One of the main reasons why I prefer using Arch over other distros like unity and Debian is that it comes clean and bloat-free. In fact, it does not even have a GUI (Don't worry the arch install script comes with the GUI installation feature) if you make a clean install. Every package that it contains is handpicked by you including all mirrors and repos (I use the multilib and blackarch).

Window Manager :

The second thing that comes after OS is what you see your OS through, the interface. I use Linux on my older pc so I need something light and easy to use. Unlike most, I use a tiling window manager (windows are tiled and do not overlap unless done manually) called Hyprland. If you are familiar with Linux you probably know about KDE, Gnome, Xfce, Cinnamon etc work environments, these are stacking window managers, where the program windows are stacked on top of each other, like windows, but in tiling wms you move to another workspace once your screen is full, it keeps the desktops clean and easy to manage. Personally, i prefer Hyprland for the rounded edges, color schemes ans easy customization but you can go with other popular options like i3, bspwm, awesome, qtile, xmonad etc. Visit the r/unixporn: https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/subreddit to check out customization features.

Why Arch:

Apart from the fact that it is bloat-free, you can use the famous AUR also called Arch User Repository to grab almost any program and install it in your system by building it from source. This helps with the easy installation of dependencies for a lot of projects.

It can also be optimized for gaming(not stuff like AAA) but retro stuff can definitely run, Garuda gaming edition Linux is a fine example of that.

Last but not least you can flex with "I use arch btw".

Software selection:

What I use my setup is mainly for College Coursework, Programming, Reading Papers and Comics.

College work and Reading: If your college gives you a separate work ID it's better to separate that environment y dedicating a browser to that ID itself and allocating some disk space or cloud depending on what your alma matter provides. You need a basic pdf/book reader application for that. My application of choice is Librum: https://librumreader.com/. Simple UI, tags management, bookmark features etc. and a lot to come. Moreover, it is open source and does not require any payments.

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2. Programming: For this, I prefer 2 software: Visual Studio Code (An integrated development environment for almost any language) and neovim for small code/text editing.

   Now I know, VS Code is not open source but its benefits outperform any code editor application out there.

   

   The reason that I prefer VS code is its huge collection of extensions that makes everything a lot easier including error detection/debugging and maintaining a better readability. It also has partnered with GitHub copilot AI to make writing code easier (paid feature). VS Code has official support for almost any language out there with auto-completion.

   

   On the other hand, Neovim is a terminal-based text editor that I use for minor editing, There are a lot of devs that upgrade it to its full potential by adding language supports, debuggers, auto-completions, extensions etc. but I find that process too hectic. It's a wormhole tbh. Whenever I need to add a small line of code or comment to a file I quickly do nvim ~/path/to/filename.ext and quickly edit the thing.

3. Extra Essentials: There are a few other essential software to make navigation easier in my system for my college work and in general:

   ROFI(https://github.com/davatorium/rofi): A free launcher software that you will need if you are on any tiling window manager because they don't have a start menu.

   

   DOCKER: I absolutely "hate" to install stuff on my local system that I am gonna stop using after some time, so, I use docker. It provides a separate working environment and is completely customizable and your local work environment can be stored on the web and edited anytime you like. Now your fellow dev can use the excuse: "It works on my system" as the entire system is what you get with docker. Like a virtual box but not a virtual box, faster, easier and smoother.

   FONT MANAGER: Not compulsory, but I suggest you use one, it makes font management a lot easier as you will need to install a 3rd party font because the default given by arch kinda sucks as it does not support a lot of things like emojis, symbols etc.

That is basically all you need, extra stuff that you can get includes a music player, a nice menubar program, a nice wallpaper and you are good to go. Visit my github to get my configuration files and this can be your desktop too.

https://github.com/Rohxn16/dots