14 DAY TRIAL // Arch Linux devs don't have time to rest either, so they're kicking off the new year with the first ISO snapshot for 2018, bringing up-to-date components and latest security fixes.
Arch Linux 2018.01.01 ISO snapshot is here, and it's the first to use the latest Linux 4.14 LTS kernel. While December's Arch Linux ISO snapshot was still powered by a kernel from the now deprecated Linux 4.13 series, January 2018's release is using Linux kernel 4.14.9 for all new installs, while the recently released Linux kernel 4.14.10 is still in testing.
So if you've planned on installing Arch Linux on your personal computer, now it's a better time than ever to download and install one of the most acclaimed GNU/Linux distributions ever created. As expected, Arch Linux 2018.01.01 also includes all the latest security patches and software updates released during December 2017.
Only for new installations
You know it, every new Arch Linux ISO snapshot is released for new installations only, as the GNU/Linux distribution follows a rolling release model where you install one and receive updates forever. New ISO snapshots help newcomers install the operating system without downloading hundreds of updates from the repositories.
Therefore, if you have a healthy Arch Linux installations, there's no need to download the new ISO snapshot. All you have to do to keep your installation up-to-date is to open a terminal emulator and run the "sudo pacman -Syu" command. On the other hand, newcomers can download Arch Linux 2018.01.01 for new installs.
If you find it hard to install Arch Linux on your personal computer, don't hesitate to follow our "A Beginners' Guide to Installing Arch Linux" tutorial to install the operating system. Please note that you'll need to write the image to a USB stick, burn it to a CD, or mount it as an ISO file before usage.