If something characterizes Linux is its customization. And not only when we talk about wallpaper and colors. On Linux, a knowledgeable user can change absolutely any item, or any package, to transform the distro into a completely different and unique one. This is how distributions are born, Linux systems developed and maintained by users, or groups of users, which, although they are usually based on other larger distros, each one has its own characteristics with which it seeks to differentiate itself from the others. And one of the most curious projects is Devuan.
Surely we have ever heard of Debian, one of the main Linux distributions that we can find on the net. This is one of the bigger projects and although it is not the most used distro, most of them (like Ubuntu) are based on this project.
In 2014, the Debian community held a controversial vote to replace the then boot system (SysVinit) with systemd. This decision did not please a significant part of users, who began to look for alternatives. However, sooner or later, the main distros began to make the jump to this kernel boot driver, so the fence was closing.
Luckily, a group of users, who were not willing to make the jump to systemd, released a new distribution in 2017, called Devuan, which is nothing more than an original version of Debian without systemd.
What is Systemd
In order for Linux to boot, you must have software that is responsible for loading the kernel modules and controlling them while the operating system is running. Within this ecosystem we can find a great variety of Kernel startup systems : SysVinit, Init.d and Systemd are the best known.
The purpose of all of them is the same: to boot Linux. However, Systemd has earned a special hatred from the community. The first is because this bootloader was created by Red Hat under its own rules and regulations. And, the second, due to complexity, dominance and excessive control over the functions of the distributions.
For many, systemd breaks with the Linux philosophy , making distros more like Windows or macOS for the little, and complex, control it offers over all the daemons it controls. And for this reason, advanced users who want to have total control over the system often look for alternatives away from it.
Devuan, a Debian without Systemd
The Devuan project was born after the decision to replace the Debian kernel boot system, SysVinit, with Systemd. In 2016, the first beta of this new distro saw the light of day for the first time, while the first final version arrived in May 2017. Since then, it has followed the same development as the stable Debian branch, with the difference of that it has kept SysVinit as the kernel boot system .
This distro uses an XFCE desktop , a customizable and very light desktop, and has the same programs and packages that we can find in any of the stable versions of Debian. Besides bringing a series of packages by default, we can use apt-build to compile the distro again with the packages that we want, thus having much more control over the entire distro, in the purest Linux style.
to download
Devuan, of course, is a totally free and open source Linux distribution . We can download the latest version, free of charge, from this link . This distro is available for both 32-bit and 64-bit, in addition to having a version for computers and ARM devices.
If we already have a previous version of this distro installed, we can easily update it to the latest version from the terminal and from the wizard that the distro offers. Also, if we are using Debian, we can migrate directly to Devuan, without formatting, by following the steps offered on their website.
Alternatives to Devuan without Systemd
Although Systemd has inexplicably become the most widely used kernel boot system, there are distros that have not gone through the hoop and continue to use alternative boot systems.
Artix Linux
Artix is one of the favorite distros for advanced Linux users. This distro is based on Arch Linux, so it comes with all Arch functions and features by default. This system allows the user to choose which boot system they want to use between runit, s6 or OpenRC. As for the desktop, this distro allows us to choose between KDE / Plasma, XFCE, MATE, Cinnamon, LXQt or LXDE. And as a package manager we will have the well-known pacman.
We can download Artix Linux from its website .
Gentoo Linux
Gentoo is also a well-known distro, although it is not as popular as Artix. This Linux opts for OpenRC as a bootloader, it is fully customizable and offers users a large number of advanced controls and options to have absolute control over it. Unfortunately, it is not one of the easiest to use, so it is only recommended for advanced users who already have knowledge of Linux.
We can download Gentoo Linux from here .
MX Linux
MX Linux is another distro that, although it is based on Debian, chose not to make the leap to systemd and to continue using other more classic kernel boot systems. This distro specifically uses SysV. MX comes with an XFCE desktop by default, and has a large number of programs and tools of all kinds that make it very easy to install, configure and use on a day-to-day basis.
We can download MX Linux from this link .
