Devuan GNU+Linux

Reader supplied reviews for Devuan GNU+Linux Average rating 9.0 from 163 review(s) What are your thoughts on Devuan GNU+Linux? Please include a few pros and a few cons, along with your overall impression of the operating system. Our FAQ page has tips on writing a good mini-review. Version: -- unstabletesting5.0.04.0.03.1.02.11.0.0 Rating:    -- 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 out of 10 Your review (minimum 250 words): Past reviews - sort by: DateVotes Version: testing Rating: 10 Date: 2025-10-07 Votes: 14 Review: Devuan 6 (Testing) Devuan 6 (testing) offers excellent stability and performance. The system runs smoothly with the dependable SysVinit init system, giving users full control over service management. Security hardening through Lynis integrates well with nftables and kernel lockdown features, providing a robust defense layer. Squid proxy operates efficiently, and KDE Plasma on Wayland delivers a responsive and modern desktop experience. Devuan 6 is a strong choice for users seeking a secure, systemd-free Linux environment with clarity and precision. Pros Exceptional stability — ideal for both desktop and server environments Transparent init system — SysVinit offers simplicity and reliability Effective hardening — Lynis, nftables, and kernel lockdown work seamlessly together Wayland support — KDE Plasma performs impressively with smooth graphics and input handling Minimalist architecture — no unnecessary background services or socket activation Full control — ideal for users who value manual oversight and customization Cons Some configuration may be manual — especially for advanced setups or custom hardware Testing branch — generally rock stable, but occasional package transitions can occur Was this review helpful? Yes No Version: 5.0.0 Rating: 1 Date: 2025-10-06 Votes: 1 I tried Devuan with SysVinit and I've never experienced these issues: Round 1, I installed Devuan with LXQt which would not even boot into the DE. Then round 2: Installed it with LXDE instead which worked and booted up, but then I went to do a "sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y" and it started lagging like nothing I've seen lagging before and all it said was "failed to fetch" the repos, it was almost like the terminal was having a stroke. I have installed countless of other distros and never had any of these things happening before, howerver it could be that I maybe missed something, but then again I did it twice and installed it like I would with Debian. One more thing, the machine when I booted the ISO sounded like a car doing a "jump-start", not a joke. I'm gonna give it another shot when Devuan Excalibur version 6.0 is out. Was this review helpful? Yes No Version: 5.0.0 Rating: 10 Date: 2025-10-02 Votes: 7 I have been using Devuan 5 Daedalus with XFCE x64 on all my desktops with intel mobo's, a panasonic touhgbook & a HP laptop and it's been working beautifully, No problems at all, for me it works better and more efficient in some aspects than debian and MX Linux, I give it 10 out of 10, the only drawback is that it doesn't have the tools of MX Linux, like the snapshot tool, yeah you can use "refracta-snapshot" tool but it is a little more complicated to use than the MX Linux one, however I like the init freedom of choice between SysVinit, Runit and OpenRC and that is free of systemd, cheers! Was this review helpful? Yes No See all 163 reader reviews of Devuan GNU+Linux...