Void

Reader supplied reviews for Void Average rating 9.1 from 293 review(s) What are your thoughts on Void? 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: -- current202502022024031420230628202210012021093020191109201811112017100720150221 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: current Rating: 10 Date: 2026-08-09 Country: United States Votes: 20 I've used Linux since Ubuntu gave away free CDs when I was in middle school. I've tried essentially every distro under the sun. I will say that Void has not been a small change for me, or a lateral move. I feel like I finally don't need to think or care about my distro anymore. I used to have "old hardware" distros and "new hardware" distros, like Fedora w KDE vs. Debian or Xubuntu. Now I just use Void+Sway on every system. XBPS is the best package manager I've ever used. I don't say that lightly. - It is fast. Maybe some will debate it vs. pacman, but it certainly seems to be the fastest I've used. - the packages are small and sane, and don't pull in a bunch of junk you don't need. - there is a clear distinction between base/minimal packages and add-on goodie packages. - the packages don't come with "clever" or "helpful" configuration changes -- Not pre-install hooks, post-install hooks, default configs that make assumptions about why you're installing the package, etc. - the packages that exist are up to date ENOUGH to be forgotten. I don't think about package age, things just kinda work as I expect. I don't often install things and say "dang I need a newer one" - downloads are quick, dependency resolution is very sane, and I have never once experienced a conflict over 2 years. Granted not too long, but more than someone who's never used it. The default installation media is from 2025-02-02. It's currently 2026-08. I'm sure it doesn't matter to update it since the install media simply updates without a hiccup. And yes, the updates actually do work. I have never used a rolling distro where I genuinely did not need to worry about things breaking. I don't even think about it. I blindly update. Not the strongest use of my critical thinking, but I used to care, and it never mattered. So at this point I don't think about it beyond reading to see what will change in case it breaks, but it never does. It is boringly reliable. "void linux is called that because it's void of packages" -- well no. It has everything I need for Go development, occasional steam games, light video editing, 3d printing tools. Yes, it is sometimes lacking certain packages, but these days AppImages/Flatpaks solve this issue for any dangling concerns, and if not, there is xbps-src which does actually work pretty well. And unlike the AUR, does not contain an automated "you're supposed to read the PKGBUILDs but nobody does" culture surrounding it. 10/10. Love it. Was this review helpful? Yes No Version: current Rating: 4 Date: 2026-08-09 Country: France Votes: 0 I used Void for a few weeks, and it is certainly an interesting system, quite different from the more mainstream options. However, since it is maintained by a relatively small team, things tend to take a little longer to happen, and it is fairly common to run into one issue or another. Some of the pros and cons I noticed are: Pros - Lightweight and resource-efficient - Relatively simple to install and configure - Good selection of packages in the repositories - Supports multiple architectures and more than one libc implementation Cons - Many packages are outdated - ISO images are rarely updated, which makes offline installations more difficult - Few mirrors, which can make downloads slow depending on your location - Limited init system, with no dependency management - The handbook/wiki is relatively lacking in information, so if you run into problems, you will probably have to rely on other sources - Many packages are broken on some architectures, making Void difficult to use effectively in certain scenarios - Occasional stutters can occur, despite its generally low resource usage Off the top of my head, these are the main points I noticed after a few weeks of use. Overall, I would consider it a rather mediocre distribution, around 4/10. Void might be a better fit for extremely minimal systems that don't need much to be productive, or for setups that are frequently modified and customized. Was this review helpful? Yes No Version: current Rating: 10 Date: 2026-08-08 Country: United States Votes: 23 I enjoy Void for its own sake. I do use it for professional and hobby development, though I’m not a professional developer by trade. What draws me in is the technology itself. The simplicity, the stability, the predictability, and the speed. My reasons aren’t political, and this isn’t about rejecting systemd or following some idea of “the Linux way.” I’ve made mistakes along the way, but I’ve always been able to recover my system. That reliability is what keeps me here. I also appreciate the care the developers put into xbps. Unlike many package managers, it handles updates and dependencies in a way that stays consistent and rarely leaves the system in a broken state. That thoughtful design runs through the whole distribution, and it is what makes Void feel dependable in a way few others do. If Void development ceased, my alternative would be base Debian, with Fedora as a distant second. For me its as perfect fit as there is. Was this review helpful? Yes No See all 293 reader reviews of Void...