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Arch Linux, packaged in style

Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

Article from ADMIN 36/2016

By Ferdinand Thommes

Apricity OS aims to make everyday life easier for mobile and cloud users, as well as beginners.

Apricity OS takes its name from an archaic term for the winter sun's warmth. However, the developers' approach does require some energy and sometimes feels like they are trying to square the circle. They are using Arch Linux, which was previously considered a distro for experts, as the basis for an operating system targeted at beginners and the generation of mobile online workers and cloud users. Its focus is also on a simple, modern style. The key objectives are therefore completely different from those of Arch Linux.

The first stable version of Apricity OS appeared in July 2016 after several beta versions, followed in September by Apricity OS 09.2016 [1] (code-named Aspen), which was used for this test. The project was based on Gnome only in its beta phase, although another GTK desktop, Cinnamon, was added at the start of the year. Both desktop variants [2] weigh in at just under 2GB.

Although other distributions are considering no longer publishing 32-bit images, Apricity's developers are doing the opposite and offering an image of that type, although they characterized it as experimental at this time. This step does not appear entirely plausible, and unfortunately, the developers did not answer a question to this effect in time for this article.

Elegant Looks

First up in the test was the 64-bit image as a Live medium with Gnome desktop. The desktop is elegant and well-arranged. The design creates a consistent look, in conjunction with the Numix Icon Theme [3] and well-considered fonts. You can hardly tell at a glance that this desktop is based on Gnome.

As long as you do not consult the list of sources, the Arch foundation does not shine through. The desktop's appearance is more reminiscent of Mac OS or a

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