Architect: An Arch Linux Installer

Many moons ago, I wrote about an Arch Installer named Evo/Lution AIS,  using the command line as well as the Openbox graphical desktop in order to install a "vanilla" Arch. As far as I know, this installer was Jeff Story's baby, but also developed by Carl Duff, a former Manjaro dev. Manjaro is a distro I have worked with for about a year and I really enjoy installing it and using it.

Just a couple of day ago, I came across a new Arch installer called "Architect". This one is Carl Duff's baby. You can find out more about on Google Plus (G+). Carl has removed the graphical parts of the installer to make it a 100% comman line installer.

To those who like using the command line, this will be a welcome installer. But to those who don't often use or even never use the command line, I say: "You don't know the powah of the dahk side!"

I decided I'd give Architect a try and the experience was quite positive for me; it went off without a hitch, and all I had to do was follow the easy steps outlined by the installer. Simple as that. I had no trouble installing the necessary drivers for my old laptop, as well as a desktop to work with.

I installed the XFCE desktop environment on Lenovo 3000 Y410 (8 years old), with a Core 2 Duo T5450 @ 1.667GHz, with 4GB RAM and a 120GB SDD. I could have installed my fave desktop, GNOME, but I wanted something that would burn a bit of rubber on my old machine, so I picked XFCE, which offers a nice combination of speed and function.

You have to remember that Arch is a DIY distro, where you set up the whole system yourself. This can be a daunting task for noobs, but Carl's installer simplifies the install, saving you time and toil. However, there's still quite a bit of hands-on stuff for you to do. In short, Architect makes it easier to install Arch, but that doesn't mean that a noob will always find it easy; after all, this IS Arch and part of the philosophy behind Arch is to learn about Linux.

A little warning here: in order to partition you HDD or SSD to install Arch with Architect, you'll have to use partition editors such a parted, cfdisk, gfdisk and other such tools. This can be a bit daunting for noobs, so I recommend using cfdisk, for MBR partitions, and gfdisk, for GPT partition. I find both these tools easier to use. This, of course, is a personal preference of mine; your mileage may vary.

All-in-all, Carl has done a great job. As I said above, I installed Arch on my old laptop without a hitch. I'm writing this blog using that very install. I'm impressed with the work Carl's done and his philosophy of Linux on the desktop.

Now, if you're not into the command line, you can always try an easy graphical install, such as is offered by Manjaro, Antergos or Netrunner, for example. However, having said that, I'm going to give the Arch Way a more thorough testing this time around. I think Carl's work has given me the Arch "bug" and I want to find out more about this distro, whose fans speak of it in such glowing terms.

Thanks Carl, and keep up the good work.

GRGAUD