Introducing The Linuxbook Pro 2.0

My upcycled Macbook Pro, formerly misnamed “lb-air”, that was running Fedora Workstation 43 has been wiped and reimaged with a custom Arch Linux build; outlined below.

“But why?” you may be asking yourself, well, Fedora WS 43 was too stable. It just worked. And while it was the perfect environment for a beginner like me, I wasn’t learning much because the OS was doing everything for me. I was learning but it was slow--too slow for me. So I decided to start researching other Linux distributions (distros) and saw a few that I might like.

During my research, there was one OS that kept getting mentioned, far and wide, by many people, Arch Linux. “Arch is the best!” was consistently repeated on every platform I landed on. So I decided to check it out. And much to my surprise, Arch ended up sounding like exactly what I wanted; a live fire DIY Linux environment that will teach me more about Linux and CLI by doing.

So what is Arch Linux?

Arch is a rolling-release, x86_64, GNU/Linux distro built with the KISS philosophy, “Keep It Simple, Stupid,” as its core tenet. Arch itself includes a minimal set of packages which then allow you to further add to build the exact system you want. This means you have total control over every aspect of your system, but this is a double-edged sword. Total control also means the user has total responsibility for the security and stability of the system. And while the sovereignty gained is incredibly nice, it is a lot of work. That is the major downside of using Arch; it is a labor of love to build and maintain, however, what you get out of it is an operating system that aligns with your vision and works exactly as you built it to. People with a stronger Linux foundation will have a much smoother time than I did, but I was ultimately able to complete my desired, custom, Arch install manually. If I can do it, then, if you’re determined, you can do it too! And while it took me 4 hours, 59 minutes, and 38 seconds from full wipe to functional, I’m proud of it and I learned an immense amount that I never would’ve otherwise.

But. Arch is not all sunshine and roses.

In addition to being a lot of work to set up and maintain compared to other distros, Arch is only as stable as the user creating and using it. While I am a big fan of Arch, it is inherently difficult to recommend due to its fundamental nature.

Just so you're aware:

Installing Arch, building your system, and keeping everything up to date, is a lot of work.
Creating a custom Arch build takes a lot of research to find what will work best for you.
You will break something, guaranteed, and that will give you a headache, guaranteed. You must persist.
In the Arch community, the resources are all there for you, truly, on the Arch Wiki (https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Main_page), but there is a widespread mentality that each Arch user uses these resources independently and solves their own problems.
Arch Linux, and the Arch community, are not beginner friendly. There is a baseline technological literacy expected of everyone and if you do not have that, you are expected to acquire that before you engage with the community.
The Arch Wiki, while exceptional as tech documentation, is sharp in its tone and refuses to hold your hand. This is shown in my favorite text on the Arch Wiki (https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Frequently_asked_questions) “3 - System Maintenance; 3.1 Why is my internet so slow compared to other operating systems?” The Arch flavored response: “Is your network configured correctly? Have a look at the Network configuration article. For advanced setups, you may also want to look at traffic shaping. …”

If you would like to learn more about Arch Linux, I highly recommend you start at the Arch Wiki itself, located at “https://wiki.archlinux.org/” .

Other things to note:

Device Status: As of 2026.07.13, the device is stable and functioning as desired.
“echo $?” ⇒ Best command ever invented; checks the exit status of the last command and outputs either a 0 for a successful completion or a non-zero number up to 255 (e.g. 127) telling you which error occurred during execution.
AI tools were used during the installation process and were a big help. Specifically, Claude 4.7 Opus, Google Gemini 3, and Perplexity AI.

And that, everyone, is my new and improved Linuxbook Pro, lb_pro_2, running my custom Arch Linux operating system. Stay tuned for the Arch Linux installation overview, an indepth system configuration, and more tech projects.

Forge on.

lb_pro_2 Configuration Information:

What // Info // Pkg Name: