Elysia.js Creator Confirms Using Arch Linux with Hyprland Obviously

Level 1: Look Ma, No Training Wheels

Imagine a bunch of kids talking about their bikes. One kid excitedly says, “I just learned how to ride my bike!” Then another kid immediately pipes up, “Oh, I ride a big kid bike with no training wheels, by the way!” 😏 The second kid isn’t just answering — they’re bragging a little, trying to show they’re more advanced. This meme is poking fun at the same idea. In the grown-up world of computers, saying “I use Arch Linux, by the way” is like saying “I ride without training wheels.” It’s a funny way of showing off. Everyone else kind of smiles or rolls their eyes because, yep, there’s always that one person who has to mention how special their setup is, even if nobody asked. It’s all in good fun — we’re laughing because we’ve all met someone like that, eager to share their shiny, souped-up toy just to feel a bit proud.

Level 2: I Use Arch, BTW

Let’s break this down for a newer developer or someone not deep into Linux lore. Arch Linux is a popular flavor of the Linux operating system (a Linux distribution). Unlike user-friendly distros such as Ubuntu or Fedora, Arch is known for its DIY approach. When you install Arch, you start from a minimal base and build everything up yourself: choose your own desktop environment or window manager, install only the packages you want, and configure things mostly through the command line. This is why Arch tends to be used by more experienced or adventurous users — it’s highly customizable and up-to-date, but it doesn’t hold your hand. The trade-off for all that control is that you need to be comfortable with a CLI (Command-Line Interface) and editing config files. For example, installing software on Arch is typically done with terminal commands using Arch’s package manager (pacman). You might see an Arch user update their system with a command like:

sudo pacman -Syu hyprland
# This Arch command synchronizes (-Syu) packages and installs Hyprland.
# Arch users often brag about using pacman and the AUR to get the latest software.

Now, the phrase “I use Arch, btw” literally means “I use Arch, by the way.” It became a bit of a meme because some Arch users would drop this fact at any opportunity, even if it wasn’t directly relevant. It’s as if just mentioning “by the way, I use Arch” grants some extra credibility or geek points in a conversation. This running joke is so well-known that if someone online says they’re customizing their Linux desktop, inevitably another person might jokingly ask, “By any chance, do you use Arch? 😅” — expecting that proud confirmation. In the screenshot, the first tweet is doing exactly that, with a laughing emoji to show it’s a light-hearted tease.

Sure enough, the reply comes: “Yes ofc” (short for “yes, of course”). The person is basically saying “Obviously I use Arch, what else?” But they don’t stop there. Immediately, they add another reply: “Arch with hyprland btw.” Here they’re specifying not just the distro (Arch Linux) but also the particular window manager/compositor they use, which is Hyprland.

To unpack that: in a Linux desktop, a compositor (or window manager) is the component that controls how windows are displayed, moved, and arranged on your screen. Many common Linux desktops (like Ubuntu’s default GNOME, or KDE) have their own window management built in. But advanced users sometimes pick a lightweight or highly configurable window manager instead of a full desktop environment. Hyprland is one of these, and it’s designed for Wayland, which is a modern replacement for the old X11 window system in Linux. Saying you use Hyprland specifically signals that you’re on the cutting edge of Linux GUI tech. Wayland is newer and can be tricky with certain apps or drivers, so not everyone uses it yet. By mentioning Hyprland, the user is implying: “I’ve set up a pretty advanced and custom environment.” This ties into LinuxCustomization culture, sometimes nicknamed “ricing.” (Fun fact: “ricing” is slang for making your desktop super customized and visually unique — like souping up a rice burner car, but for your Linux desktop.)

In simpler terms, the conversation in the meme goes like this:

• Person A (Nowhere Guy) jokes, “I bet you also use Arch? 😄” because it’s a common joke that Arch users always reveal themselves.
• Person B (SaltyAom) responds, essentially, “Yes, I do use Arch, of course.”
• Then Person B immediately follows up to flex a bit more: “By the way, I’m running Arch with Hyprland as my window manager.”

The “btw” (by the way) is especially what makes it humorous – it’s presented as an offhand comment, but it’s really the main point they wanted to brag about. It’s the stereotypical Arch user behavior in action. The meme exaggerates it by having the Arch user reply twice in a row, as if they just couldn’t hold back the extra detail about Hyprland.

For context, Operating Systems often become part of a tech-savvy person’s identity. Among DevCommunities, there are good-natured rivalries and pride about one’s setup. Someone using Windows or macOS might not feel the need to announce it (it’s common), but if you run a niche Linux distro like Arch, it’s both less common and a bit of an achievement (since you likely set it up yourself). So people mention it to signal “I’m in the power user club.” The Arch community even has its own ecosystem that they’re proud of: for instance, the Arch Linux User Repository (AUR) is a huge collection of user-contributed packages. Arch users love to boast that “if it exists, it’s in the AUR,” meaning they can install almost any software via a simple command or script. This expansive software access and the rolling updates are part of Arch’s allure — and why its users feel a bit superior (tongue-in-cheek).

The Twitter thread screenshot itself is just the medium here, but note the UI details: it’s in dark mode (most developers prefer dark themes for their apps, even Twitter). The tweets show metrics like likes and replies, indicating others are engaging – those likes on the Arch user’s replies suggest the tech crowd found the “Arch with Hyprland btw” comment funny or relatable. It’s a form of peer recognition: many in the community have seen this story play out before, and they’re in on the joke. Essentially, this meme is an inside joke among programmers and Linux enthusiasts. Even if you’re new, now you know: “I use Arch, btw” is a classic punchline meaning someone is proudly (or mock-proudly) advertising their choice of Linux distro. And with Hyprland in the mix, the meme is updating the joke to 2025’s context — highlighting the latest cool tech an Arch user might boast about.

Level 3: Bleeding-Edge Boast

At the highest geek level, this meme hits on the Arch Linux flex — a nearly ritualized brag in dev circles. In the screenshot (a Twitter thread in glorious dark mode, naturally), one user baits with a playful question: “Do you by any chance also use Arch? 😂” They’re basically invoking the well-worn stereotype that Arch Linux users can’t resist announcing their distro. Sure enough, the reply comes: “Yes ofc” (yes, of course), immediately followed by the kicker: “Arch with hyprland btw.” The humor lands because it’s so predictable and over-the-top: not only does the person confirm they use Arch, they double down by specifying Hyprland (a flashy Wayland compositor) “by the way.” It’s like a punchline delivered in two beats, perfectly capturing a long-standing DevCommunity in-joke.

This stereotype exists because Arch Linux has a reputation for being a power-user OS. It’s a rolling-release distribution, meaning it’s always on the bleeding edge of software updates. That bleeding-edge nature (new kernels, latest packages from upstream) is a point of pride — and sometimes pain — for Arch users. Running Arch is a bit like living on the edge: you get bragging rights for using the latest and greatest, but you also accept the risk of occasional breakage. In practice, many Arch users wear this as a badge of honor: “I built my system from the ground up and manage it via the terminal, look how hardcore I am!” So when someone says “I use Arch, btw,” it’s often with a wink-and-nudge, an attempt to elevate their tech cred in the conversation.

What makes the meme extra spicy is the inclusion of Hyprland. Hyprland is a new-ish Wayland compositor known in the LinuxCustomization scene for its sleek effects and tiling window management. Mentioning “Arch with hyprland btw” is essentially saying: I don’t just run Arch; I’ve also swapped out the entire graphical interface for a custom, cutting-edge setup. It’s a flex layered on a flex. The Wayland part is significant — Wayland is a modern display server protocol (replacing older X11 on Linux) and can be finicky to configure. Hyprland in particular has become trendy among ricers (folks who intensely customize or “rice” their Linux desktops) for its eye-candy and configurability. Only a Linux power user would bother to set up something like Hyprland on Arch; it’s a sign of deep customization and willingness to tinker. In other words, it’s prime bragging material in the Linux community.

From an experienced developer’s perspective, this meme nails the comedic pattern of distro pride that’s been around for ages. In earlier days, it might have been a Gentoo user popping up to say they compiled their entire system from source (the old “I use Gentoo” flex that nobody asked for). Nowadays, Arch has the spotlight as the de facto “elite” distro people name-drop. The phrase “I use Arch, by the way” became so notorious that it’s practically a catchphrase on forums and comment threads. It’s like a running gag: everyone’s waiting for the Arch user to chime in. In fact, there’s a tongue-in-cheek saying in dev communities:

“How can you tell if someone uses Arch Linux? Don’t worry, they’ll tell you.”

So when the original tweet prods, “Do you also use Arch? 😂”, it’s knowingly setting up that joke. And the Arch user obliges perfectly, almost as if on cue, even throwing in Hyprland for good measure. DevCommunity veterans chuckle at this because it’s a too-real parody of threads they’ve seen a hundred times. The dynamic is half pride, half self-parody — as much as Arch fans love to flex, they also know the trope is funny and sometimes lean into it intentionally. The technical specifics (Arch, Hyprland, Wayland) ground the joke in OperatingSystems lore, while the social pattern (unnecessary bragging in an online thread) is universally recognizable. It’s the blend of niche tech in-joke and relatable online behavior that makes this meme land so well among developers.