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Devuan GNU+Linux
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Reader supplied reviews for Devuan GNU+Linux
Average rating
9.2 from 99 review(s)
Version: 4.0.0
Rating: 10
Date: 2023-06-07
Votes: 4
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It works. It respects you as an adult. It does not take weird decisions on your benefit. What was expected to be Linux. That is Devuan.
I need to write lots of more chars, but in fact there is no more explication needed. You get what Debian used to be, you get tons of packages, and you do not get the "ubuntu feeling" that latests Debian gives you. But with all the benefits of Debian.
Actualiced packages without surprises, and nothing that systemd surprisinly breaks, or any package that breacks systemd and left systemd broken.
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Version: testing
Rating: 10
Date: 2023-06-01
Votes: 12
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I have been using Linux since some time in the 90's and previously used (not in any particular order & likely forgetting some) Suse, Caldera, Slackware, Sidux, PCLinuxOS, MX, Ubuntu, Mint, Debian, LFS, BLFS, Vector, CentOS, Fedora, Bodhi, Peppermint, Mepis, TwistedOS, Raspian, Tails amongst various others that I have tried briefly or used as they are on computers. Others in my family are using PopOS, MX, Xubuntu.
When Devuan were working on Jessie (1,0.0) I was mostly using Debian and I have long preferred apt to rpm. I maintain servers which I am gradually moving to devuan from debian and one ubuntu although I have used centos in the past. My concern has mostly been systemd. I have used runit before and use openrc on my devuan installs which at the time of making the choice seemed to have the edge to me but the choice is always there. What I like about Devuan is the freedom from systemd feature creep and the risks that come with that but also the mindset of the team that goes with that choice that the developer made which is a reassurance in future decision making. It has installed easily on a variety of hardware and I am using Chimaera (4.0.0.) for servers and Daedalus (Testing) for the more up to date hardware support for my laptop.
Although I am capable of doing a lot of the more technical under the hood stuff, when I am busy I like a quick setup, ease of use (whether terminal or GUI) and for stuff to just work well without hassle when i need to get on with things and I get that with Devuan. I find it very solid and reliable with a huge amount of software available but without bloat. It's compact efficient and fast. It's simple to just grab the stuff I like to use and install it and copy over my profiles where needed when changing hardware.
I use XFCE almost always but deep down I'm an enlightenment / Moksha fan really but i would spend a while making it how i wanted it whereas XFCE is close enough for me to work efficiently with few tweaks out of the box and most distros have an up to date version. I have used KDE a lot in my early years with the odd short term use of LXDE, Gnome, Cinnamon, Mate, Budgie, FVWM, Openbox, IceWM, LXQT.
Occasionally I have used wine but I almost always find there is a linux way of sorting stuff. I think the last time I had to resort to that was for a vehicle maintenance program quite a while back. I'm not a gamer and I do see from my son's gaming that sometimes there are some disadvantages to linux whether under wine or native. I can't recall when I last had a dual boot setup but I think it was probably soon after my wife got her Samsung NC20 netbook so probably 2009 and I hoped she would let me use it on the rare occasions I wanted do do something in windows. Before that I was at the stage of being many months between windows boots.
I think the most frustrating thing is document compatibility if printing something that has been done on a windows machine and the appropriate fonts are not installed and maybe even not legally available as they came with something else so at least one needs to find a metrically compatible substitute but this issue can potentially occur between windows systems to an extent. The other thing is I hope in future they pick release names that are easier to remember the spelling. I'm not bothered about the lack of wallpapers as all my desktops are always covered with open windows and they are easy to add what you like if you want anyway.
Over the years I have liked, enjoyed and disliked different distros but Devuan is the one I feel I can trust & rely on the most to do what I need and I feel at ease with.
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Version: 4.0.0
Rating: 10
Date: 2023-05-21
Votes: 15
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A "perfect distro" is very subjective.
Devuan has been the perfect distro for me.
I have been using linux way back when synaptic was the graphical package manager and before systemd was thought of.
While I do not desire to enter the systemd dabate all I can say is the more I use it the more I see the sense in do one thing and doing it well.
I chose Devaun for my main machine after a year and half with Qubes. Qubes is great but I wanted a more integrated system. Devaun was one of three distros I have used in the past and only replaced them after hardware failure. (the other two were mxlinux and mint).
After a year of so Devaun just keeps booting and doing what it needs to do. Not that I have stopped distro-hopping. I still try distros on spare drives and machines however while other distros have come and gone Devaun remains.
What may be perceived as cons does not bother me. There is not graphical package manager. However as Install through the command line anyway I do not miss it. App seems to boot faster and the system remains stable longer anyway.
Packages are not bleeding edge. This is an acceptable trade off for a system that remains stable day after day.
I can't remember if it has a welcome screen or not however once again everything that usually pops up in a welcome screen is part of the normal routine of installation anyway.
Devuan is a perfect distro if need something that boots everyday and works.
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Version: 4.0.0
Rating: 10
Date: 2023-04-21
Votes: 89
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I have been running Devuan on all our production servers since Debian decided to swich to systemd and I am very satisfied.
Devuan just works. Devuan is stable, Devuan is simple.
Easy step by step installation, that lets you create a minimal system to start with, then you can easily add programs you need. You can use precompiled packages but it works flawlessly with packages you compile yourself. For web stack I usually use supplied MariaDB with nginx and php compiled from source. It is extremely easy and fast to set up this way. There is no painful fiddling or trial and error.
You do not have to deal with the big black box called systemd, so everything is refreshingly simple a and easy to inspect or change.
The power of Devuan is the combination of the Debian with its easy package system while avoiding systemd complexity to keep the modularity and simplicity that Debian used to have.
Highly recommended.
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Version: 4.0.0
Rating: 10
Date: 2023-04-21
Votes: 32
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Devuan 4.0 Chimaera XFCE (installed from LiveCD)
Stable as a rock :)
Pros:
- very fast
- very easy to use
- rock solid
- small size
- very simple management
- debian based (meaning that you can easily install vscode, chrome, zoom, discord and other apps from their sites)
Cons:
- cause it has small size (literarily 1GB)
you need to install every additonal thing yourself
there is literarily only one theme, 8 boring wallpapers.
so you need to find a dark theme yourself
install localisation packages for FF & libreoffice
install a decent mail client
and you are good to go.
but its ok :)
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Version: 4.0.0
Rating: 9
Date: 2023-04-17
Votes: 5
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I'm using Devuan for a couple of years now and still love it.
I switched to Devuan when Manjaro (Arch Linux derivate) stopped supporting a non-systemd version, and some disappointing trials with Artix and other alternatives. My biggest requirements for a distro are that it is systemd-free and that it provides a modern enough Emacs version. After trying Devuan Live I was immediately sold. It is very stable, works great and doesn't need much maintenance.
Installing is pretty easy, post-install requires a little more effort.
Some default software is a little strange, buggy or childish and some very usefull software is missing, for example fdisk or gparted, and rcconf, but removing & installing is easy.
I use/used it on different (relative old) laptops and most of my hardware works out of the box, even the multi-media keys.
I encountered very few issues with Devuan and could solve all, some with always very friendly and adequate help on IRC chat, which doubled my love for Devuan.
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Version: 4.0.0
Rating: 10
Date: 2023-03-04
Votes: 39
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Switched from Debian Stretch to Devuan when it looked mature enough to me, and enjoyed a stable laptop since. Before that, I encountered systemd related issues, which made the decision along with my support of the UNIX philosophy to switch easier.
Currently running laptops and two data servers on "rolling" stable tag, previously laptops on unstable tag without issues for certain software packages.
Pro:
- Continuation of the original Debian philosophy and its stable environment including packages
- Optional minimalistic first install
Cons:
- Missing a couple of packages (related to the next point) that I installed through deb files from the Debian repository, not sure if they're also obsolete there
- None other that come to mind other than the common Linux bassed shortcomings from lack of support by manufactors
This is pretty much an "install and forget" distribution, although I do manual updates to avoid surprises with automated updates. The OS does not stand in the way in my daily use as one should expect.
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Version: testing
Rating: 10
Date: 2023-02-08
Votes: 49
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I switched to Devuan from another systemd-free distro: Artix. I really loved Artix, but switched because of the occasional stability issue (the system would break once every two months or so), and for ability to easily use .deb packages. So far, Devuan has been fantastic:
Pros:
+ Systemd free
+ Very stable (even in testing, though I'd like to use it longer to reach a proper conclusion)
+ .deb support
+ Easy package management generally
+ Clear install materials (some people complained about this, but I didn't find it challenging)
Cons:
- On install, the default disk configuration provided too little swap; had to customize
- One program I use stopped distributing .deb (ungoogled-chromium)--obviously me/package-specific
Overall, it's a great distro for daily use!
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Version: 4.0.0
Rating: 9
Date: 2023-02-04
Votes: 13
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We have been using version 4 since its release.
We use it run a smalll engineering company.
Alll of our cad packages run with out issue.
The only improvement that is necessary is the add user is so bad we add users manually and groups. These are the same for 20+ boxes.
To run Windows and even DOS to support some very old systems we use VMWare 17 and load other OS as needed.
With the 386 version and a 1TB SSD we have been able to revive a few older laptops. We have a very expensive Toshiba laptop.
It runs perfectly and is very fast compared to the MS sw that was on it.
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Version: 4.0.0
Rating: 10
Date: 2023-01-24
Votes: 31
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Running two instances currently, xfce on laptop and KDE plasma on my desktop PC.
Must say this is currently my favorite distro and is everything I ever wanted for - Debian without systemd.
If you are not an experienced user, installation can be a bit intimidating. Also, nVidia users might have problem after the initial installation - if after grub you get black screen, reboot and when back in grub, select Devuan and press 'e' on your keyboard, scroll down to linux line and add 'nomodeset' to the end and press 'F10' to boot. After that I suggest installing nVidia's driver from their website by following instructions on "If Not True Then False" website (search the internet for 'if not true then false nvidia debian')
Really love this distro
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Version: 4.0.0
Rating: 5
Date: 2023-01-10
Votes: 0
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The installation process is confusing and intimidating. Moreover, it is one of the most confusing installation process I've ever seen. I say this with over 15 years experience working with Linux and trying at least a dozen distros including Arch, Debian, Ubuntu and hybrids.I tried to install the distro on a machine where I have two SSDs. One SSD has Windows 11 and the other SSD was blank and was the target for Devuan. I could not figure out how to point the Devuan installer to the empty SSD that was the target. Recommend the development team revisit the installation process while keeping in mind a user might be a beginner or intermediate level user. It is my opinion the current installation process is definitely not for a beginner. It might be fine for someone who does not have any operating system installed on their computer but otherwise I recommend a non-advanced user to avoid.
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Version: 4.0.0
Rating: 10
Date: 2023-01-05
Votes: 57
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I have been using Devuan (Cinnamon) for the past five months, and I must say it just ticks all the boxes for me; it's stable, it's fast, and it doesn't stay in my way. It loads superfast, faster than Debian. I think it's because systemd doesn't run along, but I don't know nor do I care that much.
Devuan is a great piece of software that really is growing on me. There are a few “buts” that new Linux users might take note. If you expect Devuan to be aesthetically pleasing first time you load it, you might be a little disappointed, because vanilla looks isn't sexy, and it might look a bit oldish. But Cinnamon (or MATE or XFCE) is fairly easy to customize through its Themes section, and you can make it look as modern as Linux Mint or Ubuntu or whatever. I am running a couple of Mints own Cinnamon themes and I really like how it looks.
Recently I installed Devuan via expert install, and I went for minimal Cinnamon installation. Now, after installing all the necessary packages (gvfs, fuse, ntfs-3g) plus the programs I use the most: Firefox, Brave (for work), Audacious, Filezilla, qbittorrent, Pdfarranger, Gimp, Timeshift, Simplescreenrecorder, Grsync, Gnome-disk-utility (Disks), Scribus, Celluloid, Libreoffice Writer, I have a lean, mean super Devuan machine with less than 1300 packages. With Mint I always had appx. 2200 packages, with Debian around 1900. Not that it matters much, but I like that.
Oh, and if you for some reason have a low resolution on your desktop, just hit sudo apt install firmware-amd-graphics, and after reboot you will have good resolution back. I really think Devuan should include this firmware, but it is not a big problem - if you know how to solve it. It took me some time to find this out. :)
It is a bit of a rough diamond, but if you invest some time and interest, Devuan will serve you faithfully.
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Version: unstable
Rating: 10
Date: 2022-12-14
Votes: 33
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been using void and arch based distros for years now but i admit that devuan's unstable's more stable than all of them lol.
i currently use dwm on devuan with all the latest packages, runs very fast! Also the runit version is pretty minimal, i like it. i dual boot it with artix and no issues so far! i've always wanted to try out debian but without the systemd part xD, devuan is the way to go!!!!!!!!!
devuan provides init freedom, devuan + suckless tools is really awesome. the system doesnt break like arch does!
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Version: unstable
Rating: 10
Date: 2022-12-08
Votes: 36
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I've been using Linux since 1997, I switched to Debian in 2002 and have been using Devuan since the forking due to systemd.
I am currently using a recent installation that was initially based on a fresh Daedalus Preview net install and then switched to the Ceres repositories.
Like my previous installations, I have found that unstable is pretty stable if you give the package list and removals a look over for anything unusual before committing to a dist-upgrade. I think this reflects well on both the Devs of Devuan and the parent Debian.
Devuan Stable is very usable by almost anyone with a cursory understanding of Linux, the rolling nature of Ceres is a little more demanding.
I think the big attraction for me is the fact that most of Debian's extensive repo offerings are available in Devuan, but without the curse of systemd. This allows me to tailor my computer my way and by using Ceres everything is quite current.
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Version: unstable
Rating: 9
Date: 2022-10-21
Votes: 19
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Fantastic system-d free linux os! I'm migrating over from Manjaro because I grew disgusted with their support of systemd and its rejection of the linux philosophy of have each component do one thing and one thing only. K.I.S.S.
Issues: I had a problem with vlc not displaying videos properly, so I removed it and installed the flatpak version from flathub.org. No more VLC issues.
Other than that, I've got nothing but positive things to say. One of the things I liked about Arch based systems was the rolling release. I'm using Devuan's Ceres rolling release and I am loving it!
