When I hear the term, “Arch Linux”, my mind immediately moves towards how it is a great Linux distribution for power users, which also gives them the right to say, “I use Arch, btw”.
Don’t let that scare you off, though. There are plenty of user-friendly Arch-based distros that give you a bleeding-edge experience while also granting you the right to say the most holy words.
Sadly, there is some bad news for one of those offerings. 😥
What’s Happening: Announcing the development, Erik Dubois, project lead of ArcoLinux shared that after 8 years of development, the ArcoLinux project will be wrapping up operations, discontinuing any ISOs, apps, tools, scripts, and related infrastructure.
The reasoning behind this move, as shared by Erik, is his advancing age and him realizing that he doesn’t have the same level of mental focus or stamina he used to have before. He has found himself making small mistakes, the kind that can negatively affect a major undertaking like this.
Erik also reflected on what the future holds for him, saying that:
I don’t have big plans. I want to slow down, enjoy life, and maybe tinker with Linux just for fun again — without the pressure of running a large project.
The code, the videos, the documentation — they’ll remain online for others to learn from, fork, or remix. I truly hope others will take inspiration from it. Just as I was inspired by the community years ago.
What to Expect: The transition period has already begun since the announcement went live, with Erik and the ArcoLinux team providing transition packages for users to migrate their existing ArcoLinux installations to Arch Linux.
Come July 1, 2025, the transition period will end, marking a stop to all development, including the deactivation of the ArcoLinux social media handles. The Telegram and Discord communities will stay a bit longer but will close up eventually.
If you are an existing user, then the YouTube playlist put together by Erik is a must-watch for converting the three editions: ARCONET, ARCOPRO, and ARCOPLASMA.
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Arch Wiki is no-doubt an unparallel documentation. However, Erik’s relentless but lone effort in creating magnitudes of video tutorials on almost every aspect of Arco Linux is surely commendable 🫡
Lastly, I would like to mention that it is always sad to see a Linux distribution project shut down. But I fully agree with Erik’s reasoning behind the move. We only get a limited number of years in this thing called life, and people like him who have worked hard for so long deserve to have a dignified departure.
Suggested Read 📖
Top 10 User-friendly Arch-Based Linux Distributions [2025]
Want to experience Arch Linux without the hassle of the complicated installation and setup? Here are a few user-friendly Arch-based Linux distributions.
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