ArcoLinux 19.06

There’s an endless list of Arch-based distros, but there’s something about this one that catches Mayank Sharma’s fancy.

- Mayank Sharma

While a project’s website doesn’t have any bearing on the distro, it has to be inviting enough to appeal to new users. ArcoLinux has an oddly designed website that doesn’t immediately make the project’s noble intentions clear. Once you understand the project’s objectives, you’ll realise that its main website, along with a couple of others, are part of the learning process and are supposed to be navigated in a particular order as you level up your Arch experience.

ArcoLinux is really an educational system that you can also use as a very capable regular desktop. Of the project’s three releases, the main one comes with three desktop environments, is chock-full of productivity apps and is designed for the average desktop user. Then there’s the minimalist ArcoLinuxD release, which ships with just enough components to help you build your own custom ArcoLinux installation. The third edition is called ArcoLinuxB and enables you to modify the stock ArcoLinux ISO to build your own custom image. The project hosts a string of such customised ISOs as contributed by its community.