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Version: 4.0.0
Rating: 10
Date: 2022-10-20
Votes: 22
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Have been running version 4 and it is rock solid.
We shut it down every 6 mo to clean filters.
Our cad packages install and run with out lib issues.
added a 3 D printer to system - no issues.
added a CNC mill software than needs windows - installed VMWare workstation.
After a year of hard use and no failures I would recommend it to anyone.
A pleasant supprize is that we had an old Toshiba laptop that was headed to trash.
Installed a 1 T byte SSD and loaded the 386 version on it and everything works. Performance is good.
The only problem is adding users. This needs to be fixed. Copy scheme used in SL linux 6.5 and you would have
a perfect system.
Thank You All.
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Version: unstable
Rating: 10
Date: 2022-10-14
Votes: 14
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My laptop is old but boot time is about 10 seconds according to dmesg.
neofetch output:
OS: Devuan GNU/Linux 5 (daedalus/ceres) x86_64
Host: Satellite C650
Kernel: 5.10.140
Uptime: 20 secs
Packages: 811 (dpkg)
Shell: bash 5.2.0
Resolution: 1366x768
WM: dwm
Theme: Blackbird [GTK2/3]
Icons: Tango [GTK2]
Terminal: st
CPU: Pentium T4500 (2) @ 2.300GHz
GPU: Intel Mobile 4 Series Chipset
Memory: 128MiB / 5812MiB
I've used netinstall iso and installed with chroot from old debian system. And then maked tuning and compiled DWM which starts from .xinitrc. After tuning all work properly: backlight and sound keys. And wi-fi works without network-manager, but only with wpa_supplicant.conf and /etc/network/interfaces. And i've compiled own kernel which increased performance because of smaller size (less lines of code) i think.
And i have no HDD, it's broken. I'm from country which started Ukraine war and i have no enough money for new HDD. But i have usb-stick 8Gb, which i use for this Devuan
When i've compiled kernel 5.19.* something was wrong and my usb-stick (sandisk) becomes read-only (impossible to fix -- the answer from sandisk). And i've just extracted previous archive of full system (compressed size about 1.5Gb) on the next working usb-stick, and then run grub-install to this mounted usb-stick. And all works again without reinstall.
PS: im using openvpn client for my security reasons. And my ip shows that i am in Korea
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Version: unstable
Rating: 10
Date: 2022-10-02
Votes: 17
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After Microsoft started to implement ads into file explorer I decided I needed to cut my losses with them and switch to open-source software.
I initially wanted an Arch based distro, but after having those be too unstable for me I determined a Debian based was the best course in terms of usability and stability (I say that as I'm on the testing/unstable branch lol).
After determining Debian was the best course I heard about SystemD and it's Corporate overlords that control it and I decided I didn't want to be beholden to the Microsoft of the Linux world, so naturally Devuan popped up, and after trying Chimaera the Stable branch I realized the Wayland support it gave was sub par, I also wanted a newer kernel than 5.10 due to the AMDGPU driver having better support somewhere around 5.12-5.13.
Now I'm running "Daedalus/Ceres" from the NetInstaller and it's been exactly what I wanted.
My system specs are as follow:
Motherboard: ASUS TUF Gaming X570 Plus Wi-Fi
CPU: Ryzen 9 5950X
Cooler: Corsair H150i Elite Capellix (360mm AIO)
RAM: 128GiB G.Skill DDR4-3600MHZ CL16
Storage: 500GiB Samsung 980 Pro (1GiB EFI, 499GiB Root)
Storage: 1TiB Samsung 980 Pro (1TiB Home)
Storage: 128GiB Kingston A400 (SWAP)
Storage: 1TiB Samsung 860 Evo (250GiB Timeshift Backups, 750GiB Virtual Machines)
Storage: x2 4TiB Samsung 870 Evo (Games)
GPU: MSI Gaming X Trio - AMD/ATI Radeon RX 6900XT
PSU: Corsair RM1000X 80+ Gold
Case: Corsair 4000D Mid-Tower
My Steam games work perfectly through proton (besides the ones that refuse to give support), the AMDGPU driver from the non-free repo works flawlessly and allows for Ray Tracing on games that support it, eliminates screen tearing and allows for variable refresh rate on high-end gaming monitors. Multi-monitor support is fast and stable even without Wayland and my games get upwards of 120FPS.
Everything I want to do works with hardly any issues. The only two I've come across over the last 2 months of daily driving this is system logs were filling up my root drive with upwards of 300GiB, but after re-configuring logrotate it's fixed the issue and my root storage has yet to go above 20GiB with all that I do. The other issue (that has since been fixed) was the keyring expiration which was fixed with an updated package from the main repo. Other than that this OS has had no issues and runs flawlessly.
This is exactly what I wanted for an OS that I plan to use for the next 7 years when I plan to upgrade.
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Version: 4.0.0
Rating: 1
Date: 2022-09-04
Votes: 0
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I wanted to install devuan on my server and desktop. The mirrors didn't work at all no matter how many times I tried. Turns out they have problems with some expired signature key.
I didn't even try the distro and I was already pissed. Guess it's too much effort for the devs to maintain a systemd free version of debian.
Maintaining a distro takes a lot of man power. Just take a look at how many developers debian has to maintain all of its package pool.
I honestly think it's best to stick to either debian, fedora, arch or suse at this point.
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Version: 4.0.0
Rating: 1
Date: 2022-09-03
Votes: 0
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Devuan has become simply unusable these days, unless of course you compile all the packages you use yourself (which I doubt), since you cannot download most packages because of signing key errors. If you try to install, or update the system, you will get spammed with several such warnings. Apparently they let the signing key for the package repository expire, which is quite amateurish for such a renowned distro in the niche of distributions without systemd. So if you have plans to try this, now is definitely not the time.
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Version: 4.0.0
Rating: 10
Date: 2022-08-10
Votes: 27
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I use Devuan on my High-end liquid cooled desktop using custom loop.
i use it for video gaming and video editing.
It runs everything flawlessly and I am completely satisfied.
CPU: Ryzen 2600x
GPU: AMD Vega 56
Installer: Minimal Net Install
Desktop: Xfce
init: SysVInit + OpenRC
I hope we soon have a OS similar to QubesOS but based on Devuan. As I use QubesOS on my laptop for security reasons. I don't have a choice other than sticking with systemd on my laptop. Devuan QubesOS should also be available.
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Version: unstable
Rating: 10
Date: 2022-08-04
Votes: 12
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I switched to linux around 2 or 3 years ago from Winblows. My friend first recommended Mint since its "noob friendly." Not too long after that, he linked me to a video called "MGTOW of linux: Curing the Cancer." This was a video about how SoystainD was nothing but spyware and really no different than winblows. He said he was using Devuan (specifically a fork, Refracta) and it didnt have that soystainD garbage infecting his PC. Thats when I switched.
Being that I started on refracta 10 (which is Devuan Beowulf) and that I needed Japanese input, the fresh install of Devuan was a chore to get Japanese input to work right (I was using a Japanese site to guide me through the process). That was a PITA, but once I got it all set up, there wasnt a single issue afterwards.
*****the japanese language install is MUCH better in Chimaera, much smoother process and less issues than I had.
My friend then recommended I switch to unstable as its basically just as stable as stable is, but you get updates sooner. I bought in and I have been using it ever since.
I currently have two DEs installed, XFCE (base install with devuan) and Trinity. I switch between the two and i really like both of them, although I'm still not used to a lot of the things that KDE does differently than gnome, but thats why I kept XFCE installed, just so i can take my time getting used to Trinity then I can make a full move over to it in the future.
I kept SysVInit as my init system as people complain that its "old" or whatever, but if it works, it works. I havent had a single problem with it so I plan to stick with it.
I also have Devuan installed on my Thinkpad X200S with a core 2 duo. Runs amazingly well.
I am so happy my friend told me about Devuan. I never had a need to distrohop thanks to this reliable distro.
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Version: 4.0.0
Rating: 10
Date: 2022-08-02
Votes: 14
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I installed it on my retired daily driver, seamless hw support for a 11 year old system, am2+ x64 amd ECS am780-gm. I used another system to create media. The installer was very clear and easy, I always choose custom or other "install" versus the default approach, a very nice installer. Quick and easy to set up. It's not a mainstream please everyone, but so very close. It'll need just a couple minor tweaks if you're used to a vanilla ubuntu, to get you comfortable, but it is (very) comfortable. I really enjoy the xfce desktop. I just had to tweak repos setting to get maintenance updates configured around my missing usb installer image, and proceeded to package installs and some user security settings for myself, simple to do.
Reason for trying: 1. check out non systemd , 2. ubuntu unable to use my firefox profile when installing a newer maint release with a migrated /home so I used this to get by, and recover via a cloned /home. Thanks very much :).
It is little effort only for a transition and if you're familiar with any other distro, you should have no qualms with testing this one out. Currently dual booting it with a sandbox for testing backup sw which is also debian based. For me the transition to non-systemd was a curiosity for some time. This has been painless thus far. Previously this system was a ubuntu/xcfe based dual boot with Win and remains fixed disk based. I have no benchmarks but it feels snappier. Could be that previously I was using low latency kernels that would behave differently on task focus. It looks to be a keeper for me and I will certainly look deeper into adopting for my daily driver laptop. I've since subscribed to mailing lists to help stay apprised of security and maintenance needs. Two Thumbs up !!
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Version: 3.1.0
Rating: 10
Date: 2022-08-01
Votes: 8
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Moved to Devuan when Debian forced change to System-D for most of my servers and all of my workstations (some servers I moved to FreeBSD). I have been very happy with it since the move. It boots fast, and is stable on the servers and most Debian work well so long as you can translate from System-D specific instructions to Sys-V. The few times I have needed to use System-D based Debian for clients, I have had issues, and it appears to boot slower (not an issue on a server which takes 7 minutes to go through a hardware check).
I stuck with Sys-V on my servers since I know it fairly well, but Devuan also allows you to run several other init systems, some of which are better for specific applications. I have found the mailing list (dng@lists.dyne.org) to be very responsive the few times I've needed it.
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Version: 4.0.0
Rating: 10
Date: 2022-07-25
Votes: 6
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(I am from Russia and therefore there may be some errors in the text) I using Devuan GNU/Linux on my laptop and computer sometimes. Now, i use Devuan with KDE Plasma 5.24 from testing repositories of Daedalus (next release based on Debian Bookworm). The distribution is well done, but I should to point out a few two that need to be fixed:
1. Why does a free distribution with the slogan "Software freedom, your way" have non-free packages by default and include non-free repositories?
2. If you install Devuan for example with Xfce from the installer, and not manually from the console, then it is impossible to completely remove the default browser. When you uninstall Firefox, Epiphany is installed, when you uninstall Epiphany, Firefox is installed.
But this is just my opinion and every system has errors and bugs. Devuan is suitable for both a weak laptop and a regular PC or server.
So, Devuan rocks!
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Version: 4.0.0
Rating: 10
Date: 2022-07-05
Votes: 20
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Ratings are all about meeting expectations and requirements. I was looking for something lightweight for an old Acer Aspire One, a 32-bit machine with modest specs (that's being kind), which I had running Lubuntu. Reason for change: Lubuntu is no longer mainted for 32-bit machines. I didn't want to have to spend a lot of time on configuring the look and feel, I wanted it to look decent out-of-the-gate - an important requirement considering the size of the display. Finally, there was a specific applications I needed to be able to run (pCloud) which offers its Linux version as a .deb package - and I didn't want to waste time on trying to get that to work.
So there we are. Devuan works like a charm. Yes, installation is awkward. But I got it done, multitasking between different tasks, so clearly it was easy enough. Devuan meets my expectations and requirements perfectly. Hence a 10.
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Version: 4.0.0
Rating: 10
Date: 2022-07-02
Votes: 10
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I've been using Devuan on my Raspberry Pi 400 with arm architecture (aarch64).
Installed from .iso at arm-files.devuan.org/ dated 12.2021.
I eventually decided to configure a cwm window manager and fbpanel as my launcher/system tray for low resource usage.
CONS:
- Wasn't clear whether the init was openrc, runit or sysv, but I think it is later. Can run, for example:
sudo service network-manager restart
- Wasn't clear what the bootstraping is on this arm-type architecture (BIOS/EFI?), but eventually found a simple file for this:
/boot/cmdline.txt
- For apparmor to work on startup, add lsm="apparmor" to /boot/cmdline.txt command line.
- Only Firefox-ESR is offered on chimaera version (tracks bullseye from Debian), so not the cuttting edge version of FF.
- It might freeze up for c.a minute sometimes (less than every other day though used extensively nearly each day), maybe due to some trojan horse imported from earlier systems into my backup files? This PI 400 only has 4Gb RAM; it has been said that PIs aren't for desktops, though I use my PI 400 happily as one.
- Redshift not working on arm architecture when last checked; just set colours on my monitor to Red on high, etc. and raise monitor's brightness and contrast settings during daytime. Apparently issue only applies to arm architecture, not amd64.
- No response to 1-3 issues filed at Bugs.Devuan.org page or bug report system.
PROS:
- Very stable other than the occasional freeze mentioned above.
- Better than tolerating the blob within systemd e.g. as offered with Raspberry OS
- Apparently, there is a choice of runit, OpenRC or SysVinit, but I settled with whatever came out-of-the-box.
- Fast boot up of 20 seconds, roughly speaking.
- Reasonably good development base, considering also that it is based on Debian.
All considered, very happy, better to my Raspberry PI 400 experience with Raspberry OS, though Raspberry OS is reasonably good overall.
On amd64 desktop, I had previously used (in order of preference): PopOS (excellent, but I prefer to avoid systemd), Qubes OS, Debian, Ubuntu, Calculate Linux (Gentoo derivative), Alpine OS, Void OS, and others.
I prefer Devuan overall, though beginners (on an amd64 computer) would be more comfortable with Linux Lite OS or Pop OS, in my humble opinion.
|
Version: unstable
Rating: 10
Date: 2022-04-13
Votes: 1028
|
Running Devuan Ceres (unstable) for two years on all my machines. Everything works and I'm amazed by how close to upstream these packages are. As of this review, I got the 5.16 kernel and haven't had any issues. Nonetheless, I installed Apt-listbugs, just to be safe. Updating your packages is super easy with the help of Amprolla. Devuan maintains a list of banned packages to prevent the bloated horror that is Systemd from making its way onto your systems, and packages that have some Systemd parts to them are either banned alongside or forked by Devuan and will be distributed to you shortly.
