archlinux

archlinux is a linux distribution created by judd vinet in march 2002. it is a lightweight and flexible distribution of linux for people who like to keep things simple.

archlinux is a rolling release distribution. this means that there are fixed times when a release will roll out. in archlinux's case, this is a monthly release. however, after installation, you don't need to stick to this release. you simply can upgrade tho the latest packages using the package manager of archlinux, pacman. alternatively you also can install packages from the arch user repository.

this distribution is also known for its comprehensive documentation in the form of the archwiki.

history

inspired by crux, judd vinet began the archlinux project in march 2002. originally it was only for 32-bit x86 cpu's, the first x86-64 ISO image was released in april 2006.

vinet led archlinux until 1. october 2007. he then stepped down due to lack of time. the project's lead was then transfered to aaron griffin.

in august 2012, archlinux began to migrate to systemd as its init system. in october of 2012 it replacet the old system and is used since then. this makes arch one of the first distributions to adopt systemd as the init system.

the end of i686 support was announced in january 2017. one month later the last iso to include the i686 was released. this created the derivate archlinux 32, which is specifically here to support the i686 hardware.

in february of 2020, aaron griffin stepped down as the project leader. after a voting period, he transfered the control to levente polyak.