Crunchbang Linux Lives On With Greenbang

CrunchBang was a Debian-based Linux distribution that was minimal and beautiful celebrated among hard-core users. CrunchBang yet ended, but gave measurement to nan likes of CrunchBang++ and moreover 1 of my favorites, BunsenLabs Linux.

There was yet different spinoff of CrunchBang, ArchBang. As you tin guess, this return was based connected Arch Linux, but retained nan Openbox model head to support nan lightweight speed.

ArchBang fell to nan wayside, only to beryllium resurrected arsenic GreenBang.

It’s benignant of confusing because if you hunt for GreenBang, you’re taken to nan ArchBang site, which still calls nan distribution ArchBang. Go to Distrowatch and hunt for GreenBang, and you get a listing called GreenBang that besides points to nan ArchBang site.

What’s going connected here?

Well, successful July 2025, ArchBang was renamed to GreenBang. The developers claimed location were ineligible concerns astir action from Arch Linux complete trademark laws. Whether that is existent aliases not, astatine slightest we cognize why nan sanction was changed. What we don’t cognize is why nan website hasn’t been updated.

That being said …

GreenBang! What is it?

Before I get connected pinch this, let’s talk astir nan original name. CrunchBang is named aft nan first 2 characters utilized successful Linux bash scripts, #!. If you’ve ever written a Linux bash script, you cognize nan first statement is usually:

That is besides referred to arsenic “shebang.” I’ve ever called it “crunch bang”: “crunch” for # and “bang” for !.

Now that we’re up to speed, let’s talk astir GreenBang.

What Is GreenBang?

As I said, GreenBang is simply a Linux distribution based connected Arch Linux that shrugs disconnected nan Openbox model head successful favour of Labwc. If you’ve ne'er heard of Labwc, it’s a lightweight, highly customizable model head for nan X Window System. Labwc offers nan aforesaid minimalistic attack to nan desktop, truthful it gains nan aforesaid benignant of velocity and extended configurations recovered successful Openbox, which intends users tin tweak it to perfectly fresh their needs, crafting a wholly unsocial UI.

Labwc isn’t a afloat desktop situation (such arsenic KDE Plasma aliases GNOME), which intends it doesn’t bask nan heavy integration recovered successful those DEs. At nan aforesaid time, Labwc gives you afloat power complete nan appearance, keyboard shortcuts and app launching. Labwc delivers velocity that DEs cannot lucifer (even connected aging hardware) and is astir arsenic minimalist arsenic you tin get.

The biggest quality betwixt Openbox and Labwc is that Openbox is constricted to X Windows, whereas Labwc gains support for Wayland.

On nan Labwc desktop, you’ll find a bottommost sheet and not overmuch more. If you left-click anyplace connected nan desktop, you’ll find a minimal paper that allows you to entree installed applications and a fewer different options (such arsenic Settings).

Click connected nan Applications entry, and you’ll find a bare minimum of preinstalled apps. In fact, you mightiness beryllium truthful inclined to wonderment what bully this OS is without applications, particularly fixed that there’s nary GUI app store.

Well, there’s ever nan bid line, and anyone who prefers to usage an Arch-based Linux distribution is afloat alert that nan bid statement tin often beryllium a necessity pinch this distribution. For instance, if you want to instal LibreOffice, unfastened nan terminal app and rumor nan command:

You could ever instal nan pamac GUI, which requires nan pursuing steps:

1. Update nan distro: sudo pacman -Syu
2. Install nan basal dependencies: sudo pacman -S --needed base-devel git
3. Clone nan yay repository: git clone https://aur.archlinux.org/yay.git
4. Change into nan recently created directory: cd yay
5. Build nan package: makepkg -si
6. Install pamac: yay -S pamac-aur

I know, it’s a lot. If you’re an Arch user, you’ll astir apt instrumentality pinch nan bid statement for installing applications, particularly fixed that GreenBang’s cardinal trading constituent is its speed. You surely don’t want to slow things down pinch a gaudy GUI.

Or, if you want to debar nan bid line, spell up pinch nan pamac installation. I will opportunity this: After testing nan pamac GUI, I recovered that it refused to tally connected Wayland, issuing nan error: Lost relationship to Wayland compositor.

Instead, I decided to instal Octopi, which is nan GUI app head for Manjaro. This installation (yay -S octopi) takes immoderate clip because location are a batch of limitations to install, but successful nan end, you’ll upwind up pinch a useful GUI for installing applications (Figure 1).

The Installation

The installation of GreenBang is simply a bid statement affair. It’s not hard, but you do request to make judge you return attraction of everything successful nan bid presented (Figure 2).

Type 1 and past prime nan partitioner you would for illustration to usage (I would propose gparted). Once you’ve taken attraction of that, spell done nan remainder of nan installation sections 1 by one. When you’ve completed, you’ll beryllium prompted to type d (for done) and past reboot nan system.

Customizations

Customizing Labwc is each astir editing matter files. If you unfastened your terminal window, alteration into nan .config/labwc directory with:

In that directory, you’ll find 4 files:

• autostart: This configures what starts connected boot.
• environment: This configures nan default keyboard layout.
• menu.xml: This configures nan desktop menu.
• rc.xml: This is nan main configuration file.

There are a ton of configuration options you tin usage to customize your desktop. To study much astir this, I would propose you cheque retired nan official Labwc documentation.

Who Is GreenBang For?

This is simply a challenging mobility to answer, but I deliberation I person it nailed down. GreenBang is simply a awesome distribution for those who not only want a lightning-fast, minimal Arch-based Linux distribution, but besides agelong to harken backmost to nan “good ol'” days of Linux, erstwhile nan bid statement was necessary, and model managers were each nan rage.

If that sounds for illustration you, GreenBang will beryllium a existent treat.

GreenBang and Labwc punctual maine of my early days pinch Linux, which put an contiguous grin connected my face.

Give GreenBang a effort and spot if it doesn’t lukewarm your bosom pinch each those old-school Linux feels.

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