The only complaint I have is Runit is still partially implemented, but this is more of a Debian problem than Devuan. It works as init (powering on and off), but service scripts are still largely SysVinit-based. Hopefully, Ceres users like myself will get newer builds of Runit that are less dependent on SysVinit as soon as possible.
To summarize, Devuan is exactly what Debian USED to be, but I hope it becomes its own thing soon because there's more to GNU/Linux than just the bases of Ubuntu, Arch GNU/Linux, or Gentoo. Seeing as promising distros such as Hyperbola have switched out of Linux entirely in favor of OpenBSD, it's good to know there are still safe GNU/Linux distros to use which don't depend on Systemd. Artix GNU/Linux, for example, is Arch GNU/Linux sans Systemd, just as Devuan is Debian sans Systemd. More and more of these non-Systemd forks need to proliferate, as Systemd itself has spread like a virus that is near-impossible to get rid of.
Let's go, Devuan!
|
Version: 4.0.0
Rating: 9
Date: 2022-04-06
Votes: 13
|
Installed and have been running 4.0 for last 6 mo.
The good news is that all of my cad packages run with out lib problems.
I use VariCad for 3 D modeling, Eagle for circuit board design - non ACad Version.
I have built hundreds of C script programs to help run a small Engineering, manufacturing company.
We currently quit using SL inux when it DUMB with Gnome and systemD.
The only complaint I have how users are added. User ID's We just edited appropriate file by
hand to set up users and groups. That is why I only gave it 9.
With 50 systems in plant I need to set up each box with identical user ID and login, and passwds.
Really don't want this on our server.
|
Version: 4.0.0
Rating: 8
Date: 2022-04-03
Votes: 2
|
Installed using an old Devuan 2.0 Ascii netinstall disc without problems. I then upgraded to Devuan 3.0 Beowulf then finally 4.0 Chimaera, without any obvious problems. This is impressive.
I chose Devuan over Debian because it is systemd free. I was surprised to see Pulseaudio present.
Has been stable, installed Cinnamon & LXDE via CLI, no problems.
Very solid distro, active forum, which is a good sign. However, like Debian, the packages are not the latest, far from it.
A good choice if you don't need or want up-to-date packages.
Apart from the old packages, very few downside to report.
The next version, Daedalus is in the works.
Pros:
Lacks systemd
Install "just works"
Upgrading from one release to the next worked well
Stable, reliable
Large package repository
Active community forum
Cons:
Old packages (like Debian)
Slow release cycle (like Debian)
I prefer a distro with more up-to-date packages, so will probably continue with distro-hopping. Many may find Devuan fits the bill for their needs. An excellent alternative to Debian, which unfortunately, uses systemd.
|
Version: 4.0.0
Rating: 10
Date: 2022-03-21
Votes: 82
|
This is rock solid and dependable.
It may not be the bleeding edge, but it just works.
I use Devuan across all my machines, both at work and at home, it works better and is more speedier and up to date than Debian.
I have been using Devuan for a bit now and it has been a joy to use and it has init freedom, which is sorely needed these days with the domination of the proprietary and possibly malware infected and closed source init systemd. Devuan is not necessarily for the script kiddies with RGB lighting that can be seen from space, it is for people who want to get work done and use their computers. I wholeheartedly recommend Devuan to use.
|
Version: 4.0.0
Rating: 9
Date: 2022-03-07
Votes: 13
|
Distro hopping should end at Debian, but that uses systemd (by default), making Devuan the clear choice. Devuan's net installer works just like Debian's, but it also includes the proprietary wireless firmware also found in Debian's "unofficial/non-free" ISO. You choose from a list of popular desktop environments (GNOME noticeably absent due to systemd dependencies), and at the end you choose your init system (sysvinit is standard, runit is a good alternative, and openrc still not a complete implementation). A clean installation comes fully loaded with all the apps you'll need, and probably a lot that you don't need. Removing some pre-installed packages can cause dependency issues, but that's also an issue on Debian. If you want a true minimal install, don't select a desktop environment and install it later, with just the packages you need.
I had to install video drivers, but other than that, everything has worked out of the box on both of my machines. I run KDE and xfce, both with sysvinit. The strength of Devuan (and Debian) is that it's incredibly stable, with lots of support for adding in whatever you need. I don't see the point in upgrading to the testing or unstable branches, but those are available to those who want newer packages. I know I have two machines that aren't going to fail on me due to a random update or crash constantly due to under-tested, beta-level software. And, neither of them run systemd, which I find undesirable on a GNU/Linux system, along with proprietary software (with the exception of firmware). You'll have to do your own research to determine if you can do without it.
|
Version: 4.0.0
Rating: 10
Date: 2022-03-04
Votes: 42
|
After years of running Debian (since Ubuntu changed from Gnome 2) and trying LOTS of others distros.
I found that the new version of Debian wasn't as good or stable as I'm used to.
Now I've been using Devuan (MATE) for a couple of months without a single problem, this is how Debian used to be and should be.
What's this I must use 500 characters, when it says minimum 250?
Still not enough
The distros I've tried MX, Mint, Manjaro, Fedora, and lots of others
The problems with Debian were flickering screen, graphics and others
|
Version: testing
Rating: 10
Date: 2022-02-27
Votes: 44
|
Stable and fairly simple to run. I use the testing branch as my main OS for the last 5 years (at least).
It is my personal workstation but also acts as the backup-server for all the other devices on the internal
network (onto a encrypted disk).
My DE is xfce4. Not much eye-candy by default but that can easly be rectified. The xfce-appmenu-plugin
does not work properly without some tweaking - but it can be done.
BTW, I use the good old sysv-init as PID 1 as in my opinion the Debian runit implementation is too fragile
to survive the constant updates required by a testing-branch.
I recommend Devuan.
|
Version: 4.0.0
Rating: 9
Date: 2022-02-19
Votes: 7
|
Very clean easy install.
The only problem is the addition of users. For a single user its OK but in a large system with many users / groups its not easy.
You have a problem setting user Id, logins and passwords.
It is fast stable and easy to set up.
Highly recommend it.
Easy to manage as its not systemd,ed,
Larry Linder
|
Version: 4.0.0
Rating: 10
Date: 2022-02-15
Votes: 36
|
I've been using Devuan since the Ascii version, and I have been upgrading from Ascii to version 4.0, so I'm currently on Chimaera.
The upgrade has gone smoothly, the usual:
apt update
apt upgrade
apt dist-upgrade
and that's it.
I've also installed from scratch this version 4.0 on two computers with very good results. So I can say that either from scratch, or coming from previous versions, the result is a well configured and stable system.
I like it very much for its stability, simplicity, I haven't had problems to install any software that I have needed till now.
Not having systemd as a startup system has not influenced the software I use.
I guess for those who Gnome 3 (or 40) is a must, it's different.
As I have never liked Gnome 3 or higher it is not a problem.
I prefer MATE as a desktop
I use it on my servers as well as on my PCs, and I'm very happy with it.
|
Version: 4.0.0
Rating: 10
Date: 2022-02-15
Votes: 14
|
Easily the best Linux distro I've used in my four years of having Linux as a primary OS. It has everything great about Debian - the stability, fantastic package management, good support, but without SystemD. Even if you don't mind it, choice is still a good thing, especially now more than ever, considering that SystemD is used on most Linux distributions. My only gripe with Devuan is the installer. It would be nice if a more modern installer like the Calamares installer was offered. Also it would be nice if an option for the non-root to be added to sudo on installation was given.
Pros
* The main selling point of Devuan, allows for three different init systems instead of just being locked into SystemD.
* One of the few distros that still well supports x86. Great for reviving old computers.
* Rather user-friendly once you get it up and running. I installed this for a family member on an old Thinkpad x61 and they absolutely loved it.
* Extremely stable, maybe even more so than Debian, due to the lack of SystemD.
Cons
* The installer is rather confusing. Especially for beginners. Please consider adding the Calamares installer.
* This con also applies to Debian, but sometimes packages have tons of unneeded dependencies. I remember being a tad annoyed when I learned that the default web browser can't be removed due to being a dependency of the desktop environment.
* Because Devuan doesn't have SystemD, this means that some packages won't work with it. Most notably GNOME 3 and Snap.
I give Devuan a 10/10, simply because it's the best Linux distro I've used yet. It's not perfect, especially with the installer, but it's very solid otherwise. I heavily recommend it to anyone looking for a stable distro that doesn't use SystemD. If you want more cutting edge, look into Artix.
|
Version: 4.0.0
Rating: 10
Date: 2022-01-20
Votes: 51
|
I am using Devuan chimaera 4.0 with cinnamon and all is working great!
|
Version: 4.0.0
Rating: 5
Date: 2022-01-18
Votes: 0
|
Not reliant on systemd and also based on rock solid stable debian are good things. The bad things are the installer installs a lot of bloatware, no matter which desktop environment you choose. There's no minimal cinnamon, minimal kde, ... so you end up with a lot of useless apps and games. Another bad thing is the net installer takes hours! Once you install your favorite bloated DE, you're faced with an out of date looking environment, so you have to spend countless hours to make it look right. Community support looks abysmal and their irc channel is full of banter nonsense. Not recommended for newbs.
|
Version: 4.0.0
Rating: 10
Date: 2022-01-03
Votes: 97
|
This distribution reminds me of my beginnings under GNU/Linux in 2005, this is the good old Debian that I loved in that time. There is no more reliable and easy to use. I have to thanks peoples who made this happen again, so that we can remember what made the strength of GNU/Linux and use it for today needs.
|
Version: 4.0.0
Rating: 10
Date: 2021-12-30
Votes: 42
|
Using Devuan 4.0 with LXQT desktop environment and runit init system.
It is lighting fast, simple, familior, stable, and it is Devuan ! Delightful!
Thank you Devuan development team !
|
Version: 4.0.0
Rating: 5
Date: 2021-12-28
Votes: 0
|
pros
very fast bootup
extremely light
feels very windows like
easy to change themes, almost windows-like way
Probably more good for those coming from Windows directly
cons
for new user not so easy to find yourself around. ..Just a readme.text. Would be nice if there was a Welcome or Hello pop up menu like Manjaro or other popular distros.
there were alot themes but they were just the same thing different colour. Would be nice to have some more artistic memes using the name or photos perhaps
The app store is not easy to find for new users
The theme seems wndows like also.
If you click "my computer" not much comes up but this is not a big problem at all. Would be nice with more info.
|
Version: testing
Rating: 10
Date: 2021-12-14
Votes: 43
|
Devuan is great. It supports init freedom and is for the user. It is easy to use, very stable, speedy and I have had no problems trying to use this for day to day usage of web browsing, watching videos, etc. There are lots of customizations, even bigger and more repositories than Debian, more up-to-date software and better looking.
On the other hand with Debian, is locked down, slow, difficult to use, approves of systemd and related closed source spyware, heavily relies on snap and flatpacks for packages and the developers and community forums aren’t that friendly or helpful. Trash your Debian distro and try out the successor who actually cares about its users.
I recommend Devuan.
|
Version: 3.1.0
Rating: 10
Date: 2021-12-08
Votes: 40
|
"...Devuan is a breath of fresh air..." - I agree with previous review, systemd is wrong path, IMHO...
|
Version: unstable
Rating: 10
Date: 2021-12-03
Votes: 51
|
Coming from Debian and it being painful to use, Devuan is a breath of fresh air of everything Debian used to be. Devuan doesn’t rely at all on systemd whereas the Debian team verbally attacks the Devuan team for daring to break away and throw out systemd, that’s pretty sad.
With Devuan here, I would almost say, it’s an independent distro because it’s moving further and further away from reliance on Debian and the negativity found there. Devuan works great, is very stable, looks great, has a far greater use with customization and other programs Debian doesn’t have in any of its repositories, the developers care about their users and listen to their feedback and the community is great and helpful.
|
Version: 4.0.0
Rating: 10
Date: 2021-12-03
Votes: 23
|
I switched to Devuan armhf on my outdated google-snow chromebook. It looks like everything I need is present and working.
Firstly I tried Kali-armhf, yes, it may be suitable for penetration testing, but unstable for day-to-day work. Then I tried archlinuxarm and it was very promising for me since I use Arch on my x86-64 system. But actually archlinuxarm is less stable for that old armv7 device. Then I tried Void linux armhf, well, there wasn't much difference between Void-linux and archlinuxarm because they both use the same newest unstable packages. I don't really like ubuntu because I always have problems with it on x86 and debian is not the best choice for me (I still remember how the debian kernel while boot turned off the already discontinued to that time gtx750, so even a reboot did not help, only pulling out the power). So I didn't expect anything from other Debian based distributions, but it seems I was wrong. Everything I need is in the devuan repository (except for the specific kernel, but compiling it is not a problem for me). It works for a couple of days and no fails were found. Sysvinit as init scripts is slightly faster and the whole system is slightly more responsive than systemd in archlinuxarm or runit in voidlinux. So i hope that distro-hopping for my snow-chromebook is end now.
|
Version: 4.0.0
Rating: 10
Date: 2021-11-28
Votes: 16
|
Coming from Void, I had to try Devuan as it comes 2nd in project ranking (right after Arch) & is not using systemd. It's totally awesome: everything works and if you need the latest apps, you can always run flatpaks!
|
Version: testing
Rating: 10
Date: 2021-11-27
Votes: 18
|
If you're looking for a responsive, optimized and functional system which truly lets you decide how to handle your computing tasks, this is the right choice. I've been running testing branch on my daily use PC (with Cinnamon desktop) for two months now with no problems. Even my HP LaserJet M135w works great and was easy to set.
|
Version: 4.0.0
Rating: 10
Date: 2021-11-24
Votes: 16
|
installed Cinnamon on top. Very fast and responsive. Top Distro
|
Version: 4.0.0
Rating: 10
Date: 2021-11-21
Votes: 13
|
Using since 3.0.0 with MATE desktop on a Thinkpad T410 I use for web site management. Incredible performance, boots really fast, and so far not a single hardware related problem. Just some small issues regarding packages like gdebi or cups that got solved pretty quick. Great support on forums as well.
|
Version: 4.0.0
Rating: 10
Date: 2021-11-16
Votes: 22
|
I used Devuan with Cinnamon, but changed to KDE Plasma. And I dare say with KDE this distro is just superb. Installation is not difficult at all, and UEFI is supported.I istalled mainly flatpaks, evcept for OBS Studio. OBS Flatpak complained NVEnc was not installes, while it was. Installing the Devuan version with all options solved the problem.
|
Version: 4.0.0
Rating: 1
Date: 2021-11-13
Votes: 1
|
1. Cannot install grub2.
2. Migration path from Debian is broken.
3. Unprofessional look and feel.
|
Version: 4.0.0
Rating: 9
Date: 2021-11-10
Votes: 25
|
First of all there's no such thing as a 10 rating. Other than that I haven't found any flaws so far. I came to Devuan from MX and Solus, two similarly rated almost 10 distros. What brought me, however, was me not being able to set up an error (constant disconnects, freezes) free NordVPN client the way I liked it.
