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webwarrior1.0

Member

From: Tennessee, United States

Registered: 2025-11-10

Posts: 4  

New to Linux: Independent vs Based-on Distributions?

Hello everyone. This is my first post so please correct me if I format incorrectly or speak out of line. As a relatively new user to Linux (daily driver since '21), I'm curious about something: Is having a distribution based on another distribution, à la Devuan/Debian, a positive in regards to independence? Will a decision made by Debian forcefully change Devuan? I love Devuan so far (I put it on a home server, I'm considering switching from Artix) and am a big fan of runit. I like that Debian has such a huge package list and that Devuan can mostly take advantage of that. But I don't like Debian's use of SystemD and the arguably hostile stance it has taken on non-technical subjects (need I explain?). Or am I thinking of this all wrong?

Thanks for reading and taking the time to respond.

HardSun

Member

Registered: 2025-07-29

Posts: 24  

Re: New to Linux: Independent vs Based-on Distributions?

Will a decision made by Debian forcefully change Devuan?

Yes it could, an example would be the usrmerge.
https://wiki.debian.org/UsrMerge
https://lists.dyne.org/lurker/message/2 … 64.en.html

Last edited by HardSun (Yesterday 06:24:45)

Altoid

Member

Registered: 2017-05-07

Posts: 1,895  

Re: New to Linux: Independent vs Based-on Distributions?

Hello:

Yes it could ...

Actually, it can and does.

The main reason being that Devuan is just Debian without systemd.
With all that it entails.

Devuan developers/maintainers and admins make a truly herculean effort to keep it running.
But they are severely overworked and understaffed.

There is only so much that can be done under such dire circumstances.

Best,

A.

Last edited by Altoid (Yesterday 09:22:38)

brocashelm

Member

Registered: 2020-06-29

Posts: 165  

Re: New to Linux: Independent vs Based-on Distributions?

The further downstream you go, the more vulnerable the project is. It's better to stay as close to the original, where much of the significant changes can be observed. Whatever Debian does outside of init stuff will usually befall Devuan, because that's just how it's set up.

Slackware never adopted Systemd in any fashion, and they have no upstream distro to answer to. They do use Elogind where applicable, though.

webwarrior1.0

Member

From: Tennessee, United States

Registered: 2025-11-10

Posts: 4  

Re: New to Linux: Independent vs Based-on Distributions?

Thanks everyone for the prompt responses. A lot of these make sense and I'm beginning to understand more of the relationship Devuan has with Debian (and any derivation with it's source).

tux_99

Member

Registered: 2025-06-17

Posts: 55  

Re: New to Linux: Independent vs Based-on Distributions?

If you are looking for complete independence from any distro then I can highly recommend Linux from Scratch: https://www.linuxfromscratch.org/

webwarrior1.0

Member

From: Tennessee, United States

Registered: 2025-11-10

Posts: 4  

Re: New to Linux: Independent vs Based-on Distributions?

If you are looking for complete independence from any distro then I can highly recommend Linux from Scratch: https://www.linuxfromscratch.org/

Whoa you are putting a lot of trust in me I'm not sure I could handle that. But it would be fun to try. Is that something you'd recommend for a home lab/server?

tux_99

Member

Registered: 2025-06-17

Posts: 55  

Re: New to Linux: Independent vs Based-on Distributions?

Yes I would recommend to try it out on a secondary PC, or even in a VM, not straight away on your main PC that you rely on for your daily tasks.

But even just reading the book is highly educational to understand the inner workings of a Linux based system, you don't necessarily have to then follow through and build such a home grown Linux system.

Last edited by tux_99 (Yesterday 19:39:17)

steve_v

Member

Registered: 2018-01-11

Posts: 546  

Re: New to Linux: Independent vs Based-on Distributions?

I did the LFS thing somewhere around 2002, because slackware packaging was arse and redhat was a steaming pile at the time. I only used my custom distro for a year or two, but the experience gained is still useful to this day.

I wouldn't recommend (B)LFS as a daily-driver in any sense (at least not without bolting-on some package manager anyway), but if you want to join the cadre of people who fix problems rather than just waiting for someone else to do it, it's a fine place to start.
Even if you only do it once for fun, learning how to compile from source, apply patches, and configure a system without all the convenience features in a big distro is valuable any time you encounter problems, need something that isn't in a distribution repository, or even just want to file a useful bug report.

---

Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. Three times is enemy action. Four times is Official GNOME Policy.

webwarrior1.0

Member

From: Tennessee, United States

Registered: 2025-11-10

Posts: 4  

Re: New to Linux: Independent vs Based-on Distributions?

It sounds like useful information and a natural next step for myself to move from Linux newbie to someone who can actually help others.