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Arch Linux RSS Feed DistroWatch.com: Arch Linux

Arch Linux


Last Update: 2025-06-25 02:20 UTC


Arch Linux is an independently developed, x86_64-optimised Linux distribution targeted at competent Linux users. It uses 'pacman', its home-grown package manager, to provide updates to the latest software applications with full dependency tracking. Operating on a rolling release system, Arch can be installed from a CD image or via an FTP server. The default install provides a solid base that enables users to create a custom installation. In addition, the Arch Build System (ABS) provides a way to easily build new packages, modify the configuration of stock packages, and share these packages with other users via the Arch Linux user repository.

Popularity (hits per day): 12 months: 67 (168), 6 months: 73 (181), 3 months: 71 (179), 4 weeks: 74 (181), 1 week: 72 (168)

Average visitor rating: 9.18/10 from 262 review(s).


Arch Linux Summary
Distribution Arch Linux
Home Page http://www.archlinux.org/
Mailing Lists https://lists.archlinux.org/listinfo/
User Forums http://bbs.archlinux.org/
Alternative User Forums
Documentation http://wiki.archlinux.org/
Screenshots DistroWatch Gallery
Screencasts
Download Mirrors http://www.archlinux.org/download/DistroWatch Torrent Archive
Bug Tracker http://bugs.archlinux.org/
Related Websites Planet ArchArch Linux ARMWikipediaArch BrazilArch ChileArch DenmarkArch FranceArch GermanyArch HungaryArch ItalyArch RussiaArch SpainArch Turkey
Reviews 2024: MichlFranken (German)
2023: DistroWatch
2019: Ordinatechnic
2016: Keith Curtis
2015: DistroWatchKeith CurtisLWN
2011: Guillermo Garron
2010: ITworldLWN
2009: It's A Binary WorldDistroWatchAdventures in Open SourcePolishlinux
2008: Guia do PC (Portuguese) • DistroWatchOStaticBlogspotWordpress
2007: Blogspot
0.8: PolishlinuxPro-Linux (German) • Skatox (Spanish) • Tuxmachines
0.7: USALUGWordpressOSNewsLinMagazine (Hebrew) • Linux Magazine (PDF) • LinuxUser (German) • ABC Linuxu (Czech) • OSNewsLWNOSNews
0.5: OSNewsOSNews
0.3: OSNews
Where To Donate, Buy or Try

Recent Related News and Releases
  Releases announcements with download links and checksums:
 • 2012-11-02: Distribution Release: Arch Linux 2012.11.01
 • 2012-10-07: Distribution Release: Arch Linux 2012.10.06
 • 2012-09-08: Distribution Release: Arch Linux 2012.09.07
 • 2012-08-05: Distribution Release: Arch Linux 2012.08.04
 • 2012-07-22: Distribution Release: Arch Linux 2012.07.15
 • 2011-08-20: Distribution Release: Arch Linux 2011.08.19
 • 2010-05-18: Distribution Release: Arch Linux 2010.05
 • 2009-08-09: Distribution Release: Arch Linux 2009.08
 • 2009-02-17: Distribution Release: Arch Linux 2009.02
 • 2008-06-24: Distribution Release: Arch Linux 2008.06
 • 2008-04-16: Development Release: Arch Linux 2008.04 RC
 • 2007-10-07: Distribution Release: Arch Linux 2007.08-2
 • More Arch releases...

  Headlines:
 • 2025-06-20 Arch splits Plasma session options into separate packages
 • 2025-05-28 Arch Linux installer gains support for Btrfs snapshots
 • 2025-02-17 Arch Linux is retiring old repositories
 • 2024-11-18 Arch system installer gets new text-based menu system
 • 2024-05-22 Arch community discusses mirror requirements
 • 2023-04-11 Arch powers the PINE64 PineTab-V
 • 2023-02-13 Arch Linux advises manual updating of base-devel
 • 2022-11-14 Unity desktop ported to Arch Linux
 • 2022-10-05 Arch users report Intel video driver bug in recent kernels
 • 2022-09-23 Arch drops Python 2 packages
 • More Arch headlines...