On Devuan, setting up IPSEC/IKEv2 in NetworkManager was a success, VPN works just fine and fast. What I also value is the option to boot into a customized live session (like in MX), thanks to Refracta. So for now, my system is a Devuan with functioning IPSEC/IKEv2 VPN connection, ZuluCrypt, SMB, Firefox ESR with my favorite extensions and tabs all booted into RAM from an ISO/USB drive.
So for now I'm happy and satisfied with Devuan, as I once was with MX and Solus. Great distro.
|
Version: 4.0.0
Rating: 10
Date: 2021-11-05
Votes: 21
|
1). I am delighted to support Devuan because of its commitment to init freedom.
2). Even if Devuan was based on systemd, it would be a 10 out of 10. I don't miss Mint one bit; not because I didn't like Mint (Mint is a superb distro IMO), but because Devuan is so good. And, I don't miss MX Linux (which is also superb, IMO) because I prefer Cinnamon.
Installation was easy (not sure why others are reporting issues), and speed + boot time are very good.
10 out of 10.
|
Version: 4.0.0
Rating: 7
Date: 2021-11-04
Votes: 0
|
I tried to install.But I was too dump to use the installer. I failed - something with the bootloader.
The live iso worked very fine.
|
Version: 3.1.0
Rating: 10
Date: 2021-11-02
Votes: 16
|
I've been found of Debian for a long time. I like de way things are organized, the simple way, as a user, I am able to use de package manager, through CLI using apt or through GUI using one of the varios apt enabled tools. The stability and the huge amount of documentation on how to do things and the amount of experience you are able to find when searching over the internet in forums, blogs and Q&A sites, make Debian (and all Debian based distros) very undestandable, light to learn and mantain. When I found about Devuan I justo got rid of something that lurked in the shadows and always tingled that sense of danger, somethimes mylself was unable to understand and obtain, systemd.
I've been using it on my eleven year old AMD Phenon II X6, with 16Gb RAM and 80Gb hard disk. Well, it has more space, as I use another drive and network share to put what I need. But the way the system performs is superb. No hickups I can remember, except those of my own fault.
It is fast to rebuld and put things the way I like.
There somethings you need to account as more and more software become untangled in the systemd "ecosystem", but with effort and study you are able to act upon it. The freedom to choose includes the freedom to not choose. And Devuan gives you both.
|
Version: unstable
Rating: 10
Date: 2021-11-02
Votes: 14
|
Stable Rolling Distro. Using Cinnamon. Have used dozens of Linux Distro over the years. Very Stable for using Ceres edition. Very customized to my needs. Using Open RC. Really worth a try if your looking for a Rolling Debian without SystemD.
|
Version: 4.0.0
Rating: 10
Date: 2021-10-30
Votes: 23
|
Xfce Chimaera is a pretty little thing. The distro definitely deserves more recognition!
|
Version: 4.0.0
Rating: 9
Date: 2021-10-25
Votes: 9
|
Fast, responsive and reliable distro, offering actual init choice. If not for Devuan I might have been forced to use Gentoo or even switch to BSD in order to escape the parasitic nightmare that is systemd.
I have been happily using Devuan with openrc since the Ascii release on my home server, my good old Thinkpad (KDE Desktop) and on my Ryzen PC (KDE Desktop) without major issues (switching to specific backported packages resolved these problems).
Chimaera on the other hand I believe still needs a little polish, at least with the KDE Desktop, haven't tested the others. I'm experiencing weird bugs and freezes of some applications at random. They might have released this version too early, feels like a Beta, might even be an issue with this KDE version itself. Not to mention selecting backports in the advanced installer automatically pulls a backported kernel without my consent, that was weird, didn't happen with the previous releases. I will be staying with Beowulf for now till the next point release before I will take a look at Chimaera again.
|
Version: 4.0.0
Rating: 10
Date: 2021-10-23
Votes: 15
|
I like how Devuan balances the stability of Debian with more up-to-date packages, being easier to use, runs lighter and doesn’t have systemd! Devuan overall is a joy to use.
|
Version: 4.0.0
Rating: 10
Date: 2021-10-21
Votes: 8
|
Devuan can be installed minimal and built as you want or you can go with a DE.
I run i3 wm and pcmanfm and it is perfect for me. Chimaera has worked for me
flawlessly all through testing and now stable. Devuan simply ROCKS.
|
Version: 4.0.0
Rating: 5
Date: 2021-10-20
Votes: 0
|
I use MX Linux 18.3/19.3 with 380MB and 440MB desktop idle respectively. I tested the latest Devuan release and the desktop idle is at 700 MB with Xfce! Bloated and totally unacceptable. What happened to writing good, efficient code? It has gone out the window.
|
Version: 3.1.0
Rating: 10
Date: 2021-10-20
Votes: 6
|
Devuan 3 was my entry to Linux. It was either this or Debian but had a few issues with the wifi on the latter and so Devuan came out as winner. Installion guide was helpful albeit a little brief, had trouble making my way around GParted especially. Although that too had a manual so no problems in the end.
Once everything was all set up, it was perfect. Stable as expected, blazing fast, has a small memory footprint, and looks so gorgeous I almost didn't want to mess about customizing it.
|
Version: 4.0.0
Rating: 9
Date: 2021-10-18
Votes: 0
|
Not a keeper for one reason. I installed Chimaera 4.0.
I don't want Firefox, so I installed Brave-browser. Then, went to remove Firefox-esr...and it automatically replaces Firefox with Epiphany. WHAT? Then tried to remove Epiphany, and it re-installs Firefox-esr. No thanks.
I'll give it a 9 because I do believe it would be a good dependable system, but I don't think I should be forced to carry around all that unwanted extra baggage.
One browser of MY choice is all I want.
|
Version: 4.0.0
Rating: 10
Date: 2021-10-16
Votes: 16
|
Just installed 4.0. Using Devuan from release 1.0.
It is Fast, Stable, Simple, Intuitive, Easy to Use. And of course systemd free!
Using XFCE with runit on Devuan 4.0 and it is perfect!
Best Linux OS distrubution out there for anyone with little experience of Linux.
|
Version: 4.0.0
Rating: 9
Date: 2021-10-15
Votes: 6
|
Very good. Good quality non-systemd GNU/Linux. We like and use the devuan live-desktop key a lot. We have been running Devuan since version 2 along with Artix, FreeBSD and OpenBSD. My wife is even transferring files to her iPAD via icloud with devuan. And print to pdf works great on that.
When using this and other non-systemd systems, my opinion is that systemd was designed with large corporate business in mind. Just a feeling. So central management by automation to reduce costs is understandable in a large corporate. But that focus does causes all manner of side-effect when used on a personal system. IBM previously bought RedHat so it makes sense.
One example of this is that logs on devuan are text based and grep-able by a human... not in a binary format for parsing by a remote agent. The systemd-based MX Linux, which we also use, boots a lot slower than devuan. And boot time was one of systemd's original boasts. I think we may stop using MX and switch to devuan 4 for the other systems.
Configuring a service of your own to boot is straight forward without systemd as well.
One note. Do buy hardware for the system! Don't buy a windows systems and assume everything will work or you could be disappointed. I would go on-chip intel or amd graphics rather than nvidia. We had no end of issues with nvidia drivers across our Linux systems at home.
So yes overall, the XFCE desktop is solid. Devuan is very stable. It has a large software choice. We are very positive about this GNU/Linux distro.
Community is friendly.
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Version: 3.1.0
Rating: 10
Date: 2021-10-14
Votes: 11
|
This has been serving well as my workstation's OS for classes, business, and 3d printing.
It uses a predictable init system, which does not invalidate one's knowledge.
|
Version: testing
Rating: 10
Date: 2021-10-14
Votes: 6
|
My distro-hopping days ended after trying this distro. I've been using it for two years now with Plasma DE in my daily driver, just switching from SysV to runit a few months ago. So far, just the best gnu/linux desktop experience I could ask. Easy to set, stable, smooth boot, an overall improvement over some flaws I had to deal with using Debian, mostly driver-related problems.
Also I recycled and old netbook (Intel Atom, 1 gb ram) with a Devuan netinstall to set a home printer server.
|
Version: 3.1.0
Rating: 9
Date: 2021-09-22
Votes: 14
|
I am a Windows 7 user and long time distro hopper. I am new to this distro after trying the LinuxFx distro previously. Short answer is that Devuan is the best of all distros so far!
It has been bewildering over the years dipping my toes into the Linux world. I need GUIs, so for you "regular" Windows users, I come from your world mostly. However I have a focus on learning privacy and security practices, so my distro hopping has been influenced by that. Qubes is a thing, but not easy, and I realized just how few distros have rebelled against systemd (good for you that have!). So this has led me to Devuan Beowulf, and I am downloading Chimaera (the next release) as I type this. I have tested Beowulf in the following form for a few days:
So I finally got the download correct, and chose the Cinnamon desktop. I then installed the Boomerang Windows 7 theme etc finally (search for it on the interwebs).
Impression: for a Windows user that wants privacy/security, and ease of use, Devuan seems like a good foundation. I have been fairly disappointed with Linux distros up till now. But Devuan seems like a very interesting distro that has reached a level polish that I can recommend to the Windows distro hopper.
Do the install carefully (I did not use the space button to select the first time and did not get Cinnamon, so do not make that mistake), and then you can use a non-systemd that works out of the box, setup Boomerang Windows 7 theme, icons and the Windows 7 like start menu, and you might forget you are using Linux (I did), and be surprised how easy it is to get work DONE without worrying so much about Linux-unfamiliar-difficulties-phobia. I would like to see if I can grow into this distro long term. Oh, by the way this is faster than Ubuntu and Mint, and of course systemd FREE. Win Win.
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Version: 3.1.0
Rating: 10
Date: 2021-08-15
Votes: 51
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I have been using Devuan as my primary OS from last 4+ years and I find it perfect for my needs.
Very Stable, Secure, Fast, Simple, Lean, Intuitive.
No systemd, option of 3 init system (I am using runit which is the best in my view).
Easy to install and run even for beginners in my view (you would not need to resort to CLI if you don't want).
Eagerly waiting for version 4.0 !
Thank you very much Devuan team for giving us such a great Linux OS.
It is true the universal operating system !
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Version: 3.1.0
Rating: 10
Date: 2021-07-30
Votes: 71
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Awesome distro! A complete systemd-free debian based platform with good support and a great community. Very stable, very fast!!!
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Version: 3.1.0
Rating: 9
Date: 2021-07-15
Votes: 15
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My favourite Distribuion after a long search during the last lockdown a few months ago, here in Germany.
At first: After a test in a VM i came to the conclusion that SysV(init) is the fastest init system, so if you don`t know what you wanna take, choose that (how discribed during installation).
So first the good points:
- it's based on debian with is really good (, but i've the felling systemd is slower than sysv(init))
- availible in all classic Desktop envirements and without gnome (it also could with gnome, but i like the statement to do your distro without it)
- Completely open source and without any company (like ubuntu with cannoncial)
- I personally like the experience with it (especially with the MATE-Desktop)
- more or less lightweight
And now the bad points (especially for beginners; i personally don't mind about them)
- you may have to set a "#" before the the second line with text in the file etc/apt/sources.list, if you ca't install apt packages (from terminal or synaptic)
- install might be hard for beginners (i also read a post here, but that was exaggerated)
All in all my fav Distro!
Thanks to the Developers for providing a 'debian' with nearly all desktop envoirements without systemd!!!
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Version: testing
Rating: 10
Date: 2021-07-15
Votes: 19
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Got Chimaera LXQT running on my 13y old desktop with 3 gb RAM and LXDE on my old laptop also with only 3 gb. It both runs like hell. Because of Sysvinit even faster and lighter than Debian itself. Top distro!
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Version: 3.1.0
Rating: 10
Date: 2021-07-14
Votes: 13
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Excellent project! A complete systemd-free debian based platform with good support and a great community. Very stable, is my goto server install distro.
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Version: unstable
Rating: 10
Date: 2021-07-02
Votes: 13
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runs whatever i want it to (with the exception of app that must require systemd), stable and yeah just great to use, all without systemd
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Version: 3.1.0
Rating: 10
Date: 2021-06-30
Votes: 10
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I am using Devuan 3.1 as my primary OS on desktop from some time now with XFCE and runit init system. It is lean, fast, stable, easy to use and secure. Keeps only minimal applications instead of every unwanted stuff. No systemd.
Installation is also easy, but takes longer time to install base system than many other OS, but once it is installed it is fast to boot, fast in use and update. May not be most suitable to completely new Linux user, but easy for anyone who is willing to spend just little time to learn some very basic stuffs. I would say it is better than Debian in many sense, not just w.r.t. init system options.
I am very happy with Devuan and can recommend to others to try it.
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Version: 3.1.0
Rating: 10
Date: 2021-06-21
Votes: 19
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I have found Devuan's quality to be very good - I am using a desktop installation with runit, Xfce, Chrome, Firefox, Signal, Citrix Workspace, Microsoft Teams, Skype, and Zoom. I think this is confirmed by the fact that Devuan is currently the 2nd-most highly rated distribution on DistroWatch (with more than 100 votes), and is the highest rated fixed-release distro (which I prefer over rolling releases).
It is very easy to install (admittedly a little guidance may be needed to make the correct installation choices), has proved to be very stable (for my configuration), and the fact that it is based on Debian is a huge plus.
Also, the dev1galaxy.org forum is a very good place to get help, information, and the occasional interesting-but-weird thread.
A big thank to all the Devuan and Debian workers, for all your hard work.
