Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Systemd-Free Devuan Linux Announces A Second Release Candidate (devuan.org)

Posted by EditorDavid on from the Init-Freedom dept.

An anonymous reader quotes The Register: Devuan Linux has released its second release candidate... A 1.0.0 release candidate emerged just under a fortnight ago and today the developers announced Devuan Jessie 1.0.0 RC2. New in this cut of the code is a systemd-free version of network-manager, new versions of reportbug, desktop-base and xfce4-panel. GNOME, KDE, and Cinnamon have been removed from tasksel, but can still be installed although they "are known to suffer from some glitches due to the lack of systemd."
The Devuan web site says this series of release candidates "marks an important milestone towards the sustainability and the continuation of Devuan as a universal base distribution." And their announcement describes Devuan as "the Debian that was and could have been. Our goal is to provide a viable and sustainable alternative...a new path, nurtured with your help and support."

8 of 122 comments (clear)

  1. systemd by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Graybeards yelling at clouds

    Like... I understand not wanting all the cruft that comes with systemd, but as an init system it's absolutely fabulous! I know Debian tends to be the bastion of never change anything ever and I'm hardly surprised that "Debian makes decision to change something" was met with hostility. Regardless I think this whole thing is a bit ridiculous. Rather than forking ALL OF DEBIAN so you can keep sysvinit, why not fork systemd to use only the init? Hell, you could even have it use the horrible sysvinit script system if you like!

    1. Re:systemd by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

      I dunno, I think they might be on to something.

      https://linux.slashdot.org/story/16/10/01/2155209/multiple-linux-distributions-affected-by-crippling-bug-in-systemd

      SystemD ties in to everything. Init scripts were more compartmentalized last I read. Seems like tying so much in to one magic black box isn't as smart a move as people might think it is.

    2. Re:systemd by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Interesting

      IF systemd was ONLY an alternate choice for an init system them it would probably be ok.... but it isn't, it has become an insidious cancer that threatens to envelop the entire system it sits on. It really should be marketed as a closed OS (like that MS crap) rather than an init system because that is what it wants to be.

      sysvinit is open and plain text... when problems come up it can be troubleshot and fixed with nothing more than your favorite editor and a functioning brain cell or two.

      sysvinit is "old" and stable and requires that you be able to think a bit, that seems to be why the kids today hate it so much. They haven't met a piece of software that works well that they can't improve until it doesn't.

      When I look for a distro, one of the first elements I check for is the lack of systemd, if it ain't there then life is good.

  2. Choice is good by mx+b · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I'm glad to see Devuan gearing up for a release. While Debian is not my favored flavor of linux, and I personally don't see any problems with systemd, I also recognize that this is exactly why different distros exist: we all have different needs.

    So cheers to the Devuan team on this upcoming release, and best wishes for many more.

    I hope this will help end the systemd "debate". I get a little tired seeing the constant re-treading of which one is better. If you like systemd or don't care, you have distro options. If you don't like systemd and DO care, you also have at least one distro to choose from. Use the tech that makes most sense for you.

  3. Ubuntu by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Interesting

    If only Ubuntu would rebase from this, it would help cement it's position as the server OS of choice, and renew interest for it on the desktop.

  4. Did try RC1, works fine as it is, glitch for KDE by what+about · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Comments on the RC1

    Install for the default version works well

    installing the kde version was not available as install option but needs
    # apt-get install task-kde-desktop

    wicd integration works, but NetworkManager does not
    some issues on handling permissions smb4k does not work as normal user but needs to be run using kdesudo

    I am really looking forward to use it on all my machines.

    systemd surely is a NSA work

    Going to test RC2....

  5. KDE and Cinnamon can run fine without systemd. by sombragris · · Score: 4, Interesting

    GNOME, KDE, and Cinnamon have been removed from tasksel, but can still be installed although they "are known to suffer from some glitches due to the lack of systemd."

    Cannot say anything on GNOME, but KDE (both KDE4 and Plasma 5) run fine in Slackware. As for Cinnamon, there's also an excellent distribution for Slackware, Cinnamon Slackbuilds . There are also implementations for Xfce, MATE, Lumina and LX-Qt, all up to date and fully functional. No glitches due to lack of systemd at all.

    I'm typing this on a Slackware64-current box, using the latest KDE Plasma with no trace of systemd.

    Since Slackware manages to avoid systemd like the plague even to this day, using modern desktop environments in a systemd-free environment should be no problem.

    --
    -- Look to the Rose that blows about us--"Lo, Laughing," she says, "into the World I blow..."
  6. I'm on board by Bruce+Perens · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I installed Devuan on a laptop and will probably expand it to my other systems over time. I installed 1.0 and the absence of NetworkManager was a problem, so it's nice to see that this new version includes it.

    --
    Bruce Perens.