Table Notes and Explanations

(Please refer to the table below.)
  • Select view:
  • To compare the software in this project to the software available in other distributions, please see our Compare Packages page.
  • Notes: In case where multiple versions of a package are shipped with a distribution, only the default version appears in the table. For indication about the GNOME version, please check the "nautilus" and "gnome-shell" packages. The Apache web server is listed as "httpd" and the Linux kernel is listed as "linux". The KDE desktop is represented by the "plasma-desktop" package and the Xfce desktop by the "xfdesktop" package.
  • Colour scheme: green text = latest stable version, red text = development or beta version. The function determining beta versions is not 100% reliable due to a wide variety of versioning schemes.
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Feature current 2011.08.19 2010.05 2009.08 2009.02 2008.06
overlord
2007.08
dontpanic
0.8
voodoo
0.7
wombat
0.6
widget
0.5
nova
0.4
dragon
0.3
firefly
0.2
vega
0.1
homer
Feature
Release Date 2025-06-25 2011-08-19 2010-05-17 2009-08-09 2009-02-17 2008-06-24 2007-08-05 2007-04-01 2005-01-24 2004-03-01 2003-07-21 2002-12-18 2002-08-07 2002-04-17 2002-03-11 Release Date
End Of Life                               End Of Life
Price (US$) Free Free Free Free Free Free Free Free Free Free Free Free Free Free Free Price (US$)
Image Size (MB)   1-659                           Image Size (MB)
Free Download PKG ISO ISO ISO ISO ISO ISO ISO ISO ISO ISO ISO ISO ISO ISO Free Download
Installation Text mode Text mode Text mode Text mode Text mode Text mode Text mode Text mode Text mode Text mode Text mode Text mode Text mode Text mode Text mode Installation
Default Desktop                               Default Desktop
Package Management Pacman Pacman Pacman Pacman Pacman Pacman Pacman Pacman Pacman Pacman Pacman Pacman Pacman Pacman Pacman Package Management
Release Model Rolling Rolling Rolling Rolling Rolling Rolling Rolling Rolling Rolling Rolling Rolling Rolling Rolling Rolling Rolling Release Model
Office Suite GOffice, Calligra, LibreOffice -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- KOffice KOffice KOffice     Office Suite
Processor Architecture x86_64 i686, x86_64 i686, x86_64 i686, x86_64 i686, x86_64 i686, x86_64 i686, x86_64 i686, x86_64 i686 i686 i686 i686 i686 i686 i686 Processor Architecture
Init Software systemd SysV SysV SysV SysV SysV SysV SysV SysV SysV SysV SysV SysV SysV SysV Init Software
Journaled File Systems Btrfs, ext3, ext4, JFS, ReiserFS, XFS ext3, ext4, JFS, ReiserFS, XFS ext3, ext4, JFS, ReiserFS, XFS ext3, ext4, JFS, ReiserFS, XFS ext3, ext4, JFS, ReiserFS, XFS ext3, JFS, ReiserFS, XFS ext3, JFS, ReiserFS, XFS ext3, JFS, ReiserFS, XFS ext3, JFS, ReiserFS, XFS ext3, JFS, ReiserFS, XFS ext3, ReiserFS ext3, ReiserFS ext3, ReiserFS ext3, ReiserFS ext3, ReiserFS Journaled File Systems
Multilingual                               Multilingual
Asian Language Support                               Asian Language Support
Full Package List current 2011.08.19 2010.05 2009.08 2009.02 2008.06 2007.08 0.8 0.7 0.6 0.5 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.1 Full Package List

