== Introduction to Arch Linux ==

Linux users tend to become fan boys of their favorite flavor of Linux. [[Ubuntu]], [[w:OpenSUSE|OpenSUSE]] and [[Fedora]] tend to lead the distributions lists ([http://www.distrowatch.com/ Distro Watch]), because of their ease of installation and use. The other type of distribution targets users who desire a highly customized and fine-tuned system, an example of which would be [[Gentoo]]. While both extremes have their pros and cons in terms of customizability and ease of use, neither group targets users who desire easily customized systems that expose the lower-level workings of Linux. Arch Linux fills this void with a distribution that uses the bare-bones approach of Gentoo, but without requiring every package be compiled from source. It also shies away from GUI-based configuration tools in favor of directly editing text files, although GUI-based configuration tools do exist. This makes Arch an excellent distribution for older or low-end hardware. Although the installation lacks the glitz of Ubuntu or OpenSUSE, it still detects nearly all modern hardware and automatically installs drivers. [[Mirrors|Virginia Tech's mirroring]] of the Arch repositories also benefits VT Arch users, because it ensures fast installs and updates.