The Linux ecosystem is vast and diverse, offering a multitude of distributions to suit every need and preference. With hundreds of distros to choose from, it’s a pity that most are rarely mentioned while the popular ones are constantly being regurgitated.

This thread aims to celebrate this diversity and shine a light on smaller projects with passionate developers. I invite you to pitch your favorite underappreciated distro and share your experiences with those lesser-known Linux distributions that deserve more attention.

While there are no strict rules or banlists, I encourage you to focus on truly niche or exotic distributions rather than the more commonly discussed ones. Consider touching upon what makes your chosen distro unique:

  • What features or philosophies set it apart?
  • Why do you favor it over other distros, including the popular ones? (Beyond “It just works.”)
  • In what situations would you recommend it to others?

Whether it’s a specialized distro for a particular use case or a general-purpose OS with a unique twist, let’s explore the road less traveled in the Linux landscape. Your insights could introduce fellow enthusiasts to their next favorite distribution!

  • sugo@lemmy.world
    1·
    4 months ago

    Void Linux. It’s simple, lightweight (the base system doesn’t come with much, only an installer you run from a TTY interface), and I like its package tree/templates system. Contributing to packages is pretty straightforward, however you need to be patient, as maintainers aren’t as available as the ones from other (more popular) communities. Their IRC channel on Libera is also pretty helpful, when you run into problems.

  • Cris@lemmy.worldEnglish
    1·
    4 months ago

    Void Linux! It’s a very simple, completely independently distro without a dependence on a corporate funded project. It uses runit in place of systemd (I don’t mind systemd but it seems a lot of people just like runit better for being smaller, neater, and very reliable, which is cool)

    It has a “stable rolling release” update model and provides vanilla packages. And the package manager xbps can install pre-compiled binaries or function more like portage or BSDs ports system for building from source (full disclosure, I’ve never used any of those nor the functionality in xbps so I don’t understand it super well). Oh and the community is helpful, and the documentation is pretty strong and doesn’t always just give you commands to run blindly (as someone who is trying to get more confident in the terminal I find that helpful)

    The project has a very “less is more” philosophy which I really appreciate.

    My one disappointment is that there isn’t a package kit implementation for xbps so I can’t use the graphical software store provided by my desktop environment :(

    • TechNom (nobody)@programming.devEnglish
      0·
      4 months ago

      I do recommend Gentoo (haven’t tried Funtoo) for the academically inclined. It’s a beast to maintain, but you’ll soon find yourself at ease with configuring and compiling your own kernel, configuring your packages and even making some yourself.

      It isn’t as hard as people make it out to be - if you gradually push your boundaries. In particular, it’s good if you already use Arch.

      • JackbyDev@programming.devEnglish
        0·
        4 months ago

        Arch stumped me. But this was nearly a decade ago though. I know more and maybe the getting started guide has improved.

        • TechNom (nobody)@programming.devEnglish
          2·
          3 months ago

          Arch guide expanded in scope IMO. The choices are way more than in the past. However, it’s good quality and easy to read. I implore you to skim it, even if you don’t try it out.

          • JackbyDev@programming.devEnglish
            1·
            3 months ago

            Thanks, I’ll keep it in mind. Stuff like Arch, Gentoo, and even Linux From Scratch is still very fascinating to me.

  • boredsquirrel@slrpnk.net
    0·
    4 months ago

    Fedora Kinoite: the most stable update and package mechanism there is.

    Even though the packages are really new, it is still stable and you always have a rollback.

    Even more, you can reset the system, and we are experimenting with factory resetting too. Resetting means as long as your system has some bootable backup, you can get back to 100% vanilla but current version, without reinstalling.

    • baduhai@sopuli.xyz
      0·
      4 months ago

      Fedora Kinoite NixOS: the most stable update and package mechanism there is.

      Even though the packages are really new, it is still stable and you always have a rollback.

      And it’s declarative.

  • z3rOR0ne@lemmy.ml
    0·
    4 months ago

    Artix Linux. Basically Arch without systemd. It has four options for alternative init systems, so you get to see how it compared to systemd (ultimately it shows how a more minimal init approach is all you need in place of systemd, and where systemd has stepped outside of init into what should be part of the OS space, like elogind, etc.)

    The Artix team have done an amazing job of writing various init scripts to keep the distro comparable with Arch, have written alternatives to systemd modules, like replacing elogind with their own implementation, seatd, and IMHO is the defacto standard for how you implement a non systemd distro.

    Working without systemd, even if you like it from a sys admin standpoint, teaches you what you lose without systemd, which for the average user isn’t much. I game, code, administer web servers, etc., all without missing a beat on Artix Linux, and it honestly has taught me so much about Linux after I switched from Arch.

    I would consider jumping to Gentoo or Void out of curiosity, but Artix is where I’ll be staying for the foreseeable future.

    • moonlight@fedia.io
      0·
      4 months ago

      I’ve been kinda curious about Artix. I wouldn’t say I hate systemd, but I’ve been minorly annoyed by it and might want something more minimal.

      What is the software situation like? The AUR probably doesn’t work reliably, right?

      • z3rOR0ne@lemmy.ml
        0·
        4 months ago

        I use the AUR all the time, the only thing I have to do is look for systemd as a dependency and avoid that.

        The Artix team generally provides init scripts for commonly used packages that rely on init. So for example, if you want to install openvpn, you’d have to install it alongside its script so:

        sudo pacman -S openvpn openvpn-runit

        Installs the runit init script. It does let you know that (for runit) to initialize it you have to create a soft link to the service directory so after installation:

        sudo ln -s /etc/runit/sv/openvpn /run/runit/service/

        And then initialize using runit’s service manager, sv:

        sudo sv start openvpn

        Anyways, that’s just one instance. I have only had one issue where I had to heavily troubleshoot for an obscure piece of software that relied on systemd as a dependency and there wasn’t any alternative…so I simply modified the source code, recompiled the binary and did it myself. But I’ve been using Artix for nearly 5 years and that is one out of thousands of packages.