Developer | Kevin Mihelich and team [1] |
---|---|
OS family | Linux (Unix-like) |
Latest release | Rolling release |
Update method | Pacman |
Package manager | Pacman |
Platforms | ARM |
License | Free software (GPLv2) [2] |
Official website | archlinuxarm |
Arch Linux ARM is a port of Arch Linux for ARM processors. [3] [4] [5] Its design philosophy is "simplicity and full control to the end user," [6] and like its parent operating system Arch Linux, aims to be very Unix-like. [7] This goal of minimalism and complete user control, however, can make it difficult for Linux beginners as it requires more knowledge of and responsibility for the operating system. [8] [9]
Arch Linux ARM is based on Arch Linux, which is a minimalist Linux distribution first released on March 11, 2002. [10] 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, [11] notably Mike Staszel, who went on to found the Arch Linux ARM project. [12]
Kevin Mihelich is currently Arch Linux ARM's primary developer. [1] Arch Linux ARM is community-developed, with software development and user support provided fully by volunteer effort and donations. [13] 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. [14]
Arch Linux ARM follows a rolling release cycle, i.e. new software is packaged as it is released. [15] 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. [16] [17]
Unlike Arch Linux, which is aimed at x86-64 CPUs, Arch Linux ARM targets ARM CPUs and, as a result, many single-board computers such as the Raspberry Pi. [18] [19]
There is support for:
Arch Linux ARM can run on any device that supports ARMv7 or ARMv8 instruction sets, [22] [ failed verification ] including the 64-bit ARMv8 instruction set of the Raspberry Pi 3 and 4. [23]
There are officially supported platforms [24] and community-supported ones as well. [25]
Arch Linux ARM has gained popularity as a lightweight Linux distribution, and in 2014 was growing in popularity among single-board computer hobbyists. [26] [27] Arch Linux ARM is also known for having good community support. [28]
ARM is a family of RISC instruction set architectures (ISAs) for computer processors. Arm Ltd. develops the ISAs and licenses them to other companies, who build the physical devices that use the instruction set. It also designs and licenses cores that implement these ISAs.
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RetroArch is a free and open-source, cross-platform frontend for emulators, game engines, video games, media players and other applications. It is the reference implementation of the libretro API, designed to be fast, lightweight, portable and without dependencies. It is licensed under the GNU GPLv3.
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