Summary: Customisation for different users, localisations, system ages etc. motivate plurality and diversity, which now yields thousands of packaged (for installation) GNU/Linux images

JUST A COUPLE of months after this previous release Arch Linux has a new final release [1,2], which even former Microsoft employees are exploring [3]. This release uses Linux 3.12 and it is targeting advanced GNU/Linux users.

The nice thing about Arch is that it's very much custom-built by the users. It can be suitable for almost anything, including old computers which are now targeted by many different distributions [4] (Softpedia now counts as many as 2,000 distros [5]).

There are many options out there other than the well-known distros, such as Fedora, Ubuntu, and Debian. For instance, in the past few weeks/days alone we found some reviews of SolydXK SolydK 2013.11 [6], SparkyLinux 3.1 [7], AntiX 13.2 [8] Emmabuntüs 2 [9], Elementary OS [10], and Salix Ratpoison 14.0.1 [11]. These are all viable options which are typically derived from better-known distros but make some further improvemens/customisations (for those who don't know how to build their own systems with Debian, Arch, or Gentoo). It is important to support lesser-known distros, which are the equivalnt of many automotive makers with different customisations on different models. ⬆

Related/contextual items from the news:

1. Arch Linux 2013.12.01 Is Now Available for Download

   Another month, another ISO image of the amazing Arch Linux operating system is now available for download, released today, December 1, 2013, on the official website.





2. Arch Linux Is Now Powered by Linux Kernel 3.12

   This was a lot faster than expected, but the Arch Linux developers have just pushed a few minutes ago, November 14, 2013, the final and stable packages of the recently released Linux kernel 3.12.





3. Arch Linux on a HiDPI Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro





4. Distros For Old Computers

   Defining hardware as “older” is tricky. Newer resource hungry software levering on the pace of hardware developments is rendering even relatively newer hardware obsolete. Examples of these relatively recent “older” hardware would be single-core or dual-core AMD Athlons and Intel Pentiums.





5. Softpedia Now Lists More than 2,000 Linux Distributions

   Yes! We are proud to announce that we have just crossed the mark of 2,000 Linux distributions, right here on our Softpedia Linux section, as you can see from the counter situated on the top right of the page.





6. SolydXK SolydK 2013.11 review

   
   
   SolydK is the KDE edition of a line of distributions published by SolydXK, an outfit made up of an odd 4-man team. For home users they publish two distributions – SoldK and SolydX. The latter uses the Xfce desktop environment. Both distributions began as community or unofficial Linux Mint Debian projects, before the founder decided to go solo.





7. Everyday Linux User review of SparkyLinux 3.1 Razor-Qt Edition

   The SparkyLinux website describes SparkyLinux as a lightweight, fast and simple distribution designed for old and new computers.

8. AntiX 13.2 - More Modern But Still Some Quirks

   Blimey, it's been a long time since I reviewed antiX already and it's about time to give it a second look. The overall judgement may have been a bit harsh last time around and I'm going to see whether we can write a more positive piece this time. Some of the issues raised seems were valid though as the distribution has changed a bit since then. Enough of that, let's hop right in.





9. The Joint Contest of Emmabuntus and Linux notes from DarkDuck

   You probably know that Emmabuntüs community prepares the next release of their operating system: Emmabuntüs 2. This is the reason why I am happy to announce today a joint contest from Linux notes from DarkDuck and Emmabuntüs community.





10. The origin and evolution of Elementary OS





11. Salix Ratpoison – An Esoteric Distro For The Alpha Geeks

    
    
    If you don’t care much about fancy desktop bling, and think the keyboard is still the best means of interacting with the computer, then you’ll find yourself at home with Salix Ratpoison 14.0.1.
    
    If you haven’t heard of it before, think of Salix OS as Slackware with the convenience of a package manager.
    
    The developers of Salix OS think of the distro a bonsai: small, light and a product of infinite care. They prune the list of apps that make up a release to make sure they aren’t packing in multiple apps for the same job.