux world.
