If there is something that characterizes Arch Linux, it is that from startup to configuration it has to be done by hand using commands. Although its developers have included a simple installation wizard in the latest versions, this is still difficult for most users. After the long and tedious start-up, it is a distro that is worth it, more than any. But much better if we can simplify the whole process by using a variant that has an assistant such as this one.
What is Calam-Arch
Calam-Arch is a pure Arch-based Linux distro that allows us to start, install and configure this Linux distro, without alterations, very quickly and easily thanks to one of the simplest installation wizards that we can find.
This distro has some features thanks to which it stands out above the others. First of all, it is possible to install it on systems BIOS traditional or in UEFI. It also highlights the support for LUKS, and the possibility to choose between 9 different desktop environments, like Xfce, Gnome, Plasma, Cinnamon, Budgie, Openbox, I3, Mate and Deepin.
This distro is always up-to-date based on the latest Arch ISO images, and also maintains the same Arch Rolling Release development so that you can always be up to date without ever having to reinstall the system.
Download
Calam-Arch is a totally free and open source project. We can download the latest version of it, based on the latest Calam-Arch image, from the project website, SourceForge. If we want an older version, for whatever reason, we can obtain it from the “Files” section of said website, where all previous releases are stored. Once the ISO image is downloaded, we can choose what we want to do with it, be it burn it to a USB to start the PC from it or mount it in a virtual machine to test it before installing it.
The requirements to be able to install this distro are the same as to install Arch Linux, that is, to have a 64-bit compatible system, 1 GB of RAM memory, 2 GB of hard disk space and Internet connection. Calam-Arch, for its part, occupies 1 GB, so we must have a USB of this capacity at hand to be able to record it and start the installation.
Install Arch Linux with this ISO
If we are going to install this system in a virtual machine we should not do anything more than mount the ISO in VMware or VirtualBox and start with it to begin the installation. On the contrary, if what we want is to install it on a physical PC, what we will have to do is record it to a USB memory to be able to start the PC with it. There are many programs that allow us the latter, but if we do not want complications we recommend BalenaEtcher. All you have to do is select the ISO image, the drive and click on the flash button to start recording it. No settings or anything weird, in three easy steps.
Now we begin the installation Calam-Arch is a distro in Live mode, so instead of loading in a terminal from which to start the installation, like Arch, we will see a very familiar desktop from which we can test the system without installing. And, when we want to start the process, we simply have to launch said installer from the desktop.
The first thing that we will find in the wizard is the possibility of choosing the idiom in which we want to install the distro. Although we can change it later, we can put the system in Spanish from the beginning and, thus, we can better understand each of the steps of the wizard.
In the next step we will have to choose the Location in which we find ourselves. This is used, for example, to configure the time zone, daylight saving time, and the units we use (currency, metric system, etc).
Then we can see, and change if necessary, the keyboard distribution we have on the PC.
Now we come to one of the most critical points of the installation: the partition management. We will be able to choose if we want to use the entire disk to create the system partitions, or if we want to use the partitions as we want. We can also choose the type of SWAP (exchange) we want to use, and the installation of the boot loader.
Once we have reached this point, what we will see is a long list of software. In it we can mark the programs, packages and the desktop that we want to use. By default, the basic and essential packages are marked. Below them we will be able to choose the graphics card drivers that we want to install. We can install proprietary or open drivers from both AMD and NVIDIA from this installation wizard itself. We can also select the desktop we want to use, if we want to activate printer support, and even install a default browser.
Next, we will have to enter the data of the Username main PC: real name, username and password. We can also specify a more secure administrator password to better protect the system.
At this point we can see a summary with all the parameters that we have configured throughout the installer. If everything is correct, we can click on “Install” to finally start the installation of the system.
The installation may take some time, depending on our PC and the configuration. We can see your progress in the bottom bar, and also see the main virtues of Arch in the central part of the wizard.
When it is finished, we will have Arch Linux installed on our computer with the configuration that we have indicated. Now we only have to disconnect the USB memory from the PC and restart the computer so that it starts up in our brand new Arch Linux.