Obarun - An Arch Based Linux Distro Without Systemd

Today’s Linux distribution review is not just for distro hoppers who love to try something new, but it’s for people who have a specific purpose, such as a Linux system without systemd. Systemd, as we all know, has always been criticized by a lot of developers and Linux users.

What’s special about Obarun?

Obarun is packed with enough utilities to install & start a vanilla Arch Linux without any trouble. I have written an article on how to install Arch step by step, and it is a long article. But Obarun does the Arch installation in a very simple way. It comes with obarun-installer, a script that helps install Arch as easily as possible.

No systemd

If you don’t like systemd, go with Obarun as it will install an Arch Linux without systemd. Obarun uses S6 as the systemd replacement and 66 supervision suite for init and service management.

Why systemd sucks or does it?

If you are not aware of the whole systemd drama, watch the following video –

Here is the page that counters the myth about systemd. You should know both sides before making any decision.

Systemd – The Biggest Myths

Also, read what Linus Torvalds and other Linux devs have to say about systemd –

Linus Torvalds and others on Linux’s systemd

Well, whatever sides you’re on, you know major Linux distributions have already adopted systemd; Ubuntu and fedora are just two examples.

Obarun Ease of Installation

The very first thing I like to discuss is the installation of Obarun. If you have ever tried to install Arch Linux, you know it’s not as easy as Ubuntu or Fedora. But Arch Linux allows you to customize your distro in any way possible. So if you love to customize the distro, it’s worth learning to install Arch.

Obarun solves the installation issues. Obarun provides obarun-installer script that takes care of the installation step. You can choose pretty much anything that you would in any other Linux distribution that provides a GUI-based installer.

If you download the Obarun JWM flavor, then you will also be given options to install the following desktop environments –

• JWM
• Minimal
• Openbox
• Plasma
• Xfce4

Download Obarun

Once you download the Obarun iso, you can use Etcher or Rufus to make Obarun bootable USB. For any help regarding making the live Linux USB, read these articles –

• Make bootable USB in Windows 10
• Make bootable USB with Etcher
• Make bootable USB or DVD with dd command

Boot Obarun from Live USB

To boot your computer from the bootable USB, boot your system into bios settings. Most systems can be booted into bios using the DELETE key on the keyboard. For more information, read about your system and find the key.

Once you’re into the bios settings, go to boot and select your bootable USB at #1 priority. Save the settings and boot your system. Now the computer will boot with the USB.

Now enter the boot menu. Select and enter Boot Obarun.

It’ll start the boot process and bring you to the login. Use the following username and password to boot the system into the graphical environment –

• username – oblive
• password – toor

To log into the command line with the root user, use the following username and password –

• username – root
• password – toor

Now run the Obarun installer to launch the installation script. The script is very easy to follow. Just provide or select the input, and you’re good to go. For new users, devs have already preset certain values that users will possibly have problems with, such as disk partitioning scheme, etc.

When done with the options, select and enter the install option to initialize the installation process. It may take some time, depending on your system resources and Internet speed.

Once done, you should see a message confirming the installation’s success. Now reboot your system, unplug USB, and Obarun will boot from your system disk.

Desktop Environments

As I mentioned above, the installation script allows you to select the desktop environment. I selected Plasma, and the installer installed it perfectly fine.

Install applications & customize your Arch

Obarun installs vanilla Arch, and lets set up your system from scratch. Obarun has access to Obarun repositories and Arch repositories that mean install AUR packages without systemd.

You can use pacman to install any package from the repositories.

sudo pacman -S nemo

The above command will install the Nemo file manager.

Any Issues?

Except for the one-time failure in the installation, I did not have any other problem with Obarun. The installation error was due to the internet problem, and selecting the closest mirror fixed the issue for me. If you get any issues, please let me know in the comment section below.

Conclusion

The are many more Arch-based Linux distributions that I have covered in this article. But these distributions pack their own set of apps + systemd that make them a choice for users who need everything set up. Obarun installs vanilla Arch, so you can only install the tools you need minus systemd.

If you like the distribution, give it a try and tell me what you feel about it. Also, do support the team by becoming the patron.

Donate page

For more help, visit the forum and explore the vast number of topics discussions.