This page should answer all your primary questions regarding March Linux. Also, please remember that March Linux being nothing but a customized Arch Linux, many of your questions may already have been addressed to in the various Arch Linux links, including the Wiki and the Forums. Further, questions related to Fluxbox may have their answers in the Official Fluxbox wiki. You are strongly recommended to visit all the mentioned sites.
However, if you still have a relevant question which is unanswered, feel free to drop me an email at moc.liamg|xunilhcram.nayas#moc.liamg|xunilhcram.nayas
What is March Linux ?
March Linux aims to be a Simple, Lean and Fast GNU/Linux distribution for the desktop which urges the users to learn linux instead of holding their hands at every step!
At the same time, it is usable and fully functional with almost every software that one might need being available. It is heavily based on Arch Linux, which is IMHO the coolest distro on earth! :D In fact, I prefer to call March as a "distrolet" of Arch!
The default desktop in March Linux is Fluxbox
Why this name ?
No, I didn't chose this name because it was born in the month of March or something!
To put it simply : March is the short-form of 'My Arch' !! :D
In what form is March available?
Currently, only as a Live CD.
March had started off initially as a text installer CD created following Rasat's Guide here, but later I decided to convert it to a Live only CD using the Linux-Live scripts. The main reasons behind the decision were
(1) The apparent unwillingness on the part of prospective users to 'waste' their hard disk space for installing a new and testing distro! (2) Some possible technical inability for an installed March linux system to function properly on all machines.
Right now, no installation option is available. This might change in future though depending on user feedback.
Why did I create it ?
Some days ago, one of my friends wanted to try out Linux on his box. I had the iso-s of a good number of distros in my arsenal, but none of them I liked enough to give to him. Maybe that was because I had been using Arch Linux for some time and couldn't believe that a better distro could exist(No offense meant to all those other excellent distros!) :) I just adore the speed and flexibility of Arch. But there was only one problem. Arch is traditionally a advanced-user's distro, and my friend was not that!
So, I sat down to decide which thing in Arch makes it most unsuitable for a newbie? My answer was : to install a linux distro only to find it gives you no graphical desktop but only a command line interface by default! The remaining things can be learnt easily if you have the will! So, I decided to create March Linux, which is essentially Arch Linux pre-installed with a workable GUI interface, requiring little or no post-install configuration. At first, it was a text-based install CD, created according to Rasat's excellent guide. However, due to various reasons I converted it to work as a Live CD using the Linux Live scripts, which is the current form available right now!
What features do it offer ?
March Linux is basically Arch + Fluxbox + a number other useful apps. To learn more, please visit the Features page.
What not to expect ?
First of all, I am neither a professional developer nor a geek even by the farthest stretch of the terms! I love Linux and have been learning a great deal of it ever since I started using Arch Linux. This March Linux project is just another step in that learning process. I plan to grasp the concepts behind the running process of a general linux distro by trying to implement it here, besides understanding how to apply random tweaks here and there.
Please keep giving me advice about how March Linux can be improved and anything else that might help my learning process, and help improve March
Who am I ?
Ah!! That's a very philosophical question!!! ;-)
Jokes apart, this is Sayan Chakrabarti (aka Riju) hailing from Kolkata, India. I started using Linux almost a year ago, and had been using Ubuntu for most of that time. However, about 2 months ago, I discovered Arch Linux and this is the distro I'v been "learning the ropes on" ever since. Being a worshiper of the KISS Principle, I prefer the simplicity of a Window Manager (read Fluxbox) to a full-fledged Desktop Environment. I am also a great fan of FREE (as in FREEDOM) software philosophy. Currently I'm trying hard to reduce to zero the number of non-FOSS(FREE and Open Source) software that I use !
You can reach me at moc.liamg|xunilhcram.nayas#moc.liamg|xunilhcram.nayas
What is the license?
Obviously, GNU / GPL! However, it does contain a few Non-FREE software (like the Flash player plugin for Firefox) as of now! :( They will be removed soon!
What is the current version?
Let's say 1.0 to start off with!
I consider the current release to be a BETA, but that is only because March hasn't yet been tried on enough computers! If you want to help me, please download the ISO and give it a run on your PC, and report back to me.
Where will it head to ?
This question will be answered in a separate TODO page to be created shortly! The possibilities seems to be limitless now!! :=)
