I want to get Arch on a laptop we have laying around here. For me, I want it to be as minimal as possible, I am used to working on the terminal for work most of the time, so I would just go for a lightweight environment with i3 running, and dmenu for my app launching needs.

However, my 7y old son will also be using the computer. And although he manages to use it today (Windows 10) I think the leap towards almost no DE will be to harsh.

What would I need as a basic system, on Arch to have the following:
- a graphical user login screen and switcher
- when logged in a me, no full DE, or something lightweight like Xfce
- when logged in as my son, just Xcfe, something barebones but with the ability to click an icon to start applications (app launcher or desktop icons, does not matter)
- the ability to switch users, using the switcher screen (so no full logoff/logon cycle).

Can I get somewhere with Arch, or should I just put Manjaro on it and call it a day?

Thanks for your insights!

Welcome, and have fun.

You can use a different, full desktop environment for his account. You might try a few out and then pick the one he likes best.

However, keep in mind that the idea is that the DEs are to be customized further to add, remove, and change things to make them even more comfortable and useful. A case in point would be the window manager FVWM and a comparison of plain FVWM versus the pre-packaged customizations known as FVWM-Crystal. That is just a window manager, a full desktop environent can be taken much further.

Some popular, high end desktop environments would include KDE's Plasma, Cinnamon, and MATE. Again, even though these are high end and have a lot of pre-configured options, add your own, maybe starting small like with the desktop wall paper. If you need simple, then maybe Sugar would be a better option for DE.

defborn,

Welcome to LQ forums.

I am sure that Arch is flexible enough to accommodate both sets of requirements.

Having said that, following the KISS principle, why not install Manjaro Xfce and make life easy for both of you?

https://manjaro.org/download/official/xfce/

Thank you both for your kind replies. Going with Manjoro does sound like a good option, given I am a Arch beginner too. No doubt I will have the fun of weeks of thinkering and than still, I can choose to reinstall for something else, once I get more acquainted.

Great welcoming community!

No problem.

Whether on Arch or Manjaro, do give several desktop environments a try, such as Sugar and Plasma. They are very easy to install and switching between then entails not much more than logging out and logging back in again. I agree with the assessment that XFCE is quite nice, I've been using it myself for a longer period now, but it is good to look around a bit, especially at the start.