Having been a primarily Ubuntu user for the past few months I’ve decided to take the plunge and explore Arch linux a bit. For those that are unaware Arch linux is a slimline distro that serves as a solid foundation without any unwanted bloatware. The Arch way stresses Simplicity, Code elegance and freedom.

Why switch?

With the increasing level of surveillance built into software these days it is important to protect yourself by simply choosing which services/products are essential and choosing alternatives for those that are not. In the past few years Ubuntu linux has decided to include advertising as well as “Ubuntu Spyware” which includes tracking different aspects of use. This goes against my ideals for what Linux should be.

Previously loving the Ubuntu classic interface with GNOME 2 the change to Unity was frustrating, even after slowly coming to like the interface I still found it quite unstable. As well as all this Ubuntu has become bloated, it comes installed with a number of software packages that I do not and will not ever use. Sure I could leave it there but if I don’t use it or know what it does, what purpose does it serve?

Installing Arch

With that all said I have started off with just the basics Arch, git, chromium & running DWM (dynamic window manager) with dmenu. To make the install process easier I used some simple arch install scripts courtesy of RommelVR.

Note: Only use RommelVR’s install scripts if you have fully read & understood what they do.

DWM, ST & Dmenu

Dwm or dynamic window manager is a super customisable tiling window manager that is crazy light on resources and is intended to never exceed 2000 SLOC. ST is suckless terminal and it is just that. Dmenu is a simple menu to launch programs from within dwm.

Conclusion

One of the greatest things about Arch/dwm is that it’s quick, Super quick! My dev laptop which was bought in 2008 is ready at the login screen in under 5 seconds and is ready almost instantly after I type my password. I’m still relatively new to the arch way but I love the philosophy.