In my early days of using Linux (around 2000) I used to always install GNOME as well as KDE. I wanted to be proficient in both and had no bias to either one. But then the GNOME developers decided to force everyone

So kind of out of left field, I decided to install Ubuntu on my laptop at about 1 AM. I got the newest version, 7.10, and resized my Vista partition so using Computer > Manage > Disk Management > Shrink Volume so that I had 10 GB of unallocated space for Ubuntu (I wanted more, but it wouldn't let me). Then I popped the disc in, restarted, and installed with ease.

Arch Linux, which was inspired by the CRUX is an i686 optimized lightweight distribution with a great package management tool. Arch releases usually contain a core cd image (~160 MB) that has a core system without any graphical servers and an FTP install image (~30 MB) with which you can install the entire OS from an FTP server.

I used KDE as my primary desktop from 1996 through 2006, when I installed the GNOME version of Ubuntu and found that I liked it better than the KDE desktop I'd faced every morning for so many years. Last January, I got a new Dell Latitude D630 laptop and decided to install Kubuntu on it, but within a few weeks, I went back to GNOME.

I had always wanted to try Arch Linux. Mainly because, most people who used it became its ardent followers and, I wished to know what was the magic that pulled a Linux user to go the Arch Linux way.

So you went ahead and purchased that System 76 laptop or you decided to finally install Linux on your laptop. You now have a Linux based laptop with a webcam. But how do you take advantage of this hardware?

If you ever used or seen some screenshots of Linux Mint (or openSUSE), I'm sure you noticed how amazing it's menu is. I don't know about you, but I've always wanted to install it in Ubuntu. Sure, you could install Gnome Main Menu ( sudo apt-get install gnome-main-menu ) but I don't find it to be nowhere near as useful as the Linux Mint main menu.

I’m a big fan of Arch. It’s the Swiss army knife of Linux distributions, with the possibility to install as little or as much as you want. However, I’m also a fan of Ubuntu and when I install Linux on the PC of a friend who wants to try it, that’s the distribution I’ll use.

Arch has been my primary Linux distribution for two years and I dual boot it with Windows XP on my Thinkpad. I like Arch for its KISS principle, good speed and repository full of latest stable packages. According to Arch Wiki , Arch Linux is an independent i686-optimized community distribution for intermediate and advanced Linux users.