Arch LinuxARM is a port of Arch Linux for ARM processors. Its design philosophy is "simplicity and full control to the end user," and like its parent operating system Arch Linux, aims to be very Unix-like. This goal of minimalism and complete user control, however, can make Arch Linux difficult for Linux beginners as it requires more knowledge of and responsibility for the operating system.
History and development
Arch Linux ARM is based on Arch Linux, which is a minimalist Linux distribution first released on March 11, 2002. The idea of making a single, official port of Arch Linux for devices with ARM processors was born from members of the Arch Linux PlugApps and ArchMobile development teams, notably Mike Staszel, who went on to found the Arch Linux ARM project. Kevin Mihelich is currently Arch Linux ARM's primary developer. Arch Linux ARM is community-developed, with software development and user support provided fully by volunteer effort and donations. Also, unlike other community-supported operating systems such as Ubuntu, Arch Linux ARM has a relatively small user base, making user participation in development especially important. Arch Linux ARM has a rolling release cycle, i.e. new software is packaged as it is released. This "bleeding edge" release cycle of small, frequent package updates differs from release cycles of Linux distributions such as Debian, which focus on large, scheduled releases of packages proven to be stable.
Support
Unlike Arch Linux, which is aimed at x86-64 CPUs, Arch Linux ARM supports low- and high-end ARM CPUs. At the low end, there is support for ARMv5 platforms like plug computers and OXNAS-based ARMv6 Pogoplugs. Arch Linux ARM also supports many single-board computers such as the Raspberry Pi. At the higher end, there is support for:
Arch Linux ARM can run on any device that supports ARMv5te, ARMv6h, ARMv7 or ARMv8 instruction sets. However, support can be limited in some cases. For example, although the Raspberry Pi 4B offers the 64-bit ARMv8 instruction set, on this processor Arch Linux ARM uses 32-bit ARMv7 as the 4B is not yet fully supported by the Linux kernel. For a list of officially supported platforms, see archlinuxarm.org's . For a list of unofficial, community-supported devices, see archlinuxarm.org's .
Reception
Arch Linux ARM has gained popularity as a lightweight Linux distribution, and in 2014 was growing in popularity among single-board computer hobbyists. Arch Linux ARM is also known for having good community support.
