Hash Linux | A Lightweight Arch Based Distribution

Hash Linux is an Arch based Linux distribution that aims to provide users with a preconfigured window manager out of the box. They have four different versions available to download which are Awesome, Bspwm, Xmonad and i3. At the time of writing all of the versions ship with Kernel version 5.12.3. Hash Linux includes all the standard applications a new user might need to get themselves off their feet. Some of the applications included out of the box are ; 

• Thunar (File Manager)
• Firefox (Web Browser)
• Gparted (Disk Partition Tool)
• Hash Theme Selector 

I took the time to check out their Awesome version. Awesome is a lightweight window manager written for X11. Their Awesome ISO is a little over 2GB in size and uses Calamares for system installation. It uses Ext4 as its default file system and gives you the option to configure your swap partition or file with or without hibernation. Installation took no time at all on my machine and was complete in under 5 minutes.

I’m relatively new to the Awesome window manager but despite this Hash Linux did a good job of getting me used to how it works. Hash Linux includes Conky and has a widget on the desktop that includes some of the most commonly used keyboard shortcuts. You can also press your left super key + S to view all of the other keyboard shortcuts. Navigating through the system was fast and snappy and they include some commands to make upgrading and installing your packages easier. 

Visually it has a clean and simple design down to the icons and window theme. If you want to quickly change the appearance of Awesome you can use the Hash Theme Selector. This includes a few different choices to change the look and feel of your system with just a couple of clicks. This simple little tool makes it a whole lot easier for new users to give their machine a bit of a face lift. The default shell Hash Linux was using is ZSH.

It didn’t notice any bugs or crashes while using Hash Linux. During the installation process I chose to expand my swap partition for full hibernation. It handled entering the low powered state and restarting right where I left off without issue. I didn’t notice a GUI way to initiate hibernation as it wasn’t present in the power menu but other than that I had no complaints here.

Overall Hash Linux definitely has some potential for users looking for an Arch based system using a window manager without doing all the heavy lifting themselves. I’m excited to check out some of their other versions in the near future. 

What do you think of Hash Linux? Let me know in the comments below!