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Version: 3.1.0
Rating: 10
Date: 2021-06-06
Votes: 30
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Nothing better as to desktop use. XFCE and Devuan make for a fast, solid, non-systemd computing experience. Just use it as it just works and does not get in the way.
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Version: 3.1.0
Rating: 10
Date: 2021-06-01
Votes: 25
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All of the stability and package selection of Debian with none of the weirdness, scope creep, eventual inevitable security implications, and political drama of systemd.
I use Ubuntu for laptops, but Devuan for pretty much everything server-side that needs to run on hardware. It is just a better generic services platform and despite the much vaunted "parallel boot" promises of systemd, sysV init still boots just as fast, which is remarkable.
The only place I have anything negative to say about Devuan is that their OpenRC implementation is incomplete, leaving sysV init as the only complete init implementation -- but overall that's really not so bad and there is an unbelievable amount of documentation about how to start and manage services using it.
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Version: 3.1.0
Rating: 10
Date: 2021-05-26
Votes: 22
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All the best parts of Debian but with more choice and better defaults. Very low system administration requirements, I love using it for my virtual machines due to its high stability and fast updating.
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Version: 3.1.0
Rating: 10
Date: 2021-05-15
Votes: 18
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Devuan Beowulf 3.1.0 has been a fast, stable, and responsive disrto. I did the net install method on my thinkpad and everything has worked from day one with no errors, hiccups, or workarounds. I did install spectrwm window manager because that is my favorite and all works well. The xfce desktop that is the default is also flawless on my system, I came from Arch linux and thought I might miss the latest versions of software but I have not noticed any difference in use or workflow. I use the Runit init system on my setup and it has been flawless. Devuan Beowulf 3.1.0 boots fast and seems well thought out and polished. Definitely a 10/10!
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Version: 3.1.0
Rating: 10
Date: 2021-05-08
Votes: 42
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Really, nothing is a 10, but I refuse to bring the average down on this fine distro. Call it a 9.5.
Pros:
1. Leverages Debian's huge base of apps. Almost everything you want or need is available without having to hunt it down in multiple repos or random sites like for Enterprise Linux distros (RH, Oracle, CentOS, Rocky, Alma, Springdale). Also leverages APT, which when combined with the previous given on available packages creates a little 'ecosystem' where you can experiment and have fun.
2. Server or Desktop install. I will always take the text install Server version but the Desktop with Calemares some may find easier.
3. different inits supported out of the box - SysV, OpenRC, and runit. I like runit, but hey, your call.
4. Backports just like Debian
5. Non-rolling release. If you want to play, and must have the latest versions of everything, I would suggest a rolling release distro - Arch and Void come to mind. These are good distros but I want a stable base that doesn't surprise and 'just works'.
6. Communication channels are monitored and responded to in a timely manner.
7. Stable.
8. No systemd. Had to be said, since that is the primary reason for Devuan's existence. It literally is Debian without systemd.
Cons:
1. Based on Debian. I kid, but really Debian is a little pokey with releases, so because Devuan is downstream, it's major releases will be a little behind Debian's.
2. Smaller team - Devuan is still relatively new, and what they are doing is not trivial.
Other:
1. I consider Devuan a great no-nonsense OS. If you like to experiment but not go overboard, this should be in your wheelhouse. If you wonder what the init-system fuss is about, this is definitely in your wheelhouse.
2. Unlike other more popular downstream Debian releases (Ubuntu), or even Debian itself - it is offering you a choice in how you want to run your system.
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Version: 3.1.0
Rating: 10
Date: 2021-05-08
Votes: 51
|
Devuan is what GNU/Linux should be.
A true community without corporations behind, true Free Software.
It's almost perfect but still not at all.
Pros:
Still available for 32bit CPU (Avoid not still E-Waste production)
Low memory footprint
No systemd so still POSIX compliant
Less philosophy, installing from live also binary blobs included so all just works OOTB
Cons:
Wlan0 is no longer Wlan0 since version 3 (it sounds a lot "systemdish")
Not yet for completely Microcraps (lack of tools for really noobs as others have i.e. a GUI tool to adjust clock)
Appearance not properly appealing OOTB (for a lot of people it's "love at first sight" a little more care would be convenient)
Anyway a real rock on which you can ground a long lasting desktop (OOTB) and/or a server system (starting from Minimal Live iso image)
All IMHO
Try it your own!
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Version: 3.1.0
Rating: 10
Date: 2021-05-04
Votes: 8
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A great distribution. On the server and laptop I use Devuan.
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Version: 3.1.0
Rating: 9
Date: 2021-05-01
Votes: 10
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Devuan is growing on me.
Is Devuan perfect - NO!. BUT it has been stable and any roadblocks solved on some older hardware I have installed it on.
Devuan Beowulf while not bleeding edge is fairly up to date and newer "deb" packages have installed with no issues. (ie: latest LibreOffice deb packages just work. I need the latest because I have to work with MS files sometimes and I prefer LibreOffice. I have a MS subscription also but never did care for the ribbon menu in Word & Excel).
No systemd! As we can see with Devuan, Slackware and a few others it isn't needed.
XFCE option - Yay - I like simple and functional.
Devuan support - getting better all the time and just about all Debian fixes work.
If you like Debian but not systemd, check it out! it may just work for you. Glad I did!
(As a note when starting with Linux I was using Mint 2.0 and Debian. I have also done a lot of distro hopping looking for the "perfect" one and still check some distros out for giggles in Virtual Box. Wish I had some of those hours back!). I started off with computers in 1986 or 87; CPM & DOS.
why a 9 instead of a 10 - 10 is perfect, haven't found one yet. 9 is really, really good in my book - :))
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Version: 3.1.0
Rating: 5
Date: 2021-05-01
Votes: 0
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Not good. It asks too many questions during install.
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Version: testing
Rating: 10
Date: 2021-04-30
Votes: 11
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This has pretty much everything I've ever wanted from a Linux distribution.
* Bloat free - No systemd, no pulseaudio, no NetworkManager, and other annoyances. The prebuilt desktop environments are pretty close to vanilla, and only have one application per task.
* Extremely stable - Even the "unstable" version is more stable than most Linux distributions. I've never had any notable bugs running Devuan.
* Support for old 32-bit computers - This means it's great for older computers, plus the non-bloated nature of Devuan really compliments it.
* It's easy to seperate free and non-free packages - Enabling non-free packages if you wish is just as easy pressing a button on the installer.
Of course there is no such thing as perfect, and Devuan does have a few issues, namely:
* The installer - I personally think it's fine and easily understandable, but to some other people, the installer is somewhat confusing. You don't have to type in any terminal commands at least.
* Lack of a user-contributed packaged system - Most distributions have this as of 2021, but Debian/Devuan still doesn't. This means that if your standard repos don't have a package you need, you will have to search online for a .deb file, or install from source. Thankfully Devuan has packages available for pretty much any software you would ever use, but this does happen sometimes.
All in all, if you are thinking of switching to a new Linux distribution, I definitely recommend at least giving Devuan a try. This is the distro that has solved my distro hopping, and I now have it on both my old Librebooted Thinkpad X60s and my more modern desktop computer.
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Version: 3.1.0
Rating: 10
Date: 2021-04-25
Votes: 9
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Tsted Live USB (1.2G) on 3G RAM laptop. This one was the most elegant and efficient among MX, Antix and ALT in comparison. The idle took 300 - 500 MB at different times (more than Antix). The loaded session with Firefox, LibreOffice and the terminal was the most memory, CPU efficient of all. The default font is superb, very clear. Gdebi installed in snap and handled Vivaldi installation very well.
It also favorably compares with Debian. As is, this one would be my first choice for HD installation.
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Version: unstable
Rating: 10
Date: 2021-04-18
Votes: 21
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My new favourite distro. Besides the main reason, which is the lack of systemd, it's Debian, which means it stays out of the way and does its job.
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Version: 3.1.0
Rating: 9
Date: 2021-02-24
Votes: 37
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Beowulf XFCE has been solid with very few hiccups. It's running on a laptop and also in Virrtualbox (Win10 host). It connects to my Windows machines using SAMBA/cifs with no problems. Printing was easy to set-up. The only issue I had was with Pulseaudio running automatically at boot. There are a couple of work arounds. I wasn't sure about support and then stumbled on Dev1galaxy forum.
I have been a Slackware/Salix user for some time but felt like something a little newer and just don't care for SystemD.
When using Virtualbox (win10 host) sometimes it starts up just fine and other times I need to use Host-F to get the screen active. I don't fault Devuan for this. I've had a few other Distros that used to work just fine and now lately "choke" on Win10 host; just hanging at startup, blank screen, "stuck".
It's still installed on 2 out of 3 computers in the house which is a recommendation. I'm getting old and don't have the patience anymore to "dink" around getting things to work.
It's been stable and snappy and I'm just used to XFCE (the good, the bad and the ugly).
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Version: 2.1
Rating: 9
Date: 2021-02-21
Votes: 10
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I use Devuan ASCII in an old computer (1G RAM , Intel petium Dual 1Ghz) and it runs faster than debian9
Also it seem more stable and fasteer than Debian especially that I use OpenRC not Systemd
Also the printing work well
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Version: 2.1
Rating: 10
Date: 2021-02-20
Votes: 130
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I am an old Slackware user, but have now been running Devuan for about two years on my every-day desktop: a seventeen year old HP using an intel board with a 2.5Ghz P4, 2Gb ram and 128Gb hard drive.
It runs flawless.
Devuan is nimble and rock-stable, allowing maximum productivity. I haven't distro hopped since installing Devuan, and suspect I never will again. If you want a clean system that stays out of your way and allows you to get things done, install Devuan. It is what Slackware used to be.
Devuan is the one.
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Version: 3.1.0
Rating: 10
Date: 2021-02-17
Votes: 16
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I have been using devuan since debian became systemd-defeated and migrated without reinstallation all my debian systems to devuan. Everything is solid and stable and everything just work out of the box and fast enough. I use devuan on desktop, several laptops and one netbook asus eepc with intel atom n270 and 1gb ram. And it really works good enough (not so fast as intel core i5 with 16gb but still usable). Especially it was great when i migrated it from debian with systemd to devuan with sysvinit and suspend mode started to work (on systemd it could go to sleep but never back - I had to reboot with power button). I say thanks and wish only the best to this distro!
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Version: 3.1.0
Rating: 2
Date: 2021-02-17
Votes: 0
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Used 2.0 Ascii for years until 3.0 was released. It's just so bad that it doesn't support bluetooth peripherals whatsoever. Nothing could make it work. Debian Buster, no problem. I have since run Debian and Arch and fell in love with systemd which makes Linux life easier.
Good luck with Devuan server getting congested during install and update. I lived in the US and have 1GB up/down fiber connection. Devuan servers are often overloaded. It's a like a not too pretty but high-maintenance girlfriend -- you grow tired of her eventually.
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Version: 3.1.0
Rating: 10
Date: 2021-02-15
Votes: 8
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I used Devuan 3.0 for more than 6 months, and have just installed Devuan 3.1.
For the 3.1 install, I chose the runit init software (which I used in 3.0 for around 2-3 months).
The standard installation was straightforward, a runit option was available in the installer (as promised), and all my apps are back up and running smoothly.
I like!
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Version: 3.0.0
Rating: 10
Date: 2021-02-05
Votes: 19
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Using on 1 desktop and one laptop as primary OS and nothing satisfy my needs better than Devuan!
Super stable, fast, intuitive, light on resources and does not come between me and my system. I keep minimal applications which I need and it allows me to be minimalist. Perfect !
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Version: 3.0.0
Rating: 10
Date: 2021-01-22
Votes: 20
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Installed on 2 laptops and 1 desktop. Running fast and stable, all I need from debian but without systemd. During install firmware comes by default, so It's possible to boot system after install with AMD/ATi video, but with debian it was complicated -- command line, grub crack etc.. +remove pulseaudio and installed Qasmixer to have clean ALSA sound
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Version: 3.0.0
Rating: 10
Date: 2021-01-22
Votes: 13
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I run all of my Linux systems with Devuan (Lenovo and Fujitsu Notebooks, Fujitsu PC's and Workstations, an Intel NUC, customized PC's and virtual Systems on VBox).
It's for me the only choice to have a Debian-like Linux system but overcome dealing with systemd which is a mess IMHO.
Since the Beowulf release lxc containers works perfectly as well. One of my Devuan servers runs as a host for many Virtualbox guests, without any problems.
Printing and scanning with Epson via Wifi products works fine as well.
I can recommend Devuan Linux, I like it.
Many thank's to the Devuan project.
Alexander Fuchs
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Version: testing
Rating: 10
Date: 2021-01-06
Votes: 22
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Recently installed beowulf on my laptop and then upgraded to chimaera. Fast, stable and secure system. If you're searching for a rock-solid system without systemd burden, search no more.
Simply a better Debian. 10/10
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Latest Reviews
Project: Devuan GNU+Linux
Version: 4.0.0
Rating: 10
Date: 2023-06-07
Votes: 4
|
It works. It respects you as an adult. It does not take weird decisions on your benefit. What was expected to be Linux. That is Devuan.
I need to write lots of more chars, but in fact there is no more explication needed. You get what Debian used to be, you get tons of packages, and you do not get the "ubuntu feeling" that latests Debian gives you. But with all the benefits of Debian.
Actualiced packages without surprises, and nothing that systemd surprisinly breaks, or any package that breacks systemd and left systemd broken.
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Project: Devuan GNU+Linux
Version: testing
Rating: 10
Date: 2023-06-01
Votes: 12
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I have been using Linux since some time in the 90's and previously used (not in any particular order & likely forgetting some) Suse, Caldera, Slackware, Sidux, PCLinuxOS, MX, Ubuntu, Mint, Debian, LFS, BLFS, Vector, CentOS, Fedora, Bodhi, Peppermint, Mepis, TwistedOS, Raspian, Tails amongst various others that I have tried briefly or used as they are on computers. Others in my family are using PopOS, MX, Xubuntu.
When Devuan were working on Jessie (1,0.0) I was mostly using Debian and I have long preferred apt to rpm. I maintain servers which I am gradually moving to devuan from debian and one ubuntu although I have used centos in the past. My concern has mostly been systemd. I have used runit before and use openrc on my devuan installs which at the time of making the choice seemed to have the edge to me but the choice is always there. What I like about Devuan is the freedom from systemd feature creep and the risks that come with that but also the mindset of the team that goes with that choice that the developer made which is a reassurance in future decision making. It has installed easily on a variety of hardware and I am using Chimaera (4.0.0.) for servers and Daedalus (Testing) for the more up to date hardware support for my laptop.
