ArcoLinux fou💞nder Erik Dubois has announced he is stepping away from the project and and shutting dow♏n the popular Linux distro.

ArcoLinux is an Arch-based distro that has filled a spec🧸ial role in the Linux community. The distro is 90% straight Arch, but includes a number of ArcoLinux-specific applications, as well as some from the Chaotic AUR.

Even more than the distro itself, ArcoLinux was a valuable source of information, with Dubois publishing thousands of instructional videos on YouTube, as well as founding the ArcoLinux Universi💯ty. Dubois explain💖ed his reason for ending the distro in .

A farewell to the ArcoLinux University

Reflecting on 8 Years of Teaching, Building, and Promoting Linux

After eight years of dedication to the ArcoLinux ✨project and the broader Linux community, the time has come for me to step away.

This decision wasn’t made lightly. But as I approach 60, I’ve found myꦉself with less energy, less focus, and making small mistakes that remind me I’m no longer at my peak. I want to leave ArcoLinux while ♉it’s still strong, and while I can look back with pride at everything we’ve accomplished together.

Dubois goes on to list his project’s impressive accomplishments before expounding on his reasons for stepping back and what’s next.

Why It’s Time to Step Back

Aging is humbling. As I near 60, I’ve come to realize I simply don’t have the same mental sharpness or stamina I used to. I catch myself making little mistakes — the kind that matter when you’re maintaining an☂ ecosystem with this many moving parts.

Rather than let that dimi🅷nish the quality of Ar🌸coLinux, I choose to leave it while it’s still stable, respected, and valuable.

Dubois says he wants “to slow down, enjoy life, and maybe tinker with Linux just for fun again—without the pressure of running a large project.” He says “the code, the videos, the documentation—they’ll remain online for others to learn from, fork, or remix.”

Fo𒀰r existing ArcoLinux users, there will be transition packages in the coming weeks that make it easy transiti๊on to vanilla Arch without the need to reinstall.

Moving Forward

Going forward, we will provide you with transition packages that allows users to convert their existing Arc🦄oLinux systems into an Arch Linux setup. This package will:

• Remove ArcoLinux branding (logos and themes) wherever needed/wanted
• Replace pacman.conf with a new one focused on Arch and Chaotic-AUR
• Change the arcolinux-mirrorlist into one source only – github (free)

You can keep on rolling as you are on Arch – no need to reinstall

While we will no longer build or maintain our own or AUR packages, we will rely on Chaotic-AUR to provide binary packages. This community resource w💞ill continue the heavy lifting for AUR support — a role we have fulfilled ourselves for the past 8 years.

The transiꦉtion is expected to be c✃omplete by July 1, 2025.

While Dubois’ announcement is unfortunate for ArcoLinux users, it is also completely understandable. After years maintaining the distro, it’s understandable that Dubois wants to retire and enjoy having fun with Linux, rather than it being a job.

ArcoLinux should also serve as a cautionary tale. There are many distros in the Linux community, some of which are maintained by companies and large communities, whi🦩le others are maintained by a single individual. Relying on a distro tඣhat is maintained by a single user, or just a couple of users, always runs the risk of that distro disappearing.

At the same time, ArcoLinux also demonstratဣes exactly what kind of distro users do well to rely on, even if it is a smal🐻ler distro maintained by one person. While ArcoLinux is going away, the fact that it is essentially just Arch Linux underneath means that users have an easy path forward.

At t🃏he end o൲f the day, ArcoLinux will be missed, but the legacy it leaves behind will continue on for years to come.