I’ve been thinking about writing a technical blog for a long time.
And yet… I never actually started.
I just noticed in my profile dashboard that I created this DEV account back in 2022. It’s almost the end of February 2026 now.
Wow. I’m definitely not a procrastinator.
Well… better late than never.
So this is it. My first article.
And what better topic to start with than something slightly chaotic?
Moving from Windows to Arch Linux.
With Hyprland.
(Yes, partly so I can finally say “I use Arch, btw.” Just kidding. Or am I?)
So… Why Arch?
If you just want to start using Linux, there are a lot of options to choose from.
We call them Linux distributions (or distros). And when I say a lot — I really mean it.
Most desktop Linux distros today are based on a few major foundations:
- Debian
- Fedora
- Arch
- Gentoo
There are also independent ones like Slackware.
And honestly? Most of them are actually good. I think the reason is simple — the people building them genuinely use them.
The Distros I Tried
I’ve tried quite a few that YouTubers and bloggers usually recommend:
- Linux Mint
- Pop!_OS
- Parrot OS
- Kali Linux
- Manjaro
And more.
They were good. They worked. They looked nice.
But I never felt like staying on them for long.
Most of them felt… bloated.
Yes, I know. The guy coming from Windows is calling Linux bloated. Irony noted.
But what I mean is — I didn’t want 30 preinstalled apps I would never touch. I didn’t want background services I didn’t understand. I wanted something minimal. Clean. Mine.
So I thought:
“Alright. Let’s try a base version. Maybe Debian base.”
Tried that.
Still didn’t feel right.
Back to Windows I went.
The Arch Moment
Then one day, one of my friends showed me his desktop.
“It’s Arch Linux,” he said casually.
It looked absolutely gorgeous.
But what impressed me more was this:
He built it himself.
He chose everything.
Configured everything.
Customized everything.
We talked for a while, and that conversation planted the seed.
After that, I went down the YouTube rabbit hole:
- Arch setups
- Window managers
- Ricing videos
- Productivity workflows
- Terminal customization
That’s when I discovered Hyprland.
A dynamic tiling window manager built for Wayland, with smooth animations and insane levels of customization.
Lightweight. Minimal. Fast. Fully customizable.
And I love productivity.
So here I am.
(This is me. There’s nowhere else on Earth I’d rather be.
Okay sorry — distracted for a second. That’s a song I really love.)
What About Gentoo?
While researching Arch, I also discovered Gentoo.
I had heard of Arch before. But Gentoo? That was new.
From what I learned, if you want absolute control, Gentoo is next level. You compile almost everything from source.
It sounds powerful. It also sounds slightly terrifying.
I haven’t tried it yet, so I can’t speak from experience. But if you’re into deep customization and don’t mind complexity, it might be worth exploring.
For now though, Arch felt like the perfect balance between control and sanity.
So… What Is Arch Linux?
Arch Linux is a lightweight, rolling-release distribution built around simplicity and full user control. (Okay, I did Google that.)
Unlike many other distros, it doesn’t come with a pre-installed desktop environment.
And in my case, that meant installing Hyprland from scratch and building my entire workflow around it.
You install:
- Your desktop (or window manager)
- Your display manager
- Your drivers
- Your apps
- Your services
Basically — everything.
Sounds like a lot of work?
It is.
You’ll be lucky if your Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, webcam, and audio work perfectly without any tweaking.
Things will break.
You will troubleshoot.
You will read the Arch Wiki.
A lot.
And if you decide to use something like Hyprland instead of a full desktop environment, you’ll configure things manually — key bindings, status bars, launchers, animations, everything.
If you want an OS that works perfectly out of the box, Arch is not for you.
But if you’re the kind of person who enjoys:
- Understanding how things work
- Fixing issues yourself
- Building your system exactly the way you want
Then you’ll probably love this.
And honestly, the frustration is part of the fun.
Why I Finally Made the Move
For me, it came down to this:
I didn’t just want to use my operating system.
I wanted to understand it.
Windows always felt like a black box.
Other distros felt pre-built.
Arch — especially with Hyprland — felt like a blank canvas.
And I wanted to build my own setup — my own workflow — my own environment.
So I made the jump.
Was it smooth?
No.
Was it worth it?
Absolutely.
Thank you for reading this not-so-long article. I hope you got something from it.
Feel free to comment below with your feedback — about the article, my writing, your Arch experience, or just about anything.
And yes…
I use Arch, btw.
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