ArcoLinux Beta 24.06

V24.06.05

ArcoLinux continues to evolve, offering specialized distributions to cater to the diverse needs of our user community.

With the introduction of ArcoNet and ArcoPro, we aim to provide customized experiences for both beginners and seasoned professionals.

Whether you’re just starting with Arch Linux or have been using it for years, there’s an option perfectly suited to your level of expertise and requirements.

ArcoNet: Simplifying Arch Linux for Beginners and Intermediate Users

ArcoNet is designed for those who are new to Arch Linux or have intermediate experience. It provides a smooth and user-friendly introduction to the powerful world of Arch Linux without overwhelming you with complexities.

  • Desktop Environments: ArcoNet offers the flexibility to choose your preferred desktop environment. For those who want a straightforward and reliable setup, choosing the easy option (with grub) will provide you with Xfce4, known for its simplicity and lightweight design. If you’re feeling more adventurous and want to explore advanced configurations, you can select any desktop environment available in the advanced options.
  • User-Friendly Approach: With ArcoNet, you get the best of both worlds—ease of use combined with the power of Arch Linux. The easy setup ensures that beginners can start with a stable and intuitive environment, while more experienced users can customize their systems with advanced desktop environments and configurations.

ArcoPro: For the Arch Linux Professionals

ArcoPro is tailored for users who have extensive experience with Arch Linux. It’s ideal for professionals who know their way around the system and want to leverage its full potential.

  • In-Depth Customization: ArcoPro gives you the freedom to choose from a wide range of configurations and packages, enabling you to fine-tune your system to meet your specific needs. This version is perfect for users who understand the nuances of Arch Linux and prefer a highly customized environment.
  • Desktop Environments: For a premium experience, ArcoPro offers many desktops. If you choose the easy setup, you’ll enjoy a bare Arch Linux environment. Then you run your commands and/or scripts. Opting for the advanced setup allows you to add any of the desktops, packages and/or services.

ArcoPlasma: For those who want Plasma

ArcoPlasma is a specialized version of ArcoLinux that focuses on delivering a polished and feature-rich KDE Plasma desktop. Plasma is known for its modern look, extensive configurability, and robust performance, making it a favorite among users who value both aesthetics and functionality.

 

Key Features of ArcoPlasma

  1. Elegant and Intuitive Interface: KDE Plasma offers a sleek, visually appealing interface that is both intuitive and highly customizable. With arcoplasma, you get a desktop environment that is designed to be beautiful and efficient right out of the box.
  2. Powerful Customization Options: One of the standout features of Plasma is its unparalleled customization capabilities. Users can tweak nearly every aspect of the desktop, from widgets and panels to themes and window decorations. ArcoPlasma harnesses this power, allowing you to create a desktop environment that truly reflects your personal style and workflow.
  3. Performance and Efficiency: Despite its rich feature set, Plasma is optimized for performance, ensuring a smooth and responsive user experience even on lower-end hardware. ArcoPlasma takes advantage of these optimizations to provide a fast and reliable desktop experience.
  4. Comprehensive Application Suite: KDE Plasma comes with a wide range of pre-installed applications that cover everyday needs, from productivity and multimedia to system management and customization. ArcoPlasma includes these applications, ensuring you have everything you need to get started right away.

Options

  • Easy Setup: The easy installation option provides a streamlined and user-friendly Plasma environment. This option is perfect for users who want a hassle-free experience with all the essential features and applications ready to go.
  • Advanced Setup: For those who desire more control over their system, the advanced installation option allows you to add extra Wayland desktops such as Hyprland and Wayfire, or include hundreds of additional packages to enhance your system. This option is ideal for power users and professionals who want to customize their setup extensively.

Calamares

We are excited to announce the latest release of ArcoLinux! This version brings a host of improvements, updates, and new features that continue to enhance your Linux experience.

What’s New?

One of the significant updates in this release is our integration of the latest code from the Calamares project. Calamares, known for its flexibility and power as a universal installer framework, now offers even more robust performance and user-friendly enhancements. This integration ensures that our installation process is smoother and more reliable than ever before, making it easier for both new and experienced users to get up and running with ArcoLinux

Calamares Plasma X11 AS DEFAULT BACKEND

In our ongoing commitment to providing the best possible experience for our users, we have made the decision to keep X11 as the default display server for ArcoLinux. While Wayland is an exciting and modern alternative that promises many improvements, we recognize that many of our users still face challenges with its adoption.

Why X11?

X11, or the X Window System, has been the backbone of Linux graphical environments for decades. Its stability, compatibility, and extensive support have made it a reliable choice for countless users and developers. Despite its age, X11 continues to be robust, flexible, and widely supported by a vast array of applications and hardware.

