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Stop opening your browser for these 8 tasks, the terminal does them better

The terminal looks like an unassuming (sometimes intimidating) black box and feels like it’s only meant for pros or experts. It’s not as inscrutable as it seems though. Anybody can learn to use it and get stuff done. Once you get the hang of it, you’ll often find yourself launching a terminal instead of opening a new browser tab. That’s because the terminal is faster, reliable, and never shows ads.

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Bluestar Linux installation guide

Download Bluestar Linux

Download the latest ISO from the project’s download page or SourceForge mirror. Verify the checksum if available before creating installation media.

Create a Bootable USB

Linux

sudo dd if=bluestar-linux.iso of=/dev/sdX bs=4M status=progress oflag=sync

Replace /dev/sdX with your USB device.

Windows

Recommended tools:

  • Rufus
  • Ventoy
  • balenaEtcher
Boot the Installer
  1. Insert the USB drive
  2. Open your computer’s boot menu
  3. Select the USB device
  4. Boot into the Bluestar Live environment.
Explore the Live Environment

Before installing, verify that:

  • Graphics work correctly.
  • Wi-Fi connects successfully.
  • Audio functions properly.
  • Touchpad and keyboard operate normally.

If everything works in the live session, it will usually work after installation.

Launch the Installer

Double-click the installer icon on the desktop.

The installer guides you through:

  • Language
  • Keyboard layout
  • Time zone
  • Disk partitioning
  • User creation
  • Bootloader installation
Disk Partitioning

Automatic Partitioning

Recommended for new users.

The installer automatically creates:

  • EFI System Partition
  • Root partition
  • Swap (if configured)
Manual Partitioning

Example layout:

Partition Size Filesystem Mount Point
EFI 512 MB FAT32 /boot/efi
Root 40 GB ext4 /
Home Remaining ext4 /home
Swap 4–8 GB swap —

For UEFI systems, ensure the EFI partition is formatted as FAT32.

Specify:

  • Username
  • Password
  • Computer hostname
  • Administrator privileges

Use a strong password.

Bootloader Installation

Bluestar installs GRUB automatically for both UEFI and legacy BIOS systems. After installation, reboot and remove the USB drive.

First Boot

Log into KDE Plasma.

Open Konsole to update the system.

Update the System

sudo pacman -Syu

Because Bluestar is a rolling-release distribution, frequent updates are recommended.

Configure Mirrors

Install reflector if desired:

sudo pacman -S reflector

Generate a mirror list:

sudo reflector \
--country "United States" \
--latest 20 \
--protocol https \
--sort rate \
--save /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist

Then update:

sudo pacman -Syyu
Install Development Tools
sudo pacman -S base-devel git

These packages are required for building software from the Arch User Repository.

Install an AUR Helper

Example using yay:

git clone https://aur.archlinux.org/yay.git

cd yay

makepkg -si

You can now install AUR packages:

yay -S visual-studio-code-bin
Install Graphics Drivers

Intel

sudo pacman -S mesa vulkan-intel intel-media-driver

AMD

sudo pacman -S mesa vulkan-radeon

NVIDIA

sudo pacman -S nvidia nvidia-utils

Reboot after installing proprietary NVIDIA drivers.

Enable Printing
sudo pacman -S cups system-config-printer

Enable the service:

sudo systemctl enable --now cups
Configure Audio

Modern Bluestar releases use PipeWire.

Install additional packages if needed:

sudo pacman -S

pipewire

pipewire-pulse

wireplumber

Verify:

pactl info
Install Common Applications

Office

sudo pacman -S libreoffice-fresh

Browser

sudo pacman -S firefox

Media

sudo pacman -S vlc

Image Editing

sudo pacman -S gimp

Development

sudo pacman -S

python

gcc

clang

cmake

rust

go
Configure Firewall

Install UFW:

sudo pacman -S ufw

Enable:

sudo systemctl enable --now ufw

Allow SSH if needed:

sudo ufw allow ssh

Enable firewall:

sudo ufw enable
Install Flatpak
sudo pacman -S flatpak

Add Flathub:

flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub \
https://flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo

Install applications:

flatpak install flathub org.libreoffice.LibreOffice
Configure Snapshots (Optional)

Install Timeshift:

sudo pacman -S timeshift

Configure scheduled snapshots for easy recovery after updates.

Enable SSD TRIM
sudo systemctl enable fstrim.timer

Verify:

systemctl status fstrim.timer
Useful KDE Configuration

Open System Settings to configure:

  • Display scaling
  • Global theme
  • Window behavior
  • Power management
  • Night Color
  • Virtual desktops
  • Keyboard shortcuts
Useful Pacman Commands

Update system:

sudo pacman -Syu

Search packages:

pacman -Ss package

Install package:

sudo pacman -S package

Remove package:

sudo pacman -R package

Remove package and dependencies:

sudo pacman -Rns package

Clean package cache:

sudo pacman -Sc
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How to install Artix Linux

Artix Linux is a rolling-release Linux distribution based on Arch Linux that removes systemd and instead supports multiple init systems:

  • OpenRC (most beginner-friendly)
  • Runit
  • s6
  • Dinit

Most Arch Linux documentation also applies to Artix, with the primary difference being service management and the installation tools.

