CachyOS First Impressions: The Arch Linux Distro That Just Works
If you caught my last Linux video, you know I tried out Ubuntu and gave it a solid 7 out of 10. Honestly, I was shocked by how well modern Linux just works. But after that video, a lot of you suggested I give KDE or Kubuntu a spin.
Well... let's just say it didn't go exactly as planned. I ran into constant system crashes, graphical glitches, and audio disconnects. I almost packed up and went right back to GNOME, but then some of you suggested I try CachyOS (an Arch-based Linux distribution).
I installed it, dual-booted it with Windows, and started testing. And wow—I am officially in shock. Everything is running flawlessly. Let's dive into what makes CachyOS so special, answer some of your top questions from the last video, and talk about the bigger picture of where operating systems are heading.
First Things First: Those Mountain Wallpapers!
One of the most requested things from my last video was the beautiful mountain wallpapers I used. You don't have to do a reverse image search; I've got you covered!
You can find both of my favorite clean, minimalist mountain wallpapers ready for download right here: Download My Favorite Wallpapers
Answering Your Questions: Installing the Gemini CLI Successor
In my last Ubuntu video, a lot of you wanted to know how to install the Gemini CLI.
Here is the update: the original Gemini CLI is actually retiring for normal users. It is being replaced by the Anti-Gravity CLI (AGY), which does the exact same thing. Here is how you can set it up on Linux or macOS:
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Go to this website https://antigravity.google/product/antigravity-cli and follow the instructions.
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Restart your terminal.
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Wake up the tool by typing:
agy -
Authenticate using your Google Account or a Google Cloud project. Choose your theme, and you are ready to go! You can now ask it questions or give it system commands right from the terminal (like asking it to install apps like VLC).
CachyOS: Outstanding Features Out of the Box
CachyOS is based on Arch Linux, which is usually known as one of the hardest Linux distributions to install and maintain. However, CachyOS completely changes this by offering an incredibly polished, easy-to-use graphical installer.
Here are a few little details that immediately made me fall in love:
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The "Grow" Cursor: When you shake your mouse quickly, the cursor temporarily gets bigger so you don't lose track of it. It's a small but incredibly premium touch!
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The Limine Bootloader: Instead of the old, ugly GRUB screen, CachyOS offers the Limine bootloader, which looks sleek, modern, and clean.
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Built-in DNS Changer: On Windows, I always use a special tool to change my DNS settings. CachyOS has a gorgeous GUI DNS changer built right into its "Apps and Tweaks" welcome screen. I switched over to Cloudflare DNS with a single click—no PC restart required!
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System Cleaners: It comes with native tools to clear package caches and remove "orphaned" software leftovers, keeping your system fast and tidy without touching the command line.
Installing Google Chrome
Because CachyOS is based on Arch, the official Google Chrome website doesn't natively support downloading an installer for it (they only offer Debian/Ubuntu or Fedora packages).
To get around this, I simply opened the CachyOS Package Manager (Shelly), searched for Chrome via Flatpak, and installed it instantly. It runs beautifully, has none of the weird visual borders I saw on Ubuntu, and lets me sync my Google history and bookmarks effortlessly.
Running Windows Apps on Linux via Winboat
Another popular request was to test running Windows applications on Linux. CachyOS actually has a built-in option to install Winboat.
Winapps lets you run Windows apps natively inside a containerized Windows subsystem on Linux. To set it up:
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Install Docker via the CachyOS package manager.
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If it says Docker isn't running, you may need to enable the service and restart your PC.
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Launch Winboat, point it to a Windows ISO file, and assign it some system RAM (I gave it 8GB).
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Once installed, it hooks directly into your Linux system!
I tried running Affinity Photo (the fantastic Photoshop alternative). While there was a tiny, slight lag compared to running it natively on Windows, it was incredibly usable and looked like a natural part of my Linux desktop.
The GTA V Roadblock
I also tried to test out GTA V (Enhanced Edition) via the Heroic Games Launcher using Epic Games.
Unfortunately, I hit a snag with the Rockstar Games Launcher complaining about an error and asking me to reinstall the 90GB game. I tried using the AGY CLI to help me troubleshoot, but I actually hit my daily usage limits! If you have any quick tips on how to get the Rockstar Launcher behaving on Arch Linux, drop them in the comments below!
The Big Picture: Is the OS Becoming Irrelevant?
To wrap things up, I want to leave you with a thought about where technology is heading.
Almost every application we use manually is slowly being integrated with or replaced by AI. While human creativity is still unmatched, AI is doing heavy-lifting tasks much faster. Because of this, we are slowly moving toward a digital world where the operating system you use might not even matter anymore.
If you can do almost everything inside a browser or via AI interfaces, your phone will eventually be able to do the exact same things your PC does (excluding heavy anti-cheat gaming like Valorant or Fortnite).
This is likely why Microsoft is scrambling to fix Windows 11 and clean up the mess they made at launch. They know that as web tools and AI take over, people will feel much freer to move to efficient, stable alternatives like Linux, macOS, or even PC-adapted Android operating systems.
I’ve also made a video on this topic — you can watch it below.
Check out my other posts, I post useful tutorials and tech tips, maybe you will find something useful 😉.