Arch Ultimate Edition: A Feature-Rich, Beautiful Desktop OS
When I think of Arch Linux, I think of a distribution that’s best suited for those with enough Linux skills to know how to do some serious stuff.
Arch is good stuff and has spawned plenty of spin-offs, especially those that are geared toward users who don’t want to have to monkey with a more challenging installation process.
And then there’s Ultimate Edition Arch.
What exactly is this?
According to the official site, “This release IS a rolling release, supported until the year forever. This release is most certainly worthy of the Ultimate Edition title. I have advanced to allow for zstd compression, while this does make it slow when running live, it does allow for a wider swath of Software or Games. Once installed, nothing can contend with it, as can be seen in the video, UEFI is also supported.”
Okay, what exactly does this mean?
Essentially, the developer has one goal: to build the ultimate operating system. Essentially, Ultimate Arch Linux aims to be a feature-rich, beautiful desktop operating system that’s easy to use as well as powerful and flexible. With plenty of preinstalled software, plenty of available desktop environments and an installer that’s much more user-friendly than you’ll find on Arch, you might be asking yourself, “Did the developer succeed?” Well, the answer to that lies in the beholder (because everyone’s needs are different).
The key features of Ultimate Arch Linux include:
- Based on Arch, but includes elements from Debian and Ubuntu
- Desktop environments such as Awesome, Budgie, GNOME, KDE Plasma and Mate
- Uses the Calamares GUI installer
- Large ISO size (over 5GB for the LITE version)
- Targets both new and experienced Linux users, but is geared more toward those who want to get the most out of Linux
One thing to keep in mind with Ultimate Arch Linux (or Ultimate Edition Arch) is that this isn’t a distribution geared toward older hardware. This is a modern distribution that requires modern metal, so make sure you’re not trying to revive that crusty, old machine you found in your closet with this OS.
My Experience With Ultimate
I opted to go with the KDE Plasma version of the OS because I find KDE Plasma to be a wonderful test bed for distributions. It’s flexible, beautiful and easy to use.
After the user-friendly installation completed, I logged in and clicked around to see what was what. The desktop was immediately familiar, as the developer really didn’t do much to change the basic KDE Plasma layout. It used a dark theme (which I would very quickly change, as I’m not a fan of dark themes), with just the right amount of transparency.
I was pretty surprised at how well it ran as a virtual machine (VM), so there were no complaints on the performance side of things.
The first thing I did was check out what was to be found within the menus. I immediately clicked the Games menu entry and found the following:
- Denis (c64, amiga500 emulator)
- Dosbox (emulator for DOS games)
- GameHub
- Lutris
- ProtonUp-Qt
- Steam
- Kitch
Of course, it’s not just about games. You’ll find plenty of other preinstalled software titles, such as Cockpit (for remote admin), FileZilla (for FTP), Google Chrome (canary), Jellyfin Web Service, MiniDlna web service, Transmission, Zoom, Ventoy web service, Ardour, HandBrake, DVD Styler, LibreOffice, GIMP, Blender, Inkscape, Krita…the list goes on and on. And, of course, there are also development tools, such as CMakes, ChatGPT, VS Code, Electron 34, Meld, Plasma Engine Explorer, Qt Assistant and more. Essentially, there’s software for everyone in this distribution. I haven’t seen a collection of preinstalled software this impressive in a long time.
If you want to do it, Ultimate Edition has the software for you.
How Does It Perform?
Ultimate Edition running as a VM isn’t exactly a performance beast, but it did run much better than I expected it to. Of course, I did have to bump the RAM up to 6GB and the CPU cores up to 4, otherwise it wouldn’t even install. Even with those specs, the OS ran admirably well, so I can only imagine how it would shine on a modern PC with plenty of specs. Install this on a gaming system, and it would scream.
Speaking of games, I ran Steam to see how well it would work. When you first run Steam, the app downloads an update. When that finishes, you log into your account, find a game, and play (Figure 1). It’s painless and there are plenty of games to play.
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Figure 1: Who said you can’t play games on Linux?
I will say this: Playing Steam games via a VM is not a good idea. It’s a nice way to test things, but if you really want to enjoy the experience, do it on an actual PC.
Who Is Ultimate Edition For?
Simply put, Ultimate Edition is for anyone who wants the benefit of Arch Linux without having to go through the text-based installer and wants a desktop operating system that includes just about everything you can need. This is a powerhouse OS that delivers on its promise of being the ultimate operating system.
Is it perfect? No — but what OS is? After spending a week or so with this Linux distribution, I came away seriously impressed with what the developer has done and would happily recommend this to anyone wanting the Arch experience, without needing the skills required to get Arch Linux (or most of the Arch spinoffs) as well-rounded. This is a do-it-all OS with the heart of a rolling release.
Download an ISO of Ultimate Edition Arch now and see if it doesn’t impress.