Although I am capable of doing a lot of the more technical under the hood stuff, when I am busy I like a quick setup, ease of use (whether terminal or GUI) and for stuff to just work well without hassle when i need to get on with things and I get that with Devuan. I find it very solid and reliable with a huge amount of software available but without bloat. It's compact efficient and fast. It's simple to just grab the stuff I like to use and install it and copy over my profiles where needed when changing hardware.
I use XFCE almost always but deep down I'm an enlightenment / Moksha fan really but i would spend a while making it how i wanted it whereas XFCE is close enough for me to work efficiently with few tweaks out of the box and most distros have an up to date version. I have used KDE a lot in my early years with the odd short term use of LXDE, Gnome, Cinnamon, Mate, Budgie, FVWM, Openbox, IceWM, LXQT.
Occasionally I have used wine but I almost always find there is a linux way of sorting stuff. I think the last time I had to resort to that was for a vehicle maintenance program quite a while back. I'm not a gamer and I do see from my son's gaming that sometimes there are some disadvantages to linux whether under wine or native. I can't recall when I last had a dual boot setup but I think it was probably soon after my wife got her Samsung NC20 netbook so probably 2009 and I hoped she would let me use it on the rare occasions I wanted do do something in windows. Before that I was at the stage of being many months between windows boots.
I think the most frustrating thing is document compatibility if printing something that has been done on a windows machine and the appropriate fonts are not installed and maybe even not legally available as they came with something else so at least one needs to find a metrically compatible substitute but this issue can potentially occur between windows systems to an extent. The other thing is I hope in future they pick release names that are easier to remember the spelling. I'm not bothered about the lack of wallpapers as all my desktops are always covered with open windows and they are easy to add what you like if you want anyway.
Over the years I have liked, enjoyed and disliked different distros but Devuan is the one I feel I can trust & rely on the most to do what I need and I feel at ease with.
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Project: Devuan GNU+Linux
Version: 4.0.0
Rating: 10
Date: 2023-05-21
Votes: 15
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A "perfect distro" is very subjective.
Devuan has been the perfect distro for me.
I have been using linux way back when synaptic was the graphical package manager and before systemd was thought of.
While I do not desire to enter the systemd dabate all I can say is the more I use it the more I see the sense in do one thing and doing it well.
I chose Devaun for my main machine after a year and half with Qubes. Qubes is great but I wanted a more integrated system. Devaun was one of three distros I have used in the past and only replaced them after hardware failure. (the other two were mxlinux and mint).
After a year of so Devaun just keeps booting and doing what it needs to do. Not that I have stopped distro-hopping. I still try distros on spare drives and machines however while other distros have come and gone Devaun remains.
What may be perceived as cons does not bother me. There is not graphical package manager. However as Install through the command line anyway I do not miss it. App seems to boot faster and the system remains stable longer anyway.
Packages are not bleeding edge. This is an acceptable trade off for a system that remains stable day after day.
I can't remember if it has a welcome screen or not however once again everything that usually pops up in a welcome screen is part of the normal routine of installation anyway.
Devuan is a perfect distro if need something that boots everyday and works.
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Project: Devuan GNU+Linux
Version: 4.0.0
Rating: 10
Date: 2023-04-21
Votes: 32
|
Devuan 4.0 Chimaera XFCE (installed from LiveCD)
Stable as a rock :)
Pros:
- very fast
- very easy to use
- rock solid
- small size
- very simple management
- debian based (meaning that you can easily install vscode, chrome, zoom, discord and other apps from their sites)
Cons:
- cause it has small size (literarily 1GB)
you need to install every additonal thing yourself
there is literarily only one theme, 8 boring wallpapers.
so you need to find a dark theme yourself
install localisation packages for FF & libreoffice
install a decent mail client
and you are good to go.
but its ok :)
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Project: Devuan GNU+Linux
Version: 4.0.0
Rating: 10
Date: 2023-04-21
Votes: 89
|
I have been running Devuan on all our production servers since Debian decided to swich to systemd and I am very satisfied.
Devuan just works. Devuan is stable, Devuan is simple.
Easy step by step installation, that lets you create a minimal system to start with, then you can easily add programs you need. You can use precompiled packages but it works flawlessly with packages you compile yourself. For web stack I usually use supplied MariaDB with nginx and php compiled from source. It is extremely easy and fast to set up this way. There is no painful fiddling or trial and error.
You do not have to deal with the big black box called systemd, so everything is refreshingly simple a and easy to inspect or change.
The power of Devuan is the combination of the Debian with its easy package system while avoiding systemd complexity to keep the modularity and simplicity that Debian used to have.
Highly recommended.
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Project: Devuan GNU+Linux
Version: 4.0.0
Rating: 9
Date: 2023-04-17
Votes: 5
|
I'm using Devuan for a couple of years now and still love it.
I switched to Devuan when Manjaro (Arch Linux derivate) stopped supporting a non-systemd version, and some disappointing trials with Artix and other alternatives. My biggest requirements for a distro are that it is systemd-free and that it provides a modern enough Emacs version. After trying Devuan Live I was immediately sold. It is very stable, works great and doesn't need much maintenance.
Installing is pretty easy, post-install requires a little more effort.
Some default software is a little strange, buggy or childish and some very usefull software is missing, for example fdisk or gparted, and rcconf, but removing & installing is easy.
I use/used it on different (relative old) laptops and most of my hardware works out of the box, even the multi-media keys.
I encountered very few issues with Devuan and could solve all, some with always very friendly and adequate help on IRC chat, which doubled my love for Devuan.
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Project: Devuan GNU+Linux
Version: 4.0.0
Rating: 10
Date: 2023-03-04
Votes: 39
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Switched from Debian Stretch to Devuan when it looked mature enough to me, and enjoyed a stable laptop since. Before that, I encountered systemd related issues, which made the decision along with my support of the UNIX philosophy to switch easier.
Currently running laptops and two data servers on "rolling" stable tag, previously laptops on unstable tag without issues for certain software packages.
Pro:
- Continuation of the original Debian philosophy and its stable environment including packages
- Optional minimalistic first install
Cons:
- Missing a couple of packages (related to the next point) that I installed through deb files from the Debian repository, not sure if they're also obsolete there
- None other that come to mind other than the common Linux bassed shortcomings from lack of support by manufactors
This is pretty much an "install and forget" distribution, although I do manual updates to avoid surprises with automated updates. The OS does not stand in the way in my daily use as one should expect.
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Project: Devuan GNU+Linux
Version: testing
Rating: 10
Date: 2023-02-08
Votes: 49
|
I switched to Devuan from another systemd-free distro: Artix. I really loved Artix, but switched because of the occasional stability issue (the system would break once every two months or so), and for ability to easily use .deb packages. So far, Devuan has been fantastic:
Pros:
+ Systemd free
+ Very stable (even in testing, though I'd like to use it longer to reach a proper conclusion)
+ .deb support
+ Easy package management generally
+ Clear install materials (some people complained about this, but I didn't find it challenging)
Cons:
- On install, the default disk configuration provided too little swap; had to customize
- One program I use stopped distributing .deb (ungoogled-chromium)--obviously me/package-specific
Overall, it's a great distro for daily use!
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Project: Devuan GNU+Linux
Version: 4.0.0
Rating: 9
Date: 2023-02-04
Votes: 13
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We have been using version 4 since its release.
We use it run a smalll engineering company.
Alll of our cad packages run with out issue.
The only improvement that is necessary is the add user is so bad we add users manually and groups. These are the same for 20+ boxes.
To run Windows and even DOS to support some very old systems we use VMWare 17 and load other OS as needed.
With the 386 version and a 1TB SSD we have been able to revive a few older laptops. We have a very expensive Toshiba laptop.
It runs perfectly and is very fast compared to the MS sw that was on it.
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Project: Devuan GNU+Linux
Version: 4.0.0
Rating: 10
Date: 2023-01-24
Votes: 31
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Running two instances currently, xfce on laptop and KDE plasma on my desktop PC.
Must say this is currently my favorite distro and is everything I ever wanted for - Debian without systemd.
If you are not an experienced user, installation can be a bit intimidating. Also, nVidia users might have problem after the initial installation - if after grub you get black screen, reboot and when back in grub, select Devuan and press 'e' on your keyboard, scroll down to linux line and add 'nomodeset' to the end and press 'F10' to boot. After that I suggest installing nVidia's driver from their website by following instructions on "If Not True Then False" website (search the internet for 'if not true then false nvidia debian')
Really love this distro
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Project: Devuan GNU+Linux
Version: 4.0.0
Rating: 5
Date: 2023-01-10
Votes: 0
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The installation process is confusing and intimidating. Moreover, it is one of the most confusing installation process I've ever seen. I say this with over 15 years experience working with Linux and trying at least a dozen distros including Arch, Debian, Ubuntu and hybrids.I tried to install the distro on a machine where I have two SSDs. One SSD has Windows 11 and the other SSD was blank and was the target for Devuan. I could not figure out how to point the Devuan installer to the empty SSD that was the target. Recommend the development team revisit the installation process while keeping in mind a user might be a beginner or intermediate level user. It is my opinion the current installation process is definitely not for a beginner. It might be fine for someone who does not have any operating system installed on their computer but otherwise I recommend a non-advanced user to avoid.
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Project: Devuan GNU+Linux
Version: 4.0.0
Rating: 10
Date: 2023-01-05
Votes: 57
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I have been using Devuan (Cinnamon) for the past five months, and I must say it just ticks all the boxes for me; it's stable, it's fast, and it doesn't stay in my way. It loads superfast, faster than Debian. I think it's because systemd doesn't run along, but I don't know nor do I care that much.
Devuan is a great piece of software that really is growing on me. There are a few “buts” that new Linux users might take note. If you expect Devuan to be aesthetically pleasing first time you load it, you might be a little disappointed, because vanilla looks isn't sexy, and it might look a bit oldish. But Cinnamon (or MATE or XFCE) is fairly easy to customize through its Themes section, and you can make it look as modern as Linux Mint or Ubuntu or whatever. I am running a couple of Mints own Cinnamon themes and I really like how it looks.
Recently I installed Devuan via expert install, and I went for minimal Cinnamon installation. Now, after installing all the necessary packages (gvfs, fuse, ntfs-3g) plus the programs I use the most: Firefox, Brave (for work), Audacious, Filezilla, qbittorrent, Pdfarranger, Gimp, Timeshift, Simplescreenrecorder, Grsync, Gnome-disk-utility (Disks), Scribus, Celluloid, Libreoffice Writer, I have a lean, mean super Devuan machine with less than 1300 packages. With Mint I always had appx. 2200 packages, with Debian around 1900. Not that it matters much, but I like that.
Oh, and if you for some reason have a low resolution on your desktop, just hit sudo apt install firmware-amd-graphics, and after reboot you will have good resolution back. I really think Devuan should include this firmware, but it is not a big problem - if you know how to solve it. It took me some time to find this out. :)
It is a bit of a rough diamond, but if you invest some time and interest, Devuan will serve you faithfully.
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Project: Devuan GNU+Linux
Version: unstable
Rating: 10
Date: 2022-12-14
Votes: 33
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been using void and arch based distros for years now but i admit that devuan's unstable's more stable than all of them lol.
i currently use dwm on devuan with all the latest packages, runs very fast! Also the runit version is pretty minimal, i like it. i dual boot it with artix and no issues so far! i've always wanted to try out debian but without the systemd part xD, devuan is the way to go!!!!!!!!!
devuan provides init freedom, devuan + suckless tools is really awesome. the system doesnt break like arch does!
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Project: Devuan GNU+Linux
Version: unstable
Rating: 10
Date: 2022-12-08
Votes: 36
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I've been using Linux since 1997, I switched to Debian in 2002 and have been using Devuan since the forking due to systemd.
I am currently using a recent installation that was initially based on a fresh Daedalus Preview net install and then switched to the Ceres repositories.
Like my previous installations, I have found that unstable is pretty stable if you give the package list and removals a look over for anything unusual before committing to a dist-upgrade. I think this reflects well on both the Devs of Devuan and the parent Debian.
Devuan Stable is very usable by almost anyone with a cursory understanding of Linux, the rolling nature of Ceres is a little more demanding.
I think the big attraction for me is the fact that most of Debian's extensive repo offerings are available in Devuan, but without the curse of systemd. This allows me to tailor my computer my way and by using Ceres everything is quite current.
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Project: Devuan GNU+Linux
Version: unstable
Rating: 9
Date: 2022-10-21
Votes: 19
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Fantastic system-d free linux os! I'm migrating over from Manjaro because I grew disgusted with their support of systemd and its rejection of the linux philosophy of have each component do one thing and one thing only. K.I.S.S.
Issues: I had a problem with vlc not displaying videos properly, so I removed it and installed the flatpak version from flathub.org. No more VLC issues.
Other than that, I've got nothing but positive things to say. One of the things I liked about Arch based systems was the rolling release. I'm using Devuan's Ceres rolling release and I am loving it!
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Project: Devuan GNU+Linux
Version: 4.0.0
Rating: 10
Date: 2022-10-20
Votes: 22
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Have been running version 4 and it is rock solid.
We shut it down every 6 mo to clean filters.
Our cad packages install and run with out lib issues.
added a 3 D printer to system - no issues.
added a CNC mill software than needs windows - installed VMWare workstation.
After a year of hard use and no failures I would recommend it to anyone.
A pleasant supprize is that we had an old Toshiba laptop that was headed to trash.
Installed a 1 T byte SSD and loaded the 386 version on it and everything works. Performance is good.
The only problem is adding users. This needs to be fixed. Copy scheme used in SL linux 6.5 and you would have
a perfect system.
Thank You All.
