Arch Linux for the DIY Linux user
There's no dearth of Linux distributions for desktop users or even for running high availability servers. But if you are a do-it-yourself computer user, your choice of Linux distros is fairly limited. You can build Linux from scratch with Linux from Scratch or compile your own set of packages with Gentoo. But if you want a distro that teaches you the basics of Linux as you set it up; is well documented, lightweight, and zippy; and has a dependency-resolving packaging system, you need Arch Linux.
Modern desktop Linux distros hide all the configuration bits behind easy-to-navigate menus and auto-resolving package managers. Old-timers might consider them bloated or resource hogs, but they are popular thanks to good bandwidth, cheap hardware, and the lack of time people have to fine-tune their systems.
Arch Linux is a great mix of the old and the new. From the golden days of Linux, Arch inherits the ability to fine-tune, tweak, and run a customized system, and from the modern era it takes its auto-resolving binary package manager. With an active user and contributor community, what you get is a system that's completely under your control, doesn't eat your whole weekend setting it up, and sports a package manager designed to keep you on the bleeding edge of free and open source software.
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What these Arch fans fail to mention
Is that with some attention to details and enough interest ( and if you are interested enough to work with Arch , there is enough interest) anyone who wants to completely control ANY Linux distro can.
It is entirely possible and not too far out to completely transform an existing distro even with it "user friendly" tools and apps.
These are ALL Linux underneath. Arch is a fine distro for those that want to use it in a manner described by the folks promoting it, don't get me wrong, but it is not the "only" way one can be in entire control of the distro they are using.
Linux is Linux under the hood, it's all about what the individual user feels like doing. To try to make it seem as there are no or not many options in this vein is simply not true.
Big Bear