ArchBang is an open source Linux operating system that combines the lightweight Openbox window manager with the powerful features and speed of the Arch Linux distribution. The main goal of this project is to provide users with an out-of-the-box Arch Linux experience.
Distributed as a dual-arch Live CD
It is distributed as Live CD ISO images, supporting both 32-bit and 64-bit architectures. The boot menu of the Live CD allows you to start the live environment powered by Openbox, with or without the Vesa driver, boot into the recovery mode, test the RAM (system memory) of your computer, reboot, or see if your hardware components are supported by ArchBang.
A modern, uncluttered desktop session
Booting the live environment will present users with a modern, uncluttered desktop session that’s comprised of a semi-transparent panel at the bottom of the screen and a widget that monitors the CPU and RAM. An interesting fact about the desktop widget is that it list some keyboard shortcuts that will presumably help users find their way around the system much more easily. The main menu can be easily accessed by right-clicking on the desktop, just like on any other Openbox-based Linux operating system.
Default applications
Default applications include the SpaceFM file manager, Mozilla Firefox web browser, DeaDBeeF music player, LXTerminal terminal emulator, Htop command-line system monitoring tool, Medit text editor, Galculator calculator utility, and ClipIt clipboard manager. An image viewer, a character map utility, a few other handy tools are also included in this minimalistic Linux operating system. In addition, users will be able to configure the panel and other aspects of the desktop directly from the main menu.
Bottom line
Being based on Arch Linux, this small and fast distrolette will provide users with a rolling-release environment, which means that you will always have an up-to-date system, without the need to download a new ISO image and reinstall the distribution. It is the perfect operating system for low-end computers.
