Init Freedom

Init Freedom is about restoring a sane approach to PID1 that respects portability, diversity and freedom of choice. Devuan uses the sysvinit init system by default.

Alternate Init Systems

The following init systems are either available or being considered for inclusion in Devuan:

• openrc (available since ASCII)
• runit (available since Beowulf)
• sinit
• s6
• shepherd

GNU/Linux Distributions offering alternate inits

The GNU/Linux distributions mentioned here support init options that are portable, compatible, small, fast, and secure.

• antiX: sysvinit and runit
• Artix: openrc, runit, s6, and dinit
• Devuan: sysvinit (default), openrc, runit. Please test sinit
• Dragora: sysvinit + perp
• Gentoo: openrc (see Gentoo without systemd)
• Guix: shepherd
• Hyperbola: openrc and runit
• KNOPPIX: knoppix-autoconfig
• MX Linux: sysvinit (default), systemd
• Obarun: s6 supervision suite
• Parabola: openrc, sysvinit, s6, systemd (default)
• PCLinuxOS: sysvinit
• Slackware: sysvinit
• Stali: sinit
• Void Linux: runit

The most current list of distributions that use inits other than systemd can be found at Distrowatch.

Other Free Unices Without systemd

One of the critical arguments against systemd is the lack of portability to other Unices and the possibility that Linux-based systems using systemd would detach from the UNIX world. OpenBSD, FreeBSD and other BSD OSes are de facto incompatible with systemd or rather, systemd is incompatible with Unices not running Linux.

• The BSD family:
  • FreeBSD
  • OpenBSD
  • NetBSD
  • DragonFly BSD
  • and other BSD derivatives
• Other UNICES
  • GNU/Hurd
  • Minix
  • OpenIndiana
  • Plan 9
  • Inferno

Alternate Device Managers

• eudev: Gentoo’s fork of udev removed the systemd dependency so it is compatible with other init environments. eudev has been the device manager in Devuan since ASCII.
• mdev: The device manager of BusyBox is mdev.
• vdev: Jude Nelson’s vdev (no link)