Full Package List:   Arch Linux 0.4
  Number of packages: 323 (download as TXT)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  •  abiword 1.0.2
  •  alsa-driver 0.9.0rc6
  •  alsa-lib 0.9.0rc6
  •  alsa-utils 0.9.0rc6
  •  apache 1.3.27
  •  apmd 3.0.2
  •  arts 1.1.0
  •  at-spi 1.0.2
  •  aterm 0.4.2
  •  atk 1.0.3
  •  audiofile 0.2.3
  •  aumix 2.8
  •  autoconf 2.57
  •  automake 1.7.2
  •  bash 2.05b
  •  bc 1.06
  •  bftpd 1.0.22
  •  bin86 0.16.10
  •  bind 9.2.1
  •  binutils 2.13.1
  •  bison 1.75
  •  blackbox 0.65.0
  •  bonobo activation 1.0.3
  •  bug-buddy 2.2.0
  •  bzip2 1.0.2
  •  cdparanoia 9.8
  •  cdrdao 1.1.7
  •  cdrtools 2.0pre3
  •  clisp 2.30
  •  control-center 2.0.1.1
  •  cpio 2.5
  •  cups 1.1.17
  •  curl 7.10.2
  •  cvs 1.11.2
  •  cvsup 16.1f
  •  db 4.0.14
  •  dcron 2.3.3
  •  devfsd 1.3.25
  •  dhcpcd 1.3.22pl1
  •  dialog 0.7
  •  diffutils 2.8.1
  •  dillo 0.6.6
  •  divx4linux 5.01
  •  docbook xml 4.1.2
  •  docbook xsl 1.55.0
  •  dosfstools 2.8
  •  doxygen 1.3rc1
  •  e2fsprogs 1.32
  •  ed 0.2
  •  eel 2.0.7
  •  emacs 21.2
  •  enlightenment 0.16.5
  •  eog 1.0.3
  •  esd 0.2.29
  •  ethereal 0.9.7
  •  exim 4.10
  •  expat 1.95.4
  •  fetchmail 6.2.0
  •  file 3.39
  •  file roller 2.0.4
  •  filesystem 0.4
  •  fileutils 4.1
  •  findutils 4.1
  •  flashplugin 6.0r69
  •  flex 2.5.4a
  •  fluxbox 0.1.14
  •  fnlib 0.5
  •  freetype1 1.3.1
  •  freetype2 2.0.9
  •  fvwm 2.4.12
  •  gail 0.17
  •  gaim 0.59.6
  •  gcc 3.2.1
  •  gconf-editor 0.3.1
  •  gconf 1.2.1
  •  gd 2.0.8
  •  gdb 5.2.1
  •  gdbm 1.8.3
  •  gdk-pixbuf 0.18.0
  •  gdm 2.4.0.11
  •  gdsl 1.0
  •  gedit 2.0.5
  •  gentoo 0.11.34
  •  gettext 0.11.5
  •  gftp 2.0.14
  •  ggv 1.99.95
  •  ghostscript 7.05.5
  •  gimp-print 4.2.4rc1
  •  gimp 1.2.3
  •  gkrellm 2.1.3
  •  glib2 2.0.7
  •  glib 1.2.10
  •  glibc 2.3.1
  •  gmp 4.1
  •  gnome-applets 2.0.3
  •  gnome-common 1.2.4
  •  gnome-desktop 2.0.9
  •  gnome-games 2.0.4
  •  gnome-media 2.0.2.5
  •  gnome-mime data 2.0.1
  •  gnome-panel 2.0.10
  •  gnome-session 2.0.8
  •  gnome-system monitor 2.0.2
  •  gnome-terminal 2.0.1
  •  gnome-utils 2.0.5
  •  gnome-vfs 2.0.4
  •  gnome-vfs extras 0.99.5
  •  gnome2-user-docs 2.0.1
  •  gnupg 1.2.1
  •  gpm 1.20.0
  •  gqview 1.2.0
  •  grep 2.5
  •  groff 1.17.2
  •  gtk-doc 0.9
  •  gtk2 2.0.9
  •  gtk 1.2.10
  •  gtk engines 1.9.0
  •  gv 3.5.8
  •  gvim 6.1
  •  gzip 1.2.4a
  •  hdparm 5.2
  •  icewm 1.2.2
  •  imagemagick 5.5.2
  •  imap 2002.RC5
  •  imlib 1.9.14
  •  initscripts 0.4
  •  intltool 0.22
  •  ion 20020207
  •  ipfm 0.11.4
  •  iptables 1.2.7
  •  ircd 2.10.3p3
  •  ircii-pana 1.0c19
  •  irssi 0.8.6
  •  ispell 3.2.06
  •  joe 2.9.7
  •  jpilot 0.99.3
  •  kbd 1.08
  •  kdeaddons 3.1rc5
  •  kdeadmin 3.1rc5
  •  kdeartwork 3.1rc5
  •  kdebase 3.1rc5
  •  kdebindings 3.1rc5
  •  kdeedu 3.1rc5
  •  kdegames 3.1rc5
  •  kdegraphics 3.1rc5
  •  kdelibs 3.1rc5
  •  kdemultimedia 3.1rc5
  •  kdenetwork 3.1rc5
  •  kdepim 3.1rc5
  •  kdesdk 3.1rc5
  •  kdetoys 3.1rc5
  •  kdeutils 3.1rc5
  •  kdevelop 2.1.4
  •  kdoc 2.0a54
