omarchy is not a distro

# abyss * your_dotfiles_are_not_a_distro Source: [https://abyss.fish/your_dotfiles_are_not_a_distro](https://abyss.fish/your_dotfiles_are_not_a_distro) ### omarchy is not a distro omarchy is[DHH](https://dhh.dk/)'s latest infatuation \- omarchy[describes itself](https://github.com/basecamp/omarchy)like so: \> Omarchy is a beautiful, modern & opinionated Linux distribution by DHH\. as a longtime frequenter of[r/unixporn](https://old.reddit.com/r/unixporn/), it was immediately apparent to me that omarchy is not a linux distribution in any traditional sense \-\- in fact, the entire "omarchy distribution" amounts to little more than Arch linux \+ DHH's personal dotfiles\. the whole thing should probably just be a few gists\. ultimately i think that any interest Linux desktops is a good thing, but i take serious issue with omarchy's posturing \-\- \_why\_ is omarchy such a huge focus of DHH's? and \_why\_ does it have a conference, sponsors, and merchandise? especially when longstanding distros like Debian have struggled with funding and sponsorship for decades? i think there are 3 things going on here: 1\. the advent of LLMs has made[unix ricing](https://jie-fang.github.io/blog/basics-of-ricing)orders of magnitude easier & more broadly interesting 2\. apple's hardware lead &[overall design philosophy](https://tonsky.me/blog/tahoe-icons/)is falling apart 3\. DHH realized this, and is cashing in on a wave of new, inexperienced users looking for a cool looking Linux distribution a hyper\-configured Linux install is, necessarily, hyper\-personal\. if you install omarchy, you are not installing a Linux distribution \- you are installing Arch Linux plus a huge glut of DHH's personal preferences\. ### ~~example time~~ omarchy includes a window manager called hyprland \-\- here are a few preconfigured keybinds that come from omarchy: SUPER \+ SHIFT \+ ALT \+ A: opens "https://grok\.com" SUPER \+ SHIFT \+ C: opens "https://app\.hey\.com/calendar/weeks/" SUPER \+ SHIFT \+ E: opens "https://app\.hey\.com" SUPER \+ SHIFT \+ ALT \+ X: opens "https://x\.com/compose/post" default keybinds to open\.\.\. grok? the X post dialogue? hey\.com? reeeeeally? and somehow, the pre\-installed applications list is even worse\. your default omarchy install will include a bunch of proprietary software, including: \* 1password \* claude\-code \* spotify \* typora and dozens of preloaded scripts to install such refuse as: \* brave browser \* dropbox \* nordvpn \(lol\) \.\.\. what are we doing?? these are not the kinds of packages that any sane distro would "ship" to its users\. and i am using the term "ship" generously here, because omarchy doesn't "ship" \_any\_ packages \- it relies entirely on Arch and the[AUR](https://aur.archlinux.org/)\. and one last thing that's personally offensive to me: a 37\-line default ghostty config shipping a default config for a terminal that's designed to be usable without any configuration\.\.\. \* my eyes roll out of my head \* \.\.\. if you're new to Linux, skip omarchy and install a real distribution \- not some guy's personal dotfiles\. if i wanted shitware, i'd just install Windows\.[~ jes](https://bsky.app/profile/j3s.sh)