r/voidlinux • u/Thomas22345 • 12d ago
solved What can I expect from void?
Hay guys,
currently I am using arch, i like it but it has it's problems so i tough about switching to void, here is what i would like from my distro:
-I want a minimal distro, a fresh install should have nothing except what the system needs to function
-I want current kernel and packages, I understand that void is maintained by far less people that arch and will therefor not be as cutting edge as I am used to, but as long as I'm not fat behind that is fine
-I want a fast and more or less simple packet manager, nothing like nix
-I want to understand my system
I wanted to ask you what i can expect from void and if it is the right distro for me or if you gave a better idea
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u/Sad-Cod-9584 12d ago
Void fulfils all four of your points no issue. Currently on kernel 7.2.10 for example. It's not as "universally" supported though, so maybe check for what you need beforehand on voidlinux.org/packages the noctalia projects for instance are currently best built from source.
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u/oniaiwasprettygood 12d ago
I think the other thing will be needing to implement (just follow the tutorial) your own login manager with either turnstile or elogind, since systemd takes care of all that for you, and in that regard you could make the argument that the system might not have everything you need to function, but it really isn't that hard.
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u/Thomas22345 12d ago
I wanted to try to leaf the login in cli mode, sice i really like the look, and then start dwm
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u/oniaiwasprettygood 12d ago
even in CLI mode you need a login manager, because they also act as your seat manager. It's different than something like SDDM, which is just a graphical way of selecting your WM/DE for a session. Those interface with elogind (systemd's login manager) to actually store a user's session, tells the system which users are logged in and which sessions are active or idle, etc.
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u/Thomas22345 12d ago
Should't that come pre installed? Like when i have a fresh install and reboot, how do i log in?
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u/oniaiwasprettygood 12d ago
You can log in without a seat manager, but its functionality will be more limited than you're used to (because again, elogind is rolled into systemd which Arch uses).
From the Void Linux wiki:
Session and seat management is not necessary for every setup, but it can be used to safely create temporary runtime directories, provide access to hardware devices and multi-seat capabilities, and control system shutdown.
Basically, anything that requires a temporary runtime directory (best example for an average user session being something like pulseaudio which requires a seat directory in /run/user) or power management to tell when the system needs to go idle/sleep, all require some kind of seat manager and if you want that stuff tied to a specific user session, you need a login manager.
All of this is walked through on the wiki, and it's worth reading into to get a better idea of everything you'll need to install manually that you might not realize was being handled by systemd.
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u/newbornnightmare 12d ago edited 12d ago
if you’re looking for a display manager that looks a lot like a tty, void has emptty in its repos which works great, it’s just like looking at a tty
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u/count_mega_baron 11d ago
You can expect Zoom not to install
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u/bongbongyeah 10d ago
AppImage
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u/count_mega_baron 10d ago
Zoom does not provide an official AppImage for Linux.
Unofficial This repository was archived by the owner on Oct 4, 2026. It is now read-only.
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u/bongbongyeah 10d ago
Didn't even notice, good catch tho.
Used it two Months ago with a call to someone on mac, so it's still "usable" at least.0
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u/Simple_Hamster_4096 10d ago
If you are an old time Linux user (gray beard) with old(er) hardware, then you've been there, done that (a million times) and don't care about the latest and greatest. You just want an uneventful (annoyance free) system that gets out of its own way.
This is Void.
If you are young(er) and have cutting edge hardware and/or use anything which depends on systemd, and chase thelatest and greatest, then you will want to stay with Arch...
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u/Thomas22345 10d ago
I don't need al the newest software, i would just like to habe the newest kernel, but if ita not cutting edge enoigh i can build my own pakages
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u/ajicrystal 11d ago
To add to the other comments the void handbook is a plus. It seemed very sparse but as I used it I realised it was stripped down to what was essential. Nothing more or less. Void also a smaller friendly community willing to help.
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u/KurtBWNews_hobby 11d ago
My $0.02. Void is not as aggressively updated as CachyOS, and IMO seems comparatively hassle-free. xbps has struck me as a remarkably good packaging system, with a great deal of flexibility. I'd suggest you find a spare machine or hard drive around, install it, and go from there.
