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I have not used Void Linux, so I can not comment. However, I do not think that source distributions like Gentoo, NixOS, etc. are a good comparison to what you g

by ninjin 3y ago

I have not used Void Linux, so I can not comment. However, I do not think that source distributions like Gentoo, NixOS, etc. are a good comparison to what you get with the BSDs. BSDs (especially OpenBSD) tend to be about sane defaults and shipping rather complete systems, while the source-based Linux counterparts are more about endless configurability and how to tame it. Not arguing that one is better than the other (especially as I have used both Gentoo and NixOS), but it is certainly a very different take on what a *NIX system should be compared to the BSDs.

bitwize 3y ago
Void Linux is, to a first approximation, "Arch without the BS". Because it ships a musl version, and because Lennart thinks anything but Linux/glibc is a niche corner case which can simply be ignored, Void does not use systemd but rather runit. (Indeed, it's the only distro I know of to officially switch away from systemd to something else.) Also, there are few, if any, distro-breaking flag days. I once blindly typed 'xbps-install -Syu' into a Raspberry Pi 2 that had fallen 2-3 years behind, and everything just chugged along and updated without a hitch. Source: I use Void, btw.
- rvense 3y ago
  FWIW I recently reverted to Arch after five years because Void broke itself completely, but it was otherwise a decent OS.
  - cyberpunk 3y ago
    You mean the distro has gone in the wrong direction, or your specific five year old installation died somehow?
    - rvense 3y ago
      The latter, an upgrade gone awry and I couldn't be bothered to fix it. I use Arch on my work laptop (a concession to modernity and having easy access to whatever), so it was simple to move my primary Good Screen to it as well.
7speter 3y ago
The thing that makes me curious about BSD (haven’t had a chance to give it a try yet) is that its more of a complete system, unlike Linux, which is a kernel in the middle of all of these modular components. How these components are managed is what makes distributions, but there are misgivings about the stubborn cultures that back each distribution. Ironically, the thing that I find most appealing about switching to a bsd is what makes it most similar to Windows, in that its mostly a whole operating system. I like KDE, I don’t ever eveb change the wallpaper, though. I don’t want a tiling windows manager, I dont care about x vs. wayland, I just want to see what I’m doing, and, oh the system works? F—- if it uses systemd or not! You got a version of a package that isnt 3 years old? It doesn’t have the newest backdoor? Great! I can get things done! And thats why I find something like FreeBSD appealling. Im sorry, I want to get things done, maybe have some fun, and not have to deal with a future of subscriptions or invasive telemetry. Sorry if I want a bsd thats too much like Windows…

by ninjin 3y ago

bitwize 3y ago

Void Linux is, to a first approximation, "Arch without the BS". Because it ships a musl version, and because Lennart thinks anything but Linux/glibc is a niche corner case which can simply be ignored, Void does not use systemd but rather runit. (Indeed, it's the only distro I know of to officially switch away from systemd to something else.) Also, there are few, if any, distro-breaking flag days. I once blindly typed 'xbps-install -Syu' into a Raspberry Pi 2 that had fallen 2-3 years behind, and everything just chugged along and updated without a hitch. Source: I use Void, btw.

rvense 3y ago
FWIW I recently reverted to Arch after five years because Void broke itself completely, but it was otherwise a decent OS.
- cyberpunk 3y ago
  You mean the distro has gone in the wrong direction, or your specific five year old installation died somehow?
  - rvense 3y ago
    The latter, an upgrade gone awry and I couldn't be bothered to fix it. I use Arch on my work laptop (a concession to modernity and having easy access to whatever), so it was simple to move my primary Good Screen to it as well.

7speter 3y ago

The thing that makes me curious about BSD (haven’t had a chance to give it a try yet) is that its more of a complete system, unlike Linux, which is a kernel in the middle of all of these modular components. How these components are managed is what makes distributions, but there are misgivings about the stubborn cultures that back each distribution. Ironically, the thing that I find most appealing about switching to a bsd is what makes it most similar to Windows, in that its mostly a whole operating system. I like KDE, I don’t ever eveb change the wallpaper, though. I don’t want a tiling windows manager, I dont care about x vs. wayland, I just want to see what I’m doing, and, oh the system works? F—- if it uses systemd or not! You got a version of a package that isnt 3 years old? It doesn’t have the newest backdoor? Great! I can get things done! And thats why I find something like FreeBSD appealling. Im sorry, I want to get things done, maybe have some fun, and not have to deal with a future of subscriptions or invasive telemetry. Sorry if I want a bsd thats too much like Windows…