From Parch to Apadana: The Story of Its Evolution and Growth

In the world of Linux distributions, creating a new distro is always a serious and challenging endeavor. This story began with Parch, a distribution based on Arch Linux aimed at simplifying Arch for advanced users and enthusiasts of minimalistic systems.

Why Parch? What’s Behind the Name?

Originally, Parch was intended solely to meet the needs of its developer. Later, it was released publicly as a fun project. Along the development journey, Parch faced many ups and downs, from online trolls to the hearty support of friends who we deeply thank.

Initially, Parch’s development goal was focused on personal use, but over three years, it has transformed into a fully ready distribution for Persian speakers and even Arabic-speaking users.

The name Parch is short for Persian Arch, chosen humorously. While some liked the name, it attracted a fair share of internet trolls as well.

Multi-platform Ports

Famous Meme

Translation of the Above Meme

I don’t know what you are,
but I’ll find you, and I’ll install Parch with Plasma on you.

Yes, we successfully ran Parch on various devices—from desktops to mobile phones, including servers, TV boxes, and even on WSL 😁. These were enjoyable experiences that taught us a lot, which I’ll explain further below 🙃.

A Fundamental Question

But along the way, a significant question arose: what if a new distribution emerged from Parch, designed for broader public use? And thus, Apadana was born.

Apadana: A Commercial and Distinct Version

Unlike the fully free Parch, Apadana is a commercial project still under development. Apadana aims to deliver an optimized and user-friendly experience compared to Parch. Built upon Parch’s stability and minimalistic structure, Apadana will feature a KDE Plasma desktop environment and distinguish itself in several ways.

One of Apadana’s key elements is its six-month update cycle, a departure from the rolling release model of Parch and Arch. This six-month cycle will offer Apadana users increased stability, allowing them to receive significant updates and improvements periodically.

Why a Commercial Version?

Firstly, there’s a shortage of open-source commercial products with direct support within Iran. Companies like Red Hat restrict their support offerings and have largely closed their products off to us. (Apadana isn’t trying to be a second Red Hat!)

While past efforts within Iran aimed at creating commercial distributions like Zamin and Sana ultimately failed, Apadana aims to carve its own path.

Apadana for Everyone

Apadana aims to be versatile, catering to various user needs, from home users with a free license to commercial users with specific conditions.

Four Editions of Apadana for Different Needs

Apadana will be available in four distinct editions, each designed to meet specific needs:

  1. Immutable Edition: For users seeking a stable system resistant to changes. The immutable system ensures core data and settings remain unchanged.

  2. Non-Immutable Edition: For those who need more flexibility to alter system settings and install software freely.

  3. Home Edition: Focused on everyday users, designed to provide a simple, seamless experience for daily tasks.

  4. Server Edition: Tailored for server and commercial use, offering greater stability and security to meet organizational needs.

That’s Not All!

Each edition of Apadana includes unique features. For instance, we’ve introduced a Parent-Child System in Apadana, where the “parent” system is managed by the company’s system admin, and the “child” system is used by employees. Updates and configurations are controlled by the parent system, reducing security risks, update errors, and potential user tampering with system settings.

Apadana's Development Vision

Apadana’s development has been underway for some time. We’ve set up a Mastodon account for Apadana and temporarily hosted its website.

Apadana Alpha

Soon, we’ll release the first alpha version of Apadana’s immutable KDE Plasma edition for testing. I don’t want to spoil much, but stay tuned for exciting features that we’ll gradually introduce in each release!

This was the journey from Parch to Apadana. It may seem short, but I have a lot to say, and I’m unsure how to put it all into words :))))

Definitely, stay tuned for updates on the development of both distributions from our team!