Arch Linux's reputation for complexity often intimidates newcomers, spawning user-friendly forks like Manjaro and EndeavourOS. Enter Liya Linux—a solo developer's vision for an Arch-based distribution that balances accessibility with uncompromising privacy. Designed explicitly for developers, students, and tinkerers, Liya strips away bloat while retaining Arch's power beneath a familiar Cinnamon desktop interface.

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The distro immediately distinguishes itself through intentional design choices: the Brave browser handles web traffic, OnlyOffice Desktop Editors replaces LibreOffice for cloud-integrated document work, and GNOME Encfs Manager enables on-demand directory encryption. Services run at an absolute minimum, and telemetry collection is entirely absent—addressing growing privacy concerns head-on.

"A clean, fast, Arch-based distribution for those who build with purpose, not noise," declares the project's manifesto, reflecting its developer-focused ethos.

Installation leverages the beginner-friendly Calamares installer, lowering Arch's typical barrier to entry. Under the hood, optimizations support both older v2 and modern v3 microarchitectures, breathing new life into aging hardware. The inclusion of Timeshift provides crucial safety nets via system snapshots—a wise addition for any rolling-release distro.

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While the Cinnamon desktop offers Windows-like familiarity, Wallen notes the conspicuous absence of Samba for network file sharing—a trade-off for minimalism that might frustrate some tinkerers. Despite this, Liya's curated toolset creates a compelling environment for focused development work and experimentation.

For technical users seeking an Arch foundation without complexity compromises—and who prioritize privacy above all—Liya Linux warrants serious consideration. Its philosophy of purposeful minimalism delivers a refreshing alternative in the crowded Linux ecosystem. Download the ISO, fire up that spare machine, and experience a distro engineered for builders, not bystanders.

Source: ZDNet, Jack Wallen, July 28, 2025