ArcoLinux Lead Steps Down After Eight Years
Erik Dubois, the lead developer of ArcoLinux, has announced his departure from the project after eight years of dedication. Dubois attributed his decision to his advancing age and reduced mental stamina, stating that he now makes more mistakes that could impact the project. He emphasized that the code will remain open for others to learn from, fork, or remix, with a transition package available to help users switch to Arch Linux.
Dubois’s farewell post highlighted the journey of the project, reflecting on the achievements over the past eight years. According to Linux magazine, ArcoLinux has achieved several milestones, including the creation of over 5,000 educational videos, the development of ArcoInstall, the Carli education project, the Arch Linux Calamares Installer (ALCI), and various distro variants such as ArcoPlasma, ArcoNet, ArcroPro, and Ariser. Dubois described the project not just as creating a distribution but as fostering a mindset within the Linux community.
As of July 1, 2025, the transition period will end, marking a stop to all development and the deactivation of ArcoLinux’s social media handles. The Telegram and Discord communities will remain active for a bit longer but will eventually close down. Dubois expressed his desire to step down while the project is still strong, allowing him to reflect on the accomplishments with pride. He also mentioned that users will have access to a transition package to help them convert their existing ArcoLinux systems to Arch Linux, which includes replacing the arcolinux-mirrorlist with a single source and updating the pacman.conf file to focus on Arch and Chaotic-AUR configurations.