2026 / OPERATING SYSTEM
An4rch
OS.
A Linux distribution built on Arch Linux and Hyprland, full of features and customization options.
The idea
Arch Linux is fast and flexible, but setting it up takes hours and a lot of reading. An4rch OS keeps everything that makes Arch great and removes the hard parts: install it from a USB stick in a few clicks and you get a finished, consistent desktop.
It takes inspiration from Omarchy (the keyboard-driven desktop), Bazzite (one-command extras and gaming) and CachyOS (performance), then adds things none of them have, like a panic key and built-in privacy tools.
My role
Everything: the design and themes, the installer, the desktop tools, the documentation, and the automated testing that installs and checks every change on virtual machines.
What it
can do.
A friendly installer
Graphical or text. Desktop or server, kernel and shell choice, dual boot beside Windows, your own partitions, and offline installs straight from the USB stick.
Themes & wallpapers
15 themes, gradients drawn from the colours of anarchism, each with its own wallpapers, switched with one key. Every app, bar and menu follows the theme.
Start menu & App Store
A Start menu, App Store, settings app, quick-settings panels and title bars, so it feels familiar from day one.
Private by default
Encrypted DNS, tracker blocking, a hidden hardware address, encrypted vaults, a sandbox for untrusted apps, and metadata removal for photos.
The panic key
One key press locks the screen, closes vaults, mutes the mic and wipes the clipboard. Snapshots let you roll back any update.
Accessible
Screen reader, bigger text and cursor, reduced motion and a high-contrast theme, with read-aloud for any selected text.
Ready to play
Steam, Proton and controller support in one step, plus CachyOS-style performance tuning and a choice of kernels.
Best of other systems
Light by day and dark at night, quick notes, screen time, battery charge limit, and share-to-phone by QR code.
One command for everything
anarch reaches every feature: update, health check, tidy up, move your setup to another PC, and more.
How it's
built.
The desktop is configured in Lua for Hyprland, the tools are Bash and Python, and the apps use GTK4. A theme engine renders one palette into every app's config, and a wallpaper generator paints smooth gradients for each theme.
The ISO carries its own package repository, so an install doesn't need the internet.
Tested on
47 machines.
Build the ISO
A fresh installer image is built from the code, the same way a release is.
Install it on virtual machines
Up to 47 different set-ups: low-spec and high-spec, NVIDIA graphics, dual boot with Windows, encrypted disks, offline installs, servers, other languages and keyboards.
Use it like a person would
Each machine boots the desktop, presses keys, opens apps and runs every tool, taking screenshots along the way.
Only then release
Anything that fails is fixed and tested again before it reaches anyone's computer.