Devuan Linux has their first stable release today. It is based on Debian 8.0 Jessie and though Devuan release is also called Jessie, it is not going to share the codename of releases in the future.
You might already know that Debian Linux uses the characters of Toy Story for its releases. Devuan, on the other hand, uses minor planet names as release codenames. Jessie is both a Toy Story character and a planet (nr.10464).
Devuan Linux: A revolt against systemd
Back in 2014, when Debian switched to systemd with Debian 8.0 Jessie release, it irked several people. I am not going to detail on systemd vs init debate, just know that a few people were so aghast with systemd that they decided to fork Debian and make it systemd free. And thus was born Devuan Linux.
While most of the major Linux distributions have opted for the newer systemd, Devuan tries to continue the legacy SysVinit. In simpler words, Devuan is nothing but Debian Linux – systemd + SysVinit.
Devuan Jessie claims to provide continuity as a safe upgrade path from Debian 7 (Wheezy) and a flawless switch from Debian 8 (Jessie) to ensures the “right to Init Freedom”.
Devuan is already a movement
If you think Devuan is a far-fetched concept and is fighting a lone battle, think again!
There are already more than 10 Linux distributions using Devuan as the base, even before it hit the first stable release. You can find the list of these distributions on Devuan’s homepage.
How is it pronounced again?
I don’t need to tell you how to pronounce Debian. Devuan, on the other hand, is kind of tricky. Correct me if I am wrong, but I think it is pronounced dev-one.
It’s funny that we hardly care for how these names are pronounced and honestly it should not matter. I mean if you rhyme MATE with late without thinking twice that it actually rhymes with latte, it would make no difference to MATE. After all, what’s in (the pronunciation of) a name?
Download Devuan Linux 1.0 Jessie
You can download Devuan stable release either from the mirrors or via torrent. You can get more information on the download page below:
Is it worth switching from Debian (or other Linux distributions)?
That call is really up to you. If you love Debian but don’t want to use systemd, Devuan is the obvious choice here. For the rest, I say give it a try yourself. Burn a live disk or try it in virtual box and see for yourself.
Good luck Devuan!
In a month, where we saw two Linux distributions being discontinued, Apricity OS and Parsix Linux, it is nice to see a promising Linux distribution growing.
To support their project, I donated $50 (as part of It’s FOSS donation program) to encourage their effort. If you want to contribute in any way possible, check out this page.
Don’t forget to share the arrival of Devuan 1.0 Jessie on social media and other communities :)