  •  kernel 2.4.20
  •  koffice 1.2
  •  lame 3.92
  •  less 378
  •  lesstif 0.93.36
  •  lesstifextensions 9.0.9
  •  lftp 2.6.2
  •  libao 0.8.3
  •  libart lgpl 2.3.10
  •  libbonobo 2.0.0
  •  libbonoboui 2.0.3
  •  libgail-gnome 1.0.1
  •  libglade 2.0.1
  •  libgnome 2.0.5
  •  libgnomecanvas 2.0.4
  •  libgnomeprint 1.116.0
  •  libgnomeprintui 1.116.0
  •  libgnomeui 2.0.5
  •  libgtkhtml 2.0.2
  •  libgtop 2.0.0
  •  libidl2 0.8.0
  •  libidl 0.6.8
  •  libjpeg 6b
  •  libogg 1.0
  •  libpcap 0.7.1
  •  libpng 1.2.5
  •  librep 0.16.1
  •  librsvg 2.0.1
  •  libtiff 3.5.7
  •  libtool 1.4.3
  •  libungif 4.1.0
  •  libvorbis 1.0
  •  libwnck 0.17
  •  libxml2 2.4.24
  •  libxslt 1.0.22
  •  libzvt 2.0.1
  •  licq 1.2.0a
  •  lilo 22.3.4
  •  linc 0.5.2
  •  links 2.1pre7
  •  logrotate 3.6.5
  •  m4 1.4
  •  mad 0.14.2b
  •  mailman 2.0.13
  •  mailx 8.1.1
  •  make 3.80
  •  man 1.5k
  •  manpages 1.53
  •  mawk 1.3.3
  •  mc 4.5.55
  •  metacity 2.4.3
  •  mktemp 1.4
  •  mm 1.2.1
  •  modutils 2.4.22
  •  mozilla 1.2.1
  •  mpg321 0.2.10
  •  mplayer 0.90rc1
  •  mtx 1.2.17
  •  mutt 1.4
  •  mysql 3.23.54
  •  naim 0.11.4.12
  •  nano 1.0.9
  •  nasm 0.98.35
  •  nautilus 2.0.7
  •  ncurses 5.3
  •  net-tools 1.60
  •  netcat 1.10
  •  netkit-base 0.17
  •  netkit-ftp 0.17
  •  netkit-telnet 0.17
  •  nfs utils 1.0.1
  •  ngrep 1.40.1
  •  nmap 3.00
  •  openldap 2.1.8
  •  openssh 3.5p1
  •  openssl 0.9.6h
  •  orbit2 2.4.3
  •  pacman 2.2
  •  pango 1.0.5
  •  parted 1.6.4
  •  patch 2.5.4
  •  pccts 1.33mr
  •  pcmcia cs 3.2.0
  •  pcre 3.9
  •  perl 5.8.0
  •  php 4.2.3
  •  pilot link 0.11.5
  •  pine 4.51
  •  pkgconfig 0.14.0
  •  popt 1.7
  •  portmap 5beta
  •  ppp 2.4.1
  •  procinfo 18
  •  procmail 3.22
  •  procps 3.1.4
  •  proftpd 1.2.7
  •  psmisc 21.2
  •  python 2.2.2
  •  qt 3.1.1
  •  rar 3.0
  •  ratpoison 1.1.1
  •  rcs 5.7
  •  rdate 990821
  •  readline 4.3
  •  reiserfsprogs 3.6.4
  •  rep-gtk 0.17
  •  ripperx 2.4
  •  rsync 2.5.5
  •  ruby 1.6.7
  •  rxvt 2.6.4
  •  samba 2.2.7
  •  sawfish 1.2
  •  screen 3.9.11
  •  scrollkeeper 0.3.11
  •  sdl 1.2.5
  •  sed 4.0.5
  •  sh-utils 2.0
  •  shadow 4.0.3
  •  slocate 2.6
  •  snarf 7.0
  •  strace 4.4
  •  sudo 1.6.6
  •  sysklogd 1.4.1
  •  sysvinit 2.84
  •  tar 1.13
  •  tcl 8.4.1
  •  tcp_wrappers 7.6
  •  tcpdump 3.7.1
  •  tcsh 6.12
  •  textutils 2.1
  •  tin 1.4.6
  •  tk 8.4.1
  •  totem 0.10.0
  •  traceroute 1.4a12
  •  unzip 5.50
  •  util-linux 2.11y
  •  vim 6.1
  •  vorbis tools 1.0
  •  vsftpd 1.1.3
  •  w32codec 0.90pre7
  •  w3m 0.3
  •  wget 1.8.2
  •  which 2.14
  •  whois 4.5.33
  •  windowmaker 0.80.2
  •  wine 20021125
  •  wvdial 1.53
  •  wvstreams 3.70
  •  x2x 1.27
  •  xautolock 2.1
  •  xaw3d 1.5
  •  xchat 1.8.10
  •  xemacs-sumo 20020919
  •  xemacs 21.4.9
  •  xfce 3.8.18
  •  xfree86 4.2.1
  •  xine-lib 0.9.13
  •  xine-ui 0.9.13
  •  xlockmore 5.05
  •  xmlto 0.0.10
  •  xmms 1.2.7
  •  xplanet 0.94
  •  xscreensaver 4.06
  •  yelp 1.0.6
  •  yp tools 2.7
  •  ypbind mt 1.12
  •  ypserv 2.6
  •  zip 2.3
  •  zlib 1.1.4


