Void Linux


Void Linux is an independent Linux distribution that uses the X Binary Package System package manager, which was designed and implemented from scratch, and the runit init system. Excluding binary kernel blobs, a base install is composed entirely of free software, but users can access an official non-free repository to install proprietary software.

History

Void Linux was created in 2008 by Juan Romero Pardines, a former developer of NetBSD, to have a test-bed for the XBPS package manager. The ability to natively build packages from source using xbps-src is likely inspired by pkgsrc and other BSD ports collections.
In May 2018, the project was moved to a new website and code repository by the core team after the project leader had not been heard from for several months.
As of July 2020, Void is the sixth highest rated project on DistroWatch with a score of 9.08 out of 10.

Features

Void is a notable exception to the majority of Linux distributions because it uses runit as its init system instead of the more common systemd used by other distributions including Arch Linux, CentOS, Debian, Fedora, Mageia and Ubuntu. Void is the first distribution to incorporate LibreSSL as the system cryptography library by default. It is also unique among distributions in that separate software repositories and installation media using both glibc and musl are available.
Due to its rolling release nature, a system running Void is kept up-to-date with binary updates always carrying the newest release. Source packages are maintained on GitHub and can be compiled using the xbps-src build system. The package build process is performed in a clean environment, not tied to the current system, and most packages can be cross-compiled for foreign architectures.
As of April 2017, Void Linux supports Flatpak, which allows the installation of the latest packages from upstream repositories.
Jesse Smith of DistroWatch notes fast bootup times which he credited to runit, but also notes that documentation and bug-testing are lacking. The are slowly replacing a deprecated .

Editions

Using flavours, users can download pre-configured install media providing typical desktop environments, such as Cinnamon, Enlightenment, LXDE, MATE, or Xfce. The live images contain an installer that offers a ncurses-based user interface. The default root shell is. KDE and Gnome are in the repos, but not pre-packaged.