This guide installs:

  • UEFI boot
  • GPT partition table
  • GRUB bootloader
  • Linux kernel
  • OpenRC (recommended for beginners)
  • NetworkManager
  • KDE Plasma (optional desktop)
  • Basic development tools
Step 1 – Download Artix

Download the latest ISO from the official Artix website.

Recommended editions:

  • Base ISO – full manual installation
  • Graphical ISO – Calamares installer
  • Community ISO – preconfigured desktop

For learning Linux, the Base ISO is recommended.

Step 2 – Create Bootable USB

On Linux:

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

Replace:

  • /dev/sdX with your USB device

Alternatively use:

  • Ventoy
  • Balena Etcher
  • Rufus (Windows)
Step 3 – Boot the Installer

Boot from USB.

Verify network connectivity:

ping archlinux.org

If using Ethernet it usually works automatically.

For Wi-Fi:

nmtui

or configure manually.

Step 4 – Verify Boot Mode
ls /sys/firmware/efi

If the directory exists, you’re booted in UEFI mode.

Step 5 – Partition the Disk

View drives:

lsblk

Launch cfdisk:

cfdisk /dev/nvme0n1

Example layout:

EFI System Partition

  • 512 MB
  • FAT32

Root

  • Remaining space
  • Linux filesystem

Optional:

Home partition

Swap partition

Step 6 – Format Partitions

EFI:

mkfs.fat -F32 /dev/nvme0n1p1

Root:

mkfs.ext4 /dev/nvme0n1p2

Swap:

mkswap /dev/nvme0n1p3
swapon /dev/nvme0n1p3
Step 7 – Mount Filesystems
mount /dev/nvme0n1p2 /mnt

mkdir -p /mnt/boot/efi

mount /dev/nvme0n1p1 /mnt/boot/efi
Step 8 – Install Base System

Install the base packages:

basestrap /mnt base base-devel linux linux-firmware

Install OpenRC:

basestrap /mnt openrc elogind-openrc

You can substitute openrc with runit, dinit, or s6 if preferred.

Step 9 – Generate fstab
fstabgen -U /mnt >> /mnt/etc/fstab

Verify:

cat /mnt/etc/fstab
Step 10 – Chroot
artix-chroot /mnt
Step 11 – Time Zone

Example:

ln -sf /usr/share/zoneinfo/America/New_York /etc/localtime

Generate hardware clock:

hwclock --systohc
Step 12 – Locale

Edit:

nano /etc/locale.gen

Uncomment:

en_US.UTF-8 UTF-8

Generate:

locale-gen

Create locale configuration:

echo LANG=en_US.UTF-8 > /etc/locale.conf
Step 13 – Hostname
echo mypc > /etc/hostname

Edit hosts:

nano /etc/hosts

Contents:

127.0.0.1 localhost
::1 localhost
127.0.1.1 mypc.localdomain mypc
Step 14 – Root Password
passwd
Step 15 – Create User
useradd -m -G wheel username

passwd username

Enable sudo:

EDITOR=nano visudo

Uncomment:

%wheel ALL=(ALL:ALL) ALL
Step 16 – Install Bootloader

Install packages:

pacman -S grub efibootmgr os-prober

Install GRUB:

grub-install \
--target=x86_64-efi \
--efi-directory=/boot/efi \
--bootloader-id=GRUB

Generate configuration:

grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg
Step 17 – Networking

Install:

pacman -S networkmanager

For OpenRC:

rc-update add NetworkManager default
Step 18 – Install Useful Packages
pacman -S

nano

vim

git

wget

curl

htop

bash-completion

openssh
Step 19 – Graphics Drivers

Intel:

pacman -S mesa intel-media-driver vulkan-intel

AMD:

pacman -S mesa vulkan-radeon

NVIDIA:

pacman -S nvidia nvidia-utils
Step 20 – Install Xorg
pacman -S xorg xorg-server xorg-xinit
Step 21 – Install KDE Plasma
pacman -S plasma kde-applications sddm

Enable display manager:

rc-update add sddm default
Step 22 – Audio

Install PipeWire:

pacman -S

pipewire

pipewire-pulse

wireplumber
Step 23 – Fonts
pacman -S

noto-fonts

ttf-dejavu

ttf-liberation
Step 24 – Enable Services

Examples:

rc-update add dbus default

rc-update add elogind default

rc-update add NetworkManager default

rc-update add sddm default
Step 25 – Exit
exit

umount -R /mnt

reboot

Remove the installation USB when prompted.

Updating the System
sudo pacman -Syu
Installing the AUR Helper

Clone and build yay:

git clone https://aur.archlinux.org/yay.git

cd yay

makepkg -si
Common Useful Packages

Development:

gcc

clang

cmake

python

rust

go

Utilities:

firefox

vlc

gimp

libreoffice

keepassxc

Terminal:

kitty

alacritty

tmux

zsh

fish
Security Recommendations
  • Use a normal user account for daily work.
  • Keep the system updated regularly with pacman -Syu.
  • Enable the firewall (e.g., ufw or nftables).
  • Install CPU microcode updates (intel-ucode or amd-ucode) if applicable.
  • Use full-disk encryption (LUKS) for laptops if you need data protection.
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