AcreetionOS is an approachable and user-friendly distribution based on the powerful Arch Linux core. Our mission is to bridge the gap between the power and flexibility of Arch and the simplicity that everyday computer users expect. We aim to make the Arch ecosystem accessible to a wider audience—from students and developers to casual desktop users—by providing a stable, pre-configured, and beautiful desktop experience right out of the box.

This project is made possible by the incredible work of the Arch Linux developers and the broader open-source community. We see ourselves as curators, taking an already fantastic base and adding a layer of convenience, rigorous testing, and thoughtful design to create a cohesive and welcoming operating system for everyone.

We Are Open, Independent, and Bootstrapped

Everything related to AcreetionOS, including this website, is fully open-source. We believe in the power of free and open-source software (FOSS) to empower users and protect digital freedom. We are a small, passionate team of developers, and our independence is not just a feature—it's the foundation of our project. We are completely self-funded and self-hosted, ensuring that our decisions are driven by our community, not by corporate interests.

Our unique funding model is designed to protect this independence. We are developing separate, proprietary applications for other operating systems (like Windows and macOS). The revenue from these projects directly funds the infrastructure and development of AcreetionOS, allowing our Linux-based work to remain free, open, and independent forever. This is our way of contributing to the open-source world while building a sustainable future for our project.

How We Work

We believe in real, genuine human interaction. That's why we've chosen Discord as our primary community platform. Unlike traditional forums, Discord allows for real-time conversations, which helps us provide better support and fosters a more personal and less toxic environment. We want to build a community where users can connect with each other and with the development team directly. This approach helps us stay connected to our users and ensures that everyone gets the help they need.

How You Can Contribute

AcreetionOS is a community-driven project, and we welcome contributions from everyone, regardless of technical skill. Even if you don't have a technical background, you can make a huge difference. Here are some of the ways you can help us grow:

• Developers: If you're a developer, you can help us by contributing to our codebase, fixing bugs, or developing new features. We welcome all contributors, including those who wish to contribute via AI-assisted tools. Join our Discord or email us at developers@acreetionos.org to get started.
• Designers: If you have a knack for design, you can help us with everything from wallpapers and icons to website design and branding.
• Testers: We need help testing new releases to find and report bugs. If you have an eye for detail and are willing to test our development builds, you can play a crucial role in ensuring the stability of AcreetionOS.
• Documenters: Good documentation is essential for any open-source project. You can help us by writing new tutorials, improving existing documentation, or translating it into new languages.
• Community Supporters: If you're an experienced user, you can help others by answering questions on our Discord server and forums. A friendly and supportive community is one of our most important goals.
• Advocates: If you enjoy using AcreetionOS, help us spread the word! Tell your friends, write a blog post, or share your experience on social media. The more people who know about us, the stronger our community becomes.
• Sponsors: We are looking for sponsors to provide resources like mirrors, not to tell us what to do. If you can help, please get in touch. By helping us build relationships with sponsors, you can make a much bigger impact than a monetary donation.

AcreetionOS is more than just a themed version of Arch Linux. We've made several key decisions and customizations to improve the user experience, stability, and performance.

Boot Process: Simple & Reliable

We use a combination of bootloaders to ensure a smooth experience. The live environment is booted using systemd-boot and syslinux for maximum hardware compatibility. For the final installation, we use grub, a powerful and widely-supported bootloader. This hybrid approach ensures that AcreetionOS boots reliably on a wide range of hardware, including both modern UEFI systems and older BIOS-based machines. Don't worry about the technical details - it just works.

Filesystem: EXT4 for Stability

We use the EXT4 filesystem by default. While newer filesystems exist, EXT4 is the most mature, stable, and well-tested filesystem in the Linux world. It offers excellent performance for desktop use cases and is incredibly reliable, ensuring your data is safe. This choice reflects our commitment to providing a stable and worry-free experience.

Audio: The Power of Pipewire

AcreetionOS uses Pipewire as its audio server, a modern replacement for PulseAudio. Pipewire is superior in every way: it offers lower latency, better CPU utilization, and seamless support for both consumer and professional audio applications. It also unifies video and audio streams, providing a more robust multimedia experience.

AcreetionOS is proud to be mirrored by the following organizations, which helps us distribute our operating system to users around the world. Their support is a testament to the trust and confidence the open-source community has in our project.

Using Your Own Flashing Tool

After downloading an ISO, you will need to write it to a USB drive (8GB or larger recommended). This will erase all data on the USB drive.

Balena Etcher (Recommended for most users)

Balena Etcher is a simple graphical tool for Windows, macOS, and Linux. 1. Select the downloaded AcreetionOS ISO file. 2. Select your USB drive. 3. Click "Flash!".

Ventoy (for multi-boot USBs)

Ventoy is a tool that lets you create a bootable USB drive where you can simply copy multiple ISO files. 1. Install Ventoy to your USB drive once. 2. Drag and drop the AcreetionOS ISO file onto the USB. 3. Boot from the USB to see the Ventoy menu.

Using `dd` (Advanced Linux Users)

The `dd` command is a powerful but dangerous tool. Incorrect usage can lead to data loss. Be certain of your USB drive's device name (e.g., `/dev/sdb`, not `/dev/sdb1`).

sudo dd if=/path/to/AcreetionOS.iso of=/dev/sdX bs=4M status=progress oflag=sync

Replace `/path/to/AcreetionOS.iso` with the actual path to your downloaded file and `/dev/sdX` with your USB device identifier.