Void Linux

Best distro on the desktop for a minimalist with extensive Linux experience. Runit is superior as an init system to the one that dominates the other distros.

I have been running Void Linux since 2014 after using Arch for 5 years and it has become my "home" distro. Don't get me wrong, Void does have it's ups and downs just like any rolling distro but that said it has been the most reliable rolling distro I have used. The init system is simple but powerful and reliable, the package availability is second to none, the package manager itself is super flexible and building packages is easy to do with the xbps-src project on Github. In the case of a desktop system, getting things working like a flagship distro is usually just a matter of installing the tools and using them. Things like gvfs and fuse for using drives in a file manager and ntfs-3g for mounting Windows drives. That said there is an ISO build script on github called "void-mklive" which you can use to create ISO files and IMG files with all the packages you want installed. Void is a pretty solid Desktop distro once you get it set up. In terms of a server, I have had Void use as little as 16mb of memory without extra services running and 128mb with a full web server stack running. I imagine that IoT would be the same experience. Overall if you are looking for a lean distro with a ton of popular and niche software availability, look no further than Void Linux. As a bonus you get to use an ncurses dialog installer just like the old Arch Linux ISO files used to have. The more you learn about Void Linux, the more exciting and the better it gets.

Recently installed Void after some time on Endeavour and I'm loving every minute of it. Sure, there's no fancy graphical installer and you need to know what you're doing but the steps are dead simple. There are similarities to Arch but XBPS (the package manager) seems a little more powerful to me, and while I know Arch users love the AUR, there is nothing I haven't found in the Void repos yet, and I like not having the extra attack surface of the AUR (don't @ me). The distro itself is very lightweight and well put together. Void uses Runit as its init system so for folks coming from distros using SystemD you may have something to get used to, but getting a service up and running on Runit is so simple, the learning curve is almost nonexistent. I have now also put Void on my kids PCs as well, and plan on switching my server and Pis to it as well. Well worth a look.

From update there are some bugs of desktop such as screensaver. But this is not important for function of server. Because desktop is not the void linux's concern.

Void is Arch done right, especially with the void-musl version available. Using musl libc instead of GNU's gigantic glibc like most distributions vastly reduces the possible attack surface of everything installed. My only problem with it is that it's still Linux, so it has the usual shortcomings like epoll, iptables, iproute2, not having jail(8), etc. But it's been a fantastic workstation for me if I'm unable to use a more enjoyable OS such as HardenedBSD or DragonFly BSD.

Void is an interesting install - more difficult than Arch, but not impossible - took me probably about 60 minutes to get it installed. Its definitely one to keep an eye on, but what is holding this distribution back is its lack of community, which will grow over time, I am sure. What this distribution really needs an in Arch Linux level wiki. Things are so different from other distributions that without that level of community and documentation, one can often be left confused. Finally, the package manager is functionally great, but come on... They really need to simplify that. I will keep checking in on it and watch the project and maybe even switch some day, but for right now, I'll stick with Arch.

Void is an interesting experience. Like Gentoo and Arch, installing it throws you into a lightweight CLI where you can set it up however you like. It uses a lightweight alternative to systemd called runit which results in a shockingly fast bootup. Managing runit involves simply creating and removing symlinks in a designated folder location, making managing daemons a very simple and unixy experience. I would not recommend using it for server purposes or IOT though as it is a rolling distribution. Package updates are inevitably going to break and have bugs. I also noticed some packages being out of date. Never the less, if you liked Arch pre-systemd, you might want to give this distro a try.

Not really for home use, its fast, but what point is having a Ferrari if you can only drive on 1% of the roads? Can I play a game on it? No, as most support deb or rpm. Can I print n scan on it? No, as it doesn't work with my printer or scanner. Can I make music on it? Dunno, didn't bother as the software comes in .deb or .rpm format.

I do a lot of distro hopping, and run a variety of distros on my machines¸ but for heavy-duty work machines, I end up back at Void. It involves a number of unusual features (runit as init/daemon-manager; LibreSSL rather than OpenSSL; option to use musl libc rather than glibc), but generally has a much saner user experience than a lot of distros. It's pretty great for 'IoT' as well, I have Void (musl flavour) running on a Raspberry Pi 3b, running 64-bit for an IRC bouncer, and it's really solid and easy to maintain. Void also powers my work laptop which I need to work reliably (I often have to use it to give presentations, for instance). It has wide-ranging *official* package support, including for ZFS, and official support for a number of different architectures (including ARM & 32bit). Using Void's runit is a very pleasant experience compared to systemd - I never have boot or shutdown/reboot hangs or other issues.