Devuan GNU+Linux

The backlash against Systemd resulted in this sysvinit-friendly distro, now on version 4. Mayank Sharma assesses its progress.

- Mayank Sharma

IN BRIEF

A Debian-based distro that came into existence as result of Debian shifting to Systemd. Not only has it spawned a new category of distros, it’s also grown into a mature project that caters to several different use cases – much like its upstream distro.

SPECS

CPU: 1GHz Pentium class Memory: 1GB HDD: 10GB Build: Available in both 32- and 64-bit variants

Debian’s shift to a new system and service manager in 2017 instigated a long and much-publicised debate, which led to several Debian developers creating Devuan by swapping out the new Systemd in favour of the established sysvinit.

Devuan continues to be based on Debian, and the latest version of the distro, Devuan 4 “Chimaera” is based on the latest stable Debian 11.1 release.

One of the things Devuan inherits from Debian is the support for a wide range of hardware. In addition to being one of the few projects that still produces installation media for both 32-and 64-bit machines, its community also builds images for ARMel, ARMhf and the IBM Power platform.

Devuan’s claim to fame is its support for multiple init systems that aren’t Systemd. The latest release offers users a choice between sysvinit