Void

Reader supplied reviews for Void Average rating 9.2 from 155 review(s) What are your thoughts on Void? Please include a few pros and a few cons, along with your overall impression of the operating system. Our FAQ page has tips on writing a good mini-review. Version: -- 20230628202210012021093020191109201811112017100720150221 Rating:    -- 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 out of 10 Your review (minimum 250 words): Past reviews - sort by: DateVotes Version: 20230628 Rating: 8 Date: 2023-11-25 Votes: 1 Void Linux is a general-purpose, unique, independent and lightweight Linux distribution. Void Linux is not influenced by poor upstream decisions, unlike other forks out there (looking at you, creepy Ubuntu), and often do not chase the mainstream side of things because of this. It also offers 'musl' as an alternative libc to 'glibc'. 'runit' init system is great. It is simple, intuitive and does not get into your way like the behemoth 'systemd' (although some 'systemd' components except for the init have to be used). It is also easy to configure, and the default init scripts made by the Void Linux contributors generally work out-of-the-box. 'xbps' is also surprisingly fast and has a consistent set of features. It is definitely cleaner than Debian's 'apt', and the default repositories provide good download speed. Packages are compiled with several hardening options and level 2 optimization enabled by default. 'xbps-src', a part of 'xbps', allows for building packages from source and possibly, optimise them for the user's specific CPU architecture. Void Linux is truly both a "stable" and "rolling release" distribution. In theory, a full system update of a few years old Void Linux system is easy and should not break the system. Void also maintains necessary patches for packages in its repository, and the continuous build system will update any package as soon as the 'void-packages' GitHub repository is updated. ...the 'void-packages' GitHub repository? Yes, and updates to packages require manually changing the version on the template file, and often rewriting of the patches. Unfortunately, many packages are orphaned because there are not enough maintainers or they are not generally useful. For example, as of the time of writing this review, LLVM version 17.0.5 had already been released, yet the latest version on the Void repository is 15.0.7. Another example is GCC. Version 13.2.0 had already been released for 3 months, but Void repository only has GCC 12.2.0. A more practical example is the Chromium browser, which has been 2 release behind (currently 119). Does this affect normal users? Generally speaking, probably not. You can download Chromium or LLVM on the project's official websites, anyways, or switch to Firefox. Yet, it is the package manager's job to manage dependencies and update the whole system easily, and having to use external programs renders the package manager less useful than if you use the packages provided by the Void Linux repository. After all, this is voluntary work, so if you use Void and want Void to thrive, expect to contribute back to the project. Was this review helpful? Yes No Version: 20230628 Rating: 10 Date: 2023-11-20 Votes: 4 Void Linux is a unique and independent Linux distribution that offers a fast, stable, and customizable system. It is not based on any other operating system, but rather developed from scratch with a 2-clause BSD license. Here are some of the pros of Void Linux that make it stand out from the crowd: RUNIT: Void Linux uses runit as the init system and service supervisor, which is a simple and effective approach to initialize the system and manage services. runit is lightweight, reliable, and easy to configure. XBPS: Void Linux has its own package manager, called X Binary Package System (or xbps), which is written from scratch with a 2-clause BSD license. xbps allows you to quickly install, update, and remove software from multiple local and remote repositories. It also supports package states, virtual packages, configuration files, scriptlets, integrity checks, and more. XBPS-SRC: Void Linux also has its own package builder, called xbps-src, which allows you to build software from sources in containers using Linux namespaces. You can build packages natively or cross compile for different architectures and C libraries. You can also contribute to the Void Linux project by adding and updating packages and extending the documentation. C library diversity: Void Linux supports both the musl and GNU libc implementations, and provides separate software repositories and installation media for each one. This gives you the option to choose the C library that suits your needs and preferences. musl is a lightweight, fast, and standards-compliant alternative to glibc, while glibc is the most widely used and compatible C library in Linux. LibreSSL: Void Linux is one of the few Linux distributions that use LibreSSL instead of OpenSSL as the default SSL/TLS library. LibreSSL is a fork of OpenSSL that aims to provide a more secure, clean, and modern codebase. LibreSSL is developed by the OpenBSD project, which is known for its focus on security and quality. Rolling release: Void Linux is a rolling release distribution, which means that you can always get the latest software updates without having to reinstall the system or upgrade to a new version. Void Linux has a continuous build system that builds new software packages as soon as the changes are pushed to the void-packages repository. Void Linux also focuses on stability, rather than being bleeding-edge, and patches incompatible software when necessary. Void Linux is a great choice for users who want a fast, stable, and flexible system that does not follow the mainstream trends. It is also a good option for users who want to learn more about Linux and how it works, as Void Linux gives you more control and customization over your system. Void Linux is a distribution that challenges the conventional wisdom and offers a fresh and innovative experience. Was this review helpful? Yes No Version: 20230628 Rating: 10 Date: 2023-11-05 Votes: 23 I never thought I could use "stable" and "rolling release" in the same sentence but I was wrong.. It's been two years of running Void Linux without a single issue. It's fast and responsive. Even though xbps doesn't support parallel downloads like pacman, it's still blazing fast and get the job done. Runit is well thought, it's simple and does it's one thing flawlessly well as a good piece of software is supposed to do. I don't see myself running other distro on my main machine, Void is just excellent! Was this review helpful? Yes No See all 155 reader reviews of Void...