{ id: d2718, ok: 🇵🇸🌈🏳️‍⚧️🇺🇦 }

Okay, nerds, I'm thinking about moving from #Debian to #VoidLinux ; I've daily-driven Debian for over a decade now, and mostly have no problems with it. I've just been increasingly leery of systemd, which now is rearing its ugly head (in admittedly an unexpected way) with the whole age-verification thing; runit does seem much less Lovecraftian.

I installed Void just for the heck of it a couple of years ago on an old/underpowered netbook style laptop, and it seemed just fine, but I didn't use it much or rely on it for anything.

I run sway as my VM with just a couple of custom programs as a sort of nod to a "desktop environment".

Is there anybody out there who has experience with both who wants to either reassure me or scare me off? Any advice would be appreciated.

May 10 at 5:28pmWeb
Show threadAndrewMay 10
@d2718 https://mastodon.online/@alsorew/113629307036652701
Andrew (@[email protected])

`sudo xbps-install -Su` `sudo xbps-install dbus-elogind elogind polkit mesa-dri sway foot xorg-fonts` `sudo ln -s /etc/sv/dbus /var/service/` `sudo ln -s /etc/sv/polkitd /var/service/` `sudo reboot` Login, `sway` The minimalist #Sway installation is done. #NotFullyLiveVoidPosting

Mastodon
Show thread{ id: d2718, ok: 🇵🇸🌈🏳️‍⚧️🇺🇦 }6d ago

@alsorew

Okay, wow, this is a great resource, and I will probably consult it if I commit to the switch.

Can I ask, though:

* Do you daily drive it now?
* Do you have any regrets?
* Generally, what's better? What's worse?

Show threadAndrew6d ago

@d2718 I have Debian on my laptop and it was on my main PC, so we’re in a similar situation. I’ll be brief, but feel free to ask for clarification!

I plan to change that, but right now, I only have Void on that Steam-Machine-like PC. So, no, I don’t use it daily, and you should take that into consideration.

Void is a great toolbox. By toolbox I mean that you have to do everything yourself, but once you’re done it, you know what, how, and why. [1/2]

Show threadAndrew6d ago

@d2718 And by great I mean that I really like it. I know there aren’t a ton of packages, but almost everything I want is there, and I don’t need to use Homebrew (https://brew.sh), which I used on Debian. I like that it’s similar enough to “classic” Linux that my (limited) knowledge still applies. I like the simplicity of runit because I can use nushell scripts as my “services.”

Not a regret, but I would prefer a better installation so that I could easily recommend it to others. [2/2]

Homebrew

The Missing Package Manager for macOS (or Linux).

Homebrew
Show thread{ id: d2718, ok: 🇵🇸🌈🏳️‍⚧️🇺🇦 }6d ago

@alsorew

This is awesome, thanks! I think I'll try it on something spare but real (not a netbook) for a bit and see if I can get it how I like it. (I feel pretty confident that I can at this point.)

I've never had to use homebrew; the idea of multiple package managers just... seems like I could really screw myself up. I don't think I've ever needed something unavailable through apt that I couldn't install or compile myself.

I'm encouraged! I'll let you know how it goes.

Thanks again.

Show threadAndrew6d ago

@d2718 Actually, I would say that Homebrew is pretty safe since it keeps everything separate from the distro itself. Kinda like Flatpak (I don’t like Flatpak, but that’s another story). It’s also pretty helpful when dealing with immutable distros like SteamOS. However, if you can avoid complications, then you should, I 100% agree!

Sure, keep me posted! Not a lot of people talk about Void here.

Show thread[] Fanged Menace ​​​​4d ago

@d2718 Just keep tabs on the package git repo before full-system upgrades:

https://github.com/void-linux/void-packages/issues

It doesn't happen often, but with new upstream version of certain core packages (like Qt), it's best to see if others have had any breakage upgrading.

Debian (and flavors) been my goto distro for most of Linux journey, so the transition over to Void was thankfully quite hassle-less.

I quite like runit as a init system too. Services easily being disabled and enabled using symbolic links and simple services scripts is a big plus in my book

Issues · void-linux/void-packages

The Void source packages collection. Contribute to void-linux/void-packages development by creating an account on GitHub.

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