[CLOSED]building Arch-based distro

ufhkt_kit · 2021-10-24 21:05:49

Good morning, afternoon or evening!

I'm keen on building an own Arch-based distro, and so far I've not been able to find any comprehensive/useful information on this forum.

Why?
My high school, from which I have graduated this year, currently uses underpowered HP laptops running Lubuntu for science classes. So far, the experience of me and my classmates was slow and clunky, and this is not what I'd like current and future students to deal with. When I approached our system administrator about this, he wasn't enthralled by it all either but "It works, and frankly I don't have the time to think of a better solution".
Considering Arch is one of the most lightweight distros out there, it should be possible to create a distro which

uses less processing power overall to deliver a snappy experience (compared to lubuntu)
has only software required for school use(+ dependencies&other absolutely necessary software)

Another requirement would be ease of installation, with as few button presses as possible, which is why I though of creating a distro and not wgetting or curling an install script on the machine.

Any tips would be greatly appreciated, I will answer any questions as soon as I can!

Cheers,
ufhkt

Last edited by ufhkt_kit (2021-10-24 21:24:55)

Ammako · 2021-10-24 21:24:14

https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Archiso

ufhkt_kit · 2021-10-24 21:25:11

Thanks!

Ammako · 2021-10-24 21:28:51

Alternatively, it's possible you could manage just fine using the original installation media and just using archinstall. That you might not need to make a custom iso.

2ManyDogs · 2021-10-24 22:27:53

Please do not mark a thread [CLOSED] -- that is used by staff when a thread is not open for further replies. If you would like a thread closed or deleted, please use the Report button. If your question has been answered, mark the thread [SOLVED].

Trilby · 2021-10-24 22:54:26

This is a horrible idea for several reasons. Most importantly, who is going to update / support these systems? At best you'll give your school a good option for a very very short time, then it will all fall apart. This is a severe disservice. If you want to do something good for your school, do not install arch linux on their computers, and most definitely do not install your own "arch-based" distro on their computers.

Secondly, arch is really not particularly well suited to low-spec hardware. Sure, the flexibility / customizability makes it much better than a *buntu, but the compile options for the packages in the repos is really quite bloated. There are many mature and easy to install distros much more well suited for this task.

Debian has a few minimum builds or "tiny" distro spin-offs - I can't point to any in particular as I've somehow almost completely avoided the Debian wing of linux distros (not for any deliberate reason really, just coincidence). Several years ago I grew fond of Slitaz for older hardware. I've not kept up with it, but it remains actively developed. Alpine could also be a very good choice.

But if you want minimal hardware requirements and a system that needs minimal maintenance, then arch linux is really one of the worst choices.

Last edited by Trilby (2021-10-24 22:55:25)

Ammako · 2021-10-24 23:48:01

You might try MX Linux if looking for some kind of debian spin. They have a fluxbox variant which should be much lighter than a traditional DE. That being said, the learning curve might be a bit high for the average person, so you'll have to play around with that and see how well the students can get used to it.

If the laptops can't even handle Lubuntu though, I don't have a lot of faith in them. But who knows, maybe they'd run better with a simple WM, without all the extra LXQt stuff (or are they so old that they're still running LXDE Lubuntu? ;p)

Ferdinand · 2021-10-25 06:49:11

Also, there's a distro called Zorin, that has a light version I once used on an Asus Eee 1005, and it worked surprisingly good - even if it runs Xfce.

Arch Linux

#1 2021-10-24 21:05:49

[CLOSED]building Arch-based distro

#2 2021-10-24 21:24:14

Re: [CLOSED]building Arch-based distro

#3 2021-10-24 21:25:11

Re: [CLOSED]building Arch-based distro

#4 2021-10-24 21:28:51

Re: [CLOSED]building Arch-based distro

#5 2021-10-24 22:27:53

Re: [CLOSED]building Arch-based distro

#6 2021-10-24 22:54:26

Re: [CLOSED]building Arch-based distro

#7 2021-10-24 23:48:01

Re: [CLOSED]building Arch-based distro

#8 2021-10-25 06:49:11

Re: [CLOSED]building Arch-based distro

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