I'm on the hunt for a super clean and stable Linux installation that focuses on minimal energy and internet consumption, and I want to avoid any unnecessary startup processes. My ideal setup would be based on either runit or sysVinit, and I definitely want to steer clear of rolling releases due to their constant updates leading to instability. I need good support for software like i3, Chromium, CodeOSS/Codium/VSCode, NodeJS, Git, and a lightweight file manager. I can manage Wi-Fi settings at a low level, so that's not an issue.
Here's a bit about my journey:
- I've tried Arch Linux, which is lightweight but it's a rolling release, so I'm not too keen on that.
- Slackware was extremely lightweight too, but compiling Chromium and dealing with buggy apps turned out to be a nightmare.
- Debian with a minimal netinstall seemed perfect, but I've felt like there's a bit of "residue" left behind from its so-called minimalism.
- Currently, I'm using Devuan with a minimal netinstall and sysVinit, but it feels similar to Debian without any noticeable performance edge.
- I'm working on a 2015 MacBook Pro (i7, 16GB RAM) which is decent hardware, but the battery isn't in great shape.
I'm also thinking about these alternatives:
- Void Linux, but it's a rolling release which I want to avoid.
- Alpine Linux has musl libc, and I worry about potential conflicts with the applications I need.
So, does anyone know of a distribution that fits my criteria without going to the extremes like Gentoo? My patience has really worn thin with Slackware.
3 Answers
Have you considered trying Origami Linux? It’s designed to be quite minimalist and you can use Distrobox for your needed tooling. It might just be the perfect fit for your situation!
If you want to avoid rolling releases, I suggest looking into something like Manjaro’s stable branch, though it’s still based on Arch. It offers a good balance of up-to-date packages without the constant hassle—might be worth a shot!
When you say Debian leaves residue, I think you mean that it installs packages and configurations that you don’t actually need. It can feel bloated even after a minimal install because of the dependencies that come along with other software. Have you tried tweaking your setup afterwards? Sometimes it's just a matter of cleaning up. Also, what do you mean by "false minimalism"? Just curious!
Thanks for the tip! I’ve heard mixed reviews about Manjaro but I’ll definitely consider it.