Reader Ratings
Reader supplied reviews for Arch Linux

Average rating
9.2
from 262 review(s)
Please select a rating in the range of 1-10.
Please write at least a few sentences about the distribution while limiting your review to 4080 characters.



What are your thoughts on Arch Linux?
Please include a few pros and a few cons, along with your overall impression of the operating system.
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Version:

Rating:    out of 10

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Past reviews - sort by:

Version: current
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-06-24
Votes: 0


After using Arch Linux for a while, I feel it's time to share my thoughts. My experience has been overwhelmingly positive. While Arch is often perceived as challenging, I found that with a bit of patience, the setup process is quite manageable. The archinstall utility significantly simplifies the installation; you simply need to select the options that best suit your needs.

In today's world, where information and documentation are readily available, setting up a clean Arch system is not as daunting as it may seem. The philosophy of "you get what you put in" truly applies here, emphasizing the importance of user engagement in the setup process.

Working with the terminal is a core part of the Arch experience, and I genuinely enjoy it! While there is always a risk of breaking something, that’s part of the learning journey, encouraging you to deepen your understanding of your system.

Updates are a breeze; I’ve had no issues keeping my packages up to date. The rolling release model ensures you always have access to the latest software versions, which is a significant advantage.

From my personal experience, gaming performance has been excellent, with no driver issues. The integration with desktop environments like KDE has been smooth, and I’ve found that everything from gaming to web browsing, document editing, and coding works flawlessly. I also have another setup with Hyprland, which adds to the versatility of my experience.

Don’t forget to enable the Arch User Repository (AUR) for access to a vast array of additional software. It’s a game-changer for expanding your system’s capabilities.

I highly recommend familiarizing yourself with pacman, the package manager, as it’s essential for managing software on Arch. Additionally, the Arch Wiki is an invaluable resource; it has saved me countless times. For those who may perceive the Arch community as toxic, I can assure you that it’s not. The community encourages users to dig deeper and do the necessary research. If you’ve searched the Arch Wiki and still can’t find a solution, the community is more than willing to help. After all, Arch Linux is a learning experience, and solving issues is what Arch users thrive on.

In conclusion, Arch Linux offers a rewarding experience for those willing to invest the time to learn. It’s a powerful distribution that caters to both beginners and advanced users alike. Happy Arching!


Was this review helpful? Yes No
Version: current
Rating: 9
Date: 2025-06-20
Votes: 2


VERY cool, but hard to install. Even if you use the archinstall script, if your internet is bad, the install doesn't fully work. Still, I love how you can customize *everything*. Yes, even the bootloader. It's very neat. KDE is pretty good, but you don't have to install it if you don't want to. I have never had any driver issues. The only downside is that you have to keep upgrading packages all of the time. If you know exactly what you're doing, Arch might be perfect for you. Though, this shouldn't be your first distro.


Was this review helpful? Yes No
Version: current
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-06-17
Votes: 14


It's time for a review after using it for a while. Clean Arch. It's a very interesting and positive experience using the distribution for “pros.” In fact, Arch isn't difficult, it just takes a little time to set up the system. And using the archinstall utility does everything for you, you just need to select the necessary items.

Nowadays, we live in an era of full access to information, AI, and documentation, so setting up a clean system is not a difficult challenge. As a result, what you put in is what you get. If a program requires additional packages, it will tell you the name of the package you need.

Yes, you have to work with the terminal, but I think that's really cool! There is a chance of breaking something, as always, but no one is immune to that.

Updates work well, I don't have any problems getting the latest versions of packages.

A good recommendation is to read a little about how pacman works.

My personal experience is this: games work great, no driver issues, positive interaction with KDE, etc.

Games, browsing, working with text documents, coding, multimedia... Everything works well. It's also important to install AUR. And you'll be happy.

That's it. Bye.


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See all 262 reader reviews of Arch Linux...



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