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Project: Devuan GNU+Linux
Version: unstable
Rating: 10
Date: 2022-10-14
Votes: 14
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My laptop is old but boot time is about 10 seconds according to dmesg.
neofetch output:
OS: Devuan GNU/Linux 5 (daedalus/ceres) x86_64
Host: Satellite C650
Kernel: 5.10.140
Uptime: 20 secs
Packages: 811 (dpkg)
Shell: bash 5.2.0
Resolution: 1366x768
WM: dwm
Theme: Blackbird [GTK2/3]
Icons: Tango [GTK2]
Terminal: st
CPU: Pentium T4500 (2) @ 2.300GHz
GPU: Intel Mobile 4 Series Chipset
Memory: 128MiB / 5812MiB
I've used netinstall iso and installed with chroot from old debian system. And then maked tuning and compiled DWM which starts from .xinitrc. After tuning all work properly: backlight and sound keys. And wi-fi works without network-manager, but only with wpa_supplicant.conf and /etc/network/interfaces. And i've compiled own kernel which increased performance because of smaller size (less lines of code) i think.
And i have no HDD, it's broken. I'm from country which started Ukraine war and i have no enough money for new HDD. But i have usb-stick 8Gb, which i use for this Devuan
When i've compiled kernel 5.19.* something was wrong and my usb-stick (sandisk) becomes read-only (impossible to fix -- the answer from sandisk). And i've just extracted previous archive of full system (compressed size about 1.5Gb) on the next working usb-stick, and then run grub-install to this mounted usb-stick. And all works again without reinstall.
PS: im using openvpn client for my security reasons. And my ip shows that i am in Korea
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Project: Devuan GNU+Linux
Version: unstable
Rating: 10
Date: 2022-10-02
Votes: 17
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After Microsoft started to implement ads into file explorer I decided I needed to cut my losses with them and switch to open-source software.
I initially wanted an Arch based distro, but after having those be too unstable for me I determined a Debian based was the best course in terms of usability and stability (I say that as I'm on the testing/unstable branch lol).
After determining Debian was the best course I heard about SystemD and it's Corporate overlords that control it and I decided I didn't want to be beholden to the Microsoft of the Linux world, so naturally Devuan popped up, and after trying Chimaera the Stable branch I realized the Wayland support it gave was sub par, I also wanted a newer kernel than 5.10 due to the AMDGPU driver having better support somewhere around 5.12-5.13.
Now I'm running "Daedalus/Ceres" from the NetInstaller and it's been exactly what I wanted.
My system specs are as follow:
Motherboard: ASUS TUF Gaming X570 Plus Wi-Fi
CPU: Ryzen 9 5950X
Cooler: Corsair H150i Elite Capellix (360mm AIO)
RAM: 128GiB G.Skill DDR4-3600MHZ CL16
Storage: 500GiB Samsung 980 Pro (1GiB EFI, 499GiB Root)
Storage: 1TiB Samsung 980 Pro (1TiB Home)
Storage: 128GiB Kingston A400 (SWAP)
Storage: 1TiB Samsung 860 Evo (250GiB Timeshift Backups, 750GiB Virtual Machines)
Storage: x2 4TiB Samsung 870 Evo (Games)
GPU: MSI Gaming X Trio - AMD/ATI Radeon RX 6900XT
PSU: Corsair RM1000X 80+ Gold
Case: Corsair 4000D Mid-Tower
My Steam games work perfectly through proton (besides the ones that refuse to give support), the AMDGPU driver from the non-free repo works flawlessly and allows for Ray Tracing on games that support it, eliminates screen tearing and allows for variable refresh rate on high-end gaming monitors. Multi-monitor support is fast and stable even without Wayland and my games get upwards of 120FPS.
Everything I want to do works with hardly any issues. The only two I've come across over the last 2 months of daily driving this is system logs were filling up my root drive with upwards of 300GiB, but after re-configuring logrotate it's fixed the issue and my root storage has yet to go above 20GiB with all that I do. The other issue (that has since been fixed) was the keyring expiration which was fixed with an updated package from the main repo. Other than that this OS has had no issues and runs flawlessly.
This is exactly what I wanted for an OS that I plan to use for the next 7 years when I plan to upgrade.
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Project: Devuan GNU+Linux
Version: 4.0.0
Rating: 1
Date: 2022-09-04
Votes: 0
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I wanted to install devuan on my server and desktop. The mirrors didn't work at all no matter how many times I tried. Turns out they have problems with some expired signature key.
I didn't even try the distro and I was already pissed. Guess it's too much effort for the devs to maintain a systemd free version of debian.
Maintaining a distro takes a lot of man power. Just take a look at how many developers debian has to maintain all of its package pool.
I honestly think it's best to stick to either debian, fedora, arch or suse at this point.
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Project: Devuan GNU+Linux
Version: 4.0.0
Rating: 1
Date: 2022-09-03
Votes: 0
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Devuan has become simply unusable these days, unless of course you compile all the packages you use yourself (which I doubt), since you cannot download most packages because of signing key errors. If you try to install, or update the system, you will get spammed with several such warnings. Apparently they let the signing key for the package repository expire, which is quite amateurish for such a renowned distro in the niche of distributions without systemd. So if you have plans to try this, now is definitely not the time.
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Project: Devuan GNU+Linux
Version: 4.0.0
Rating: 10
Date: 2022-08-10
Votes: 27
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I use Devuan on my High-end liquid cooled desktop using custom loop.
i use it for video gaming and video editing.
It runs everything flawlessly and I am completely satisfied.
CPU: Ryzen 2600x
GPU: AMD Vega 56
Installer: Minimal Net Install
Desktop: Xfce
init: SysVInit + OpenRC
I hope we soon have a OS similar to QubesOS but based on Devuan. As I use QubesOS on my laptop for security reasons. I don't have a choice other than sticking with systemd on my laptop. Devuan QubesOS should also be available.
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Project: Devuan GNU+Linux
Version: unstable
Rating: 10
Date: 2022-08-04
Votes: 12
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I switched to linux around 2 or 3 years ago from Winblows. My friend first recommended Mint since its "noob friendly." Not too long after that, he linked me to a video called "MGTOW of linux: Curing the Cancer." This was a video about how SoystainD was nothing but spyware and really no different than winblows. He said he was using Devuan (specifically a fork, Refracta) and it didnt have that soystainD garbage infecting his PC. Thats when I switched.
Being that I started on refracta 10 (which is Devuan Beowulf) and that I needed Japanese input, the fresh install of Devuan was a chore to get Japanese input to work right (I was using a Japanese site to guide me through the process). That was a PITA, but once I got it all set up, there wasnt a single issue afterwards.
*****the japanese language install is MUCH better in Chimaera, much smoother process and less issues than I had.
My friend then recommended I switch to unstable as its basically just as stable as stable is, but you get updates sooner. I bought in and I have been using it ever since.
I currently have two DEs installed, XFCE (base install with devuan) and Trinity. I switch between the two and i really like both of them, although I'm still not used to a lot of the things that KDE does differently than gnome, but thats why I kept XFCE installed, just so i can take my time getting used to Trinity then I can make a full move over to it in the future.
I kept SysVInit as my init system as people complain that its "old" or whatever, but if it works, it works. I havent had a single problem with it so I plan to stick with it.
I also have Devuan installed on my Thinkpad X200S with a core 2 duo. Runs amazingly well.
I am so happy my friend told me about Devuan. I never had a need to distrohop thanks to this reliable distro.
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Project: Devuan GNU+Linux
Version: 4.0.0
Rating: 10
Date: 2022-08-02
Votes: 14
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I installed it on my retired daily driver, seamless hw support for a 11 year old system, am2+ x64 amd ECS am780-gm. I used another system to create media. The installer was very clear and easy, I always choose custom or other "install" versus the default approach, a very nice installer. Quick and easy to set up. It's not a mainstream please everyone, but so very close. It'll need just a couple minor tweaks if you're used to a vanilla ubuntu, to get you comfortable, but it is (very) comfortable. I really enjoy the xfce desktop. I just had to tweak repos setting to get maintenance updates configured around my missing usb installer image, and proceeded to package installs and some user security settings for myself, simple to do.
Reason for trying: 1. check out non systemd , 2. ubuntu unable to use my firefox profile when installing a newer maint release with a migrated /home so I used this to get by, and recover via a cloned /home. Thanks very much :).
It is little effort only for a transition and if you're familiar with any other distro, you should have no qualms with testing this one out. Currently dual booting it with a sandbox for testing backup sw which is also debian based. For me the transition to non-systemd was a curiosity for some time. This has been painless thus far. Previously this system was a ubuntu/xcfe based dual boot with Win and remains fixed disk based. I have no benchmarks but it feels snappier. Could be that previously I was using low latency kernels that would behave differently on task focus. It looks to be a keeper for me and I will certainly look deeper into adopting for my daily driver laptop. I've since subscribed to mailing lists to help stay apprised of security and maintenance needs. Two Thumbs up !!
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Project: Devuan GNU+Linux
Version: 3.1.0
Rating: 10
Date: 2022-08-01
Votes: 8
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Moved to Devuan when Debian forced change to System-D for most of my servers and all of my workstations (some servers I moved to FreeBSD). I have been very happy with it since the move. It boots fast, and is stable on the servers and most Debian work well so long as you can translate from System-D specific instructions to Sys-V. The few times I have needed to use System-D based Debian for clients, I have had issues, and it appears to boot slower (not an issue on a server which takes 7 minutes to go through a hardware check).
I stuck with Sys-V on my servers since I know it fairly well, but Devuan also allows you to run several other init systems, some of which are better for specific applications. I have found the mailing list (dng@lists.dyne.org) to be very responsive the few times I've needed it.
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Project: Devuan GNU+Linux
Version: 4.0.0
Rating: 10
Date: 2022-07-25
Votes: 6
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(I am from Russia and therefore there may be some errors in the text) I using Devuan GNU/Linux on my laptop and computer sometimes. Now, i use Devuan with KDE Plasma 5.24 from testing repositories of Daedalus (next release based on Debian Bookworm). The distribution is well done, but I should to point out a few two that need to be fixed:
1. Why does a free distribution with the slogan "Software freedom, your way" have non-free packages by default and include non-free repositories?
2. If you install Devuan for example with Xfce from the installer, and not manually from the console, then it is impossible to completely remove the default browser. When you uninstall Firefox, Epiphany is installed, when you uninstall Epiphany, Firefox is installed.
But this is just my opinion and every system has errors and bugs. Devuan is suitable for both a weak laptop and a regular PC or server.
So, Devuan rocks!
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Project: Devuan GNU+Linux
Version: 4.0.0
Rating: 10
Date: 2022-07-05
Votes: 20
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Ratings are all about meeting expectations and requirements. I was looking for something lightweight for an old Acer Aspire One, a 32-bit machine with modest specs (that's being kind), which I had running Lubuntu. Reason for change: Lubuntu is no longer mainted for 32-bit machines. I didn't want to have to spend a lot of time on configuring the look and feel, I wanted it to look decent out-of-the-gate - an important requirement considering the size of the display. Finally, there was a specific applications I needed to be able to run (pCloud) which offers its Linux version as a .deb package - and I didn't want to waste time on trying to get that to work.
So there we are. Devuan works like a charm. Yes, installation is awkward. But I got it done, multitasking between different tasks, so clearly it was easy enough. Devuan meets my expectations and requirements perfectly. Hence a 10.
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Project: Devuan GNU+Linux
Version: 4.0.0
Rating: 10
Date: 2022-07-02
Votes: 10
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I've been using Devuan on my Raspberry Pi 400 with arm architecture (aarch64).
Installed from .iso at arm-files.devuan.org/ dated 12.2021.
I eventually decided to configure a cwm window manager and fbpanel as my launcher/system tray for low resource usage.
CONS:
- Wasn't clear whether the init was openrc, runit or sysv, but I think it is later. Can run, for example:
sudo service network-manager restart
- Wasn't clear what the bootstraping is on this arm-type architecture (BIOS/EFI?), but eventually found a simple file for this:
/boot/cmdline.txt
- For apparmor to work on startup, add lsm="apparmor" to /boot/cmdline.txt command line.
- Only Firefox-ESR is offered on chimaera version (tracks bullseye from Debian), so not the cuttting edge version of FF.
- It might freeze up for c.a minute sometimes (less than every other day though used extensively nearly each day), maybe due to some trojan horse imported from earlier systems into my backup files? This PI 400 only has 4Gb RAM; it has been said that PIs aren't for desktops, though I use my PI 400 happily as one.
- Redshift not working on arm architecture when last checked; just set colours on my monitor to Red on high, etc. and raise monitor's brightness and contrast settings during daytime. Apparently issue only applies to arm architecture, not amd64.
- No response to 1-3 issues filed at Bugs.Devuan.org page or bug report system.
PROS:
- Very stable other than the occasional freeze mentioned above.
- Better than tolerating the blob within systemd e.g. as offered with Raspberry OS
- Apparently, there is a choice of runit, OpenRC or SysVinit, but I settled with whatever came out-of-the-box.
- Fast boot up of 20 seconds, roughly speaking.
- Reasonably good development base, considering also that it is based on Debian.
All considered, very happy, better to my Raspberry PI 400 experience with Raspberry OS, though Raspberry OS is reasonably good overall.
On amd64 desktop, I had previously used (in order of preference): PopOS (excellent, but I prefer to avoid systemd), Qubes OS, Debian, Ubuntu, Calculate Linux (Gentoo derivative), Alpine OS, Void OS, and others.
I prefer Devuan overall, though beginners (on an amd64 computer) would be more comfortable with Linux Lite OS or Pop OS, in my humble opinion.
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Project: Devuan GNU+Linux
Version: unstable
Rating: 10
Date: 2022-04-13
Votes: 1028
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Running Devuan Ceres (unstable) for two years on all my machines. Everything works and I'm amazed by how close to upstream these packages are. As of this review, I got the 5.16 kernel and haven't had any issues. Nonetheless, I installed Apt-listbugs, just to be safe. Updating your packages is super easy with the help of Amprolla. Devuan maintains a list of banned packages to prevent the bloated horror that is Systemd from making its way onto your systems, and packages that have some Systemd parts to them are either banned alongside or forked by Devuan and will be distributed to you shortly.
The only complaint I have is Runit is still partially implemented, but this is more of a Debian problem than Devuan. It works as init (powering on and off), but service scripts are still largely SysVinit-based. Hopefully, Ceres users like myself will get newer builds of Runit that are less dependent on SysVinit as soon as possible.