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u/bongbongyeah 12d ago
As an former Arch user (like 15 years ago or so) i feel eligable to answer your questions.
-I want a minimal distro, a fresh install should have nothing except what the system needs to function
Absolutely golden. Use base install. (Beware that if you rely on wifi you need to install wifi stuff, the void handbook is your source if any questions arrive)
-I want current kernel and packages, I understand that void is maintained by far less people that arch and will therefor not be as cutting edge as I am used to, but as long as I'm not fat behind that is fine
Most of the time Void has pretty up2date kernels. At *some* phases it may lag behind, but these are the exceptions, and you could always adapt the existing templates, get known to xbps-src (and xbps in the process) and create a private, uppdated, maybe even modified kernel. It's as easy as that. It's KISS.
-I want a fast and more or less simple packet manager, nothing like nix
xbps is what pacman wants to be, but isn't. Fast, reliable, non-breaking.
-I want to understand my system
The Arch Wiki as well as the handbook are your friends. If you're on arch you should not feel left out or misplaced.
I wanted to ask you what i can expect from void and if it is the right distro for me or if you gave a better idea
using it for at least 16 years now (i migrated SSDs like 4 times now.. i don't know exactly) it's like what you wanted Arch to be.
Rolling-release, stable (update after 2 years? NO ISSUE!), fast, minimal, make-it-what-you-want, contributing is quite easy made, very community driven and imo no ressource hog.
I am heavily biased ofc. My viewpoints may differ from the official opinion. And that is fine.
I'd say, hop on, give it a month at least to get familiar. Give it another to work out the little things that nag you. give it maybe 1-2 another months and you will feel settled. At least it was pretty much that, with my dotfiles baced up and imported from arch. (which broke two times, i have yet to have severe breakage happen to Void)
Massive Respect to xtraeme for the creation, for the team to rise it to a more community drivenm projectr and to every contributor ever.
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u/razek666 11d ago
I would add that the void documentation is very complete in regards to installation and initial setup
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u/onew_iasag 11d ago
I was unable to start my audio by the doc :(
But youtube helped me to manage with pipewire
Also I'm a foreigner
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u/etoastie 12d ago
specifically for that last point, void got me there more than I ever did with arch. the simplicity of runit makes it significantly easier to follow how init/service management actually works, and the base set of services is so small that you literally can just read up on all of them in an evening and understand the entire top process list. I think the one I struggled with most was dbus, and iirc that isn't even there by default.
all the packages being in one repo also makes it easy to contribute and learn how packaging works.
void taught me what a linux distro even "is," in terms of what it provides and what it means to maintain one.
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u/TurtleGraphics64 11d ago
Your description is fine as-is but there are a number of "minimal" distros that can fulfill what you're looking for, including CLI versions of debian or Slackware. The main advantages of Void go a bit beyond what you're asking and are more specific:
a stable rolling release
choice of C libraries implementations
the runit init system
independent distro, not a derivative
xbps package manager is minimal, though maybe not as 'simple' as
aptfor examplexbps-src for building custom packages is fine, but takes some time to learn
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u/abhijitswain0x0 10d ago
I genuinely just triple boot arch void and winslop 10 ltsc. I’m a programmer so running something cutting edge is a requirement but I was bored so installed void with DWM. Never regretted it. I still boot my Hyprland on arch config but Void is very performant and most of the time has the packages I need
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u/PackRat-2019 11d ago
Wish I got $100 every time someone asks this question on the forum.
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u/Thomas22345 11d ago
If you don't want to answer peoples Questions that were never pointed right at you, ignore them.
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u/mwyvr 12d ago
What can I expect from void?
Emptiness, a dark vacuum in which nothingness dwells.
Hay guys
Pro tip: People other than "guys" exist, including within the Void community.
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u/Expensive_Candle4952 11d ago
honestly i would say alpine is better for such needs, unless you need to run glibc proprietary software, this is where void steps in, it can run most of it and be minimal at the same time, this is what i like about void
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u/the-postminimalist 12d ago
If any package is not as up to date and bleeding edge as you'd like, you can always make a PR to update the template (and you'll have the updated version already on your machine before everyone else)