Review: Archcraft 2024.04.06
Quoting: DistroWatch.com: Put the fun back into computing. Use Linux, BSD. —
I want to acknowledge right up front that I like what Archcraft is trying to do. The pairing of Arch with the friendly Calamares installer is a great (and popular) combination. Likewise, the Arch Linux base with easy access to the software in the AUR is an attractive combination. I also have a special place in my heart for distributions which lean toward the minimal side - offering a desktop environment and a few basic utilities, but not cluttering up the application menu. I tend to prefer distributions which provide a small base and let us add to it.
Let's look at the distribution's three main features I mentioned at the top of this review: minimal, visually stunning and powerful (thanks to Arch's repositories and the AUR).
I want to get "stunning" out of the way first. Visual styles are subjective and one man's trash is another man's treasure. I didn't care for the default, pastel on dark combination, particularly with the crowded Polybar panel. However, once I'd made a few adjustments and swapped out the pastel-style Polybar for Tint2, I liked the general look. This feature is a matter of personal taste so I'll let people decide how well Archcraft does based on the screenshots.