To summarize, Devuan is exactly what Debian USED to be, but I hope it becomes its own thing soon because there's more to GNU/Linux than just the bases of Ubuntu, Arch GNU/Linux, or Gentoo. Seeing as promising distros such as Hyperbola have switched out of Linux entirely in favor of OpenBSD, it's good to know there are still safe GNU/Linux distros to use which don't depend on Systemd. Artix GNU/Linux, for example, is Arch GNU/Linux sans Systemd, just as Devuan is Debian sans Systemd. More and more of these non-Systemd forks need to proliferate, as Systemd itself has spread like a virus that is near-impossible to get rid of.
Let's go, Devuan!
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Project: Devuan GNU+Linux
Version: 4.0.0
Rating: 9
Date: 2022-04-06
Votes: 13
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Installed and have been running 4.0 for last 6 mo.
The good news is that all of my cad packages run with out lib problems.
I use VariCad for 3 D modeling, Eagle for circuit board design - non ACad Version.
I have built hundreds of C script programs to help run a small Engineering, manufacturing company.
We currently quit using SL inux when it DUMB with Gnome and systemD.
The only complaint I have how users are added. User ID's We just edited appropriate file by
hand to set up users and groups. That is why I only gave it 9.
With 50 systems in plant I need to set up each box with identical user ID and login, and passwds.
Really don't want this on our server.
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Project: Devuan GNU+Linux
Version: 4.0.0
Rating: 8
Date: 2022-04-03
Votes: 2
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Installed using an old Devuan 2.0 Ascii netinstall disc without problems. I then upgraded to Devuan 3.0 Beowulf then finally 4.0 Chimaera, without any obvious problems. This is impressive.
I chose Devuan over Debian because it is systemd free. I was surprised to see Pulseaudio present.
Has been stable, installed Cinnamon & LXDE via CLI, no problems.
Very solid distro, active forum, which is a good sign. However, like Debian, the packages are not the latest, far from it.
A good choice if you don't need or want up-to-date packages.
Apart from the old packages, very few downside to report.
The next version, Daedalus is in the works.
Pros:
Lacks systemd
Install "just works"
Upgrading from one release to the next worked well
Stable, reliable
Large package repository
Active community forum
Cons:
Old packages (like Debian)
Slow release cycle (like Debian)
I prefer a distro with more up-to-date packages, so will probably continue with distro-hopping. Many may find Devuan fits the bill for their needs. An excellent alternative to Debian, which unfortunately, uses systemd.
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Project: Devuan GNU+Linux
Version: 4.0.0
Rating: 10
Date: 2022-03-21
Votes: 82
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This is rock solid and dependable.
It may not be the bleeding edge, but it just works.
I use Devuan across all my machines, both at work and at home, it works better and is more speedier and up to date than Debian.
I have been using Devuan for a bit now and it has been a joy to use and it has init freedom, which is sorely needed these days with the domination of the proprietary and possibly malware infected and closed source init systemd. Devuan is not necessarily for the script kiddies with RGB lighting that can be seen from space, it is for people who want to get work done and use their computers. I wholeheartedly recommend Devuan to use.
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Project: Devuan GNU+Linux
Version: 4.0.0
Rating: 9
Date: 2022-03-07
Votes: 13
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Distro hopping should end at Debian, but that uses systemd (by default), making Devuan the clear choice. Devuan's net installer works just like Debian's, but it also includes the proprietary wireless firmware also found in Debian's "unofficial/non-free" ISO. You choose from a list of popular desktop environments (GNOME noticeably absent due to systemd dependencies), and at the end you choose your init system (sysvinit is standard, runit is a good alternative, and openrc still not a complete implementation). A clean installation comes fully loaded with all the apps you'll need, and probably a lot that you don't need. Removing some pre-installed packages can cause dependency issues, but that's also an issue on Debian. If you want a true minimal install, don't select a desktop environment and install it later, with just the packages you need.
I had to install video drivers, but other than that, everything has worked out of the box on both of my machines. I run KDE and xfce, both with sysvinit. The strength of Devuan (and Debian) is that it's incredibly stable, with lots of support for adding in whatever you need. I don't see the point in upgrading to the testing or unstable branches, but those are available to those who want newer packages. I know I have two machines that aren't going to fail on me due to a random update or crash constantly due to under-tested, beta-level software. And, neither of them run systemd, which I find undesirable on a GNU/Linux system, along with proprietary software (with the exception of firmware). You'll have to do your own research to determine if you can do without it.
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Project: Devuan GNU+Linux
Version: 4.0.0
Rating: 10
Date: 2022-03-04
Votes: 42
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After years of running Debian (since Ubuntu changed from Gnome 2) and trying LOTS of others distros.
I found that the new version of Debian wasn't as good or stable as I'm used to.
Now I've been using Devuan (MATE) for a couple of months without a single problem, this is how Debian used to be and should be.
What's this I must use 500 characters, when it says minimum 250?
Still not enough
The distros I've tried MX, Mint, Manjaro, Fedora, and lots of others
The problems with Debian were flickering screen, graphics and others
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Project: Devuan GNU+Linux
Version: testing
Rating: 10
Date: 2022-02-27
Votes: 44
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Stable and fairly simple to run. I use the testing branch as my main OS for the last 5 years (at least).
It is my personal workstation but also acts as the backup-server for all the other devices on the internal
network (onto a encrypted disk).
My DE is xfce4. Not much eye-candy by default but that can easly be rectified. The xfce-appmenu-plugin
does not work properly without some tweaking - but it can be done.
BTW, I use the good old sysv-init as PID 1 as in my opinion the Debian runit implementation is too fragile
to survive the constant updates required by a testing-branch.
I recommend Devuan.
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Project: Devuan GNU+Linux
Version: 4.0.0
Rating: 9
Date: 2022-02-19
Votes: 7
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Very clean easy install.
The only problem is the addition of users. For a single user its OK but in a large system with many users / groups its not easy.
You have a problem setting user Id, logins and passwords.
It is fast stable and easy to set up.
Highly recommend it.
Easy to manage as its not systemd,ed,
Larry Linder
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Project: Devuan GNU+Linux
Version: 4.0.0
Rating: 10
Date: 2022-02-15
Votes: 14
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Easily the best Linux distro I've used in my four years of having Linux as a primary OS. It has everything great about Debian - the stability, fantastic package management, good support, but without SystemD. Even if you don't mind it, choice is still a good thing, especially now more than ever, considering that SystemD is used on most Linux distributions. My only gripe with Devuan is the installer. It would be nice if a more modern installer like the Calamares installer was offered. Also it would be nice if an option for the non-root to be added to sudo on installation was given.
Pros
* The main selling point of Devuan, allows for three different init systems instead of just being locked into SystemD.
* One of the few distros that still well supports x86. Great for reviving old computers.
* Rather user-friendly once you get it up and running. I installed this for a family member on an old Thinkpad x61 and they absolutely loved it.
* Extremely stable, maybe even more so than Debian, due to the lack of SystemD.
Cons
* The installer is rather confusing. Especially for beginners. Please consider adding the Calamares installer.
* This con also applies to Debian, but sometimes packages have tons of unneeded dependencies. I remember being a tad annoyed when I learned that the default web browser can't be removed due to being a dependency of the desktop environment.
* Because Devuan doesn't have SystemD, this means that some packages won't work with it. Most notably GNOME 3 and Snap.
I give Devuan a 10/10, simply because it's the best Linux distro I've used yet. It's not perfect, especially with the installer, but it's very solid otherwise. I heavily recommend it to anyone looking for a stable distro that doesn't use SystemD. If you want more cutting edge, look into Artix.
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Project: Devuan GNU+Linux
Version: 4.0.0
Rating: 10
Date: 2022-02-15
Votes: 36
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I've been using Devuan since the Ascii version, and I have been upgrading from Ascii to version 4.0, so I'm currently on Chimaera.
The upgrade has gone smoothly, the usual:
apt update
apt upgrade
apt dist-upgrade
and that's it.
I've also installed from scratch this version 4.0 on two computers with very good results. So I can say that either from scratch, or coming from previous versions, the result is a well configured and stable system.
I like it very much for its stability, simplicity, I haven't had problems to install any software that I have needed till now.
Not having systemd as a startup system has not influenced the software I use.
I guess for those who Gnome 3 (or 40) is a must, it's different.
As I have never liked Gnome 3 or higher it is not a problem.
I prefer MATE as a desktop
I use it on my servers as well as on my PCs, and I'm very happy with it.
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Project: Devuan GNU+Linux
Version: 4.0.0
Rating: 10
Date: 2022-01-20
Votes: 51
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I am using Devuan chimaera 4.0 with cinnamon and all is working great!
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Project: Devuan GNU+Linux
Version: 4.0.0
Rating: 5
Date: 2022-01-18
Votes: 0
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Not reliant on systemd and also based on rock solid stable debian are good things. The bad things are the installer installs a lot of bloatware, no matter which desktop environment you choose. There's no minimal cinnamon, minimal kde, ... so you end up with a lot of useless apps and games. Another bad thing is the net installer takes hours! Once you install your favorite bloated DE, you're faced with an out of date looking environment, so you have to spend countless hours to make it look right. Community support looks abysmal and their irc channel is full of banter nonsense. Not recommended for newbs.
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Project: Devuan GNU+Linux
Version: 4.0.0
Rating: 10
Date: 2022-01-03
Votes: 97
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This distribution reminds me of my beginnings under GNU/Linux in 2005, this is the good old Debian that I loved in that time. There is no more reliable and easy to use. I have to thanks peoples who made this happen again, so that we can remember what made the strength of GNU/Linux and use it for today needs.
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Project: Devuan GNU+Linux
Version: 4.0.0
Rating: 10
Date: 2021-12-30
Votes: 42
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Using Devuan 4.0 with LXQT desktop environment and runit init system.
It is lighting fast, simple, familior, stable, and it is Devuan ! Delightful!
Thank you Devuan development team !
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Project: Devuan GNU+Linux
Version: 4.0.0
Rating: 5
Date: 2021-12-28
Votes: 0
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pros
very fast bootup
extremely light
feels very windows like
easy to change themes, almost windows-like way
Probably more good for those coming from Windows directly
cons
for new user not so easy to find yourself around. ..Just a readme.text. Would be nice if there was a Welcome or Hello pop up menu like Manjaro or other popular distros.
there were alot themes but they were just the same thing different colour. Would be nice to have some more artistic memes using the name or photos perhaps
The app store is not easy to find for new users
The theme seems wndows like also.
If you click "my computer" not much comes up but this is not a big problem at all. Would be nice with more info.
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Project: Devuan GNU+Linux
Version: testing
Rating: 10
Date: 2021-12-14
Votes: 43
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Devuan is great. It supports init freedom and is for the user. It is easy to use, very stable, speedy and I have had no problems trying to use this for day to day usage of web browsing, watching videos, etc. There are lots of customizations, even bigger and more repositories than Debian, more up-to-date software and better looking.
On the other hand with Debian, is locked down, slow, difficult to use, approves of systemd and related closed source spyware, heavily relies on snap and flatpacks for packages and the developers and community forums aren’t that friendly or helpful. Trash your Debian distro and try out the successor who actually cares about its users.
I recommend Devuan.
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Project: Devuan GNU+Linux
Version: 3.1.0
Rating: 10
Date: 2021-12-08
Votes: 40
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"...Devuan is a breath of fresh air..." - I agree with previous review, systemd is wrong path, IMHO...
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Project: Devuan GNU+Linux
Version: 4.0.0
Rating: 10
Date: 2021-12-03
Votes: 23
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I switched to Devuan armhf on my outdated google-snow chromebook. It looks like everything I need is present and working.
Firstly I tried Kali-armhf, yes, it may be suitable for penetration testing, but unstable for day-to-day work. Then I tried archlinuxarm and it was very promising for me since I use Arch on my x86-64 system. But actually archlinuxarm is less stable for that old armv7 device. Then I tried Void linux armhf, well, there wasn't much difference between Void-linux and archlinuxarm because they both use the same newest unstable packages. I don't really like ubuntu because I always have problems with it on x86 and debian is not the best choice for me (I still remember how the debian kernel while boot turned off the already discontinued to that time gtx750, so even a reboot did not help, only pulling out the power). So I didn't expect anything from other Debian based distributions, but it seems I was wrong. Everything I need is in the devuan repository (except for the specific kernel, but compiling it is not a problem for me). It works for a couple of days and no fails were found. Sysvinit as init scripts is slightly faster and the whole system is slightly more responsive than systemd in archlinuxarm or runit in voidlinux. So i hope that distro-hopping for my snow-chromebook is end now.
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Project: Devuan GNU+Linux
Version: unstable
Rating: 10
Date: 2021-12-03
Votes: 51
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Coming from Debian and it being painful to use, Devuan is a breath of fresh air of everything Debian used to be. Devuan doesn’t rely at all on systemd whereas the Debian team verbally attacks the Devuan team for daring to break away and throw out systemd, that’s pretty sad.
With Devuan here, I would almost say, it’s an independent distro because it’s moving further and further away from reliance on Debian and the negativity found there. Devuan works great, is very stable, looks great, has a far greater use with customization and other programs Debian doesn’t have in any of its repositories, the developers care about their users and listen to their feedback and the community is great and helpful.
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Project: Devuan GNU+Linux
Version: 4.0.0
Rating: 10
Date: 2021-11-28
Votes: 16
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Coming from Void, I had to try Devuan as it comes 2nd in project ranking (right after Arch) & is not using systemd. It's totally awesome: everything works and if you need the latest apps, you can always run flatpaks!
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Project: Devuan GNU+Linux
Version: testing
Rating: 10
Date: 2021-11-27
Votes: 18
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If you're looking for a responsive, optimized and functional system which truly lets you decide how to handle your computing tasks, this is the right choice. I've been running testing branch on my daily use PC (with Cinnamon desktop) for two months now with no problems. Even my HP LaserJet M135w works great and was easy to set.
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Project: Devuan GNU+Linux
Version: 4.0.0
Rating: 10
Date: 2021-11-24
Votes: 16
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installed Cinnamon on top. Very fast and responsive. Top Distro
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Project: Devuan GNU+Linux
Version: 4.0.0
Rating: 10
Date: 2021-11-21
Votes: 13
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Using since 3.0.0 with MATE desktop on a Thinkpad T410 I use for web site management. Incredible performance, boots really fast, and so far not a single hardware related problem. Just some small issues regarding packages like gdebi or cups that got solved pretty quick. Great support on forums as well.
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