Frequently Asked Questions

*Is this just Arch with a theme? AcreetionOS shares Arch’s base and rolling model, but ships its own tested repository (repo-main), preconfigured desktop, Timeshift + Recovery Environment out of the box, and a graphical installer. You get Arch’s ecosystem without assembling it yourself.

*Will Arch Wiki instructions work here? Mostly yes — the underlying stack matches (pacman, systemd, mkinitcpio). Prefer these docs where they differ (repositories, keyring, recovery tools).

*Can I break it like vanilla Arch can be broken? Harder, not impossible. Partial upgrades remain forbidden (Updating AcreetionOS Safely), and snapshots + recovery mean mistakes cost minutes, not installs.

*How often should I update? Weekly-ish is plenty. Details and safety habits: Updating Safely.

*Is there a version number / how do releases work? Rolling. ISOs are refreshed builds; your system stays current through pacman. See Release Notes.

*Why Cinnamon? Familiar workflow, lightweight enough for old machines, actively developed, GTK themable — sweet spot between modern and comfortable. Alternatives exist in editions: Editions.

*Do AUR helpers work? Yes — yay is documented in AUR Guide. Same review-before-build caution as anywhere on Arch.

*Secure Boot? Disabled for install (standard for Arch-family). Can be set up with custom keys afterwards if required by your threat model.

*Where’s my /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist? AcreetionOS pins its own repo server instead of mirrorlists — see Repositories & Mirrors.

*How do I help? Docs (like improving this page!), testing, packaging, donations — start at Contributing.