User Feedback and Compatibility

The primary reason for maintaining X11 as the default is based on feedback from our community. Many users have reported difficulties with Wayland, particularly in areas such as:

  1. Application Compatibility: Not all applications fully support Wayland, leading to issues with functionality and performance. This is especially true for specialized or older software that was designed with X11 in mind.
  2. Hardware Support: While Wayland has made significant strides, some hardware configurations still perform better under X11. This includes certain graphics drivers and peripheral devices that have not yet achieved full compatibility with Wayland.
  3. Customization and Tools: Many users rely on tools and configurations that are deeply integrated with X11. Transitioning to Wayland can disrupt these setups, leading to a less efficient and more frustrating user experience.

Calamares – NVIDIA

You can now install the following Nvidia related packages from our repos:

Then you follow the Arch wiki or other tutorials to setup your system.

Calamares – REMINDER

Reminder of our vision in the AWA – click on the tab “Information”

Arconet – advanced

Choosing arconet advanced and NOT SELECT a desktop can be something you want to do or not.
Just know the consequence.

Forget to select a desktop – SDDM can not log you in

Calamares – ADVANCED NEEDS A WORKING INTERNET CONNECTION

Thanks to the time of a user we have figured out what went wrong on his end and made the ArcoLinux Welcome App detect one of the parameters to get a working internet connection.

/etc/resolv.conf can not be empty

Arcopro

We found an improvement for BIOS computers in lines 4,5 and 6 in the arcopro ISO. Removing lines that were not supposed to be there anymore.

ALACRITTY AND ITS 231 THEMES

Alacritty is a blazing-fast, GPU-accelerated terminal emulator designed for speed and simplicity. Written in Rust, it leverages modern graphics technologies to deliver exceptional performance and responsiveness. With a focus on minimalism and efficiency, Alacritty offers a sleek, no-nonsense interface without compromising on features. Its cross-platform compatibility ensures it runs smoothly on Linux, macOS, and Windows. Ideal for developers and power users.

Alacritty stands out as a top choice for those seeking a high-performance terminal experience.

Fastfetch

We keep Neofetch as part of our ATT until it actually breaks but we have removed it as the default from our shells and have added fastfetch as a possibility.

We create the alias “ff” to quickly show the fastfetch info. The alias “nfastfetch” will edit your configuration file if you have one.

What is Fastfetch?

Fastfetch is an open-source system information utility that provides detailed insights about your Linux system. It’s inspired by Neofetch but focuses on speed and efficiency, delivering the same amount of information in a fraction of the time. Whether you need to check your system specs, kernel version, or graphical environment, Fastfetch has you covered.

Key Features

  1. Speed: True to its name, Fastfetch is incredibly fast. It retrieves system information almost instantaneously, making it a perfect choice for those who need quick access to their system details.
  2. Customizability: Fastfetch offers a high degree of customization. Users can tailor the output to display exactly what they need, from CPU and GPU information to disk usage and memory stats. The tool supports a variety of themes and configurations, allowing for a personalized touch.
  3. Minimal Dependencies: Unlike some other tools, Fastfetch has minimal dependencies, ensuring it runs smoothly on a wide range of systems without requiring additional installations.
  4. Comprehensive Information: Fastfetch provides extensive details about your system, including OS, kernel, uptime, packages, shell, resolution, DE/WM, themes, icons, and much more. It even supports custom ASCII art logos for a touch of flair.

We have created our own config package with the name arcolinux-fastfetch-git to get you started. As a user you create your own config.

https://github.com/fastfetch-cli/fastfetch

 

ARCHISO 78

Archiso is a versatile tool provided by the Arch Linux project, enabling users to create custom Arch Linux live CD/USB images. It’s particularly useful for system administrators, developers, and Linux enthusiasts who want to tailor their installation media to fit specific needs or preferences.

What is Archiso?

Archiso is a set of scripts and configuration files that automate the creation of Arch Linux ISO images. It allows users to build their own customized installation media, which can include specific packages, configurations, and even custom artwork. This level of customization makes it easier to deploy Arch Linux in various environments, from personal laptops to large-scale server farms.

Key Features

  1. Customization: Archiso provides complete control over the contents of the installation media. You can include specific software packages, configure system settings, and customize the look and feel of the live environment.
  2. Flexibility: Whether you need a minimalistic install medium or a fully-featured live environment, Archiso can accommodate your requirements. This flexibility is ideal for creating specialized distributions or deployment images.
  3. Reproducibility: Archiso makes it possible to create consistent and reproducible installation media. This is particularly important for deployment in enterprise environments where consistency across installations is crucial.
  4. Integration with Arch Linux: Being an official tool, Archiso is tightly integrated with the Arch Linux ecosystem. It leverages the power of Arch’s package manager, Pacman, and other system tools to create up-to-date and reliable installation media.

We made two choices for these ISOs.

  1. We do not follow the idea to boot up with systemd-boot (slow transition from line to line)
  2. We have removed microcode from the boot-up line as it caused issues

 

IT IS ALL LINUX – PLASMA – OTTO THEME

Although we are on Arch Linux – IT is all Linux – learn here and apply anywhere

Plasma on ArcoLinux (Arch)

Plasma on ALCI (Arch)

Plasma on Kde Neon (Ubuntu)